Leila Fadl

Israeli warplanes this morning are striking Iran and Lebanon.

And the U.S.

is calling on its citizens to evacuate more than a dozen countries across the region as Iran retaliates.

Trump administration officials briefed top lawmakers in Congress on Monday about the U.S.

and Israeli war against Iran.

Here to talk through this is NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Spratt.

Hey, Barbara.

Hey, Leila.

Okay, so let's start with the briefing.

Now, we just heard from Senator Schumer that the briefing raised more questions than answers for him.

What else are Democrats saying?

Now, the Constitution, that gives Congress the power to declare war.

But in practice, presidents increasingly have very minimally consulted Congress on military operations.

How is that dynamic playing out this week?

And this is all happening as the Department of Homeland Security is still shut down.

What's the latest there?

That's NPR's Barbara Sprunt.

Thank you, Barbara.

Thank you.

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