Trump outlines options for disposal of Iran’s enriched uranium

US launches self-defense strikes in southern Iran, CENTCOM says

US military launched “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran, hitting missile sites and Iranian boats, CENTCOM confirmed.

U.S. forces launch 'self-defense' strikes in Iran

Pentagon says U.S. forces carried out “self-defense” strikes during ceasefire

US Carries Out 'Self Defense Strikes' on Iran, As Trump Makes Important Announcement About 'Nuclear Dust'

Trump's 'tacky' White House makeover reaches new heights amid 'bug infestation': report

President Donald Trump's latest White House makeover touches have taken a new turn as it becomes a "construction zone eyesore," The Daily Beast reported. Images on Monday revealed two cranes building a metal arch for lighting over the UFC Freedom 250 stage, just near the White House’s Executive Residence. As the ballroom construction has been ongoing, the White House "began looking more like an oversized event venue on Monday as crews prepared for the UFC extravaganza Trump is throwing on June 14 to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday and his own 80th," The Beast reported. This is all happening amid reports of a "bug infestation" that Dana White, UFC CEO and MAGA supporter, has expressed could be a problem for the large-scale event."President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago, and he invited me to dinner there. The amount of gnats that were flying around. I’m like, 'Holy s--t,'" White said during an episode of the Boardroom podcast."As soon as I got on the plane, I called my head of production and said, 'Yeah, let me tell you about the gnat situation tonight,'" White said. "So when you’re a fighter, think about that lighting grid, the amount of power in the lights… moths, gnats, and God knows what else."White said they could add fans surrounding the venue to help stop the bugs because "gnats have a hard time in the wind."

Trump’s right: Beyond Iran deal, the Abraham Accords are key to lasting peace

Attempting to destroy Israel has brought defeat and disaster to every nation that tried; normalizing relations with Jerusalem has proved a boon to every country that signed the Abraham Accords.

People can't stop skewering dubious Trump claim that war is '95 percent done'

On Sunday, CNN pundit Scott Jennings posted a lengthy tweet in which he attempted to explain that President Donald Trump's deal to end the war with Iran is 95 percent "done," saying that he'd been told that the first phase was complete, but that a second phase still needed to address issues like the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program. As anyone who has been following the war's events unfold knows, however, arguably no two sticking points are larger than Hormuz and the nuclear question, making Jennings' assertion appear somewhat ridiculous. "Insider reporting from an unnamed White House official says the Iran deal is '95% done,' responded pollster Frank Luntz later that day. "The remaining 5% of negotiations are focused on Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz and turning over all nuclear material." With this simple statement, Luntz laid bare the absurdity of Jennings' claim, and by Monday, the internet had taken that absurdity and run with it."My plan to marry Scarlett Johansson is 95% done," declared one retweet. "The remaining 5% will focus on me meeting Scarlett Johansson, and then persuading her to marry me.""I am 95% done with a deal to buy a new house," said Economist Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom, offering a more practical example. "The remaining 5% of negotiations are focused on the price and whether the owners are actually willing to sell.""I’m 95% done with dinner," announced Angry Staffer. "I just have to decide what I’m eating, how I’m cooking it, and what store I want to shop at."Or as actor Bradley Whitford, perhaps best known for his time in the series The West Wing, jested, "Thrilled to report that my deal to play the new James Bond is '95% done.'”There were many, many more examples, and while hilarious, they speak to a trend that has become increasingly persistent over the course of the conflict: Americans do not believe that progress is being made, nor that they can believe Trump or his allies' assertions about it. Former CIA Director John Brennan said as much explicitly on Sunday, saying, "I tend to believe Iran more than I do Donald Trump, because he could not acknowledge the truth even when it is — he's slapped in the face with it repeatedly. And it's clear that he is flailing right now. He's trying to figure out how he's going to get out of this debacle that he has created." In the meantime, another poster is 95 percent done with her housework, and just has to "dust, vacuum, wash the dishes, do 3 loads of laundry, and make the beds."

WSJ warns Trump could be handing Iran an economic bailout

Amid reports that a new ceasefire deal was imminent, the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board warned President Donald Trump to avoid a deal that functions as an economic bailout for Iran.Over the weekend, Trump claimed that the U.S. and Iran were close to reaching a deal for a 60-day ceasefire in the conflict that has ravaged the world economy and sent oil prices skyrocketing. Iranian officials confirmed that talks were progressing, but stressed that major sticking points were still holding it back, adding that a deal was nowhere near as close as the president suggested. Nevertheless, news of an impending reprieve sent oil prices tumbling slightly.In response to these reports, the WSJ board — which is commonly viewed as a major conservative voice on economic and political issues — published a new piece, warning Trump that one aspect of the supposed plan would amount to an economic bailout for Iran, and would leave the U.S. with only the most extreme leverage to get a final deal made, calling the notion a major potential "strategic setback."In particular, the board took issue with the proposed portion of the deal that would end the U.S. blockade of Iran's port and allow them to resume selling oil to foreign markets."The preliminary deal, as mooted in the press, is for both sides to end their blockades, and perhaps for the U.S. to sweeten the pot financially, while talks on nuclear issues and further sanctions relief continue for 60 days or more," the board wrote. "A U.S. official says, but Iranian officials deny, that the regime gave assurances a final deal would include 'disposal' of its enriched uranium."The end of the blockade, they warned, would destroy a key piece of U.S. leverage over Iran before its nuclear program is properly dealt with. The only remaining leverage — threatening to renew the fighting — will ring hollow after his previous backtracks."The basic problem lies with ending U.S. pressure before dismantling the nuclear program," the board added. "If the blockade ends and Iran can sell its oil, all that’s left to coerce it into nuclear concessions is the threat of renewed war."It continued: "But Trump wasn’t willing to do that after Iran reneged on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and attacked U.S. forces and Gulf allies. How credible will the threat be 60 days closer to midterms, when it would trigger a new Iranian blockade of Hormuz? A pledge not to build a nuclear weapon means nothing because the regime has always said that while doing the opposite... Iran’s regime went into this war facing domestic political and economic crises. War has made these worse. Saving such a regime now with an economic bailout would be the real betrayal—of the U.S. interest even more than the Iranian people.”

Trump's close ally 'more isolated than ever' and considering abandoning 2028 run: report

Vice President JD Vance has been put in a tough position and has been considering whether he wants to run for president in 2028 or give up on the move, according to a new report from The Daily Mail published on Monday.With National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard announcing her exit from the Trump administration last week, Vance could be in a more vulnerable position as his "most senior non-interventionist ally is gone." Vance, like Gabbard, had expressed skepticism and concerns about the Iran war behind closed doors, according to insiders."JD Vance, now the lone dove in Donald Trump's cabinet after Tulsi Gabbard's resignation, has been left more isolated than ever and is even considering abandoning a run for the presidency in 2028," sources told The Mail."But the whispers racing through the West Wing find common ground: Iran," The Mail reported.Vance has not confirmed or denied whether he plans to run for president in 2028. And insiders have reported that he opposed the mlitary strikes in Iran, trying to privately urge Trump to limit attacks."Vance's isolation comes at a moment when Marco Rubio's stock inside the West Wing has never been higher, with the Secretary of State helping to plan an invasion of Cuba, while the Vice President flails in peace negotiations with Iran," according to The Mail."The Vice President's dovish brand of foreign policy has set him on a collision course with Trump, the sources say, the rift deepening as Trump embraces his wartime-leader image," The Mail reported.The president has often compared Vance to Secretary of State Marco Rubio — whom both have called personal and professional friends. He has even asked people who they would support to succeed him as commander-in-chief during private and public events."Rubio has more mojo than Vance. The President listens to him. Vance is out of step and has been for a long time," a White House insider told The Mail. "The source cautioned that Rubio's dominance may prove fleeting. By championing an unpopular war effort, the Secretary of State risks burning through political capital in real time and alienating both Trump's base and the wider American public," The Mail added.