The Hound | Mar. 17

Hi there,

It’s Tuesday. Today, Illinois voters head to the polls in primaries featuring millions in outside spending. Kevin Hassett, Donald Trump’s head of the National Economic Council, said the Iran war’s negative impact on the average U.S. consumer is “the last” of the administration’s concerns. And Joe Kent, Donald Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned from his post and cited concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the war.

When a senior official inside the administration breaks ranks over the very premise of a war, it raises fundamental questions about whether the public was misled about why that war began. When the press avoids naming these contradictions plainly, it obscures one of the most serious failures of accountability in government—misleading the public about war.

🖊️ Add your name to call on major news organizations to cover this resignation for what it represents: a direct challenge to the truthfulness of the Trump administration’s case for war with Iran. Journalists must scrutinize the evidence, highlight contradictions, and clearly state when official justifications do not hold up.

The public deserves honest reporting when lives are at stake—and when the reasons for war may not be true.

Read about this, and more, with today’s stories:

Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat (AP News)

Clip & Save: Trump Adviser Says Prolonged Iran War Would Be Totally OK (The New Republic)

Supreme Court to hear case over push to end legal protections for Haitian, Syrian migrants (PBS News)

Illinois Senate Primary Features Millions in Outside Spending, Too (The American Prospect)

Senate Dem Leaders Are Trying to Sink Graham Platner. Voters Aren’t Convinced. (The Intercept)

Reproductive health clinics scramble as Title X funding cliff approaches (NPR)

The Minneapolis “Dirtbag Lawyer” Challenging ICE Detentions—and Winning (Mother Jones)

Oil Regulators Found Hundreds of Wells Violating Oklahoma Rules. Then They Ignored Their Findings. (ProPublica)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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