‘Not our role’: Lawmakers cautious over Middle East peace, not ready for regime change
Lawmakers are anxious that the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran may not hold, but many are not ready to call for regime change in the Islamic Republic. President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a truce, but as the evening carried into the wee hours of Tuesday morning, whether that peace would last came into question. TRUMP NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER IRAN-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL Israel had reportedly geared up for a retaliatory bombing run against Iran, and Trump accused both of breaking the newborn truce. On Tuesday morning, the president put out a sharp reprimand against both countries. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” he told reporters. On Capitol Hill, in the immediate wake of the ceasefire announcement, lawmakers were already looking at the deal skeptically but had confidence that the president’s negotiating power would ensure the fragile truce was not shattered. “I remain hopeful,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “I trust the president. He’s been right on everything, and he’s the only president that’s been able to bring Iran and Israel to the table in this manner. So I’m going to hope and pray that this works, and if it doesn’t, then we know Trump will act decisively.” ‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS INVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN Trump’s announcement came on the heels of a weekend strikes with bunker-busting bombs that the White House says obliterated Iran’s nuclear program. Many lawmakers stood firm last week that the entire point of supporting Israel in their bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic was to ensure that Iran could not make or obtain an atomic weapon. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that it was the groundwork Trump laid in his first term with the Abraham Accords and his recent visit to Saudi Arabia that could help solidify a lasting ceasefire between the two sides. “All you can do is just trust that because of the events that have happened, I mean, Iran … their conventional weapons have been decimated, their platforms have been decimated,” he said. “Their nuclear program has been obliterated. So they’re at the table because of that.” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital that Iran has “typically never done what they said they would do.” However, he believed that with the pressure from both the U.S. and Israel, and because Trump was willing to use force — which he described as the president showing he “means business” — things could be different. “I think they’re going to come to the table now, and they’re in a very weak position, so it’s different, but their track record is very bad,” he said. “You can’t count on what they say. So this goes back to the Reagan ‘trust but verify.’ Anything we negotiate with them has to be verifiable, and certainly that’s how the administration is going to approach it.” However, even with a ceasefire, the Iranian regime remains unchanged. A shared sentiment among many lawmakers, however, was that if regime change were to take place in Tehran, it would have to be up to the Iranian people, not the U.S. government. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who is pushing for his war powers resolution to get a vote in the upper chamber, warned, “Do we really want to get in another regime-change war? “We changed Iran’s regime in 1953 by leading a coup against their prime minister,” Kaine said. “And that’s one of the reasons why the U.S.-Iran relationship is so bad 70 years later. Do we really want to do that again?” TRUMP ‘DOESN’T NEED PERMISSION’ FROM CONGRESS TO STRIKE IRAN, EXPERT SAYS Indeed, the U.S.-backed toppling of then-Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh opened the door for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to take control of Iran. However, by 1979, the Islamic Revolution took place and removed Pahlavi from power and saw the birth of the current regime. Rep. Jack Bergman, a retired Marine general, laid out his position against regime change in more succinct terms. “It’s not our role.” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., lauded the president’s action over the weekend and said he believed the strikes had put negotiations on a path that could lead to a “generational shift” regarding the future peace and stability of the Middle East and Western World. Still, he noted that “regime changes can break one or two ways, but it would be hard to do worse than what is there today.” “I’m cautiously optimistic, but we’re not there yet,” he continued. Not every lawmaker shared the same feelings, however. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital that he believed the U.S. should take a stronger posture when it comes to regime change in Iran. “I’m a Navy SEAL commander who spent time there, and buried a lot of my friends,” he said. “While the attack was brilliant, and it was deceptive, and it made a statement, etcetera, etcetera, I don’t think Iran will bend. I think it’s going to take regime change.”
Timeline: Trump’s Israel-Iran ceasefire nearly collapses hours after announcement
Hours after President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the fragile agreement nearly collapsed as hostilities flared before the truce took effect. Despite the president’s announcement, Israel continued its military campaign — launching attacks before the ceasefire’s scheduled start 12 hours later. Iran retaliated with a deadly rocket barrage on a hospital in Be’er Sheva, killing at least four people. Israel began preparing a full-scale response before the president stepped in. Trump, visibly frustrated as he departed for the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, blamed both sides — but especially Israel. “Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Speaking to reporters while boarding Marine One, the president added, “[Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it too. Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out, and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel.” He continued, “When I say, okay, now you have 12 hours — you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them.” IRAN-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE TEETERS AS IDF ACCUSES TEHRAN OF VIOLATIONS Trump posted the ceasefire terms on Truth Social. “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in-progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered ended… During each ceasefire, the other side will remain peaceful and respectful.” TRUMP LASHES OUT AT ISRAEL AND IRAN WITH PROFANITY FOR BREAKING CEASEFIRE According to Trump, Iran would begin the ceasefire at hour 12. Israel would follow at hour 24. A global salute to the “12 Day War” ending would follow. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed that Israel launched a major assault hours ahead of the ceasefire starting, hitting central Tehran. “We attacked forcefully in the heart of Tehran, hitting regime targets and killing hundreds of Basij and Iranian security forces,” the statement read. Iranian media confirmed nine casualties in the northern Gilan province. Fars News Agency said, “Four residential buildings were completely destroyed and several neighboring houses were damaged in the blasts.” In response, Iran launched missiles at Be’er Sheva just minutes before the ceasefire took effect. Four people were killed, and several others were injured in the strike on a hospital. Trump once again took to Truth Social. “The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” TRUMP BROKERS IRAN CEASEFIRE AS EXPERTS SAY REGIME’S ARSENAL IS SHATTERED BUT THREAT REMAINS Despite the ceasefire, Iran fired three additional missiles in the hours following. The projectiles were either intercepted or landed in open areas without causing casualties. Israel destroyed a radar installation near Tehran and was preparing a broader offensive before Trump publicly expressed his anger. “I’m really unhappy about Israel going out this morning… because of the one rocket that didn’t land — perhaps by mistake. You know what we have? We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing. Do you understand that?” the president told reporters. After a direct call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump persuaded the Israeli leadership to halt further military actions. The Israeli Defense Forces ordered fighter jets to stand down and return to base.
What’s with Iran’s Death to America chant?
NewsFeed Donald Trump has painted Iran as a hateful nation, saying people even chant ‘death to America’. But are Iranians really lusting for American tragedy, or does it mean something else? Soraya Lennie breaks it down. Published On 24 Jun 202524 Jun 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump delivers angry outburst at Israel-Iran ceasefire breaches
NewsFeed “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.” US President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary four-letter outburst as he criticised breaches of the Israel-Iran ceasefire. Trump aimed the bulk of his anger at Israel, saying he would try to avert further planned attacks. Published On 24 Jun 202524 Jun 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
What is life like for Gaza evacuees?
Today on The Stream: Two Palestinians who left Gaza during the genocide share their stories of escape and survival. For the Palestinians who have managed to leave, the decision to stay and risk death or abandon their homes and loved ones is an agonising one. Many more are desperate to escape, but have no way out. So what becomes of those who do make it out? How do they carry on after such deep trauma, while fearing for the families and friends they left behind as the war continues? And will they ever truly heal? Presenter: Stefanie Dekker Guests:Safwat Al Kahlout – Al Jazeera producerAbubaker Abed – Palestinian journalist and commentator Adblock test (Why?)
Rep. Jasmine Crockett drops bid for influential post on House oversight panel
The Dallas Democrat had said her party should respond more aggressively to the Trump administration and pitched herself as the best messenger for the job.
Jasmine Crockett drops out of race for top House Oversight Committee Democrat
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has bowed out of the race to become the top Democrat on a key committee that is currently probing former President Joe Biden’s alleged mental decline. Democratic firebrand Crockett was gunning to become the next ranking member, a title given to the senior member of the minority party, on the House Oversight Committee. “It was clear by the numbers that my style of leadership is not exactly what they were looking for, and so I didn’t think that it was fair for me to then push forward and try to rebuke that,” Crockett told reporters. House Democrats held the election during their weekly closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday morning. 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS However, in a smaller election by a key House Democratic panel on Monday night, Crockett and two others lost to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. Crockett signaled she came in last of the four, telling reporters on Tuesday, “They were clear that I was the one that made the least sense in their minds. “I accept that, and I think that you have to make sure that you are going to be able to work with leadership if you are going to go into a leadership position,” she said. “I think the people may be disappointed, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to move forward in this country, we’ve got ot move forward for this world, and I don’t want to be an impediment.” She promised to still be “loud and proud” and a “team player” for Democrats. The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., played a marquee role in the last Congress as Republicans pursued an impeachment inquiry against the previous president. Comer’s panel is back in the headlines now for another Biden-focused probe, this time looking into allegations that former senior White House aides covered up signs of the elderly leader’s cognitive decline. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is expected to act as a foil to Republicans’ anti-Biden pursuits. In addition to those issues, however, the committee is also charged with overseeing the federal workforce and the U.S. government’s ownership and leases of federal buildings – both key matters as President Donald Trump and Republicans seek to cut government bloat. Crockett is already a member of the committee and has been known to make headlines during its hearings. She infamously got into a spat with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., during an oversight hearing last year after Greene mocked Crockett as having “fake eyelashes.” Crockett retorted that Greene had a “bleach blonde, bad-built butch body.” NONCITIZEN LA RIOTERS COULD BE DEPORTED UNDER NEW HOUSE BILL However, in her pitch to House Democrats, Crockett styled herself as a serious but potent messenger. “Our work cannot be solely reactive. We must also be strategic in laying the groundwork to win back the House majority,” she wrote in a letter earlier this month. “Every hearing, every investigation, every public moment must serve the dual purpose of accountability and must demonstrate why a House Democratic majority is essential for America’s future.” The previous ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., died late last month after battling esophageal cancer.
Trump admin ‘obliterated’ Iranian nuclear facilities with slimmed down NSC team, Rubio juggling multiple jobs
The Trump administration’s successful surprise strikes on Iran on Saturday night were executed without issue after the National Security Council saw massive overhauls earlier in 2025, and the national security advisor was replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to fulfill an additional job role that critics said would likely end in failure. President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement on Truth Social Saturday evening announcing the U.S. military carried out successful strikes on a trio of Iranian nuclear facilities as tensions and conflict heightened between Iran and Israel since June 12. “A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan,” Trump said from the White House in an address to the nation just hours after the Truth Social announcement. “Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.” By Monday evening, Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Trump declaring the “12 Day War” was over following the U.S. strikes. The operation, which was also praised by Pentagon brass as a total success, was executed after the Trump administration slashed the National Security Council and replaced former national security advisor Mike Waltz with Rubio, who currently serves four different roles within the administration. Democratic lawmakers and former National Security Council staffers seethed against potential and finalized cuts to the council, alleging that Trump was politicizing and potentially crippling national security. TRUMP TO MEET WITH SECURITY TEAM AFTER US CARRIED OUT ‘OPERATION MIDNIGHT HAMMER’ The Trump administration and its supporters, however, viewed the overhauls as the president coming through on his campaign promise to strip Washington of the “deep state” and streamline the office. The National Security Council operates within the White House to advise the president on foreign policy issues. It is chaired by the president, with other members including the vice president, the secretaries of state, treasury and defense, and the assistant to the president for national security affairs. Other staffers on the council include foreign policy experts who frequently join the team on loan from the Pentagon or State Department. The Trump administration has made a handful of cuts to the National Security Council since Inauguration Day, most notably trimming roughly half of the National Security Council’s 350-person team in May, Fox Digital previously reported. Waltz, who served as Trump’s national security advisor for roughly 100 days, was removed from the post May 1 and named Trump’s nominee to serve as ambassador to the U.N. following a Signal chat leak with a journalist. PENTAGON FLEXES US MILITARY’S DECOYS AND STRATEGIC DECEPTION THAT TOOK IRAN AND WORLD BY SURPRISE Following Waltz’s departure, Trump named Rubio as his acting national security advisor, and he carried out a massive overhaul to the office, including trimming it of more than 100 staffers ahead of Memorial Day. “The NSC is the ultimate Deep State. It’s Marco vs. the Deep State. We’re gutting the Deep State,” a White House official told Axios in May as Rubio took a hatchet to the NSC staff. A White House official told Fox Digital on Monday that Rubio’s joint roles have allowed for “greater coordination between the State Department and White House,” which they said has led to “more efficient execution of the president’s foreign policy agenda.” Democrats, however, predicted that Rubio serving simultaneously as chief of the State Department and Trump’s national security advisor, would prove to be a failure. They argued that he would be unable to juggle the high-profiled roles, in addition to serving as acting archivist of the U.S., as well as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. “There’s no way he can do that and do it well, especially since there’s such incompetence over at DOD with Pete Hegseth being secretary of defense and just the hollowing out of the top leadership,” Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” last month. “There’s no way he can carry all that entire load on his own.” HEGSETH, PENTAGON BRASS PRAISE TRUMP’S ‘SPECTACULAR’ MILITARY SUCCESS IN IRAN NUCLEAR STRIKES “I don’t know how anybody could do these two big jobs,” Democrat Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Fast-forward less than two months; Trump and his national security team executed “Operation Midnight Hammer” in Iran, which has received widespread support among Republicans and a handful of Democrats. Historic critics of the president, such as Democrat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, however, have railed against the operation as bypassing congressional authority. “The success of Operation Midnight Hammer speaks to the unmatched capabilities of the United States military, as well as President Trump’s brilliant foreign policy strategy, which included working closely with his national security team to flawlessly execute this mission and obliterate Iran’s ability to possess a nuclear weapon,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox Digital on Monday. “As usual, Democrats and the legacy media were wrong – President Trump has rightfully placed immense trust in his top officials, including Secretary Rubio, Secretary Hegseth, and Director Gabbard, to help him make the world safer,” she added. Trump repeatedly met with the National Security Council and other administration leaders between June 12 and last Saturday, when the strikes were ordered on Iran. Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance were fixtures of the discussions, with photos showing them criss-crossing in and out of the White House last week as they reported to the Situation Room to meet with the president. The trio of U.S. officials flanked Trump as he addressed the nation about the operation Saturday night. “For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to
Trump’s Iran strikes follow long pattern of presidents sidestepping Congress
President Donald Trump’s decision to order military strikes on Iran without first seeking congressional approval was met with immediate, yet familiar, criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum. Presidents have for decades taken actions similar to Trump’s and attracted backlash for skirting Congress’s authority. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war but presidents the power to control the military and foreign policy. Gene Healy, a senior vice president with the libertarian Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital that in terms of “crossing a constitutional Rubicon, this is territory that presidents have been dancing over since at least Harry Truman.” “In each case, it’s at odds with the original design of constitutional war powers, which is that one single person should not have the power to embroil the United States in foreign wars,” Healy said. SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS FORDOW NUCLEAR FACILITY AFTER MASSIVE BOMB STRIKE His think tank also rebuked former President Barack Obama in 2011 after Obama unilaterally authorized airstrikes in Libya as part of a NATO-led effort to enforce a no-fly zone in the country and protect civilians there. “The president is derelict in his duty to obey the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. And Congress is derelict in its duty to assert its constitutional authority,” another member of the thinktank wrote at the time. Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973 to install guardrails for presidents who seek to authorize military action, but critics have said the resolution has lacked potency and that the legislative branch needs to reassert its authority by passing a tougher policy or making good on government funding threats. Bob Bauer, who served as Obama’s White House counsel, recently spoke with former federal prosecutor Jack Goldsmith in an interview on Substack about what they viewed as the ever-expanding war powers of the president and the ever-shrinking war powers of Congress. Bauer said that generally, presidents have consulted with their White House counsel and other agencies to make sure they have acquired enough support behind-the-scenes ahead of any anticipated military action. “It’s just generally understood that this is a choice the president can make,” Bauer said, adding, “This is not a tenable situation over the long run, and we’re facing the consequences again now.” TRUMP HINTS AT REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN WHILE DECLARING ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’ Trump garnered informal support for his actions from crucial members of Congress, including the Senate and House Republican leaders, but lawmakers at the farthest ends of the political spectrum lashed out at him. “The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on X, calling for Trump’s impeachment. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., blasted Trump’s actions as unconstitutional, saying Congress must pass a resolution giving the president permission to carry out a military act. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., did not outright address Congress’ role in declaring war, but signaled on Monday on X that she opposed Trump’s attack on Iran because, in her view, it defied his Make America Great Again ethos. The president’s actions were a “complete bait and switch to please the neocons, warmongers, military industrial complex contracts, and neocon tv personalities,” Greene said. The Office of Legal Counsel, which is part of the Department of Justice, justified Obama’s attack on Libya in 2011 in a 14-page opinion, spelling out its position that the then-president did not flout the Constitution or the law by bypassing Congress. ‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS EVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN The Trump administration’s justification for attacking Iranian nuclear facilities echoed sentiments from the Obama-era memo. Both administrations cited a broad threat to “national interests” rather than a direct threat to the United States or a dire need for self-defense. Neither president’s military actions included “regime change” as a goal, though Trump has since floated that language. Former President George H.W. Bush did not have explicit authorization from Congress to deploy thousands of troops to Somalia as part of a United Nations mission in 1992, nor did former President Bill Clinton when he sent troops to Bosnia in 1995 and intervened in the Kosovo conflict in 1999 by authorizing airstrikes against Serbian forces. The Office of Legal Counsel typically advises the executive branch on the legality of its actions, and the memo on the Libya strikes cited a string of other examples that signal presidents have long tiptoed around seeking out congressional authorization, which would require a vote in the House and Senate. The memo stated that “one possible” limit under the Constitution to a president circumventing Congress to use military force would be when the planned action “constitutes a ‘war’ within the meaning of the Declaration of War Clause.” “But the historical practice of presidential military action without congressional approval precludes any suggestion that Congress’s authority to declare war covers every military engagement, however limited, that the President initiates,” the memo read.
Top Biden officials summoned to testify about alleged cover-up of former president’s mental fitness
The House Oversight Committee is hearing from two top former Biden administration aides this week as Republicans continue to probe allegations that ex-President Joe Biden‘s top lieutenants covered up the former leader’s mental decline while in office. Former Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden will meet with the committee on Tuesday, and former Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady Anthony Bernthal will meet with the committee on Thursday. TRUMP NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER IRAN-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL The committee also has interviews scheduled with former administration officials Annie Tomasini and Ashley Williams, while seeking interviews with several officials in the Biden inner circle, including former Chief of Staff Ron Klain and former Senior Advisor to the President for Communications Anita Dunn. Biden’s former doctor, Kevin O’Connor, will sit down with House investigators in July. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is probing whether those closest to Biden in his White House knowingly colluded to hide the former president’s declining mental acuity and used methods to circumvent the former president when it came to the issuance of important orders. HOUSE GOP SECURES FOUR KEY WITNESSES IN BIDEN MENTAL-DECLINE PROBE AS FORMER AIDES AGREE TO TALK President Donald Trump also ordered the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the matter. The president directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation. In response to the Trump administration’s call for an investigation, Biden declared he was the only one who “made the decisions” during his presidency and called Trump’s efforts a “distraction.” Among the questions House investigators are expected to have is whether any Biden officials used the autopen to authorize executive actions without the president’s permission. The sit-downs are behind closed doors, as opposed to public congressional hearings. The interviews will be transcribed and likely released at a later date. Comer previously told Fox News Digital that the more muted setting of a closed-door interview would allow House lawmakers to get more key information, as opposed to the public spectacle of a hearing. “I’ve studied history, there’s never been a committee hearing that did what it’s supposed to do,” Comer said. “But these depositions and interviews, do. You’ve got one hour, you’re not interrupted, you don’t have to go five minutes back and forth. So to extract information, we’re going to go with the interviews. We could have a hearing later on, but right now, I think we can get more done quicker with interviews.”