Global
How do you bomb a country “without mercy”—and end up strengthening it?
When US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that Washington would show “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,” the message was unmistakable: this was not a limited war, but an overwhelming campaign meant to break Iran—militarily, politically, and socially.
The logic behind such a position is not new. A country under years of sanctions, strained by economic hardship, and periodically shaken by protests would, under sustained attack, fracture from within. Pressure would compound, divisions would deepen, and the political system would eventually collapse.
Joe Kent’s resignation is not an anomaly but an alarm: elite dissent is surfacing early because this war is built on deception.
Joe Kent’s resignation is shocking, but not for the obvious reason.
It is not shocking simply because it comes from within the Trump administration. Any administration of that size, stretching across thousands of officials, operatives and career personnel, will contain people who, despite the surrounding culture, still draw moral lines of their own.
Even an administration defined by blunt militarism, racialized rhetoric and an unapologetic embrace of force is not morally monolithic. There is always room, however narrow, for someone to say: enough.
What makes Kent’s resignation important is something else entirely: the language, the timing, and the political location from which it emerged.
New solar installations in Nevada fell dramatically in 2025
New solar power installations declined significantly in Nevada last year, as the Trump administration prioritized promoting fossil fuels while limiting the growth of renewable energy, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.
Nevada ranked 27th in the United States for solar installations last year, a dramatic fall from ranking among the top ten in 2023 and 2024, according to the report and data published by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, an energy research firm.
Despite the fall in new solar power installations in 2025, Nevada still ranks sixth in the nation in total solar capacity.
Solar energy also maintained its position as the largest source of new electricity generation added to the electric grid across the United States.
Nevada has leaned into solar energy in recent years, generating nearly one-third of its electricity from solar thanks to the abundance of sunshine and public land within the state. Since 2016, the share of Nevada's in-state electricity generation from all solar sources has more than tripled.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Sex ed isn’t just a school subject, it helps keep kids safe, informed, and empowered. But right now, sex education is under attack in classrooms across the country. In 2026, lawmakers in dozens of states are pushing bills that limit what students can learn about their bodies, consent, relationships, and LGBTQ+ identities.
Join us to hear from the experts at SIECUS and RISE: Healthy for Life to understand what’s happening in our schools and what we can do to fight back. We’ll learn about the latest trends in legislation, share real stories about how these restrictions affect kids, and give you practical ways to make a difference. When it comes to sex ed, knowledge is power.
Sponsored by Red, Wine and Blue Education Fund.
See you there!
At a press conference after the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death on February 17 at the age of 84, his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., warned pols, pundits, posturers and ex-presidents not to “bring your politics” to his memorial. “These ongoing services are welcome to ALL—Democrat, Republican, liberal, and conservative. Right-wing, left-wing,” he said.
Less than a month later, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a Democrat, seemed to do just that, falsely claiming a previous endorsement from Jesse Jackson Sr. that she never had in a close race for retiring Dick Durban's vacated senate seat.
The Jackson family immediately issued a retraction.
"It is important to note that the Jackson Family does not issue political endorsements, nor do Rainbow PUSH or the Rainbow PUSH Coalition," said son Yusef Jackson in a statement.
Let me walk you through something.
If you wanted to build a system to exploit young women and make it basically invisible, you’d design something that looked exactly like the New York modeling industry of the 1990s. You’d recruit teenagers from countries where they don’t speak English. You’d fly them to a city where they know nobody. You’d put them in apartments you control and charge them rent they can’t afford. You’d sponsor their visas so they can’t leave without your permission. And you’d surround them with rich, powerful older men who treat access to young women like a perk of the job.
That system existed. It was real. Hell, some would even argue it still exists.
It operated in broad daylight for decades. And the men at the center of it were not lurking in the shadows. They were throwing parties at Fashion Week, dining at Cipriani, and getting profiled in Vanity Fair.
When Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched their military aggression against Iran on February 28, they appeared convinced that the war would be swift. Netanyahu reportedly assured Washington that the campaign would deliver a decisive strategic victory—one capable of reordering the Middle East and restoring Israel’s battered deterrence.
Whether Netanyahu himself believed that promise is another matter.
For decades, influential circles within Israel’s strategic establishment have not necessarily sought stability, but rather “creative destruction.” The logic is simple: dismantle hostile regional powers and allow fragmented political landscapes to replace them.
This idea did not emerge overnight. It was articulated most clearly in a 1996 policy paper titled A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm, prepared for then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a group of US neoconservative strategists, including Richard Perle.
