Big trouble in Labor data
Presented by
Editor's note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.
Quick Fix
President Donald Trump is testing the American economy's ability to simultaneously withstand rapid-fire tariffs, a sharp decline in immigration and an overhaul of tax policy.
A key federal agency responsible for tracking how the country fares is beginning to show signs of strain.
The Labor Department has scaled back data-collection efforts that feed into its statistical bureau's monthly inflation estimate, a step that economists and agency alums say will weaken the quality of economic reports that are critical to businesses and policymakers.
The move follows a similar decision to eliminate hundreds of gauges that track wholesale prices charged by toymakers, tool manufacturers and other companies. And additional cutbacks are likely in store if Congress approves Trump's proposal to slash $56 million from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — the independent agency behind the Consumer Price Index and the monthly employment report — and combine other statistical bureaus into a single agency under the Commerce Department.
'We're likely to continue to see data series get cut, sample sizes reduced, and some products might get cut entirely, depending on what happens in the budget process,' said Jed Kolko, a former Commerce undersecretary for economic affairs, whose office oversaw the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. 'Some of our statistics might get less accurate. They might become more volatile month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter. And for series that get revised, we might see bigger revisions.'
Any erosion in the quality of American economic data would create risks for Trump as he moves ahead with an agenda that many fear will lead to higher prices, lower growth and softer monthly employment.
Recession fears have faded since early spring, but the economic outlook remains highly uncertain. Federal Reserve policymakers rely on BLS reports to determine their decisions around where to set interest rates. Businesses utilize them to draw up investment and hiring plans. While the cuts largely affect granular data on specific industries or regions, any further diminishment would be akin to erasing portions of America's economic roadmap, said Guy Berger, a labor market economist who leads economic research at the Burning Glass Institute.
'It's the crown jewel of American data collection. Without good data, we don't know what's going on,' he said.
The Labor Department will release its report on the CPI for May at 8:30 a.m.
Fears about the Trump administration's plans for U.S. statistical agencies have been percolating for months and were inflamed after administration officials delayed and redacted a recent Agriculture Department forecast because it predicted an increase in the nation's trade deficit.
There has been no indication that the administration has taken such a heavy hand with BLS. But the federal employment freeze, coupled with the administration's deferred resignation program and layoffs of probationary employees, has exacerbated staffing shortages that have dogged BLS for years, former officials told POLITICO.
The cuts have alarmed Senate Democrats, led by Arizona's Ruben Gallego, who are pressing Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer for answers on what impact they could have on future inflation data.
'These numbers affect nearly every household in the country—impacting Social Security, wages, interest rates, and how businesses and families make financial decisions,' they wrote in a letter on Tuesday.
Labor Department spokesperson Courtney Parella said the concerns about data quality are 'false narratives in an obvious attempt to detract from the successes of President Donald Trump and his administration.'
'The mainstream media strikes again,' she said. 'Over half a million jobs have been added since the president took office, and consumer sentiment is on the rise because hard-working Americans can see for themselves that we are restoring economic prosperity.'
Still, there's a tacit acknowledgment within the administration that the statistical agencies are facing challenges that have affected their output. The Labor Department exempted BLS field data collectors from participating in the April round of deferred resignations to ensure the agency could continue to fulfill its legal obligation to produce certain reports.
And its budget and staffing concerns aren't unique to the Trump 2.0 era. With fewer federal workers available to conduct in-person visits, or follow up on with non-respondents, response rates to BLS surveys that are critical to inflation and the labor market have been in persistent decline since before the pandemic. That's likely contributed to hefty downward revisions to monthly non-farm payroll reports that became increasingly common in the aftermath of the pandemic.
'You're getting more revisions because of the lower response rates. That can also be exacerbated by lower resources and lower staff, because the staff can issue reminders to employers who haven't reported,' said former BLS Commissioner Erica Groshen. 'They also do quality control. The imputations may not be quite as good, and the ability to find anomalies that need to be followed up on may not be quite as good.'
Those challenges could persist — or worsen — if Trump successfully slashes the agency's budget.
'The agencies, BLS included, are in survival mode,' said Michael Horrigan, a former top BLS official who is now president of the employment think tank Upjohn Institute. 'You can't save that money simply by cutting sampling or cutting indexes. The only way to save that kind of money is by cutting survey programs.'
IT'S WEDNESDAY — Tip o' the hat to Nick Niedzwiadek for his help with this morning's edition. As always, for tips, suggestions and personnel moves, you can reach me at ssutton@politico.com.
Driving the Day
The Consumer Price Index for May is out at 8:30 a.m. … Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies at House Ways and Means at 10 a.m. … Turner testifies at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting at 3:30 p.m. … Bessent testifies at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting at 3:30 p.m. …
Concepts and plans — After two days of talks with Chinese officials, the Trump administration says it has a framework in place to scale back the trade war. 'The two largest economies in the world have reached a handshake for a framework,' Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, per The WSJ. 'We're going to start to implement that framework upon the approval of President Trump, and the Chinese will get their President Xi's approval, and that's the process.'
— In the meantime, a federal appeals court ruled that Trump's global tariffs can stay in effect – at least for now, according to Bloomberg's Zoe Tillman and Erik Larson.
Big, beautiful tweaks — House Republicans on Tuesday finalized changes to Trump's megabill that will nix a policy cracking down on the fraud-plagued employee retention tax credit created during the pandemic. Republicans were relying on this provision to recoup $6.3 billion in savings to offset the massive legislation, per Jennifer Scholtes, Meredith Lee Hill and Katherine Tully-McManus.
— In the Senate, GOP leaders are scrapping plans to make changes to Medicare that might ameliorate deficit hawks, per Jordain Carney and Robert King.
— Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his chamber's take on the domestic-policy megabill would include Trump's key tax priorities — though he stopped short of specifying if the Senate would match the House's language, writes Jordain.
— Meanwhile, at POLITICO's Energy Summit, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, industry executives and former Republican officials raised red flags about how the bill could stymie U.S. energy production, writes James Bikales.
Overnight reactions — Bloomberg's Anand Krishnamoorthy and Winnie Hsu: 'Financial markets showed little enthusiasm despite optimistic tone from the US and Chinese officials after two days of talks aimed at diffusing trade tensions.'
Fed File
Bessent on deck? — The race for who will replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is heating up. Days after Trump said he'd make a pick 'soon,' Bloomberg's Saleha Mohsin, Nancy Cook and Joshua Green report that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent may be in the running to be the next Fed chair.
On The Hill
First in MM: Warren pushes Trump administration to restore fair housing grants – Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pressing Craig Trainor, Trump's nominee to lead the Housing and Urban Development Department's fair housing office, on cuts the administration has made to fair housing grants and enforcement cases before Trainor's nomination hearing before Senate Banking on Thursday.
'Defendants in fair housing organizations are emboldened, allegedly ignoring correspondence from HUD investigators, looping [Department of Government Efficiency] employees into email traffic in the hopes that DOGE will intervene on their behalf, and walking away from settlements,' the Massachusetts Democrat wrote in a letter to Trainor onTuesday.
Trainor, she said, would be charged with running a 'decimated fair housing office on behalf of an Administration that has taken repeated steps to minimize, rather than enhance, the enforcement of fair housing laws.' Warren called on Trainor to commit to enforcing and upholding fair housing laws – including in disparate-impact cases – and to restore canceled grants.
GOP heavyweights push back on foundation tax — The Philanthropy Roundtable and several other right-leaning organizations focused on free markets are dialing up their opposition to a component of the megabill that would raise taxes on large private foundations. 'Our organizations support conservative and free market leaders whose research and analysis inform policy ideas, increase government accountability and transparency efforts, educate the public, drive civic engagement and promote American values,' they wrote in a letter to Thune and Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
Crypto advances in the House — A pair of House committees advanced sweeping cryptocurrency legislation late Tuesday, our Jasper Goodman reports. The landmark crypto bill, which would create the first-ever U.S. regulatory framework for crypto assets, divided Democrats on the House Financial Services and Agriculture committees, which share jurisdiction over the legislation. It now goes to the House floor.
On Financial Services, two Democrats — Reps. Ritchie Torres of New York and Cleo Fields of Louisiana — bucked the party's leader on the panel to support the legislation. But the vote was still a weak showing for the Republican sponsors of the bill, who have sought to attract wide bipartisan support for their pro-crypto push. Some Democrats who supported a GOP-led crypto market structure bill last year voted against the CLARITY Act on Tuesday, in part a reflection of how polarizing the debate over crypto policy has become under Trump.
Banking
CDFIs — From Victoria Guida: 'Banks that focus on low-income areas are warning that the Trump administration is set to withhold funds appropriated by Congress for so-called community development financial institutions, the latest drama for a corner of the industry that has historically enjoyed bipartisan support.'
Jobs report
Tom Quaadman is joining the Investment Company Institute as its chief government affairs and public policy officer. Quaadman, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 'will be an excellent addition to our strong team and help us deliver results on the Hill and in the administration for funds and the Americans using them to invest for the future,' ICI spokesperson Stephen Bradford said.
Former FDIC official Alexandra Steinberg Barrage and Matthew Bornfreund, a former Federal Reserve attorney, have joined Morrison Foerster as partners in the firm's financial services and fintech Groups in the transactions department, based in the Washington office.
Karina Lubell, former chief of the competition policy and advocacy section at the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, is joining Brunswick Group as a partner in its Washington office.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
26 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Florida Democrats look to stop the bleeding during annual political conference
A question loomed over Democratic party leaders and volunteers on Saturday as they pumped hip hop through the speakers at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood: can Florida Democrats find a way to win next election season? Democrats in Florida have faced stinging losses on the ballot, especially over the past six years. Some point to fundraising issues as the cause. Others point to shrinking voter registration numbers. At Leadership Blue, an annual Democratic conference, several elected officials and party leaders agreed on one thing: they have a messaging problem, and President Donald Trump might help them solve it. Democrats mentioned immigration, tariffs and potential cuts to healthcare as issues that have caused division in Florida districts that voted Republican. Deportations in South Florida were central to the discussion, with issues like revoking Temporary Protected Status, instating travel bans and targeting immigrants who have not committed crimes roiling Hispanic communities. 'I think what's happening from the federal government being compounded by the state government, in terms of immigration, gives us an opening,' said Samuel Vilchez Santiago, chairman of the Orange County Democrats. Last year, Trump and Florida Republicans put a message out that they were for the working class, said Santiago, who is Venezuelan-American. He said Hispanic communities in Florida, many of which helped the Republican Party win competitive districts in Miami-Dade County, believed Trump would deliver on promises to lower the cost of living. But Democrats say Trump has failed to deliver, and they plan to take advantage of it. Those unfulfilled promises, combined with growing negative sentiment toward immigration enforcement, may give them an edge during next year's midterms, Santiago said. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who paid a visit to Leadership Blue, felt the same. Beshear, a Democratic governor in a red state, thinks Florida Democrats have a way to portray themselves as people that can bring change. 'What you'll start seeing is people who don't just feel regret, but they feel betrayal,' Beshear said, speaking about Trump's campaign promises. 'Because someone who told them they were focused on them is now telling them their kids have too many toys.' As a whole, though, some admit they could have done better with reaching out this past election cycle. Millie Herrera, a longtime Democrat and part of the party's budget and finance committee, thinks the party could improve in reaching out to every Hispanic community in Florida. Herrera, who is Cuban-American, thinks it's time to organize locally and year-round, rather than just during election season. In her Hialeah community where she runs a small business, she said she often hears Hispanic people say that Trump had promised to only deport criminals. The Democrats knew that wasn't true, she said, but failed to communicate that. This time, she is confident they will do better. 'We have always been for working people,' Herrera said. 'We have always been for immigrant communities. Maybe what we need to concentrate in our message is reminding them who has been there for us.' Present at Leadership Blue and handing out blue jolly ranchers to attendees, David Jolly, the former Republican congressman who announced his run for governor of Florida as a Democrat on June 5, said Florida is ready for a change and ready to build a coalition that leads with democratic values. While previously acknowledging Democrats have failed voters in the past, Jolly is hopeful Florida is ready for a change: A Democrat governor. 'This is a Democratic party that is united, and united to win,' Jolly said. Recent ups and downs Wins have been hard to come by for Florida Democrats. In April, Democrats witnessed defeats in two special elections for Florida congressional seats despite creating a stir by outraising Republican candidates. But even in defeat, Democrats celebrated because they outdid their previous numbers in both districts, viewed as deep-red and won in November by Trump by over 30 points. Josh Weil and Gay Valimont, running to representdistricts on the eastern coast of Florida and Pensacola, respectively, narrowed the gap to under 20 points each in their races. At the time, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power likened the Democrats' campaigns to 'setting millions of dollars on fire.' But Democrats see it differently. Because they overperformed, Santiago said, it's a sign that grassroots fundraising is the right path for the party. Weil raised around $15 million, with the majority of it coming from donations that were $200 or less. Weil, who launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate last week, said the last couple of years have been tough. As a public school teacher and single father navigating the rising costs of living, he said Floridians are unsatisfied. 'People are really disappointed in what they have right now, particularly in our red districts here in Florida,' Weil said. But becoming competitive again in Florida will be a challenge. Florida Democrats have increasingly lost ground in a state that was once considered purple. Over the past six years, Republicans have won by wider and wider margins in elections for both state and national office. The 2018 midterms were the last to deliver something resembling success for the Florida Democrats. They gained two Congressional seats, seven Florida Legislature seats and one statewide seat — with current party Chairwoman Nikki Fried winning the race for commissioner of agriculture. Since then, Republicans have surged in the state, securing super-majorities in the Florida Legislature, expanding GOP dominance in the Florida congressional delegation and ending the days when Florida was known as the nation's largest swing state. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis — who likes to compare the Florida Democratic Party to roadkill — both won their most recent races in the state by double digits. In November, Miami-Dade County voted Republican for the first time in a presidential election since 1988. Alongside Miami-Dade, other left-leaning metro areas in the state swung red as well: Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Duval County and Osceola County. Pouring salt on the wound, state Sen. Jason Pizzo, who served as the Senate Democratic leader in the Florida Legislature, told his colleagues earlier this year that he was changing his party affiliation, saying the Democratic Party is 'dead' in Florida. Pizzo now says he'll run for governor as an independent candidate. Still, Fried — who said Pizzo's resignation as party leader was 'one of the best things to happen to the party in years' — said Democrats in Florida are united and the party's message is succinct. She said she wants people to know that the Democrats are not giving up on them. Despite disdain or criticism from former members of the party, Fried said the party embraces a culture of respect where everyone is welcome, feels seen, is listened to and has a say. 'We talk with one voice, and we really have created a coalition in our state that people feel like you don't have to always agree with everybody inside the party,' Fried said. 'That's what the benefit of being a Democrat is — we are a big tent, which means there's going to be different sides of the spectrum.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer calls for ‘diplomatic solution' after US strikes Iran
Sir Keir Starmer has called for restraint after Donald Trump launched US air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The Prime Minister said Iran's nuclear programme is a 'grave threat' which the US military action would 'alleviate'. There was no British involvement in the action but the Government was informed in advance of the strikes, which involved B-2 stealth bombers and submarine-launched missiles. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy had sought to persuade Mr Trump's administration from holding off on joining Israel in striking Iran, arguing for de-escalation and a diplomatic process. But Mr Trump pushed ahead with the action anyway, which he claimed had 'completely and fully obliterated' key nuclear facilities. Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call… — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 22, 2025 The Prime Minister said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. 'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. 'We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.' Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds would not say the UK supported the military action nor whether he believed the US strikes were legal. Asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg if the US action was a good thing, he said: 'The outcome. It isn't the means by which anyone in the British Government would have wanted to see this occur.' Pushed on whether the US strike was legal, he said: 'It is where we are today.' He said it would be 'naive' to think the risk of Iranian-backed terrorism in the UK will not increase as a result of the US and Israeli action. The Business Secretary told Sky News: 'This is not hypothetical. There is not a week goes by without some sort of Iranian cyber attack on a key part of UK critical national infrastructure. 'There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable.' He added: 'It's already at a significant level. I think it would be naive to say that that wouldn't potentially increase.' — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 22, 2025 The US attacked Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz which are linked to Iran's nuclear programme. The Tehran regime has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful but its uranium enrichment process has gone far beyond what is required for power stations. In an address to the nation from the White House, Mr Trump warned there could be further strikes if Iran retaliates: 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.' The strikes followed a build-up of US military equipment, with B-2 stealth bombers – which are the only aircraft to carry a 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb – reportedly used to target the underground facilities. The aircraft have previously used the UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia, one of the Chagos Islands, but it is understood that was not involved in these strikes. The attack on Iran also involved US submarines, which launched around 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles. Mr Trump's move towards military action came despite Sir Keir's pleas for diplomacy and his repeated calls for de-escalation. On Thursday the Prime Minister warned of a 'real risk of escalation' in the conflict, adding there had previously been 'several rounds of discussions' with Washington and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of #Iran concerning the #UnitedStates military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the… — Foreign Ministry, Islamic Republic of Iran 🇮🇷 (@IRIMFA_EN) June 22, 2025 The Foreign Secretary urged the US to pull back from the brink on a visit to Washington for talks with counterpart Marco Rubio before heading to talks with Iran on Friday alongside European allies. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'By targeting Iran's nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK. 'Iranian operatives have plotted murders and attacks on British soil. We should stand firmly with the US and Israel.' By targeting Iran's nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK. Iranian operatives have plotted murders and attacks on British soil. We should stand firmly with the US and Israel. — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 22, 2025 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also backed Mr Trump's decision to strike Iran. He said: 'Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, the future of Israel depends on it.' Scotland's First Minister John Swinney called for diplomacy, saying the Middle East conflict has reached 'an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran'. Iran launched a ballistic missile barrage against Israel in retaliation to the US action. The foreign ministry in Tehran issued a statement condemning 'the United States' brutal military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities'. It added: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran is resolved to defend Iran's territory, sovereignty, security and people by all force and means against the United States' criminal aggression.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into Israel's war with Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the Iranian nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict as Tehran accused Washington of launching "a dangerous war.' U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites were 'completely and fully obliterated' in an address to the nation from the White House. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the time for diplomacy had passed and that his country had the right to defend itself. 'The warmongering, a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far reaching implications of its act of aggression,' he said at a news briefing at a conference in Turkey in the first comments by a high-ranking Iranian official since the strikes. Araghchi also said that 'there is no red line' that the U.S. has not crossed — and that "the most dangerous one was what happened only last night when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities only.' The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped. Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes. Satellite images taken after the American attack, analyzed by The Associated Press, show damage to the entryways to the Fordo facility, which is dug deep into a mountain, while light gray smoke lingered in the air. The images by Planet Labs PBC also appeared to show damage to the mountain itself, apparently blocking its entry tunnels, which means Iran would have to dig out the facility to reach anything inside. It was not clear whether the U.S. would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Iran for nine days. Countries around the globe are calling for diplomacy and no further escalation. Trump acted without congressional authorization, and he also warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against U.S. forces. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said. Iran's Foreign Ministry said Washington had 'betrayed diplomacy' with the military strikes in support of Israel, and said that 'the U.S. has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran' now. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to resist with full force against U.S. military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend Iran's security and national interests,' the ministry said in a lengthy statement. Hours after the American attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads. Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-story building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its entire façade torn away to expose the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed. Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had 'swiftly neutralized' the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran. The US helped Israel strike Iran's toughest nuclear site Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the U.S. in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said American B-2 stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker-buster bomb that only they have been configured to carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear program, perhaps permanently. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said in a post on social media, using common alternate spellings for two of the sites. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.' Trump added in a later post: 'This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the U.S. attacks. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. U.S. military leaders are scheduled to provide a briefing at 8 a.m. Eastern. The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is built deep into a mountain, a U.S. official said. The weapons are designed to penetrate the ground before exploding. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. In addition, U.S. submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to another U.S. official who also spoke on condition of anonymity. The International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on X that there has been 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after the strikes but that it would continue to monitor the situation. Trump's turn to strikes departs from some previous statements The decision to attack was a risky one for Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he had initially hoped that the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear program peacefully. For months, Trump said he was dedicated to a diplomatic push to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. And he twice — in April and again in late May — persuaded Netanyahu to hold off on military action against Iran and give diplomacy more time. After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a 'second chance' for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender. He has bristled at criticism from some supporters who have suggested that further U.S. involvement would be a betrayal to those who were drawn to his promise to end U.S. involvement in expensive and endless wars. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision to attack in a video message directed at the American president. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,' he said. Netanyahu said the U.S. 'has done what no other country on earth could do.' Fears of a broader war U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strikes a 'dangerous escalation,' as world leaders began chiming in with calls for diplomacy. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region and the world,' he said in a statement. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had threatened to resume attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign, called on other Muslim nations to form 'one front against the Zionist-American arrogance." Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had warned the United States on Wednesday that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will 'result in irreparable damage for them.' And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared 'any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region." The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran's foreign minister warned before the U.S. attack that American military involvement 'would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel. Trump's decision for direct U.S. military intervention comes after his administration made an unsuccessful two-month push — including with high-level, direct negotiations with the Iranians — aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear program. During his previous administration, Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, prompting Tehran to begin enriching uranium to higher levels and restrict the access of IAEA inspectors to its facilities. ___ Madhani reported from Morristown, N.J. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi, Mehdi Fattahi and Amir Vahdat in Iran; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv; Lolita Baldor in Narragansett, Rhode Island; Samy Magdy in Cairo; and Farnoush Amiri in Dubai contributed to this story. David Rising, Jon Gambrell And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
