September 02, 2026

The American Conservative Morning Briefing · Sep 2, 2026 · 5m

Good morning! Today is Wednesday, September 2nd 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Jennifer Kavanagh warns that Trump's expanding wars have pushed the U.S. military to a breaking point, with the Iran conflict alone tying down 50,000 troops and consuming a quarter of the Reaper drone fleet, forcing a strategic downsizing rather than more spending. As Trump pivots to "economic D-Day" against Iran, Middle East experts tell TAC the blockade strategy has little chance of working, will harm ordinary Iranians most, and risks a "mow the lawn" cycle of periodic strikes around…