Truthout
US-Iran Talks Delayed After Israeli Bombardment of Lebanon Kills at Least 18
The US and Iranian delegations both delayed plans to travel to Switzerland for the opening round of negotiations.
Far Left
TIME
Israel and Hezbollah Agree to Cease-Fire, U.S. Official Says
Center Left
The development comes after the U.S.-Iran peace talks set to take place in Switzerland on Friday were abruptly postponed.
Compare Perspectives
Found 8 stories
New York Post
Trump says US has to keep Netanyahu ‘a little bit sane’ in jab at Israeli leader
Trump confirmed he had a testy call with his Israeli counterpart, in which he bashed him as "f—ing crazy" following attacks in Lebanon.
Right
Washington Examiner
Iran calls Israel ‘genocidal death cult’ only interested in ‘permanent war’
Israeli leaders’ statements demanding that “all of Lebanon must burn” have become an unwelcome complication to peace negotiations as a ceasefire between the Israeli militia and Hezbollah begins. Israel and Hezbollah, two parties that did not sign on to the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel, exchanged strikes on Friday. Ultranationalist leaders […]
Center Right
The New Republic
Republicans Turn Against JD Vance After His Stark Warning to Israel
Vice President JD Vance is taking flak from conservatives for criticizing Israeli opposition to President Trump’s deal with Iran. Vance was asked at a news conference Thursday about reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was angry over the deal, which gives several major concessions to Iran. Vance said that he hadn’t heard Netanyahu offer any criticism, but he had words for Israeli Cabinet ministers attacking Trump and the deal. “My message to them would be twofold. No 1: Donald J Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Vance said. “If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.“Vance added that two-thirds of the weapons that Israel has “have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars.” “The problem for Israel is not Donald J Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in,” Vance said. VIDEO: Vice president Vance in a message to to Israeli cabinet members: “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have left2/3 of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by… https://t.co/asCV1nwUNr pic.twitter.com/DNA42AdgNp— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 18, 2026That was enough to set off the MAGA base, including Republicans in Congress.Hard-right Representative Randy Fine, known for his bigotry against Muslims, called Vance’s comments “absolutely inappropriate and frankly disgusting” in an interview on Real America’s Voice Friday morning. “The state of Israel was not created by the United States, it is not funded by the United States except in some small way. It was created in the blood and sweat and tears of the Jewish people arising out of the Holocaust,” the Florida congressman said. “The United States didn’t support Israel in its formation: In fact, there were times when it put arms embargos in place, and JD Vance would be wise to go back and learn his history. I think his comments … were completely out of line.”Fox News host Brian Kilmeade also expressed his dismay at the vice president Friday.“If the cartels were lobbing rockets into Texas from Mexico, we would not allow that, even if Israel asked us to, and I think that I was a little surprised that the vice president was going after Israel yesterday at the podium more than he was going after Iran,” Kilmeade said. NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon said Thursday that “JD Vance is out there criticizing Israel making up fantasies about how it is Israel’s fault and Israel wants Iran to be failed state, and if only Israel would lay down its arms and allow Hezbollah to keep attacking it, there would be peace in the Middle East.“It is disgusting, it is the complete Tucker Carlsonificiation of the vice president of the United States and it is utterly deplorable. The only good thing I can say about it is if this was a dry run for Vance 2028, we sure learned a lot,” Ungar-Sargon said. Vance also told The New York Times earlier Thursday that his response to Israeli opponents of the deal “would be: What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of 9 million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.”The backlash to Vance exposes that to conservatives, Israel should have a blank check regardless of U.S. interests. Vance is getting off easy compared to Democrats, who are called antisemites for anything resembling criticism of Israel, as Abby Phillip pointed out on CNN Thursday. Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and continues to kill civilians in Lebanon, trying to prevent any checks on its actions and block any hope of peace. Vance’s words may be self-serving to protect the Trump administration from political fallout over a protracted war with Iran, but his criticism of Israel doesn’t even go far enough, letting it off the hook for its ongoing genocide. Conservatives should realize that Israel trying to dictate U.S. foreign policy is bad for Republicans politically, and bad for America and global peace overall.
Left
Bloomberg Politics
Merz Expects US to Stand by Trade Pact After German Drug Probe
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects the US to stand by its trade commitments with Europe after Donald Trump’s administration launched a tariff investigation into Germany’s drug pricing.
Center
Bloomberg Politics
US Launches Tariff Probe Into Germany Over Pharma Pricing
The US launched a tariff investigation into Germany over what it called “persistent underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products,” setting the stage for possible levies on its goods in retaliation.
Center
Washington Examiner
Congress won’t fix itself. The Constitution says it doesn’t have to
The founders built two ways to amend the Constitution. Congress can propose amendments — that’s how all 27 got here so far. Or two-thirds of state legislatures can apply for a convention, bypassing Congress entirely. Madison explained in Federalist No. 43 that the amendment process was designed so both the federal government and the states […]
Center Right
Axios
U.S. claims Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire back on
Two U.S. officials told Axios on Friday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a renewed ceasefire in Lebanon, but clashes continued even after it was supposed to be in effect.Hezbollah sources told Reuters the group would observe the ceasefire, but a spokesperson for Israel's military declined to confirm its participation.Why it matters: The continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah led to the postponement of U.S.-Iran talks planned for Friday. U.S. officials hope the talks can now be launched.The conflict has displaced more than one million people and Israel is still occupying a swath of southern Lebanon. The U.S.-Iran deal includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Israeli officials have raised doubts about their commitment to any such truce. Political allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have openly attacked the deal.Tehran claimed Israel's attacks in Lebanon on Thursday morning were a violation of the U.S.-Iran MOU.Driving the news: A senior U.S. official told Axios the renewed ceasefire in Lebanon was mediated by the U.S. and Qatar and went into effect at 4pm local time (9am ET). But in the hour after the ceasefire was supposed to come into effect, the Israeli military conducted strikes in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah launched drones towards northern Israel.What they're saying: "Netanyahu approved it 100%," the senior U.S. official said. Netanyahu's office has not confirmed that, and the military spokesperson, Efi Defrin, said the ceasefire was a matter for political leadership and he could not confirm.Defrin stressed that Israeli forces would stay in southern Lebanon and operate against threats.Two Hezbollah sources told Reuters the group considered the truce to now be in effect.How it happened: On Thursday afternoon, President Trump, the speaker of Lebanon's parliament and the Israeli ambassador to Lebanon all expressed commitment to the ceasefire in Lebanon. But several hours later, on Thursday night, Hezbollah conducted several attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, killing at least 4 Israeli soldiers. Israel responded with massive strikes on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon.That led to the postponement of the U.S.-Iran talks, which were to be held in Switzerland.A spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry confirmed the postponement and said the conditions for negotiations had yet to be met. "Holding the said meeting in Switzerland is not urgent, but we are planning to hold a meeting in the coming days," he said.Go deeper: Trump tells "The Axios Show" there are "no limits" to his power after Iran war
Center Left