Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: 03/02/26

‘There’s nothing boring about this’

Mar 02, 2026

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THE CATCH-UP

President Donald Trump takes part in a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room at the White House on March 2, 2026. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

President Donald Trump addressed the U.S. strikes in Iran for the first time live and in public today during a Medal of Honor ceremony honoring servicemembers. | AP

Get ready for a long month.

President Donald Trump, in his first live public remarks since authorizing the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran this weekend that killed its supreme leader and cast the region into turmoil, projected this afternoon that the operation would last an additional “four or five weeks” — and stressed that the U.S. has the capability to go “far longer than that.”

“I don’t get bored,” the president said, responding to speculation from an unnamed media figure that he would tire after a week or two. “There’s nothing boring about this.”

Trump — who campaigned on ending the country’s era of prolonged wars — was speaking at a ceremony bestowing the Medal of Honor to three servicemembers, including Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis, who died in Afghanistan. The remarks came a day after the Pentagon announced that four U.S. troops had been killed in the war with Iran. Yesterday, the president cautioned that there will “likely be more” casualties.

Trump today said that in honor of the servicemembers lost, the U.S. would “continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this morning did not rule out deploying U.S. ground forces in Iran.

That posture stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s “America First” position, his disdain for the “forever wars” brought by his predecessors and the pledge he made in his 2024 victory speech that “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.” On Thursday as Trump was still weighing whether to strike, VP JD Vance, a staunch isolationist, told WaPo there was “no chance” a military operation against Tehran would lead to “a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight.”

But 56 percent of Americans expect the weekend’s strikes to grow into a long-term conflict, and 59 percent disapprove of Trump’s decision to take action in Iran, according to a CNN poll out today. Respondents who described themselves as MAGA Republicans were 30 points more likely than non-MAGA Republicans to say they approved of the decision.

Trump today echoed his previous statements justifying the military action, saying Saturday was “our last best chance to strike … and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime” after negotiations last week failed to produce results and, he said, Tehran would have “soon” been able to hit targets inside America. “I said, ‘You can’t deal with these people.’ You gotta deal with it the right way,” Trump added.

For now, the war is still heating up. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled “crown prince” of Iran, in comments to POLITICO’s Tim Ross called on European leaders to back the U.S. and Israel’s offensive posture. Israel is striking Lebanon and says it has killed 31 people, including Hezbollah’s intelligence chief. Greece deployed four fighter jets to Cyprus after Iran struck a U.K. base there being used by the U.S. Qatar said it had shot down two Iranian jets. And the Pentagon said three U.S. jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.

Now read this: “John Bolton Sounds the Alarm on Trump’s Iran Gamble,” by POLITICO’s Scott Waldman: “For now, Bolton said, it would be wrong to assume that Trump will take any long-term consistent position on the future of Iran: The full consequences of Saturday’s strikes are still unknown and the risk of increased bloodshed is high. [Trump’s former national security adviser] said it remains to be seen if voters will credit Trump for the results in Iran — or if it will be seen as another foreign policy distraction that compromises his ability to deliver for Americans.”

Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. This is Irie Sentner. Get in touch at isentner@politico.com.

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6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. LANGUISHING LABOR: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is traveling the country as her department descends into chaos, NYT’s Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Evan Gorelick report. More than two dozen DOL employees “from across the political spectrum described a toxic workplace characterized by an absentee secretary, hostile aides and a deeply demoralized staff … much of the department’s trouble is particular to Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s leadership and the staff she brought with her.” DOL spokesperson Courtney Parella told NYT that Chavez-DeRemer “remains focused on advancing the president’s America First agenda and carrying out the department’s mission to support American workers.”

2. SOLAR SELLS: “Why MAGA suddenly loves solar power,” by WaPo’s Evan Halper: “These full-throated endorsements of a renewable energy source that has been much maligned by Trump and his advisers represents a departure from what had been a pillar of the MAGA energy agenda. It reflects a realization taking hold more broadly among Republicans that solar power — long embraced by liberals — is increasingly indispensable to America’s bid to dominate AI, close a yawning ‘electron gap’ with China and contain runaway residential electricity costs.”

3. TRAIL MIX: Tom Kean Jr. has a Trump problem. Kean, a soft-spoken vulnerable incumbent in New Jersey, is facing a drove of Democrats who want to oust him and a series of moves by Trump that have put him in a bind, POLITICO’s Matt Friedman and Madison Fernandez report. “The administration just purchased property in a Republican town for his aggressive immigration efforts and last month paused funding for a new tunnel linking New Jersey and New York, which is crucial for commuters in Kean’s district.”

Maine man: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is endorsing Graham Platner in the Democratic Maine Senate primary, AP’s Patrick Whittle and Kimberlee Kruesi report — the latest high-profile Democrat in the chamber to break from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and endorse the oyster farmer over his main opponent, Maine Gov. Janet Mills.

Down in Durham: “This House Democrat may lose her primary over past support for Israel,” by POLITICO’s Elena Schneider and Andrew Howard: “The politics surrounding Israel have shifted so much since the war in Gaza began in 2023 that a candidate who benefited from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spending more than $2 million to shore up her 2022 primary win has now disavowed the group entirely. [Rep. Valerie] Foushee has spent her reelection bid fending off well-funded attacks from the left over her former ties to the group.”

POLITICO Forecast

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4. LOSING CRITICAL CARE: Nearly 20 states led by both parties are tightening requirements for programs that help pay for HIV medications, causing tens of thousands of people to lose access to treatment, NYT’s Apoorva Mandavilli reports. Those cost-cutting measures have been caused by financial constraints as the medications become increasingly expensive while funding for the federal HIV program has remained flat for more than a decade.

5. SIGNALGATE SEQUEL: “Mamdani has used Signal for government business as mayor,” by POLITICO’s Chris Sommerfeldt: “Three people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO that as mayor [Zohran] Mamdani has used the encrypted messaging app to communicate with fellow elected officials and political advisers. In at least one instance, he’s discussed government business over the app, according to one of those people, who like the others, was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue. … In an indication he was aware of the problems Signal can pose for government officials, Mamdani left several group chats on the app after his November election victory.”

6. EYES ON THE SKIES: “The Senate’s air safety bill was on a glide path to success. Then the Pentagon stepped in,” by POLITICO’s Oriana Pawlyk: “Aviation advocates and victims’ families watched in shock and disappointment as the House failed to pass an air safety bill last week seeking to address some of the failures that led to last year’s deadly midair crash over Washington. As that shock wears off, those advocates of the bill are now pointing fingers, in part, at the Pentagon for pulling its support for the legislation, the Senate-passed ‘ROTOR Act,’ just one day before the vote. Longtime observers say it shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

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TALK OF THE TOWN

SH--SHOW OVER? — The D.C. Health Department lifted its recreational advisory for the Potomac after water testing showed that bacteria levels are within safe ranges, Mayor Muriel Bowser said today on X. The announcement comes more than a month after an infrastructure collapse in Maryland caused more than 200 million gallons of sewage to stream into the river.

FREEDOM FLIGHT — Some of the nation’s most important documents will be traveling from the National Archives to local museums across the country as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, AP’s Sean Murphy reports. They’ll be flying on Boeing’s “Freedom Plane,” which is departing from DCA today en route to the documents’ first stop in Kansas City, Missouri.

D.C. RESTAURANTS HIT BY IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN — At least seven D.C. restaurants have received letters from DHS’ investigations arm notifying them that they are suspected of employing unauthorized immigrants, leading more than 100 restaurant workers across the district to lose their jobs since mid-February, WaPo’s Tim Carman reports. Immigration lawyers say D.C.’s restaurant world should brace for more.

ARTIST EXODUS — “Maryland opens arms to welcome artists fleeing Trump’s DC,” by The Baltimore Banner’s Wesley Case: “The [Washington National Opera] is one of a number of performance groups and artists who have left the Kennedy Center as a result of [Trump’s] aggressive takeover of the institution. And the Lyric [theater in Baltimore], like other Maryland venues, is trying to capitalize on the unexpected opportunities.”

TRANSITIONS — Amy Emerick is now chief of staff for Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas). She previously worked for the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). … Lyndsay V. Ruotolo has joined Cozen O’Connor. She previously served as New Jersey’s first assistant attorney general. … Ellen Connell has joined Eversheds Sutherland as a partner. She spent several years in private practice and is an Obama State Department alum. …

… Matthew Huppert is joining Winston & Strawn as partner. He previously worked at the Justice Department. … Jason Galanes is joining the NATO Parliamentary Assembly as director of strategic partnerships and training programs. He most recently worked for Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio).

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