Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent for Politico, offers his analysis on today's big stories in US Politics:

Is the US-Iran crisis over?

I would say no, it's not over. It certainly de-escalated with some help from the Swiss as intermediaries. But Iran could still look to strike back really at any moment, on US oil interests, through cyberattacks. The nuclear deal is still nowhere. So, de-escalated, not over.

What's the deal with impeachment?

Well, President Trump has given wildly different signals on what kind of trial he wants. One minute, an extensive one. The other, just a quick dismissal. It's not going to be a dismissal. Speaker Pelosi will send over articles of impeachment possibly as soon as Wednesday, which would start the trial. But it's not clear at all at this point how long it will last or how extensive it will be before the inevitable vote to acquit President Trump.

Are Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Trump getting different intelligence reports?

It certainly seems so, given that President Trump has said he saw evidence that Iran was about to bomb four US Embassies. Esper said he saw no such intelligence, but then Esper backed up Trump on his claims. But it made for a very, very awkward moment between the two.

More For You

A banner reading "Buy Canadian", in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, is held aloft by a pair of hockey sticks in front of a house in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada March 5, 2025.
REUTERS/Ed White

Washington and Ottawa are down to the wire with last-minute talks to reach an agreement by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, when President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on over $20 billion of Canadian goods.

Will Fitzpatrick

On Saturday, Liechtenstein’s hereditary prince announced that the tiny country of around 40,000 people would end male-only succession and adopt firstborn inheritance.

U.S. Army soldiers take part in a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, which is a part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the demilitarized zone separating South and North Korea, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, March 14, 2026.
REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon

The decision deals a blow to a decades-old alliance: South Korea relies heavily on US deterrence against its nuclear-armed northern neighbor and hosts 28,500 American troops.