On Saturday, Feb. 28th, the U.S. and Israel launched a military operation in Iran, unleashing 2,000-pound bombs on the country's ballistic missile facilities. That same morning, between 10 and 10:45 a.m., a missile struck an all-girls elementary school in Minab, Shiraz. At least 175 children and staff were killed. The U.S. has admitted it was "likely responsible" for the strike. "In one video, a very small child's severed arm is pulled from the rubble," wrote The Guardian in the aftermath of this unspeakable tragedy. "Colorful backpacks covered with blood and concrete dust sit among the ruins. One girl wears a green dress with gingham patches on her pockets and the collar, her form partly obscured by a black body bag. Screams can be heard in the background."

The war in Iran is setting off a global economic shock wave. In this episode, the Opinion editor Steve Stromberg speaks with the Bulwark economics editor and MS NOW anchor Catherine Rampell on how the Trump-made war is likely to affect global trade and the cost of living for Americans. Below is a transcript of an episode of "The Opinions." We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYTimes app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

The numbers — maybe 175 dead, maybe more — are staggering, but what really matters are their names. There was Ehsan Saleminia, just 6 years old; Fatemeh Zahra Karimi, age 7; Zeynab Bahrami, 10; Mohammad Shah-dousti, 8; Reza Barani, 7; Athena Ahmadzadeh, 10; Khadijeh Darvishi, 9; Reza Ranjbar, 6; Mohammad-Ali Karyani Pak, 7; Parsa Mokhtari-nasab, 12 — and dozens more. You can read many of their names here. Every American should take a minute to do this — to remember that an undeclared war waged in our names is about more than rising gasoline prices.

Heading into Tuesday's state legislative special election in New Hampshire, Republicans had reason to be cautiously optimistic. The race was in a district that Donald Trump won by 9 points in 2024, and the Democratic candidate had already run and lost twice before by wide margins. And yet, the contest turned into the latest in a series of red-to-blue flips. NH Journal reported: In what Granite State Republicans hope is not a preview of November, Democrat Bobbi Boudman won Tuesday's special election for Carroll County District 7, defeating Republican Dale Fincher 51 percent to 47 percent in a district that voted Republican by more than 13 points just 16 months ago...

President Trump told Axios in a brief phone interview Wednesday that the war with Iran will end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left to target." "Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end," Trump said during the five-minute call. Why it matters: Even as Trump publicly signals his operation has largely accomplished its objectives, U.S. and Israeli officials say there has been no internal directive on when fighting might stop...

Last December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new initiative that will set aside $700 million for regenerative agriculture techniques like cover crops and no-till farming. The program, called the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, is an effort to connect the dots between human health and farming under the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again campaign. Many farmers have voiced excitement about the program, but major staff cuts at USDA could undermine the Administration's goals to improve soil health, warn policy experts...

A closely watched Georgia race is going into overtime after no candidate cleared 50% in the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. Democrat Shawn Harris led the vote, just ahead of Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller, with the runoff now set for April 7. The runoff comes as a surprise in the deep-red district. Harris gave Democrats a single, clear alternative, while Republicans were split across a packed field. Despite Fuller having Trump's endorsement, in Georgia's all-party election system, that does not automatically mean a candidate will secure over 50%...

It's not just New York and California: All across the nation, blue states are committing political and economic suicide by targeting millionaires with high taxes. Who will suffer most from this ideologically driven push to punish the wealthy? Wage workers and the poor. Leftist Democratic pols demanding new state tax-the-rich measures are ignoring economic reality: Wealthy residents can and do move in response to unreasonable taxes — taking jobs, revenue and even congressional representation with them...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth promised Tuesday that the Iran war "is not 2003" and will not look like another nation-building, regime-change war like in Iraq. Giving an update ten days into the war, Hegseth was joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine at the Pentagon...

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