Trump puts a date on when he believes Iran war will end as he looks to rally sinking Republicans: 'They can't hold out'
A dispatch from the domestic fallout of America's six-month Iran war — where approval sits at 31 percent, key Republicans are skipping the president's convention, and one military widow had to go public before the Pentagon corrected her husband's death benefits.
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'My husband lost his life because we're in a war,' she told the Associated Press. 'It all comes down to principle.'”
'My husband lost his life because we're in a war,' she told the Associated Press. 'It all comes down to principle.'
A grieving widow frames her husband's death as a matter of principle, directly contradicting the Pentagon's refusal to call the conflict a war.
In context
He left behind three young children; a two-year-old son and twins who were seven months old when he died. The couple married in 2019, with Libby moving to the Pacific Northwest for his job before they relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022. ‘My husband lost his life because we’re in a war,’ she told the Associated Press. ‘It all comes down to principle.’ After her statement circulated online, the Air Force contacted her again and said it had itemized her husband's benefits incorrectly, and that combat pay and tax exclusions were in fact included.
Receipt
The Pentagon, under Hegseth's leadership, does not officially classify the conflict as a war — which meant one widow was told her family would not receive hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks because 'we were not at war.'
The classification gap between official Pentagon language and battlefield reality has direct financial consequences for bereaved military families.
In context
Vice President JD Vance was pressed about the case of one Air Force widow at Thursday’s White House briefing, when a CNN reporter asked him to make sure the family received its benefits. The widow of a US soldier killed in the Iran war shared online that she was told her family would miss out on combat benefits because the Pentagon, under Pete Hegseth’s leadership, does not officially classify the conflict as a war. Libby Klinner said that when she questioned her husband's final paycheck, the officer assigned to support her after his death told her the family would not receive hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks because 'we were not at war.'
The Pentagon, under Pete Hegseth's leadership, does not officially classify the conflict as a war Libby Klinner said that when she questioned her husband's final paycheck, the officer assigned to support her after his death — which meant one widow was told her the family would not receive hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks because 'we were not at war.'
Receipt
Vance disputed calling the Iran conflict a war, saying there was 'no active shooting' — even as he acknowledged places where fighting had flared up.
Vance's denial of an active war contradicts both the widow's loss and his own acknowledgment of ongoing fighting.
In context
Vance asked for Klinner’s name and promised the administration would contact her directly after the briefing. ‘We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to,’ he said. Elsewhere in the briefing, Vance disputed calling the Iran conflict a war, saying there was ‘no active shooting’, although he acknowledged places where fighting had flared up. Senior commanders warned Hegseth that prolonged Iran operations could weaken US defenses elsewhere, including at home, the Washington Post reported last week.
Vance disputed calling the Iran conflict a war, saying there was 'no active shooting' although — even as he acknowledged places where fighting had flared up.
Receipt
The guest list tells its own story about Trump's cratering popularity.
Prominent Republican absences from the Dallas convention signal how deeply Trump's standing has fallen within his own party.
In context
It remains to be seen if Trump mentions the war in his convention speech later Wednesday. In true Trumpian fashion, the president will speak both nights of the Dallas convention. But the guest list tells its own story about Trump's cratering popularity. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is not speaking, a snub that follows Trump's frustration with the South Dakotan over stalled pieces of his agenda, even as other House and Senate leaders were handed slots. Several candidates in the country's most competitive races are also skipping the main stage, among them Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson who is running for the US Senate in Iowa, and John E Sununu, the…
Receipt
Pressed on whether the aircraft was safe to fly, Trump responded: 'Yeah, I am, or I wouldn't be on it.'
Trump personally vouches for the safety of a plane that just malfunctioned, making himself the sole measure of its airworthiness.
In context
Most prognosticators expect Democrats to win back the US House of Representatives, but the Senate will be tougher with battleground races in Maine, Ohio, Michigan and Alaska set to determine control. Trump's own trip to Texas was delayed Wednesday after his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One deployed its emergency evacuation slide. Pressed on whether the aircraft was safe to fly, Trump responded: 'Yeah, I am, or I wouldn't be on it.' Minutes after the oddity unfolded, the slide was reportedly seen being taken away from the new plane gifted to Trump from Qatar.
Receipt
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