Below are the top political news stories of the day: ¯\_(?)_/¯
- Buttigieg urges caution after US strike - Valley News | Says Trump’s decision to launch an airstrike that killed a powerful Iranian military leader, saying it was “functionally, a decision to go to war.”
- Rally round the flag: do wars boost presidential popularity? - The Guardian | Trump’s approval ratings are consistent but low – and the data shows wars can be great for a president’s popularity.
- Trump campaigns with patriotism after airstrike – but election is still far off - The Guardian | Killing of Suleimani will help Trump among his supporters, but it could hurt him at the ballot box after promises of ‘America first’
- No, We’re Not Living in a Post-Fact World - Politico | When presented with facts, Americans generally become more accurate. The question is: Are they consuming enough of the right information?
- Pro-Con: Should U.S. military spending be reduced? - neoshodailynews | Point/Counterpoint
- Could a congressional amendment have stopped Trump from striking against Iran? - VOX | Progressives say an amendment they proposed last year would have tied Trump’s hands on Iran.
- Approaching the Brink? Nuclear Decision-Making by US President Trump in 2020 - Modern Diplomacy (eu) | “He likes me.” (New Year’s Day, 2020) US President Donald Trump explaining why Americans need no longer worry about North Korea.
- What Qassem Soleimani's Death Means For Iraq - NPR | "Many Iraqis point fingers to Qassem Soleimani for masterminding the oppressing of the uprising that took place".
- Troy Williams: Politicians serve the citizens, not the other way around - Opinion | Why is narcissism so rampant in politics?
- The high costs of a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan - The Hill | America has been at war in Afghanistan for almost twenty years