Latest news with #TheWallStreetJournal
The Hill
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump disputes Iran attack plan report; TikTok deadline extended
Happy Thursday — It's Juneteenth! It's a fairly quiet day in Washington for the federal holiday, but it's a workday at the White House. Oh, and today is the last full day of spring! 🌷 In today's issue: 🌍 IRAN LATEST President Trump pushed back on The Wall Street Journal's reporting that he has OKed an attack plan against Iran. 'The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!' Trump posted on Truth Social this morning. The gist of that WSJ report: Trump reportedly told senior aides he approved an attack plan for Iran but is holding off on giving the final 'OK' in order to give Iran one last chance to abandon its nuclear program. What do we know about Trump's thinking?: He is keeping his strategy under wraps while Israel and Iran exchange missile barrages. 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do,' Trump stressed to reporters on Wednesday. The latest in the Middle East: Israel has vowed to intensify its attacks after Iran targeted a civilian hospital in southern Israel on Thursday. Dozens of people were left with minor injuries, but the strike caused 'extensive' damage. 📸 Photos of the hospital Israel revealed today that it has also targeted 'key sites' related to Iran's nuclear capabilities. And Israel's military has ramped up its rhetoric against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, days after Trump threatened to target him. Happening on Friday: Iranian officials will meet with foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany and France, plus the European Union foreign policy chief. 🗨️ Follow today's live blog The U.S. has begun Israel evacuations: The State Department has begun evacuating nonessential government diplomats and their families from Israel, according to The Associated Press. This comes days after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced he would no longer travel to Israel for a planned address. How do lawmakers feel about potential U.S. involvement?: Senators in both parties are nervous about the possibility of Trump inserting the U.S. in the Israel-Iran conflict. There is broad support for Israel on Capitol Hill, but the fear of a broader war in the Middle East has lawmakers on edge. Read Al Weaver's reporting 📱️NEW THIS MORNING President Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok's parent company to divest from the app in order to avoid a U.S. ban. The new deadline: Sept. 17 Trump posted on Truth Social: 'I've just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025). Thank you for your attention to this matter!' 📸 Screenshot of the executive order Keep in mind: This is the *third* extension Trump took office in January. ⏱️ ON CAPITOL HILL Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is aggressively trying to woo the Senate Republicans who are uncomfortable with the tax and spending bill's proposed Medicaid cuts. Thune's goal is to bring the Senate's version of the 'big, beautiful bill' to the floor next week, which is becoming an ambitious timeline considering the obstacles. What's happening behind the scenes?: Thune and Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) are having discussions about the specifics of the Medicaid cuts. GOP holdouts' concerns: They're concerned that Medicaid's costs would shift too much to the states and onto lower-income Americans. There are also concerns about the Medicaid work and eligibility requirements. How these negotiations may play out: 'Republican sources familiar with the negotiations say they expect Senate GOP leaders and the holdouts to work out some sort of deal to provide direct financial assistance to rural hospitals that would be in danger of closing if the Senate bill passes in its current form.' Read the reporting from The Hill's Alexander Bolton Keep in mind, they're getting pressure from the top: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles attended Republicans' lunch on Wednesday, where she said Trump expects the bill to be on his desk by July 4. ➤ CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS — FOOD STAMPS: For food stamp recipients, Congress may soon end the work requirement exemptions for veterans, homeless people and youth who were in foster care. The gist: House Republicans kept those exemptions in their bill, but Senate Republicans removed that language in their version. Read more Media personality Tucker Carlson published his fiery nearly two-hour interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) where the two high-profile conservatives sparred over the U.S.'s Iran policy. The Hill's Dominick Mastrangelo pulled together five takeaways from the contentious discussion: Keep in mind: On Cruz's 'Verdict' podcast, he argues that Carlson 'has gone bat-crap crazy [on foreign policy]. He's gone off the rails. He is suddenly a hardcore isolationist.' 💻 Watch the full interview And if you missed 📹 the viral preview of the interview, it's worth watching. COMING UP The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST): 📰 ️OTHER NEWS The State Department says it will restart the student visa application process. However, applicants will be asked to make their social media profiles public for vetting. The State Department plans to look for those 'who pose a threat to U.S. national security,' which The Hill's Lexi Lonas Cochran notes is the same phrase it has applied to pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses. Read more: What we know about the new student visa interview process 🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🍸 Celebrate: Today is National Martini Day! 🧯 A SpaceX rocket exploded: A SpaceX rocket exploded during a static fire test late Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal obtained wild footage of the explosion. 📹 Watch 🫗 Cannabis-infused drinks are having a moment: 'States are rushing to ban or restrict sales of intoxicating cannabis drinks that have exploded in popularity in a market lacking many of the regulations imposed on marijuana,' reports The Washington Post's Shannon Najmabadi. 👋 AND FINALLY… To focus your attention on something light, watch these turtles patiently wait in a queue. 📺 Miss yesterday's newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video. And check out more newsletters from The Hill here. See you tomorrow!
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Iran leader 'can no longer exist' after hospital hit
JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister warned that Iran's supreme leader "can no longer be allowed to exist" after a hospital was hit in an Iranian missile strike on Thursday, spiking tensions in the week-old war. As President Donald Trump dangled the prospect of US involvement, Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba was left in flames by a bombardment that Iran said targeted a military and intelligence base. Israel, fearing Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch enemy last week, triggering a conflict that has left more than 200 people dead on both sides. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would "pay a heavy price" for the hospital strike, while Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed -- he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals," Katz told reporters. "He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist." Hospital director Shlomi Codish said 40 people were injured at the Soroka, where an evacuated surgical building was hit leaving smoke billowing. "Several wards were completely demolished and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital with damage to buildings, structures, windows, ceilings across the medical centre," he told journalists at the site. The latest escalation came on the seventh day of deadly exchanges between the two countries that have plunged the region into a new crisis, 19 months into the Gaza war. Mohammad Hassan, a Pakistani student at the University of Tehran, described frightening scenes in Iran's capital during the Israeli strikes. "Those days and nights were very horrifying... hearing sirens, the wailing, the danger of being hit by missiles," he told AFP after returning to Pakistan. "As one peeped out the window in the night, you could see drones, missiles with fire tails." Khamenei has rejected Trump's demand for an "unconditional surrender", despite the president's claims that "Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate". Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. "The next week is going to be very big," he added, without further details. Any US involvement would be expected to involve the bombing of a crucial underground Iranian nuclear facility in Fordo, using specially developed bunker-busting bombs. The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio is set meet his British counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict. "I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final (decision)," Trump said. "I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change. Especially with war." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme. The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran's nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 agreement he tore up in his first term. But since Israel unleashed the campaign against Iran last week, Trump has stood behind the key US ally. On Thursday morning, Israel said it had carried out dozens of fresh raids on Iranian targets overnight, including the partially built Arak nuclear reactor and a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. The Israeli military said the Arak site in central Iran had been hit "to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development". There was a "near-total national internet blackout" in Iran on Wednesday, a London-based watchdog said, with Iran's Fars news agency confirming tighter internet restrictions after initial curbs imposed last week. The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a deal to guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme was possible. "I believe it would be good for all of us together to look for ways to stop the fighting and seek ways for the participants in the conflict to find an agreement," he told foreign journalists at a televised event. He said Iran had not asked Russia for military help. An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict began on Friday. Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds since they began, Netanyahu's office said on Monday. Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 per cent -- far above the 3.67-per cent limit set by the 2015 deal, but still short of the 90 per cent needed for a nuclear warhead. Israel has maintained ambiguity on its own arsenal, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
Gulf Insider
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Trump Has Reportedly Approved Iran Attack Plans But Is Withholding Final Order
As President Trump convenes a White House situation room meeting this Tuesday early evening, and following Ayatollah Khamenei's earlier televised speech vowing 'we will not surrender' – The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Trump has made the decision: President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program, people familiar with the deliberations said. Iran's well-defended Fordow enrichment facility is a possible U.S. target. Israel has yet to attack the facility, which is buried under a mountain and is generally considered by military experts to be out of reach of all but the most powerful bombs. Asked earlier if he had decided whether to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities, Trump said, 'I may do it, I may not do it.' And he repeated his insistence of Iran's unconditional surrender: 'The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.' Is this yet another last ditch effort to strong arm Tehran to the negotiating table, where Trump's hope is that it will declare zero enrichment? Has the US Commander-in-Chief painted himself into a corner, and now it's all zero sum? The Iranians remain under heavy Israeli bombing, and with leadership likely in deep bunkers, are unlikely to negotiate the end of their own 'regime'. Trump may have finally pulled the trigger here. Where's Congress? Meanwhile, elements of the Right and elements of the Left are uniting around this simple and very reasonable observation… Netanyahu is not the President of the United States. He should not be determining U.S. foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 18, 2025 Things are quickly going from bad to worse for Iran, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, and given Iran's air defenses in its western portion of the country appear completely destroyed and disabled. Iran is now in a 'near-total national internet blackout' – according to monitoring from a UK-based watchdog: ⚠️ Confirmed: Live network data show #Iran is now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout; the incident follows a series of earlier partial disruptions and comes amid escalating military tensions with Israel after days of back-and-forth missile strikes 📉 — NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 18, 2025 Vital civic infrastructure in Tehran, including some sewage system and water networks, have also been hit. * * * President Donald Trump on Wednesday fielded reporters' questions on the Iran crisis, but refused to answer whether the US military will directly enter the war, amid Israeli requests that the Pentagon assist in striking Iran's nuclear facilities. 'There's a big difference between now and a week ago,' Trump told reporters outside the White House, and added curiously: 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' He indicated that the Iranians had reached out but he feels 'it's very late to be talking.' But he also threw out the possibility: 'We may meet. It's, I don't know, there's a big difference between now and a week ago,' he said on the White House lawn. Click here to read more…
The Hill
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump pushes back on report he approved attack plan for Iran
President Trump on Thursday pushed back on reporting that he had given approval for attack plans against Iran as he publicly insists he has yet to decide on a path forward. The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Trump had approved of attack plans for Iran, but was waiting to give a final order in case Tehran agreed to abandon its nuclear program. 'The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!' Trump posted on Truth Social. The president did not dispute the substance of the report, and administration officials said Trump was deliberating his options. Trump on Wednesday morning was non-committal about a potential strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump on Wednesday dodged a question about whether he's moving closer to ordering a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,' Trump told reporters. 'I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble. And they want to negotiate. And I say why didn't you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction.' Trump met in the Situation Room for a second consecutive day on Wednesday with members of his national security team amid conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. The U.S. has not been directly involved in strikes against Iran thus far, and some of Trump's allies have cautioned against engaging in a war with Iran. But the president's rhetoric in recent days has gotten more threatening toward Tehran, including a social media post targeting Iran's supreme leader. Trump has said Iran reached out about potential talks, including a possible meeting at the White House. But the president indicated he wished they had reached out sooner and acknowledged such a meeting would be difficult logistically.
The Hill
18 hours ago
- Science
- The Hill
SpaceX rocket explodes during test
A SpaceX rocket exploded late Wednesday during a static fire test, which the company attributed to 'a major anomaly.' 'On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,' the aerospace company, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, wrote early Thursday in a post on social platform X. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' it added. Footage of the incident at the Texas facility obtained by The Wall Street Journal showed an expansive explosion and large flames, with debris falling from the sky. 'Just a scratch,' Musk posted to X — which he also owns — without directly acknowledging the incident. In May, another SpaceX Starship rocket spun out of control and broke up during a test flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later requested an investigation into the mishap. The company on Thursday said the latest explosion left no hazards for residents in the area. 'Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials,' SpaceX wrote online. 'There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,' it added.
