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June 23, 2025
Trump's 'totally obliterated' claims come into question
On Saturday night, the president delivered a televised address in which he sounded a triumphant note. Taken at face value, it suggested that the U.S. offensive was such a sterling success that Iran’s nuclear program effectively no longer existed. Indeed, it raised the question of whether additional negotiations over the future of Iran’s nuclear program would even be necessary: If the country’s nuclear ambitions have been completely and totally obliterated, what’s left to talk about? But it wasn’t long before the reliability of the president’s claim came into question.
Go to discussion'Nonsense': BBC calls out Fox's Sean Hannity over fake bombing video
(Raww Story) Conservative TV presenter Sean Hannity got a correction by the BBC after he shared a purportedly "false" video. The Fox News host on Saturday posted a video to Meta platforms with the caption, "Fordow is gone," referring to one of the nuclear sites the U.S. struck in Iran. The clip Hannity posted showed a large explosion, and it was assumed by many commenters that the video depicted Fordow as it was being destroyed. But senior BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh corrected the TV host.
Go to discussionGabbard's standing in Trump World comes into question
(The Hill) Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s strength and standing within the Trump administration is coming under question after the president twice publicly brushed off her testimony that Iran is not close to developing a nuclear weapon, and amid reports of tensions between the two. She increasingly appears to be on the outside looking in as Trump crafts his policy on the Israeli-Iran war.
Go to discussionFBI, DHS host call with governors over US threat environment after Iran strikes
(ABC News) Senior FBI and Homeland Security officials hosted conference calls with some of the nation's governors and top law enforcement officials on Sunday to discuss how the U.S. missile strikes in Iran impact an already dangerous threat environment, sources told ABC News. The calls included one with hundreds of state and local law enforcement officials from around the country and another with state governors and their staff.
Go to discussionRussia Responds To US Strikes, Will Hold Direct Talks With Iran
(Newsweek) The Russian government on Sunday "strongly condemned" the United States' strikes the day before against three key Iranian nuclear facilities and is preparing to hold direct talks with Iranian officials to address the fallout. Trump on Saturday evening announced what he described as a "very successful attack" against three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. U.S. officials said the attacks caused severe damage, but questions remain about the full extent of the damage and how much of a setback it is for Iran's nuclear program.
Go to discussionIran Says U.S. 'Decided To Destroy Diplomacy' By Striking Nuclear Sites
(Huff Post) The world grappled Sunday with the enormous implications after the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran with an attack that raised urgent questions about what remained of Tehran’s nuclear program and how its weakened military might respond. Some observers warned that the future of worldwide efforts to contain the spread of nuclear weapons would be at stake in the days ahead. Iran lashed out at the U.S. for crossing “a very big red line” with its risky decision to strike three Iranian nuclear sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
Go to discussionUS lawmakers call for Congress to review Trump's Iran actions
(Reuters) Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Sunday called on Congress to rein in President Donald Trump's use of military force in Iran and prevent U.S. involvement in a deepening Middle East conflict. With Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives strongly backing the U.S. attacks on key Iranian nuclear sites, it seemed unlikely any resolution that asserts the power of Congress to declare war and restricts Trump's actions could pass both chambers.
Go to discussionWith strikes on Iran, Trump has chosen a path of insanity
(Salon) There's nothing quite like the U.S. entering a war to drive home the risks involved in electing a mentally ill person president. Since Israel attacked Iran, Donald Trump, the clearest example of malignant narcissism most of us have ever seen or even heard of, has rampaged about Washington — and, earlier this week, the G7 in Canada — hunting the attention he craves. With Saturday night's attacks by the U.S. on three Iranian nuclear sites, it appears he has gotten it.
Go to discussionRepublicans order key panel to score extension of Trump tax cuts as budget neutral
(The Hill) Senate Republicans have directed the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to score the cost of extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts as a continuation of current policy that would not add significantly to federal deficits, which would allow them to make those tax rates permanent. The joint panel on taxation, which projects the deficit impact of all tax bills, scored the extension of 26 provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a continuation of “current policy” and therefore budget neutral, which dramatically lowers the projected cost of President Trump’s megabill.
In West Virginia, Medicaid is a lifeline. GOP cuts could devastate the state.
(Washington Post) Like every rural hospital in West Virginia, Hampshire Memorial relies deeply on Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor that covers about one-third of residents in this deep-red state. But its ability to continue treating Hampshire County — among the poorer and sicker counties in the country — has been thrown into doubt by President Donald Trump’s sprawling tax and spending package that he has said he wants on his desk by July 4.
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