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Concerns about an extended conflict, the mounting U.S. death toll and a perceived lack of clarity about the mission’s purpose are percolating among President Donald Trump’s MAGA base as the military operation in Iran puts the president at odds with some of his most ardent supporters.

Hanging over the debate is the memory of previous Middle Eastern conflicts, which stretched for years and claimed the lives of thousands of U.S. soldiers.

Trump's presidential campaigns tapped into the American public’s disenchantment with the long and costly conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He described the Iraq war as a "disaster" and "one of the worst decisions ever made in the history of our country."

But Trump’s second attack on Iran has already resulted in the deaths of six American service members, and the president is warning that more lives could be lost in a conflict with an uncertain timeline.

The president has launched a series of dramatic military operations in his second term, though. The first two in Iran and Venezuela were quick, and no U.S. soldiers died, limiting the blowback from his political base.

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Protests sparked up in New York City and across the country Saturday in response to the military strikes in Iran.

One that started in Times Square saw a massive turnout.
"It's one appalling thing after another"

At its peak Saturday afternoon, the protest ballooned to nearly 1,000 people. Hundreds of demonstrators from all walks of life mobilized just hours after the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran.

Protesters say it was not only unwarranted, but also the last thing the U.S. should be involved in.

"There is a broad base of society that is against all these things, whether it's the attacks on Minneapolis from ICE or the attacks today in Iran," protest organizer Mike Chrisemer said.

"It's one appalling thing after another, but now a war without consulting Congress?" protester Betsy Robinson said.

"People in Iran have the right to determine for themselves their own future, and it's not up to us to meddle in the affairs of another country's," protest organizer Carla Reyes said.

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The United States’ early Saturday morning joint military operation with Israel against Iran divided Republicans, some praising President Donald Trump, but others warning against the possibility of getting into a foreign war.

“I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First,’” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said on X, adding that he and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will force a congressional vote on war. “The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”

The president announced Saturday that the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran,” which the defense department is calling “Operation Epic Fury.”

Trump seemed to urge regime change, encouraging the Iranian public to “take over” their government, which he claimed has continued to develop its nuclear program with plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.

Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out in multiple posts on X against the Trump administration, which she noted had “promised to put America FIRST and Make America Great Again.”

“The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran???,” the MAGA firebrand and former close Trump ally wrote. “How about ZERO you bunch of sick fucking liars. We voted for America First and ZERO wars.”

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One glossy insert stuck out from the orientation packet handed to hundreds of Ohio State University freshmen last August. It advertised a tempting offer: students could earn a $4,000 scholarship – close to a third off in-state tuition – if they enrolled in one civics-oriented course and attended three events each semester outside of class.

It seemed straightforward, but missing in the fine print was the controversial nature of the center giving the scholarships, sponsoring the lectures and crafting the new courses. It was the Salmon P Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, created by Ohio’s Republican-dominated legislature with the explicit goal of enticing students to take courses taught by a newly hired group of conservative philosophers, political scientists and historians.

Housed in one of Ohio State’s sturdy brick buildings, the center has 20 faculty members teaching nine credit-bearing courses this academic year. Most of its lectures and other events have a decidedly right-leaning bent. In 2023, Ohio state legislators allocated $24m in tax dollars to create the Chase Center and four others like it on Ohio campuses and to influence the details of university operations in a manner that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

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The family of a sanctioned United Nations human rights investigator on Wednesday sued the Trump administration for sanctioning her over her criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, arguing that the sanctions violate her First Amendment rights.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s husband, Massimiliano Cali, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Washington. They argued that Albanese’s work surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with her work with the International Criminal Court (ICC), “is core First Amendment activity.”

“At its heart, this case concerns whether Defendants can sanction a person — ruining their life and the lives of their loved ones, including their citizen daughter — because Defendants disagree with their recommendations or fear their persuasiveness,” according to the filing.

Cali, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of himself, Albanese and their child, also argued that the sanctions have negatively impacted their ability to access their home in Washington, D.C. Cali said his wife also lost access to her bank account and the ability to travel to the U.S.

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A guest of congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, was arrested by Capitol police during the State of the Union address.

Omar had invited Aliya Rahman, a US citizen and Minneapolis resident who in January was removed from her car and dragged by immigration agents in the city as part of the Trump administration’s increased efforts to arrest and deport alleged undocumented immigrants. The officers had been shouting at her to move.

A guest of congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, was arrested by Capitol police during the State of the Union address.

Omar had invited Aliya Rahman, a US citizen and Minneapolis resident who in January was removed from her car and dragged by immigration agents in the city as part of the Trump administration’s increased efforts to arrest and deport alleged undocumented immigrants. The officers had been shouting at her to move.

“I’m disabled trying to go to the doctor up there, that’s why I didn’t move,” Rahman told officers as they pulled her from the car. The officers caused her shoulder injuries, she later said.

During Donald Trump’s speech, Rahman “started demonstrating”, which violated rules for the event, according to the Capitol police.

“The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders,” the police said in a statement. “It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings.”

Rahman was arrested for unlawful conduct and disruption of Congress, the police stated.

Rahman told the Democracy Now broadcast on Wednesday that she had been standing silently before she was arrested.

“No buttons, no facial expressions, no gestures, no signs, not one sound,” Rahman said. “There are only two things you can do at the State of the Union, and they are, sit down and stand up. All kinds of people were standing up all night. Me too. I stood up at the moment that I heard this man say some of the most racist things I have heard come out of any leader’s mouth about the people of my city.”or

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