A War Begun on Instinct
March 5, 2026
30 min
173
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348 of 364
Episode 173 · March 5, 2026
A War Begun on Instinct
0:00 / 30:05
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The Atlantic Episodes Around March 5, 2026
Episode 348 of 364 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
30:05This episodeA War Begun on Instinct
Summary
The president is trusting his gut, not Congress.
The Atlantic staff writer Missy Ryan covers national security and has spent years reporting on American wars in the Middle East. She helps sift through the changing explanations for why the administration says it took America to war with Iran.
And Senator Jeanne Shaheen, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, shares how she thinks Democrats can responsibly act as a check on Donald Trump now that the war has started.
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