President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program, as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)
COMMANDER-IN-DISBELIEF?
Did Iran just stand eyeball-to-eyeball with the United States… and blink? Or is the country’s response to American airstrikes only beginning?
- President Donald Trump took a full-on victory lap this afternoon over news that no one was hurt by Iranian missile attacks on a U.S. base in Qatar, following the massive U.S. bombardments of three nuclear facilities over the weekend. Hours later, he announced (in a confusingly garbled message) that a temporary ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and Iran, and suggested the two countries’ war would soon be over. “CONGRATULATIONS, WORLD,” Trump posted on social media. “IT’S TIME FOR PEACE.”
- Uh… maybe? It’s too soon for such happy talk, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) exclusively told What A Day. There are many ways Iran could ramp up tensions later, or that further fighting with Israel could send the region spiraling into fresh chaos. And the fate of its nuclear program looks far from settled. “We’ll have to see,” Kaine said. “We hope we can settle it down.”
- Kaine and others in Congress are hoping to tie Trump’s hands from further attacks — despite a lack of support for their efforts from GOP leadership. Trump’s incredibly unpopular weekend strikes pissed off anti-war Democrats and even some of MAGA’s loopiest members. Later this week, lawmakers will vote on a bill introduced by Kaine, which would require Trump to seek approval from Congress before striking Iran. In the House, a similar bill, spearheaded by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — yes, a Republican! — is making its rounds.
- Kaine expects several Republicans to join his bill, especially after Trump’s musings about taking out Iran’s leader. Trump is “starting to talk about regime change, that will make some Republicans real nervous and might push some votes my way,” Kaine said. Only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), has already said he’ll oppose the bill.
Trump’s strikes may have further convinced Iran that it needs nukes after all, analysts say — even if it hesitates to attack the U.S. again now. Other countries might draw similar conclusions, Kaine pointed out.
- “Does it convince nations, ‘I guess we better not have a nuclear weapon?’ Or does it convince nations, ‘the only way we won’t get invaded is if we have a nuclear weapon?’” Kaine said. He pointed to North Korea’s booming nuclear weapons program, which ramped up after the country watched Libya end its program — and then Western nations toppled the government and changed the regime.
- “My fear is … it may harden their resolve and harden their intent,” Kaine said. “That could well inspire a nuclear arms race throughout the region, which would be very dangerous for the region and possibly for the United States.”
- Tensions are rising around the world. Over the weekend, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that several countries are lining up to provide Iran with nuclear warheads — a claim that experts doubt. But smart people’s opinions never stop Trump from reacting in his own face-palm-inducing way, who chided Medvedev for “casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!).”
Queue the Selina Meyer (laughing nervously) What the fuck? meme
ON THIN ICE!
Donald Trump’s anti-immigration rampage keeps getting more aggressive — and more unhinged.
Today, DHS said that Salvadoran native Kilmar Abrego Garcia “will never go free,” less than a day after a judge ordered his release. The Trump administration mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia in March, but brought him back this month. He’s now being charged with human smuggling.
Federal agents violently beat and detained a landscaper who’s the father of three Marines, according to the man’s son. A viral video shows several masked agents pinning the man down and punching him outside a Santa Ana IHOP where he was working. A GoFundMe to support his legal representation has already topped $75,000.
ICE agents also detained a Marine Corps veteran’s wife, who was still breastfeeding their 3-month old daughter when she was taken. “It’s just a hell of a way to treat a veteran,” said a former immigration judge representing the couple. “You take their wives and send them back to Mexico?”
What’s more, the Supreme Court today allowed the Trump administration to continue deporting migrants to “third countries” they have no connection to. The three liberal justices dissented.
But many courts are challenging DHS’s worst impulses, and activists aren’t letting up.
Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil, who was released from jail on Friday after being detained by ICE in March, said that his arrest “felt like kidnapping.” But if Trump’s intention was to silence pro-Palestinian speech, he “absolutely failed,” Mahmoud added.
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"Propaganda.”
— Tucker Carlson, blasting Fox News, his former employer, for its coverage of the Iran strikes... seemingly oblivious to the ironic self-own.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post spreading misinformation about Harvard University and threatening to revoke the school’s ability to admit international students. Apparently, WaPo owner Jeff Bezos has decided to let Trump officials treat this venerable outlet as their personal hyper-conservative high school newspaper.
The Trump administration decided to dismantle USAID earlier this year as retaliation, after agency employees began resisting the president’s order to pause foreign aid projects, the New York Times reports.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is polling ahead of certified creep and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic primary. This dude is running an incredible campaign. His latest stunt: walking the length of Manhattan on a super steamy day. “New Yorkers deserve a Mayor they can see, hear, even yell at. The city is in the streets,” Mamdani tweeted. I dunno about you, but I would really love to yell at Cuomo!
The number of abortions nationwide rose last year as women continued to find ways around restrictive laws and bans, according to new data. In nearly every state, it became more common to obtain abortion pills via telehealth appointments.
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