Iran’s Escalating Retaliation, and Takeaways From the Clintons’ Epstein Testimony

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Headlines – March 3, 2026

Podcast: The Headlines
Host: Tracy Mumford, New York Times
Episode Title: Iran’s Escalating Retaliation, and Takeaways From the Clintons’ Epstein Testimony
Date: March 3, 2026

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Overview

This episode delivers critical updates on two major stories:

• The rapidly expanding conflict between the U.S. and Iran, with global diplomatic and military implications.
• Key moments and takeaways from the recent public testimony of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the Congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Additional stories include scrutiny of the Department of Veterans Affairs' staffing cuts and a report on rising scams targeting older Americans, now prompting new bank interventions.

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1. Iran’s Retaliatory Attacks and U.S. Response

(Starts at 00:34)

Key Developments:

• U.S. Embassy Closures and Travel Advisories:
  The State Department closed embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after a wave of Iranian drone attacks and urged U.S. citizens to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries.
• Hostilities Spread:
  Explosions hit multiple countries, including U.S. bases in Iraq and the UAE. Dubai’s international airport and Amazon’s cloud facilities in the UAE were also attacked.
• Escalation and U.S. Military Response:
  The Trump administration announced a troop surge as the Pentagon confirmed ongoing casualties.

Notable Quotes and Moments:

• On the War’s Scope:
  Pete Hegseth (Defense Secretary), 01:24:
  “As the president warned, an effort of this scope will include casualties, war is hell and always will be.”

• Insistence This Won’t Become ‘Endless War’:
  Pete Hegseth, 01:47:
  “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.”

• Congressional Skepticism:
  Lawmakers question Trump’s unilateral action and prepare to vote on limiting his war powers.

• Israeli Influence and White House Process:
  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly lobbied Trump “for months” to strike Iran, with marathon discussions in February.

• Vice President’s View:
  Even VP J.D. Vance, historically skeptical of Middle East interventions, said, “if the US was going to hit Iran, it should, quote, go big and go fast,”
  (reported secondhand, 02:46)

• Failed Negotiations:
  Trump’s envoys (Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner) abandoned talks after determining a nuclear deal was “not possible.”

• Authorizing the Strikes:
  Trump’s directive: “Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck.” (Paraphrased context, 03:29)

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2. Domestic Fallout: Homeland Security & VA Staffing

(Starts at 03:55)

Homeland Security Oversight:

• Secretary Kristi Noem’s Senate Testimony:
  Noem faces her first Congressional grilling since a controversial Minnesota immigration raid ended with two U.S. citizens killed.
• Funding Disputes:
  DHS funding has lapsed as Democrats refuse to reauthorize the budget without additional oversight, while Republicans cite “heightened risk” post-Iran attacks.

VA Staffing Controversy:

• Times Analysis Reveals Job Cuts:
  The Department of Veterans Affairs is cutting thousands of medical positions amidst well-documented staff shortages.
• VA Secretary Doug Collins’ Prior Comments:
  “All we are doing is taking unfilled and unnecessary positions off the books.”
  However, Times reporting reveals 70% of eliminated posts were filled as recently as last year.
• Concerns Over Patient Care:
  Cuts include almost 5,000 nursing and 1,500 doctor positions, sparking alarm among employees and raising the risk of care disruptions.

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3. The Clintons’ Deposition in the Epstein Investigation

(Starts at 05:32)

Congressional Testimony Highlights:

• Release of Full Videos:
  The House Oversight Committee publishes depositions after the Clintons reluctantly agreed to testify under contempt threat.

• Denials and Frustrations:
  Both Clintons strongly deny any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal behavior.

• Repeated Denials: Bill Clinton, 05:37:
  “I did not.” (When asked if he ever witnessed or became aware of abuse.)

• Hillary Clinton’s Demeanor:
  Described as “particularly exasperated” by what she labeled repetitive and political questioning.

• Nature of Relationship: Bill Clinton, 06:30:
  “I thought we had an understanding about the airplanes, that he would let me use the airplane to set up my AIDS programs around the world if I agreed to talk to him for an hour about economics and politics on every long leg.”

On Trump and Epstein:

• Bill Clinton, 06:51:
  “That’s for you to decide. But he did know him well.” — When asked if President Trump should testify.
• Clinton recounts only one discussion with Trump about Epstein “twenty-something years ago,” recalling Trump mentioning a friendship and a fallout over real estate, “but nothing about Epstein’s criminal behavior came up.”

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4. Scams Targeting Older Americans & Bank Response

(Starts at 07:12)

The Story:

• A 76-year-old targeted:
  Scammers posing as government officials manipulate a woman, using personal details and pressuring her for money.
• Bank Staff as Defenders:
  Bank tellers intervene, stopping a large cash withdrawal and helping the customer contact police.

Institutional Response:

• AARP’s ‘Bank Safe’ Program:
  Thousands of banks are training staff to recognize and halt suspicious transactions.
• New Legal Tools:
  About half of states now empower banks to delay or reject dubious withdrawals, adding a “helpful bit of friction” to protect vulnerable clients.

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5. Notable Quotes—Quick Reference

• On War’s Reality:
  Pete Hegseth, 01:24:
  “War is hell and always will be.”
• On Repeated Questioning (Epstein Investigation):
  Hillary Clinton’s frustration summed up:
  “Particularly exasperated with what she said was repetitive questioning.” (Paraphrased, 06:14)
• On Bankers’ New Role:
  Industry expert, summarized:
  “Banks had put more emphasis on the autonomy of customers... now, with some changes... banks are taking different steps.” (07:45)

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6. Additional Notes

• The episode briefly notes the start of the Texas midterm primaries—an event closely watched in U.S. politics.

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Summary prepared for listeners and non-listeners alike; all quotes and facts are attributed by timestamp and speaker where possible.

Transcript

[New York Times Narrator]

We gave Times employees a preview of Crossplay from New York Times games and here's what they had to say.

[Tracy Mumford]

I can finally play with other people. I'm pretty competitive. It's fun to beat friends and co workers. I have a J for 10 points. I'm guessing Tenga is not a word.

[New York Times Narrator]

Let's see.

[Bill Clinton]

Tenga is a word.

[Tracy Mumford]

Oh, as an English as a second language speaker, I like to learn new words.

[New York Times Narrator]

New York Times game subscribers get full access to Crossplay, our first two player word game. Subscribe now for a special offer on all of our games.

[Tracy Mumford]

From the New York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Tuesday, March 3rd. Here's what we're covering. As of this morning. The U.S. state Department has closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after drone attacks, and it's urging Americans to immediately leave from 14 Middle east countries as Iran expands its retaliatory strikes. Explosions have been reported in several countries where there are American military bases, including Iraq and the uae. There have also been attacks against Dubai's international airport and other infrastructure. Amazon's cloud computing business said two of its facilities in the UAE have also been hit. The attacks come as the Trump administration says it is sending more forces to the Middle East.

[Pete Hegseth]

As the president warned, an effort of this scope will include casualties, War is hell and always will be.

[Tracy Mumford]

Yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said the toll on US Forces could rise. Six US Service members have been killed so far.

[Pete Hegseth]

To the media outlets and political left screaming endless wars.

[Tracy Mumford]

Stop.

[Pete Hegseth]

This is not Iraq. This is not endless.

[Tracy Mumford]

Hegseth said the US Would continue hitting Iran, quote, surgically, and insisted this would not spiral into a long term entanglement with like other US Conflicts in the region. Some US Lawmakers have expressed skepticism about the administration's rationale for launching the operation. While the president has broad authority to respond to specific time sensitive threats, going to war requires congressional approval. This week, both the House and Senate are set to weigh in with votes seeking to limit Trump's power to continue to use force against Iran. Meanwhile, the Times has learned new details about the lead up to Trump's decision to launch the attacks. The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, had been pushing Trump for months to strike a decisive blow. The two leaders talked about it at the White House in February for hours, even about possible dates for an attack. Trump also talked about it extensively with his own inner circle of advisors, and there was not much opposition. Even Vice President J.D. vance, a longtime skeptic of American military intervention in the Middle east, said if the US Was going to hit Iran, it should, quote, go big and go fast, according to people familiar with the conversation. And while Trump sent a team to negotiate with Iran, his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son in law, Jared Kushner, they left the talks last week telling Trump they did not think a deal could be reached on the country's nuclear program. The next day, Trump gave the go ahead for the strikes quote, operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck. Now two more updates on the Trump administration. Today, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. It's the first time she'll face questions in Congress since her department launched its aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, which resulted in widespread outrage after agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens. Democrats are expected to press Nome on that funding for her department lapsed more than two weeks ago, in part because Democrats have refused to pass a spending bill without new restrictions on DHS agents. Republicans, meanwhile, are pointing to the heightened risk of terrorist threats in the US following the attacks on Iran and saying Democrats should relent and agree to funding. Noem will also face questions from lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow. And a new Times analysis of the Department of Veterans affairs has found that the agency has cut thousands of medical positions even as many of its facilities face a severe shortage of doctors and nurses. All we are doing is taking unfilled and unnecessary positions off the books. Va Secretary Doug Collins has previously said most of the eliminated roles had been vacant for a year or more and that they didn't need to be filled. But the Times found that more than 70% of the jobs did have people working in them last year or this year. The cuts include nearly 5000 jobs in nursing and more than 1500 positions for doctors. That's raised concerns among current and former VA employees who worry it will disrupt patient care. Collins himself has acknowledged the need for more medical providers, but the agency said it's been opening new clinics and offering more appointment times. A spokesman for the VA said the measure of its success should be how well it performs, not how many people it employs.

[Pete Hegseth]

While on that trip, did you ever witness or become aware of sexual abuse of any kind?

[Bill Clinton]

I did not.

[Tracy Mumford]

The House Oversight Committee has released the full videos of its depositions with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of its Epstein investigation. The Clintons testified last week, agreeing only after they were threatened with contempt of Congress. They had called the subpoenas to appear Invalid and politically motivated. I've never been in his homes, his offices, his anything. Both repeatedly said they had no knowledge of any sex trafficking or sexual abuse by Epstein or by his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who's serving a 20 year prison sentence. Hillary Clinton was particularly exasperated with what she said was repetitive questioning. Bill Clinton, for his part, said he'd flown with Epstein a few times and described the relationship as cordial and businesslike, as opposed to being friends.

[Bill Clinton]

I thought we had an understanding about the airplanes, that he would let me use the airplane to set up my AIDS programs around the world if I agreed to talk to him for an hour about economics and politics on every long leg.

[Tracy Mumford]

At one point, Bill Clinton was asked if he thought President Trump should be called to testify before the committee as well.

[Bill Clinton]

That's for you to decide. But he did know him well.

[Tracy Mumford]

Clinton said he'd talked to Trump once about Epstein 20something years ago, but that nothing about Epstein's criminal behavior came up. Clinton said he remembered Trump telling him he was friends with Epstein and that they'd had a falling out over a property deal. And finally, a 76 year old woman got a phone call recently from someone claiming they were an officer with the Department of Criminal Investigations, not a real department. He told her she needed to cooperate with his investigation into money laundering. He knew her address, the name of her late husband. He kept calling. She got scared, paranoid. And then he started asking for money. It was a scam, of course, something that's easy to say from the outside in hindsight. And the only thing that stopped it was the woman's bank. When she went in and asked for tens of thousands of dollars, a teller flagged the branch manager, who then sat down with the woman, talked it through and helped her call the police. As more and more of these scammers target older Americans just like this, banks and tellers are becoming the last line of defense. AARP has been offering a free video program called Bank Safe that trains tellers to spot red flags and to intervene. More than 1500 institutions have used the training, including the bank that the woman went to. This kind of practice reflects a shift in approach. Until recently, according to one expert who studies elder abuse, banks had put more emphasis on the autonomy of customers. Essentially, they're adults. They can make poor choices. Now, with some changes in government and industry policies, banks are taking different steps. About half of states have passed laws allowing financial institutions to deny suspicious transactions or place holds on them, which one fraud expert says can just add a helpful bit of friction. Giving the potential scammy. A little more time to stop and think. Those are the headlines today on the Daily. It is essentially the start of the midterms today in Texas. Voters are heading to the polls for a Senate primary showdown that everyone in US Politics is watching closely. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.