The House of Representatives did not pass a resolution to end the war with Iran. The resolution failed by one vote because Democrat Jared Golden from Maine voted with Republicans to keep the war in place. The same man who has accepted over $3 million from AIPAC. This vote was symbolic because the measure already failed in the Senate but it shows us something important: Congress is comatose. The Constitution gives them the responsibility to stop one man from waging war at his whim, namely the President. Now both chambers have said that this war is a-okay by them. Democrats are leading the opposition to the war but don’t give them too much credit. They voted repeatedly to fund the war in Ukraine and looked the other way during the genocide on Gaza during the Biden years. It is safe to say that the opposition party plays like they want peace when they are out of power only to wage war afresh when they are. Journalist Glenn Greenwald calls this “Villain Rotation.” The post Congress Fails to Stop War and Proves It Won’t appeared first on Redacted.

The White House announced a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. They spun this as the tenth war that President Trump has ended. That requires some creative accounting. They are counting temporary ceasefires and de-escalations as “war endings.” Israel has been continually violating the Gaza ceasefire, so that shouldn’t count. The war in Ukraine is still ongoing. The only example that resembles something durable is the cooling of tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and even that is fragile. Further, you cannot claim the title of “War Ender” while also acting as a “War Starter.” The U.S. has provoked conflict with Iran twice in the last year, and that ceasefire is on shaky ground. Nevertheless, the President says he has invited “the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House” to work toward a permanent agreement to end Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Netanyahu may show up, but he has already said he has no intention of ending Israel’s presence in Lebanon. He says Hezbollah is demanding a return to internationally recognized borders and a condition of “quiet for quiet.” Netanyahu’s response is no. Israel will remain, and Hezbollah must disarm. That is not a realistic demand. Hezbollah exists specifically to resist Israeli incursions into Lebanon. They are not going to agree to disarm while Israel maintains a presence on that land. Will they suddenly wake up and think: Oh, we wanted Israel to stop invading us—but I guess it’s fine now? Did President Trump pressure Netanyahu for undermining the prospect of a deal before it even began? No. Instead, he scolded Hezbollah and told them to “act nicely…No more killing.” Last week, Israel killed over 300 civilians in a massive bombing campaign across Lebanon. There was no comparable public rebuke for that. The post Ceasefires Aren’t War Endings appeared first on Redacted.

Are we entering Rosie the Riveter territory? That’s a World War II reference, when women were pushed into factory jobs while men were sent off to war, and the entire economy was reorganized around military production. Food was rationed, industry was redirected, and civilian life took a back seat to the war effort. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon is quietly approaching major American companies like Ford and General Motors about shifting factory capacity toward weapons production. The goal is to put the U.S. on what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls a “wartime footing.” “Wartime footing” doesn’t quite square with what President Trump said in his inaugural address, promising that success would be measured not just by the wars we win, but “the wars we end — and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.” If we’re not getting into new wars, why do we need a wartime footing? The WSJ frames this as a request from the Pentagon, but they don’t actually have to ask. The Defense Production Act allows the federal government to require companies to prioritize and accept government contracts, effectively compelling production if needed. During World War II, this effort turned the U.S. into what was called the “Arsenal of Democracy.” And it’s already beginning. GM is reportedly working on a new infantry vehicle to replace the Humvee. This may be an early sign that American industry may once again be shifting toward war production. And who ultimately pays for all of this? The American taxpayer. The post Rosie the Riveter 2.0? Pentagon Courts U.S. Industry appeared first on Redacted.

The U.S. Senate voted against stopping arms to Israel and voted against a withdrawal of troops from a war with Iran. In other words, they are for both things. Republicans hold the majority, so they carried the outcome. But notably, roughly 85% of Democrats voted in favor of the restraint measures. So are Democrats actually against this war? When they held power, they repeatedly voted to fund the war in Ukraine. What changed? And when? Can we even call this representative government when the majority of Americans do not approve of the war with Iran? It may be representative of their AIPAC funders but it certainly is not representative of the American public. The post Senate Says Yes to War, Americans Say No appeared first on Redacted.

For some time now, the response to Israel’s war in Lebanon has been the same… statements from world leaders, strongly worded tweets, extensive news coverage. And yet…no real action. But now, something just shifted. Italy, once seen as one of Israel’s closest allies in the European Union, is sending a signal. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Italy is suspending the automatic renewal of a long-standing defense agreement with Israel. Given the deal covered military cooperation, weapons trade, and intelligence sharing, this carries weight. Now it’s being paused. Why? Meloni put it simply: “When there are things we don’t agree with, we act accordingly.” Noting that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people since March, with no signs of slowing down. If dropping 150 bombs on Beirut in 10 minutes wasn’t enough, now there are excavators tearing buildings down, just like we saw in Gaza. Is Italy’s response the first real consequence? Is it finally hitting just how wrong this is? Maybe. In Poland, a lawmaker faced backlash after holding up an altered Israeli flag with a swastika in parliament. So where does that leave things? One ally just stepped back. Others are getting louder. Hopefully, this is the beginning of some real pressure on Israel. The post Possible Turning Point? appeared first on Redacted.