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House GOP freshman celebrates young American’s safe homecoming amid Iran-Israel conflict

House GOP freshman celebrates young American’s safe homecoming amid Iran-Israel conflict

Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., welcomed 21-year-old Seth McCready home from Israel this week, as the State Department issued a security alert for U.S. citizens traveling worldwide and the conflict between Israel and Iran raged on.  McCready talked to Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview at the Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday after he traveled from Israel to Jordan to Egypt before catching his final flight home.  The Virginia native was greeted by his father and two brothers at the International Arrivals Gate, all sporting big smiles and embracing as their congressman stood by with red, white and blue balloons and an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol.  “God protected me and the people I was with, and he’s protecting Israel too,” McCready said. “I 100% believe Israel’s gonna pull through, no problem.” REPUBLICANS CONGRATULATE TRUMP AMID IRAN CEASEFIRE AS DEMS HOLD BACK APPLAUSE McGuire’s office was in constant contact with McCready during his days-long journey home from Israel, according to the young American.  TUGBOATS, CRUISE SHIPS AND FLIGHTS: ISRAEL BEGINS EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF CITIZENS AMID IRAN WAR When the Jewish state launched its initial attacks on Iran, which President Donald Trump has referred to as the “12-day war,” McCready was visiting family in Israel. He told Fox News Digital that he was later able to volunteer with a ministry group, preparing rooms and even delivering food to those in need as the strikes continued.  “We did get a couple impacts. There was one that was like a kilometer away from me, and the whole building shook,” McCready said, describing a strike that slipped through Israel’s defenses. McGuire, who joined McCready’s family to welcome him home on Tuesday, said, “I’m just so happy for his family. You can’t always help somebody, but when you can, that’s the best part about this job.” The freshman Virginia congressman said he worked with the State Department to secure McCready’s path home. Both McCready and McGuire thanked his political director, Ramona Christian, for her vital role in getting McCready home.  “It’s just a big team effort, and this is the second young person we helped get home in a week. And now we’ve got a couple of other folks that have reached out to our office, and we’re hoping to be able to help them as well,” McGuire told Fox News Digital in an interview.  McGuire celebrated McCready’s homecoming as the fragile ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel had just begun.  Questions remained about whether the ceasefire would hold when Trump announced on Monday evening that “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE.” Trump said the U.S. successfully struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday night, but questions remain on Capitol Hill as to what degree the strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program.  McGuire, a Trump loyalist who secured his endorsement in 2024, said the “ability for Iran to project power has been greatly diminished.” “We had an imminent threat of a nuclear weapon in Iran, and we just couldn’t have that,” McGuire added. “That threat has been eliminated.” Israel had launched a series of coordinated attacks on Iran on June 13, which Iran retaliated against, prompting the countries to exchange strikes for 12 days. After the U.S. struck Iran, the Islamic Republic launched retaliatory attacks on a U.S. air base in Qatar.  But McGuire affirmed he is “very hopeful” that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran will hold and that there will be peace in the Middle East.  The Virginia Republican is a member of the House Oversight Committee and the House Armed Services, bringing his 10 years of experience as a Navy SEAL to the position. 

Pompeo says Iran strike shows US is ‘back to leading the world’

Pompeo says Iran strike shows US is ‘back to leading the world’

EXCLUSIVE – Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the recent U.S. military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities sent a signal to the world. Pompeo, who served as CIA director and later as the top U.S. diplomat in President Donald Trump’s first administration, said in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that the attack delivered a message “that America is back leading in the world.” And regardless of the heated debate this week over the president’s claims that the attack “obliterated” Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons, Pompeo said “there was sufficient damage done” and, as a result, “Americans are safer.” CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE U.S. STRIKE ON IRAN Pompeo cautioned that “there are some risks in the near term, for sure. Iranians could decide to do something clandestine, or a terror cell here or something. But make no mistake about it, what President Trump did and what the Israelis did before him, made not only the region, the Gulf and Israel, safer, they made the United States and the West safer.” Praising the Trump administration’s handling of the strike on Iran, Pompeo noted, “I think they’ve got it nearly pitch perfect. They got the messaging right. They ran an incredibly good military operation as well.” TRUMP SAYS US WOULD STRIKE AGAIN IF IRAN REBUILDS NUCLEAR PROGRAM And he said the U.S. is now closer to ridding “ourselves of this risk that you’ll have an ayatollah, a theocracy, a thug that will have the capacity to build a nuclear weapons program.” Pompeo was interviewed before delivering a speech titled “Rebuilding American Deterrence” to the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire. Pointing to the strike on Iran, Pompeo told Fox News that America’s deterrence against top adversaries across the globe “increased as a result of what happened in the Middle East. It’s undoubtedly true.” In his speech and during his interview, Pompeo also called out isolationists on the right and left for abandoning U.S. global leadership. “There are those in my own party and those on the left who don’t think American leadership matters in the world, that it’s not worth it for the United States of America to do the hard work to keep our people safe,” he argued. And Pompeo said part of his message is “that absent American leadership in the world, we’re all a lot less safe.” KEEP YOUR EYES ON THESE REPUBLICANS IN THE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE TO SUCCEED TRUMP Pompeo took a hard look at running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made multiple trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states that have traditionally voted in the GOP presidential primaries. And his return to the Granite State sparked speculation regarding a potential 2028 White House bid. Wednesday night’s event was held at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, which for decades has been a must-stop in the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state for those with national ambitions. “Yeah, unavoidable. The question comes out when someone who’s the former secretary of state travels to this beautiful place,” Pompeo told Fox News, as he referred to New Hampshire. Pompeo said, “I really came here because I do want to be part of the policy debate. What happens three and a half years from now is an awfully long ways off.” But at this extremely early point in the 2028 election cycle, he didn’t rule out a possible White House run, saying “we’ll see what the good Lord brings in a couple of years.” Asked if he wasn’t ruling out anything down the road when it comes to service to the nation, Pompeo told Fox News, “No, if I get a call and an opportunity for a place that I think I can make a difference, I’ll do it every time.”

Republican senators say leaked Iran damage report was inaccurate, politically motivated

Republican senators say leaked Iran damage report was inaccurate, politically motivated

Republican senators told Fox News Digital that after receiving a fuller intelligence report on airstrikes authorized by President Donald Trump against Iran’s nuclear facilities that they believe the initial leaked reports underestimating the damage were inaccurate and politically motivated. “I think the leaked intelligence report was not accurate, and given the 14 bunker-buster bombs that were dropped on the Iranian nuclear weapons facility, I think that the clear evidence is the damage was overwhelming,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. In response to why so many media outlets ran with the leaked story, Cruz told Fox News Digital that “clearly there was a political agenda at play.” Earlier this week, CNN, citing people familiar with the assessment, reported that the early consensus within the Defense Intelligence Agency is that the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan didn’t destroy key components of Iran’s nuclear program nor destroy its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.  TRUMP TOUTS ADMINISTRATION’S PROGRESS ON PEACE DEALS, SAYS WORLD LEADERS ‘RESPECT OUR COUNTRY AGAIN’ The outlet also reported that the strike likely only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months, not years, as touted by the Trump administration.  Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against the “fake news” media during a NATO summit press conference for casting doubt that the U.S. strikes on Iran obliterated the country’s nuclear program.  “A statement came in from the Atomic Energy Commission of Israel,” Trump said during a Wednesday press conference from The Hague as he wrapped up his NATO summit trip in the Netherlands. “They’re very serious people, as you know.”  “‘The devastating U.S. strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility totally inoperable,’” Trump read from the letter. “‘It was devastated. We assessed that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons for many years to come. This achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.’”  HEGSETH TEARS INTO REPORTERS, ALLEGING THEY ‘CHEER AGAINST TRUMP’ AND IRAN STRIKES Senators received a classified intelligence briefing on the strikes from top national security officials on Thursday. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that widespread reporting on the leaked report was to “try to undermine Trump, of course.” “Listen, we walked through this in the briefing, without getting into things I shouldn’t talk about. Basically, that is not an accurate picture, and it didn’t purport to be,” said Hawley. “What they were quoting was actually not a full intelligence report; it was more akin to an after-action, early assessment guess. So, without saying more, basically it was very misrepresented.” “And the thing is,” he went on, “any reporter who covers the Pentagon and covers national security, they would know that. So, I have to say, kind of bad faith, I think, by our reporter friends in the liberal media who are clearly just trying to undermine the president.” TRUMP ACCUSES AYATOLLAH OF ‘LIE’ ON IRAN STRIKE: ‘HIS COUNTRY WAS DECIMATED’ At least one Democratic senator, meanwhile, was also pleased with what was said during the briefing. “Most of my questions were answered. I think it was a good briefing,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. “I think Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. Hopefully, this has set back that program dramatically. And ultimately, we will see them go to the negotiating table, because that’s the real long-term solution.” While many Democrats have called the strikes an unconstitutional move by the president, Shaheen said, “it was a limited, contained strike” and “I think if it dramatically set back Iran’s nuclear program – initial reports are that it has – that’s a good thing.” Other Democratic senators, however, were still not so mollified by the briefing. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Fox News Digital that the briefing “has not changed” his prior assessment that the strikes were a “clear violation of our Constitution” and that “Trump is yet again betraying Americans by embroiling the United States directly in this conflict.”  TRUMP WOULD STRIKE IRAN ‘WITHOUT QUESTION’ IF IT RESTARTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Fox News Digital that the briefing “didn’t change my view, but I think I’d rather just leave it there, because it’s all classified.” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., was more vague on whether his opinion had been changed. “I can’t tell you what I learned in a classified briefing. I can tell you that it was destructive,” said Coons. “We do not yet have a full and complete picture of exactly what capabilities were degraded or destroyed and what additional risks we may face or what decisions the Iranian regime may make.” 

Trump touts success of Iran strikes and attack’s initial damage assessments during 23rd week in office

Trump touts success of Iran strikes and attack’s initial damage assessments during 23rd week in office

President Donald Trump continued to brag about the success of the U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and visited the Netherlands for the NATO summit this week.  The U.S. launched strikes late Saturday targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities, which involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters Sunday. Following the strikes, Trump said in an address to the nation that the mission left the nuclear sites “completely and totally obliterated.” But days later, a leaked report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, published by CNN and the New York Times, cast doubt on those claims, saying that the strikes had only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months. TRUMP WOULD STRIKE IRAN ‘WITHOUT QUESTION’ IF IT RESTARTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM  Meanwhile, the U.S., Israel and Iran’s Foreign Ministry have all said the three nuclear sites that U.S. forces struck have encountered massive damage. Still, Trump has said he won’t hesitate to launch additional strikes against Iran – should Tehran seek to beef up its nuclear program again.  Here’s also what happened this week:  Trump attended the NATO summit in the Netherlands on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader said in a post on X on Wednesday that the two “covered all the truly important issues” as the U.S. has sought to broker a peace deal to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. TRUMP PRAISED FOR GETTING NATO ALLIES TO BOLSTER DEFENSE SPENDING: ‘REALLY STAGGERING’ NATO allies – all but Spain – agreed Wednesday to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Trump has long advocated for NATO allies to ramp up defense spending to between 2% and 5% GDP – and has made it clear that European nations need to shoulder greater responsibility for the security of their continent. Trump pressed lawmakers to get his sweeping tax and domestic policy bill to the finish line on Thursday, labeling the measure the “single-most important piece of border legislation ever to cross the floor of Congress.”  TRUMP SAYS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BILL ‘MUST’ MEET DEADLINE AS SOME REPUBLICANS WAVER “This is the ultimate codification of our agenda to – very simply, a phrase that’s been used pretty well by me over the past 10 years, but maybe even before that – make America great again,” Trump said at a “One, Big, Beautiful Event” at the White House on Thursday.  Meanwhile, Republicans are scrambling to reform and pass the measure ahead of Trump’s July 4 deadline, following Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough’s determination Thursday that several Medicaid reforms in the sweeping tax passage did not follow Senate rules and must be removed.