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It’s Thursday, March 26. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Maya Sulkin and Frannie Block unpack the landmark Meta lawsuit. Coleman Hughes reacts to his debate with Glenn Greenwald, and tackles the myth of the all-powerful Israel lobby. Arthur Brooks sits down with Shilo Brooks to tell us how to live a meaningful life. And much more.
But first: What will it take to finish the job in Iran?
“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense.” That’s how Donald Trump explained his pivot to negotiations with Iran on Tuesday. Just days earlier, he had threatened strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure—then delayed them “based on the fact we’re negotiating.” But on Wednesday morning, Iran rejected a 15-point peace plan delivered through Pakistani intermediaries, and continued its air strikes across the Gulf region.
Can diplomacy end the Iran war? Or will the violence have to escalate before it concludes? Today, we bring you four pieces grappling with those questions.
Up first, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant argues that with the Strait of Hormuz closed and the global economy floundering, negotiations aren’t enough. The U.S. must seize Iran’s greatest choke point: Kharg Island. Read his piece to understand why that goal isn’t only within reach—it must happen right now.
According to Aaron MacLean, Trump is following a familiar playbook: “maximum pressure, followed by diplomacy.” But while the pattern echoes his first-term approach to North Korea, the conditions are different. Aaron explains what North Korea 2017 teaches us about Iran 2026—and why “we may get a new version of ‘fire and fury’ after all.”
Next, Eli Lake on why divisions over how to end the war run just as deeply inside the Trump administration as outside it. Joe Kent, former chief of the National Counterterrorism Center, has been claiming Israel manipulated Trump into demanding Iran cease all uranium enrichment—killing any chance of a deal. But Eli says the opposite: that it was bureaucrats like Kent who quietly tried to soften a line Trump has held since 2018, and are now blaming Israel for their failure.
Finally, as Iran’s terms for entering negotiations grow increasingly untenable, the regime has adopted a new tactic: offering Trump gifts. The gesture, writes Amit Segal, suggests the Iranians “clearly understand their audience”—a dynamic that “doesn’t bode particularly well” for how the war ends.
—The Editors
Calling all patriots: Our new America at 250 merch is here! Click below to see our latest freedom-loving collection.
Shop Now
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSTHE NEWSRescue teams work after U.S. and Israeli strikes caused widespread damage in Tehran, Iran, on March 23. (Fatemeh Bahrami via Getty Images)Israel launched another round of air strikes into Tehran on Wednesday as the Islamic Republic continues its strikes across the Gulf region. The persisting violence raises doubts about an end to the war, despite President Trump’s claim on Tuesday that it “has been won.”
On Wednesday, a House committee held a hearing on the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, now nearing its 40th day. The hearing came amid growing public frustration over unprecedented airport lines nationwide, driven by high callout rates among Transportation Security Administration agents working without pay. (For more, read this firsthand account from a TSA agent.)
Democrat Emily Gregory, a first-time candidate, defeated Republican Jon Maples in a special election for an open state House seat in Florida. The district is home to President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, an especially symbolic victory for the Democratic Party ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Police in London arrested two men accused of setting fire to ambulances parked outside a synagogue last week. The men, ages 45 and 47, will face charges of arson with intent to endanger life, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Trump appointed the first 13 business leaders to his new tech panel dedicated to advising the president on AI regulation and other policy matters. The list includes Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, and Jensen Huang, among other major business and tech leaders.
OpenAI announced on Tuesday that they are shutting down Sora, their flagship video creation app. The platform had just announced a licensing deal with Disney last December.
View all episodes
By Bari WeissIt’s Thursday, March 26. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Maya Sulkin and Frannie Block unpack the landmark Meta lawsuit. Coleman Hughes reacts to his debate with Glenn Greenwald, and tackles the myth of the all-powerful Israel lobby. Arthur Brooks sits down with Shilo Brooks to tell us how to live a meaningful life. And much more.
But first: What will it take to finish the job in Iran?
“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense.” That’s how Donald Trump explained his pivot to negotiations with Iran on Tuesday. Just days earlier, he had threatened strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure—then delayed them “based on the fact we’re negotiating.” But on Wednesday morning, Iran rejected a 15-point peace plan delivered through Pakistani intermediaries, and continued its air strikes across the Gulf region.
Can diplomacy end the Iran war? Or will the violence have to escalate before it concludes? Today, we bring you four pieces grappling with those questions.
Up first, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant argues that with the Strait of Hormuz closed and the global economy floundering, negotiations aren’t enough. The U.S. must seize Iran’s greatest choke point: Kharg Island. Read his piece to understand why that goal isn’t only within reach—it must happen right now.
According to Aaron MacLean, Trump is following a familiar playbook: “maximum pressure, followed by diplomacy.” But while the pattern echoes his first-term approach to North Korea, the conditions are different. Aaron explains what North Korea 2017 teaches us about Iran 2026—and why “we may get a new version of ‘fire and fury’ after all.”
Next, Eli Lake on why divisions over how to end the war run just as deeply inside the Trump administration as outside it. Joe Kent, former chief of the National Counterterrorism Center, has been claiming Israel manipulated Trump into demanding Iran cease all uranium enrichment—killing any chance of a deal. But Eli says the opposite: that it was bureaucrats like Kent who quietly tried to soften a line Trump has held since 2018, and are now blaming Israel for their failure.
Finally, as Iran’s terms for entering negotiations grow increasingly untenable, the regime has adopted a new tactic: offering Trump gifts. The gesture, writes Amit Segal, suggests the Iranians “clearly understand their audience”—a dynamic that “doesn’t bode particularly well” for how the war ends.
—The Editors
Calling all patriots: Our new America at 250 merch is here! Click below to see our latest freedom-loving collection.
Shop Now
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSTHE NEWSRescue teams work after U.S. and Israeli strikes caused widespread damage in Tehran, Iran, on March 23. (Fatemeh Bahrami via Getty Images)Israel launched another round of air strikes into Tehran on Wednesday as the Islamic Republic continues its strikes across the Gulf region. The persisting violence raises doubts about an end to the war, despite President Trump’s claim on Tuesday that it “has been won.”
On Wednesday, a House committee held a hearing on the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, now nearing its 40th day. The hearing came amid growing public frustration over unprecedented airport lines nationwide, driven by high callout rates among Transportation Security Administration agents working without pay. (For more, read this firsthand account from a TSA agent.)
Democrat Emily Gregory, a first-time candidate, defeated Republican Jon Maples in a special election for an open state House seat in Florida. The district is home to President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, an especially symbolic victory for the Democratic Party ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Police in London arrested two men accused of setting fire to ambulances parked outside a synagogue last week. The men, ages 45 and 47, will face charges of arson with intent to endanger life, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Trump appointed the first 13 business leaders to his new tech panel dedicated to advising the president on AI regulation and other policy matters. The list includes Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, and Jensen Huang, among other major business and tech leaders.
OpenAI announced on Tuesday that they are shutting down Sora, their flagship video creation app. The platform had just announced a licensing deal with Disney last December.