AOC takes victory lap as Trump-Elon nuclear breakup confirms everything she and Bernie Sanders warned

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told The Independent that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's feud confirmed what she and Sen. Bernie Sanders have warned about ultra-wealthy Americans.
'I mean, it was a long time coming,' said the progressive firebrand, who is better known to many Americans simply by her initials, AOC.
The self-described democratic socialist congresswoman has spent much of the last few months traveling with Sanders, an independent socialist from Vermont by way of Brooklyn. The two have spent much of the first few months of Trump's second presidency traveling the country as part of their 'Fighting Oligarchy Tour.'
'I don't think that the whole state of the country should be with two should be concentrated in two guys with massive egos that are fighting with each other,' she said.
On Thursday, Musk, who enthusiastically endorsed Trump and bankrolled his campaign in 2024, went ballistic on the president, ultimately saying that Trump was ' in the Epstein files,' which explained why they had not been released. Musk then ramped up the rhetoric even more by supporting his impeachment.
This came after Musk credited himself with Trump's victory.
'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk posted on X. 'Such ingratitude.'
The feud kicked off in earnest on Tuesday, when Musk called the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill,' which the House of Representatives passed last month, an ' outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination.'
Musk's words caused a headache for Republicans in the Senate, who hope to pass their own version of the legislation, which seeks to extend the tax cuts Trump signed in his first presidency, would ramp up spending on the US-Mexico border for immigration enforcement and slash spending for social services.
Other Democrats like Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware called the feud the 'big, beautiful breakup.' The fight between the world's richest man and the most powerful leader in the world flooded the internet with memes.
The intra-personal feud between the two is a sharp turn from when the Tesla CEO and X owner billed himself as the 'First Buddy' who led the Department of Government Efficiency and regularly made the trek across Pennsylvania Avenue to meet with lawmakers whenever they feared services their constituents used would be subjected to his ' Chainsaw of Bureaucracy.'
In recent months, Ocasio-Cortez has become a major player in the House Democratic caucus. Despite losing her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, she joined the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which not only handles energy policies like health care.
One recent poll showed Ocasio-Cortez to be more popular than either the president or Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee for president. Others have suggested that she either stage a primary challenge or succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

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BBC News

27 minutes ago

• BBC News

US and Iran: What's happening?

The United States has launched military strikes in Iran, attacking three nuclear bases in the in a televised speech from the White House, US President Donald Trump called the operation a "spectacular military success" and warned that Iran should make peace or face "far greater" response to the strikes, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said: "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences." What's the background to this? The US bombing of Iran's nuclear sites comes just over a week after Israel launched strikes on then Israel and Iran have continued to fire missiles at each and the US have long been allies. Now President Trump has decided to support Israel by joining the attack on said American warplanes attacked three nuclear sites in Iran - including an underground nuclear site called has always said its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes like the strikes President Trump said: "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." What has been the reaction? UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Iran's nuclear programme as "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," Starmer Foreign Minister David Lammy says "the UK did not participate in these strikes" and urged Iran to "show restraint and reach a diplomatic solution to end the crisis", which means through peaceful UN Secretary-General António Guterres said:"There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace."Since the US bombing, missile attacks between Israel and Iran have continued.

Sky News

29 minutes ago

• Sky News

US warplanes strike three nuclear sites as Iran warns of 'everlasting' consequences

The US has carried out a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites on Iran, President Donald Trump has said, while Tehran has warned of "everlasting" consequences. Bunker buster bombs were dropped on the heavily protected Fordow enrichment plant, which is buried deep under a mountain near the city of Qom, as well as sites at Natanz and Isfahan. Satellite imagery has revealed some of the surface damage at Fordow after the US strikes. The dramatic escalation brings the US into direct involvement in the war between Israel and Iran. Tehran's threat of reprisals raises fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US strikes "will have everlasting consequences", adding that his country "reserves all options" to retaliate. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said America's 'Operation Midnight Hammer' had "devastated the Iranian nuclear programme" but confirmed the strikes were "not about regime change". "The United States does not seek war, but let me be clear - we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened," he said. Iran has repeatedly denied that it is seeking a nuclear weapon, and the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said in June that it has no proof of a "systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon". The Iranian foreign minister told journalists on Sunday morning that he was flying to Moscow to have "serious consultations" with Vladimir Putin. He described Moscow as a "friend of Iran", adding: "We always consult with each other." Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG) said that "invaders must now await responses that will bring regret" after US strikes. 2:48 Iran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to "maintain international peace and condemn the US strikes", according to state media. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the "bold decision" by Mr Trump, saying it would "change history". Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched 40 missiles at Israel on Sunday morning, including its biggest ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr-4. Iranian missiles hit sites in northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv. The UK is preparing to fly British nationals out of Israel, and Israeli airspace will temporarily open today for repatriation flights to land. Countries trying to evacuate their citizens are waiting for the airspace to reopen fully to charter flights out. Gulf states like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, all home to US military bases, are on high alert after the strikes, with Bahrain urging drivers to avoid main roads and Kuwait setting up shelters. The UK has also further increased "force protection" measures for its military bases and personnel in the Middle East to their highest level. The and reach "a diplomatic solution to end this crisis". "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," said Sir Keir Starmer. 3:34 However, Mr Araghchi said the US and Israel had "blown up" negotiations and asked: "How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?" 2:28 US Senator Chris Murphy posted on X after the strikes, saying that he and other senators received a classified briefing last week indicating that Iran did not pose an immediate threat through its nuclear program. "Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon," Senator Murphy said. "The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success." Addressing the nation in the hours after the strikes, Mr Trump said that Iran must now make peace or "we will go after" other targets in Iran. "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days," he said. 1:20 In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: "All planes are safely on their way home", and he congratulated "our great American Warriors". He also threatened further strikes on Iran unless it doesn't "stop immediately", adding: "Now is the time for peace." Sky News understands there was no UK involvement in the strikes. 'Fordow is gone' Among the sites hit was Fordow, a secretive nuclear facility buried around 80 metres below a mountain and one of two key uranium enrichment plants in Iran. "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," Mr Trump said. "Fordow is gone." There had been a lot of discussion in recent days about possible American involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, and much of it centred around the US possibly being best placed to destroy Fordow. Meanwhile, Natanz and Isfahan were the other two sites hit in the US attack. Natanz is the other major uranium enrichment plant in Iran and was believed to have possibly already suffered extensive damage in Israel's strikes earlier this week. 1:44 Isfahan features a large nuclear technology centre and enriched uranium is also stored there, diplomats say. 'No increase in radiation levels' US media reported that six 'bunker buster' bombs were used to strike Fordow. However, most of the highly enriched uranium at the Fordow nuclear facility was moved to an undisclosed location ahead of the attack, a senior Iranian source told the Reuters news agency. Personnel numbers were also reduced at the site, according to the report. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that there has been "no increase in off-site radiation levels" after the US airstrikes. Mr Trump said no further strikes were planned and that he hoped diplomacy would now take over. In a briefing with journalists, Iran's foreign minister said Mr Trump had deceived his own voters over his promises not to get involved in any more "forever wars". "While President Trump was elected on a platform of putting an end to America's costly involvement in forever wars in our part of the world, he has betrayed not only Iran by abusing our commitment to diplomacy, but also deceived his own voters."

BreakingNews.ie

33 minutes ago

• BreakingNews.ie

US does not seek war, says Pentagon after bombing Iran's nuclear sites

America 'does not seek war' with Iran, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has said in the aftermath of a surprise US attack on three of Tehran's key nuclear sites. The mission, called Operation Midnight Hammer, involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Mr Hegseth and US Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference on Sunday. Advertisement Mr Hegseth said it is important to note the US strikes did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people, a veiled effort to indicate to Tehran they do not want retaliation on American targets in the region. 'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Mr Hegseth added. Mr Caine said the goal of the operation – destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – had been achieved. US President Donald Trump earlier claimed the facilities had been 'completely and fully obliterated'. 'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' Mr Caine said. Advertisement The operation inserted the United States into Israel's war aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear programme, though the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran insisted the programme will not be stopped. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has condemned the US attacks, while foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned diplomacy is no longer an option. 'This aggression showed that the United States is the primary instigator of the Zionist regime's hostile actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran,' Mr Pezeshkian said on Sunday. 'Although they initially tried to deny their role, after our armed forces' decisive and deterrent response and the Zionist regime's clear incapacity, they were inevitably forced to enter the field themselves.' Advertisement Mr Araghchi meanwhile declared that while the 'door to diplomacy' should always be open, 'this is not the case right now'. Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine addressed the media at the Pentagon (Alex Brandon/AP) He added: 'The warmongering, lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far reaching implications of its act of aggression.' Satellite images taken on Sunday show damage to the mountainside at the underground site at Fordo. The images, by Planet Labs PBC, show the once-brown mountain now has parts turned grey and its contours appear slightly different than in previous images, suggesting a blast threw up debris around the site. Advertisement That suggests the use of specialised American bunker-buster bombs on the facility. Light grey smoke also hung in the air. Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes. It is not clear whether the US will continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a nine-day war with Iran. Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles in the hours after the US attack (Oded Balilty/AP) Mr Trump acted without congressional authorisation, and he warned there will be additional strikes if Tehran retaliates against US forces. Advertisement '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, and that 'the US has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran'. Its statement added: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to resist with full force against US military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend Iran's security and national interests.' 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-storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its entire facade 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 neutralised' the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes towards military targets in western Iran. President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House following the air strikes (Carlos Barria/pool/AP) Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Mr Trump and Israeli leaders have argued Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. But US and Israeli officials have said American B-2 stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound 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 programme buried deep underground. Mr Trump appears to have made the calculation – at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republicans – that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear programme, perhaps permanently. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Mr Trump said in a post on social media. 'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordo. All planes are safely on their way home.' — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025 Mr Trump later added: '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 on Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks. US officials said the attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, while submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles. The decision to attack was a risky one for Mr 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 he has vowed he will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and he had initially hoped the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear programme peacefully.