Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing blowback from conservatives on social media over his post condemning the U.S. attack on Iran that led to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On Saturday, as a joint strike on Iran by the United States and Israel was developing, Mamdani blasted the Trump administration’s decision in a post on X that has been viewed roughly 20 million times. “Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” Mamdani wrote. “Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change.” OMAR, SQUAD LASH OUT AT TRUMP IN RESPONSE TO IRAN STRIKE: ‘ILLEGAL REGIME CHANGE WAR’ Mamdani said Americans prefer “relief from the affordability crisis” before speaking directly to Iranians in New York City. “You are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders,” Mamdani said. “You will be safe here.” The post was quickly slammed by conservatives on social media making the case that Mamdani’s response appeared sympathetic to Iran’s brutal regime and pointing to his lack of public reaction to the Iranian protesters killed in recent years. “Comrade Mayor is rooting for the Ayatollah,” GOP Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X. “They can chant together.” OBAMA OFFICIAL WHO BACKED IRAN DEAL SPARKS ONLINE OUTRAGE WITH REACTION TO TRUMP’S STRIKE: ‘SIT THIS ONE OUT’ “Do u say anything pro American ?” Fox News host Brian Kilmeade posted on X. “do u know any Iranians – ? they hate @fr_Khamenei they celebrate his death, you should be celebrating his death ! hes killed thousands of American’s and just killed 30k Iranians, did u even say a word about that? You are an embarrassment !! Please quit.” “I don’t feel safe in New York listening to someone like you, Mamdani, who sympathizes with the regime that killed more than 30,000 unarmed Iranians in less than 24 hours,” Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad posted on X. “We Iranians do not allow you to lecture us about war while you had nothing to say when the Islamic Republic shot schoolgirls and blinded more than 10,000 innocent people in the streets. You were busy celebrating the hijab while women of my beloved country Iran were jailed and raped by Islamic Security forces for removing it. “And NOW you find your voice to defend the regime? No. I will not let you claim the moral high ground. The people of Iran want to be free. Where were you when they needed solidarity?” “How is it that you can’t differentiate between good and evil?” Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman posted on X. “Why is this so hard for you?” “It takes a particular kind of audacity, or ignorance, for a city mayor to appoint himself the conscience of American foreign policy while his constituents step over garbage on their way to work,” GOP Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “History will not remember his bravery. It will not remember him at all.” “Iranian New Yorkers are thrilled today and see right through you,” Republican New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. “When Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, UAE, Bahrain all support today’s operation eliminating world’s #1 sponsor of terror, but New York City’s Mayor @ZohranMamdani is shilling for Iran,” Republican New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment. Shortly after Mamdani’s post, it was announced by President Trump and Israeli officials that the military operation resulted in Khamenei’s death. Israeli leaders confirmed Khamenei’s compound and offices were reduced to rubble early Saturday after a targeted strike in downtown Tehran. “Khamenei was the contemporary Middle East’s longest-serving autocrat. He did not get to be that way by being a gambler. Khamenei was an ideologue, but one who ruthlessly pursued the preservation and protection of his ideology, often taking two steps forward and one step back,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of FDD’s Iran program, told Fox News Digital.
Iran vows ‘decisive’ self-defense at UN after Trump kills supreme leader in Operation Epic Fury
Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir-Saeid Iravani condemned U.S. strikes against Iran that targeted the country’s military leadership and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling the attack a double standard and promising the country would defend itself at a U.N. Security Council meeting Saturday. Iravani accused the U.S. of undermining its claims of pursuing international stability while attacking a sovereign country for its “domestic” activities. “Neither the charter nor international law recognize internal matters of a state as justification for the use of force by other states. The rule of law would be replaced by the rule of force,” Iravani said. BIPARTISAN REVOLT TARGETS TRUMP’S WAR POWERS AFTER MASSIVE IRAN STRIKES “Iran will continue to exercise its right of self-defense decisively and without hesitation until the aggression ceases in full and unequivocal terms.” On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump ordered the execution of Operation Epic Fury, citing Tehran’s continued efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. “It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again. They can never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in remarks about the attack Saturday. TRUMP OVERSEES US STRIKES ON IRAN FROM MAR-A-LAGO, SPEAKS WITH NETANYAHU: WH Trump said the strikes were meant to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime” and that they had come after Iran had refused to abandon plans to develop nuclear capabilities. Iravani called the attack a continuation of longstanding U.S. aggression against Iran. “Mr. president, this morning the United States regime, jointly and in coordination with the Israeli regime, initiated an unprovoked and premeditated aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the second time in recent months,” Irvani said, referring to strikes the U.S. carried out against its nuclear enrichment sites last year. OBAMA OFFICIAL WHO BACKED IRAN DEAL SPARKS ONLINE OUTRAGE WITH REACTION TO TRUMP’S STRIKE: ‘SIT THIS ONE OUT’ “The president of the United States and the prime minister of the Israeli regime have openly claimed responsibility for this act of aggression and have explicitly articulated regime change as their objective, an unmistakable admission of their intent to violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz pushed back on Iravani’s characterizations. “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted, quote, ‘Death to America’ at every turn. At every opening, it has sought to eradicate the state of Israel. It has waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder,” Waltz said. Iravani did not address the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on its nuclear development plans.
Concerns rise over DHS shutdown in shadow of Iran strikes: ‘Now would be a good time’ to end it
The partial government shutdown has Department of Homeland Security employees missing their paychecks even as the U.S. has engaged Iran with airstrikes that have brought the nation to the brink of war. On Saturday, the U.S. and Israel commenced targeting Iranian positions, including the palace of dictator Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who was later declared dead by Jerusalem officials. The strikes have prompted concerns of retaliation, possibly inside U.S. borders. “I am in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. DHS SHUTDOWN LOOMS OVER MAR-A-LAGO SHOOTING AS UNPAID SECRET SERVICE AGENTS NEUTRALIZE ARMED SUSPECT As Friday rolled into Saturday, Transportation Safety Administration officers began effectively working pro bono, and the agency called them “true models of selflessness and sacrifice.” “Right now, the men and women of TSA are showing up to work without a paycheck due to the reckless DHS shutdown despite the fact that Democrat members of Congress are still getting paid,” the agency said in a statement, calling out Democrats’ “political theater making life harder for these officers and their families.” Lawmakers took notice of the disparity on Saturday as eyes turned to the security of America’s homeland amid Iran’s pledge to strike back. “Given developments in the Middle East and the ongoing threat posed by Iran and its terrorist proxies, Democrats in the House and Senate must cease the politics and must immediately fund the Department of Homeland Security,” said Rep. Daniel Meuser, R-Pa. The Blue Mountain congressman, whose district is home to the agency’s latest immigration center purchase in Shartlesville, added that blocking DHS funding is “irresponsible and dangerous” amid the rising global tension. “Democrats in Congress must join Republicans, act responsibly and stop blocking efforts to fund DHS,” Meuser said. Meuser added that protecting Americans is a fundamental federal responsibility and that the U.S. cannot afford national security-related delays. DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS TSA ‘EMERGENCY MEASURES’ AS LAWMAKER WARNS AIRPORTS COULD FEEL ECONOMIC PAIN His Keystone compatriot, Sen. David McCormick, echoed that sentiment Saturday. “Now would be a good time for Democrats to drop their opposition to DHS funding and pass the bill to support our homeland security,” McCormick said. “Continuing to play political games with our national security given the unfolding situation in the Middle East is dangerous.” While many Democrats voiced concern or opposition to the Trump administration’s strikes, McCormick’s counterpart, Sen. John Fetterman, ridiculed critics on X, retweeting an alert that Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei had been killed and writing, “Let’s see who grieves for that garbage.” The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, however, criticized the operation. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi told NOTUS News Saturday that Trump’s attack lacks “a clear strategy,” adding the U.S. is “vulnerable to ensuing terrorism attacks today because of Trump’s reckless, inflammatory actions.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I am deeply concerned about the administration’s attention to possible threats and its ability to protect Americans,” he added. Just prior to the strikes, Senate and House Democratic leaders released a joint statement addressing the DHS shutdown’s current conditions. “We have received the White House’s counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. Democrats remain committed to keep fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence,” said New York Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for additional comment.
Jeb Bush commends former rival Trump’s Iran operation: ‘This is their time to take their country back’
FIRST ON FOX: A major public policy nonprofit co-led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush praised President Donald Trump for ordering Saturday’s military strikes against Iran. United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) — was formed in 2008 by Ambassador Mark Wallace, who held a United Nations-centered post in Bush’s brother’s administration, and former George H.W. Bush diplomat Dennis Ross — to combat threats posed by the Islamic Republic. The group has been on the front lines of highlighting Iran’s human rights abuses and attacks on Americans and advising policymakers and the business community about dangers posed by Tehran. ‘SQUAD’ ERUPTS IN FURY AS TRUMP TAKES BOLD ACTION AGAINST IRANIAN NUCLEAR THREAT The organization counsels existing and would-be commercial partners of Iran regarding the legal, financial and reputational risks of that kind of commerce. “UANI salutes the courage and professionalism of American and Israeli service members carrying out this historic mission against the Iranian regime,” Bush and Wallace told Fox News Digital Saturday. “We applaud President Trump for his courageous decision to launch this military operation. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has unleashed terror, violence and misery — against its own people and across the region — while threatening the United States, Israel and our allies.” Bush, who ran against Trump in a bruising 2016 primary, and Wallace noted that many presidents tried to bring Iran into the “peaceful community of nations” but were not able to finish the job. “This president engaged extensively and in good faith to achieve a diplomatic solution,” they said after Trump indicated as recently as last week he wanted to negotiate terms. “The regime chose escalation and continued its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The responsibility for this moment rests squarely with Ayatollah Khamenei.” Khamenei, 86, was declared dead by Israeli sources by late afternoon. Bush and Wallace added it was clear the joint American-Israeli operation was directed not at Iran, the country and citizenry, but at Khamenei’s “lethal capabilities.” The Iranian people, they said, have long suffered under repression and that Trump’s message since the strikes began is one that should be embraced by all Americans: “We aim to see Iran free, prosperous, and at peace. This is their time to take their great country back.” “The Butcher of Tehran is dead,” Bush and Wallace added in a separate public statement. ICE NABS IRANIAN NATIONAL WITH RAPE, SODOMY CONVICTIONS AFTER VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS MOVE TO CURB COOPERATION Bush added in a statement on X that “Operation Epic Fury marks a historic mission against the Iranian regime.” “We salute the courage and professionalism of American and Israeli service members and commend for his courageous decision,” he added. Bush’s relationship with Trump has appeared to warm since their bitter feuds of a decade ago. During the 2016 sweeps, Trump nicknamed the Republican Party scion “Low Energy Jeb,” while Bush quipped that the mogul would not be able to “insult your way to the presidency” after the eventual victor mocked an ad that former first lady Barbara Bush filmed for her son. While governor, Bush made improving public education a hallmark of his administration in Tallahassee. Bush implemented stricter proficiency standards in elementary education and signed what was dubbed the “A+ plan,” making Florida the first state to require clear letter grades on student performance. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He recently praised the Trump administration’s overtures toward universal school choice and federal block grants as a “transformational opportunity.” “The Trump administration has a chance to shift the power dynamic back to the states, where policymakers are uniquely equipped to understand and address the diverse needs of their students, schools, and communities,” he added in a column in Education Week.
Obama official who backed Iran deal sparks online outrage with reaction to Trump’s strike: ‘Sit this one out’
Ben Rhodes, a leading figure within the Obama administration who pushed for the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, was blasted on social media Saturday after he criticized U.S. military strikes on Iran. In the immediate aftermath of the joint attack by the U.S. and Israel, Rhodes was posting criticism of the administration on social media, saying Trump and Netanyahu “seem to be totally unconcerned about the human beings — on all sides — who will suffer.” “Trump’s second term has been the worst case scenario,” Rhodes said in another X post. Rhodes was quickly ridiculed by many conservatives on social media who pointed to the Obama-era Iran deal as a catalyst for allowing the situation to escalate to this point and placing blame on the Obama administration for not taking the threat from Iran seriously. OMAR, SQUAD LASH OUT AT TRUMP IN RESPONSE TO IRAN STRIKE: ‘ILLEGAL REGIME CHANGE WAR’ “Yes we were much better off with a president who drew redlines and failed to enforce them,” American Enterprise Institute fellow and Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen posted on X. “Team Obama might want to sit this one out.” “Oh look the guy who literally created this mess in the first place has chimed in,” Republican digital operative Alec Sears posted on X. “You were part of the team who gave billions of dollars to the Iranian Regime – you helped fund this terror on human beings,” former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell posted on X. “Once again, President Trump is cleaning up your mess.” LONGTIME TRUMP CRITIC GEORGE CONWAY SUGGESTS US IS ‘TERRORIST STATE’ AFTER IRAN STRIKES “You had eight years to do something on this issue,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “Instead, you became a foreign operative doing everything you could to preserve an Islamist regime. “You put these circumstances in place.” “The Obama crew weeps for the mullahs,” former Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh posted on X. “Ben Rhodes bears responsibility for how America got to this point,” Middle East geopolitical analyst and Red Ax Strategies President Matthew Brodsky posted on X. “He is a spineless agent of influence for the regime in Iran. It’s taken years to undo the damage of his foreign policy.” On Saturday afternoon, it was reported that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, was killed in the strike against Iran. Israeli leaders confirmed Khamenei’s compound and offices were reduced to rubble early Saturday after a targeted strike in downtown Tehran. “Khamenei was the contemporary Middle East’s longest-serving autocrat. He did not get to be that way by being a gambler. Khamenei was an ideologue, but one who ruthlessly pursued the preservation and protection of his ideology, often taking two steps forward and one step back,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of FDD’s Iran program, told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
Bill Clinton’s credibility threatened by decades of scandals amid grilling over Epstein ties
While former President Bill Clinton has vigorously denied many of them, allegations of sexual improprieties have punctuated his career and repeatedly made questions about his character the focus of national attention. His truthfulness is again back in the national spotlight after lawmakers on Friday questioned Clinton about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in 2019 while incarcerated on charges of sex trafficking minors. Clinton has not been implicated in any wrongdoing. Friday’s questioning, however, is just the most recent case of controversy that stretches back almost 30 years. DEMOCRATS SAY CLINTONS’ AGREEMENT TO TESTIFY UNDERCUTS SUBPOENA PUSH, WON’T BRING NEW EPSTEIN ANSWERS Juanita Broaddrick – 1998 Allegations against Clinton began in 1998 when Juanita Broaddrick accused Clinton of raping her when he was running for governor of Arkansas in 1978. In the years since, Broaddrick described attempts she believes the Clintons made to keep her from speaking about the incident. “I was at a fundraiser, but [Hillary Clinton] caught me before I left, and she came up very friendly and said, ‘Bill and I are so appreciative of everything you do.’ And then her voice changed,” Broaddrick recalled in an interview with Fox News in 2018. “It frightened me.” By the time Broaddrick’s allegations became public, the statute of limitations protected Clinton from prosecution for the accusation. Clinton has denied the claim. HOUSE REPUBLICANS DESCEND ON CLINTONS’ HOMETOWN FOR HIGH-STAKES EPSTEIN PROBE GRILLING Kathleen Willey – 1998 In an interview with Fox, Willey called herself a former friend of Clinton and said she supported him when he launched his presidential ambitions. “We raised an awful lot of money for him,” Willey recalled. Willey explained that her husband had fallen on hard financial times, prompting her to turn to the White House in 1993 in hopes of finding a job. Clinton was the president then. “He sat down on the sofa. I proceeded to tell him what was going on, and I told him, ‘I need a job.’ He took my coffee cup from me and the next thing I knew he had me backed into a corner, hands all over me, trying to kiss me,” Willey said, describing an altercation between the two that took place in a study just outside the Oval Office. Willey first went public with her allegation in a CBS interview with “60 Minutes” in 1998. Clinton has repeatedly denied the allegation. Gennifer Flowers – 1992 A former television reporter, Gennifer Flowers claimed she had a longstanding affair with Clinton from the late 1970’s through 1989. Years later, she said Clinton’s advances started when she and Clinton met during a reporting assignment. “He proceeded to come on to me for three months before I decided I wanted to have a relationship with him, which, at that point, was consensual. In today’s standards, it was definitely sexual harassment,” Flowers said in an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” in 2018. The story spread to national media as Bill Clinton waged a presidential campaign, just weeks before the Iowa caucuses. Clinton, in an interview with “60 Minutes” in the fallout, didn’t confirm the allegations from Flowers but said he had “acknowledged causing pain” in his marriage. MONICA LEWINSKY SAYS BILL CLINTON ‘ESCAPED A LOT MORE THAN I DID’ AFTER WHITE HOUSE SCANDAL Troopergate – 1993 Shortly after President Bill Clinton assumed office, allegations first reported by The American Spectator magazine began to surface that Clinton had used state troopers as governor to arrange sexual encounters with women. Among them, Larry Patterson, Roger Perry and Danny Ferguson all claimed Clinton had ordered them to facilitate his encounters. Time magazine quoted the original American Spectator allegations, saying the troopers had said “their official duties included facilitating Clinton’s cheating on his wife.” “They were instructed by Clinton to drive him in state vehicles to rendezvous points and guard him during sexual encounters … and to help Clinton cover up his activities by lying to Hillary.” The allegations about the troopers also became a part of independent counsel Ken Starr’s later investigation of separate cases. Paula Jones Jones’ case, which eventually led to Clinton’s impeachment in 1998, began while Clinton was governor of Arkansas. “I was asked to work the governor’s quality management conference,” Jones recalled in an interview with Sean Hannity in 2016. “His security was hanging out with us, and later that day, he came over and said, ‘The governor would like to meet with you.’” Jones said she was escorted up to Clinton’s room at a hotel. “We did some small talk, and then he started kinda getting a little comfortable. He said he liked my curves, and then I’m like — I didn’t know what to do. It was him and me in the room,” Jones said. Jones described how the governor then exposed himself to her before she left the room. “’I’m not that kind of girl,’” Jones remembers telling Clinton. After Jones launched a sexual harassment lawsuit in 1991, Ken Starr, an independent counsel assigned to the case, began an investigation that would uncover not just the details about the Jones incident but also the Monica Lewinsky scandal that finally led to Clinton’s impeachment in the House of Representatives. Jones was awarded an $850,000 settlement as a result of her private suit. BILL CLINTON FACES HIGH-STAKES HOUSE GRILLING IN EPSTEIN PROBE AND MORE TOP HEADLINES Monica Lewinsky – 1998 The case that would eventually lead to Clinton’s impeachment first came to the public’s attention when the Drudge Report picked up a story, initially abandoned by Newsweek, that Clinton was having an affair with an intern at the White House. “She was a frequent visitor to a small study just off the Oval Office, where she claims to have indulged the president’s sexual preference. Reports of the relationship spread in White House quarters, and she was moved to a job at the Pentagon, where she worked until last month,” the reporting said. Clinton denied the allegations when answering questions under oath from Ken
Trump orders strikes on Iran; experts say he can bypass Congress (for now)
President Donald Trump’s announcement Saturday that the U.S. military began a major combat operation in Iran was met with immediate questions about whether the president improperly bypassed Congress, which has the sole authority to declare war under the Constitution. Trump characterized the joint operation with Israel to take out Iranian leaders and eliminate Iran’s weapons supply as an act of “war,” bringing into focus the 1973 War Powers Resolution and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Experts say those laws and court precedent have given Trump the authority to sidestep the legislative branch and attack Iran, for now. “The courts have allowed presidents to order such attacks unilaterally. … There has historically been deference to presidents exercising such judgments under the [War Powers Resolution’s] vague standard,” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley wrote in an op-ed. “That was certainly the case with the attacks in Bosnia and Libya under Democratic presidents.” ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS OPERATION EPIC FURY The War Powers Resolution requires the president to consult Congress within 48 hours of a military offensive and cease actions within 60 days if Congress has not voted in support of them. Turley noted that Congress could still assert control over what the Pentagon is calling Operation Epic Fury sooner if it wanted to. “Congress can seek to bar or limit operations in the coming days,” Turley wrote. “Given the fluid events, many members are likely to wait to watch the initial results and, frankly, the polling on the attacks. … The longer the operation continues, the calls for congressional action will likely increase.” Former State Department official Gabriel Noronha, who advised on Iran, said in a lengthy X post that Congress has already authorized Trump’s actions under the AUMF because Iran is “the headquarters of al Qaeda.” Noronha said that, unlike other iterations of the AUMF, the 2001 version of the law was never repealed and “expressly authorizes force against any nation, organization, or person that planned the 9/11 attacks ‘or harbored such organizations or persons.’” “Congress has had 25 years to limit the scope of the 2001 AUMF,” Noronha wrote. “Instead, it has consciously decided to preserve the President’s rights under the law to pursue international terrorists to the end of the earth.” Trump said in a statement early Saturday morning that Operation Epic Fury was a “noble mission” and that service members could be killed, explicitly using the term “war.” “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war,” Trump said. Some have suggested that, in planning the operation, Israel and the United States deliberately delegated responsibilities to avoid legal landmines. A U.S. official told Fox News the Israeli military is targeting Iranian leadership, while the United States is targeting missile sites that pose an “imminent threat” rather than Iran’s leadership. Amos Yadlin, a retired Israeli Air Force general, also told Fox News that Israel carried out a strike on Iran’s leadership because of decades-old U.S. laws restricting the targeting of heads of state. AMERICA STRIKES IRAN AGAIN — HAS WASHINGTON PLANNED FOR WHAT COMES NEXT? The White House, meanwhile, has made clear that it factored Congress into the planning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the Gang of Eight, composed of the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress and the top lawmakers on the intelligence committees, ahead of the action. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Rubio called the Gang of Eight members and gave them a heads-up on timing and connected with all but one of them. Once the strikes began Saturday morning, the Pentagon also briefed the Armed Services committees. Republican lawmakers have largely reacted with support for Trump, while Democrats have been critical. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement that short of “exigent circumstances,” Trump needs Congress to authorize an “act of war.” “The Trump administration must explain itself to the American people and Congress immediately, provide an ironclad justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective and articulate a plan to avoid another costly, prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East,” Jeffries said. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., commended the president, citing Iran’s “relentless nuclear ambitions” and refusal to engage in diplomacy. Some non-interventionist GOP lawmakers spoke out against the actions. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the Constitution gave Congress the power to authorize war “for a reason, to make war less likely.” Paul quoted President James Madison: “The Executive Branch is the branch most prone to war, therefore, the Constitution, with studied care, delegated the war power to the legislature.” A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said they are planning a forthcoming vote on a war powers resolution that would block U.S. action in Iran without congressional approval. Previous attempts to pass the same bill failed this Congress after Trump launched targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Fox News’ Jen Griffin and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
Democrats buck party leaders to defend Trump’s ‘decisive action’ on Iran
President Donald Trump’s joint strikes on Iran are exposing a divide in both parties, and several Democrats have come to the president’s defense while a handful of Republicans questioned his constitutional authority. Trump announced U.S. and Israeli forces targeted Iranian leadership and military sites in the early hours of Saturday morning, catching millions of Americans — and the majority of lawmakers in Congress — by surprise. A handful of House Democrats are justifying the operation, bucking most of their party who are calling the operation a reckless and illegal action. On the other hand, at least three Republican lawmakers are signaling that the news gave them some pause as of Saturday morning. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said the strikes “are targeting military infrastructure — with warnings to Iranian civilians to take shelter away from these military targets.” JONATHAN TURLEY: TRUMP STRIKES IRAN — PRECEDENT AND HISTORY ARE ON HIS SIDE “I want a lasting peace for everyone in the region — from the Iranian people to the Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Jordanians and Israelis. I hope these targeted strikes on the Iranian regime’s military assets ends the regime’s mayhem and bloodshed and makes way for this lasting peace in the region,” Landsman said. “Thank you to our brave service members who are leading this effort, and I pray their work will finally free the people of Iran and those in the region from more violence or war.” Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., similarly put the onus on Iran, as did Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and John Fetterman, D-Pa. ISRAEL LAUNCHES PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS On the Republican side, Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Thomas Massie, R-Ky.; and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., are concerned about how actions against Iran could run afoul of Congress’ own constitutional authority. “We need a government small enough to fit within the Constitution. We need a government effective enough to solve problems and serve its own people. Or, we need a new Constitution,” Davidson posted on X. When another user asked if he supported Trump’s actions against Iran, Davidson replied, “No. War requires congressional authorization.” ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’ Massie, a longtime critic of foreign intervention, went so far as to introduce a resolution alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to rein in Trump’s war powers. House Democrats are demanding a vote on that resolution as soon as next week. Landsman told NOTUS he would vote against such a measure if it came to the House floor. Gottheimer, while similarly praising the military’s moves, refused to tell Fox News Digital if he would support the resolution via a spokesperson. “Today, the United States, with our key democratic ally Israel, took decisive action to defend our national security, fight terror, protect our allies and stand with the Iranian people who have been massacred in the streets for demanding freedom from the murderous Iranian regime,” Gottheimer said in a statement. “I applaud the extraordinary bravery and professionalism of our service members and pray for their safety as Iran and its terrorist proxies retaliate against American bases and our partners in the region.” He, like Suozzi and Rosen, called for a classified briefing on the operation’s details. GULF STATES CONDEMN IRANIAN RETALIATORY STRIKES ON THEIR TERRITORIES FOLLOWING US-ISRAELI OPERATION “I agree with the President’s objectives that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities. The President must now clearly define the national security objective and articulate his plan to avoid another costly, prolonged war in the Middle East,” Suozzi said in his own statement. Fetterman, meanwhile, has been among the Democrats most full-throated in his support. “President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel,” he posted on X early Saturday morning, among the first lawmakers to sound off. He said of the war powers vote, “I’m a hard no. My vote is Operation Epic Fury.” It’s a stark contrast to the majority of Democratic lawmakers who have lambasted Trump for not getting authorization from Congress before the strikes. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Trump moving to “abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military attack has left American troops vulnerable to Iran’s retaliatory actions.” In the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.”
Bipartisan revolt targets Trump’s war powers after massive Iran strikes
President Donald Trump’s joint strikes with Israel against Iran have intensified a growing bipartisan push in Congress to rein in his war powers, with lawmakers in both parties demanding votes on resolutions aimed at limiting his authority to use military force in the region. Members in both chambers had already planned to force votes before the first bombs fell Saturday. Now, they are doubling down on calls to restrict the president’s military authority. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has repeatedly forced votes to curb Trump’s war powers abroad, and he was nearly successful in halting further military action in Venezuela until Republicans blocked the effort earlier this year. FETTERMAN PRAISES OPERATION EPIC FURY: TRUMP IS ‘WILLING TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT’ Kaine had already prepped his latest resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for a vote in the Senate next week. He argued Saturday that the strikes, carried out without congressional approval, further underscore why a vote should be held immediately. “These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,” Kaine said in a statement. “The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran.” In the House, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are preparing their own war powers resolution for a vote. KENNEDY WARNS AYATOLLAH WANTS TO ‘DRINK OUR BLOOD OUT OF A BOOT’ AS IRAN TENSIONS ESCALATE Massie said in a post on X that he opposed “this war. This is not ‘America First.’” “When Congress reconvenes, I will work with [Khanna] to force a congressional vote on war with Iran,” Massie said. “The Constitution requires Congress to vote, and your representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.” The effort has the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who earlier in the week noted that the resolution would require “the president to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran.” RUBIO, RATCLIFFE TO DELIVER CLASSIFIED IRAN BRIEFING TO ‘GANG OF EIGHT’ AHEAD OF TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION The resolution’s fate in the House remains uncertain, given that a handful of House Democrats have broken with their party and backed the administration’s strikes in Iran. Massie and Khanna’s push may also have the support of at least one more Republican in the lower chamber. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, appeared ready to back their war powers resolution after news of the strikes Saturday. He reiterated a position he made earlier in the week in a post on X. “I have asked for a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran,” Davidson said. “In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers Resolution in the House next week. “War requires congressional authorization,” he continued. “There are actions short of war, but no case has been made.” Back in the Senate, the success of Kaine and Paul’s push will require Senate Republicans to cross the aisle. They found a short-lived bipartisan coalition earlier this year, when their resolution targeting military action in Venezuela survived a key procedural vote. The group included senators Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Todd Young, R-Ind. Both Hawley and Young later flipped their positions after assurances from the administration that there would be no boots on the ground in Venezuela and that Trump would seek congressional approval for any future military action in the region. Whether that same standard will apply to operations in Iran remained unclear Saturday. Murkowski and Young both said they hope to receive thorough briefings in the days ahead. “Last summer, following Operation Midnight Hammer, I supported the administration’s targeted actions in Iran after receiving a comprehensive briefing from senior officials,” Murkowski said on X. “Events are rapidly unfolding, and I expect Congress to receive the same level of engagement so we fully understand the scope, objectives and risks of any further military action.”
Tomahawks spearheaded US strike on Iran — why presidents reach for this missile first
The first missile in the U.S. arsenal used against Iranian targets in Saturday’s pre-dawn strike was the Tomahawk, a long-range cruise missile launched from Navy ships and submarines. About half the length of a standard telephone pole, the Tomahawk flies at the speed of a commercial airliner and can carry a 1,000-pound warhead about the distance from Washington, D.C., to Miami. Fired from destroyers or submarines positioned hundreds of miles away, the missiles allow a president to respond rapidly to a crisis without sending pilots into contested airspace or deploying ground forces. ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’ The Tomahawk has become a go-to option for limited military action, because it offers precision and flexibility while keeping the U.S. footprint small. The missiles can hit fixed targets with high accuracy, reducing the risk of broader escalation. Presidents of both parties have used Tomahawks in the opening hours of military operations, from strikes in Iraq in the 1990s to more recent operations in Syria and elsewhere. Defense officials and military analysts say the weapon’s long range, reliability and relatively low risk to American personnel make it an attractive first-strike option when the White House wants to send a message quickly but stop short of a wider war. That combination of speed, distance and precision has kept the Tomahawk at the center of U.S. military planning for decades. Manufactured by defense titan Raytheon — now RTX — the Tomahawk has been a mainstay of the Navy’s arsenal since the 1980s. It was first used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War and has since become a go-to option for presidents seeking to strike from long range without putting U.S. service members in harm’s way. “Year in and year out, administration in and administration out, it’s the long-range land attack cruise missile that presidents reach for first in a crisis,” Thomas Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News Digital. But heavy use has taken a toll. “We’ve been using them far more frequently than we’ve been producing them,” Karako said. Prior to Saturday’s operation, the missile was used in June 2025 during a U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Overall, the Tomahawk has been deployed more than 2,350 times. At roughly $1.4 million apiece, the Tomahawk missile has an intermediate range of 800 to 1,553 miles and can be launched from more than 140 U.S. Navy ships and submarines. The Tomahawk strike was just one piece of a broader U.S. military posture in the region. Ahead of the strikes, the U.S. military amassed what Trump previously called an “armada” in Iran’s backyard. Mapped out across the Persian Gulf and beyond, the deployment tells its own story, one of calculated pressure backed by credible capability. THE ONLY MAP YOU NEED TO SEE TO UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS TRUMP IS ABOUT IRAN The deployment coincided with indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Trump has warned that the regime must fully dismantle its nuclear infrastructure or face consequences. At the center of the U.S. presence are two aircraft carrier strike groups — the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — each supported by guided-missile destroyers and cruisers and capable of sustained air and missile operations. More than a dozen additional U.S. warships are also operating in the region in support roles, according to defense officials. It was not immediately clear how or when Tehran might respond, though Iranian leaders have previously warned of retaliation in the event of direct U.S. military involvement.