Senate GOP aims to approve major legislation next week as Trump touts party unity
If things go well, Senate Republicans hope to approve the “Big, Beautiful Bill” by this time next week. Senators, staff and budget referees worked through the weekend, deciding what should be in the bill and what complies with special budget rules. In? A decadelong freeze on local and state AI rules. But they axed plans to reduce food assistance and foist the cost onto the states. Ironically, that decision could help pass the bill – especially if it courts the votes of GOP moderates like Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. TRUMP RECEIVES MIXED SUPPORT FROM CONGRESS FOR IRAN STRIKES AS WAR POWERS DEBATE However, there is still consternation about SALT, the deduction for state and local taxes, how the bill addresses rural hospitals, Medicaid and overall spending cuts. Conservatives still demand more deficit reduction. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., said on Fox that the airstrikes against Iran only steeled his resolve to vote no unless senators included additional cuts. AFTER MINNESOTA KILLING, CAPITOL HILL REPRESENTATIVES FACE STARK REALITY ABOUT FAMILY SAFETY The overseas military activity did not distract President Donald Trump from focusing on the bill over the weekend. He posted on Truth Social Sunday that there was great “unity” in the Republican Party and that it was time to pass the “Great Big Beautiful Bill.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Senate Republicans hope to begin debate mid-week and perhaps wrap up over the weekend. But it’s unclear how the House and Senate can align both versions of the legislation before July 4.
White House office tells agencies to apply ‘Gold Standard Science’ to depoliticize research, restore trust
EXCLUSIVE: The White House Office of Science and Technology on Monday directed federal agencies to implement “gold standard science” principles to depoliticize science and restore public trust, Fox News Digital has learned. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios sent guidance to federal research agencies Monday morning, incorporating President Donald Trump‘s executive order on “Restoring Gold Standard Science.” FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: TRUMP SETS THE ‘GOLD STANDARD’ FOR SCIENCE Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the guidance sent to federal agencies. President Trump, in May, signed an executive order to restore “Gold Standard Science” as the cornerstone of federal scientific research. “Gold Standard Science” is “reproducible, transparent and falsifiable,” according to the order. It is also “subject to unbiased peer review; clear about errors and uncertainties; skeptical of assumptions; collaborative and interdisciplinary; accepting of negative results as positive outcomes; and free from conflicts of interest.” The executive order reinstated “the scientific integrity policies” of the first Trump administration and “ensures that science is no longer manipulated or misused to justify political ends.” “President Trump’s Gold Standard Science EO will transform the conduct and management of federal science, from research design to public communication, in order to strengthen scientific inquiry, rebuild public trust, and ensure the U.S. continues to be the global leader in rigorous, evidence-based science,” Kratsios told Fox News Digital. “But federal agencies are only one part of our nation’s research ecosystem.” Kratsios added, “American universities, scientific journals, industry and philanthropic leaders all have a crucial role in improving the overall quality of research, and we encourage this executive action to serve as a model for the entire scientific enterprise.” Kratsios sent the memo to federal agencies Monday morning to provide guidance to federal departments and agencies on implementing gold standard science “in the conduct and management of all aspects of their scientific activities, from research design to public communication.” “By adopting these standards, agencies will strengthen scientific inquiry, rebuild public trust, and ensure the United States continues as the global leader in rigorous, evidence-based science,” the memo states. Kratsios said that “Gold Standard Science” represents a “commitment to the highest standards of scientific integrity, defined by nine core tenets: reproducible; transparent; communicative of error and uncertainty; collaborative and interdisciplinary; skeptical of its findings and assumptions; structured for falsifiability of hypotheses; subject to unbiased peer review; accepting of negative results as positive outcomes; and without conflicts of interest.” “These tenets ensure that federally-supported research and research used in federal decision-making is transparent, rigorous, and impactful, enabling federal decisions to be informed by the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence available,” Kratsios wrote in the guidance. But “Gold Standard Science” is not limited to science, Kratsios said, saying that it is critical for tackling complex challenges in energy innovation and national security as well. “In an age of rapid technological progress and heightened public scrutiny, federally-funded and federally-performed science, and its use in Federal decision-making, must be beyond reproach,” he wrote. As for conducting science “without conflicts of interest,” Kratsios said it is imperative to ensure that “research is designed, executed, reviewed, and reported free from financial, personal, or institutional influences that could bias outcomes or undermine objectivity.” “This approach is important for generating trustworthy and credible new knowledge, as it upholds scientific integrity, fosters public confidence, and ensures that results reflect evidence rather than external agendas,” the memo states. “Maintaining freedom from conflicts of interest requires researchers, reviewers, and managers to disclose all relevant affiliations, funding sources, and relationships relevant to the science conducted, adhering to stringent ethical standards supported by strong institutional oversight, transparent reporting systems, and independent expert review mechanisms.” CHINA’S AI INNOVATION IS ‘ACCELERATING’ BUT US REMAINS DOMINANT, WHITE HOUSE SAYS Kratsios said agencies must “prioritize conducting and managing scientific research free from conflicts of interest to advance unbiased science,” and must “require disclosure of all relevant conflicts of interest by researchers, reviewers, and agency officials involved in the funding or performance of Federal research.” “These efforts include requiring comprehensive, standardized disclosure of all financial, personal, or institutional interests in research proposals, publications, peer and merit reviews, and data repositories, with clear and standardized protocols to identify, mitigate, and manage potential biases,” the memo states. “Agencies should mandate the use of independent oversight approaches and enforce strict conflict-of-interest policies.” Agencies have 60 days to outline “Gold Standard Science” implementation plans, including plans for training and resources to ensure agency personnel understand the new policy, and the use of artificial intelligence-driven tools when practical. After Trump signed the May executive order to restore gold standard science, a senior White House official said there had been a decline in “disruptive research” and investments in biomedical research, along with “serious cases” of fraud and misconduct and the inability to reproduce scientific methods for the purpose of restoring public trust. The official also blamed policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and “woke DEI initiatives” for endangering the public’s trust in government scientists. Now-retired National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci was repeatedly denounced for flip-flopping and obfuscating during his time engineering the federal response to COVID-19, leading many, particularly on the right, to disregard and dismiss the legitimacy of federal health authorities outright. That order cites the fact the Biden administration included political edits from teachers’ unions in school-reopening guidance, instead of leading with any scientific evidence. Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in April, Kratsios echoed Trump, saying the U.S. is in the “golden age” and that this special moment in time is “underpinned by unbelievable science and technology.”
Trump’s week ahead will include a trip to The Hague to meet with NATO leaders as Iran crisis grows larger
President Donald Trump will be engaging in numerous foreign policy discussions this upcoming week at a NATO summit, where more than just Ukraine will be the focus of conversations between foreign leaders. A senior Trump official told the Wall Street Journal Sunday that the president still intends to attend the summit that will be held in The Hague, starting Wednesday. He will depart for the Netherlands on Tuesday and arrive late in the evening the same day. It is a slight schedule change from his originally planned departure date of Monday, per previous reports. TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON ‘SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES Trump was expected to attend a state dinner between foreign leaders on Tuesday evening, but it is unclear whether he will still attend due to the late-Tuesday arrival time. The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for additional information about the president’s schedule. The schedule change comes after the president recently abruptly left the G7 economic summit in Canada to attend to the ongoing situation in the Middle East that tamped up Saturday. NEW REPORT WARNS NATO’S DATA VULNERABILITIES COULD COST LIVES WITHOUT US FIX The summit between foreign leaders will likely include conversations about Trump’s recent decision to involve the United States in Israel’s campaign in the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be in attendance as well, with leaders expected to discuss ongoing assistance to Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia. However, Ukraine’s crisis is not expected to be the central issue of concern, with global tensions in Iran likely to take a major chunk of the summit’s attention. Leaders are also expected to discuss NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s proposal that each member country contribute at least 5% of their gross domestic product to defense spending. The idea, framed as a Trump win, has been rejected by Spain, while others have taken issue with the speed at which the move to increase NATO-member defense spending has taken. The summit will end Wednesday and Trump will depart back to Washington thereafter. There will be heavy security and protesters have already taken to the streets in protest of the upcoming summit.
LA riots, years of protests lead Republicans to seek federally criminalizing blocking traffic
In the wake of anti-ICE protesters and rioters trapping drivers in Los Angeles and other cities in recent days, Republican lawmakers want to make blocking streets a federal crime. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., will seek this week to make it a federal crime to obstruct or create intentional traffic. The “Safe and Open Streets Act” is a direct response to the “radical tactics of anti-ICE protesters who have intentionally blocked roads and highways across the country,” Tillis said. Lawbreakers could face fines or up to five years in prison. I CALL IT REBELLION: MAXINE WATERS’ HISTORY OF ENFLAMING CROWDS FROM RODNEY KING TO TODAY Video from Los Angeles showed rioters blocking expressways and city streets alike, at times violently attacking or confronting local and federal officers. Under California law, it is a misdemeanor to “willfully and maliciously obstruct the free movement of any person on any street, sidewalk, or other public place” – an ordinance rarely enforced during recent protests. Tillis’ own state has not been immune to such blockages, as protesters shut down a busy portion of NC-147; Durham, North Carolina’s freeway, during rush hour in November 2023. Those protesters were seeking to “Free Palestine” and objecting to the Western response to the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas of Israeli and American citizens. Immigration-related protests also cropped up recently on a main thoroughfare in Greensboro. “The emerging tactic of radical protesters blocking roads and stopping commerce is not only obnoxious to innocent commuters, but it’s also dangerous and will eventually get people killed. It needs to be a crime throughout the country,” Tillis told Fox News Digital. Tillis added that the “radical” anti-immigration enforcement protesters must face the “full weight of the law” if they endanger public safety. Sen. Ted Budd, Tillis’ Tarheel State counterpart, will be joining the effort, saying in a statement that emergency personnel being held up by such blockages put the public in further danger. MAXINE WATERS TORCHED BY FEDS FOR ‘TAUNTING’ GUARDSMEN AND ‘SPEWING LIES’ ABOUT RIOTS, TRYING TO ENTER JAIL “The First Amendment protects the right to assemble and protest peacefully, but it does not permit such behavior,” Budd said. In another recent incident, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike in Virginia – where Interstates 64 and 95 converge and carve through the city. In that incident, protesters threw ladders and laid chicken wire across the Rocky Mount-bound lanes of the highway to grind rush hour to a halt at the city’s downtown “Boulevard” exit. LA RIOTS ‘PREVENTABLE’ IF SACRAMENTO DEMS HAD ACTED, CA GOP SAYS “Blocking major roads to stop traffic flows is nothing short of lawlessness that should not be tolerated,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn of neighboring Tennessee. “These activists are not only intentionally creating a dangerous situation for themselves, but perhaps for a citizen who is awaiting an ambulance or a hard worker who will lose their job for being late,” she said in announcing her co-sponsorship of Tillis’ legislation; calling out “Hamas sympathizers” such as those in Richmond and Durham. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Focusing again on Los Angeles, co-sponsor Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said that he watched the riots for “nearly a week” as California officials “did nothing” until President Donald Trump stepped in. “[D]omestic terrorists assaulted ICE and law enforcement officers, set fire to cop cars and blocked the streets, all while Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass sat on their tails and did nothing,” the former Auburn coach said. “This is a prime example of what happens when lawlessness goes unpunished.” In New Orleans, where protests such as the anti-Trump “No Kings Day” event last week have been massive but more orderly, Sen. Bill Cassidy added that he supports Tillis’ bill because people have the right to have their voices heard but not to “undermine people’s livelihoods.”
SCOOP: House Republicans target ‘vulnerable’ Democrats for voting against tax cuts in ‘big, beautiful bill’
FIRST ON FOX – The House Republican campaign committee is taking aim at congressional Democrats whom they charge are “pushing the largest tax hike in generations.” As part of their aggressive messaging following the passage last month of the GOP’s landmark spending and tax cut bill – dubbed by President Donald Trump as his “big, beautiful bill” – the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is launching ads on Monday against 25 House Democrats who likely face challenging re-elections in the 2026 midterms. “Democrats jacked up inflation, making life more expensive for all of us. We need help. Now, they’re pushing the largest tax hike in generations,” charges the narrator in the digital ads, which were shared first with Fox News. The narrator argues that the Democrats being targeted in the ads are “completely out of touch” and urges viewers of the spots to tell the Democratic lawmakers to keep their “hands off your hard-earned money.” FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP-ALIGNED GROUP LAUNCHES SECOND ACT IN PUSH TO PASS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The bill passed the House of Representatives last month by just one vote, along partisan lines. And Trump is pushing for a July 4 deadline for the measure to pass through Congress and land on his desk at the White House. The GOP-crafted measure is stuffed full of Trump’s campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. It includes extending his signature 2017 tax cuts, which are set to sunset this year without action by Congress – and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. But the measure, if signed into law, would likely even further fuel the nation’s massive budget deficit. The national debt currently sits at $36,215,397,741,847.76 as of June 18, according to FOX Business’ National Debt Tracker. FOX NEWS POLL: WHAT AMERICANS THINK ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The spots, backed by a modest ad buy, are targeting California Democrats Josh Harder (9th District), Adam Gray (13th), George Whitesides (27th), Derek Tran (45th) and Dave Min (47th), and Florida’s Darren Soto (9th) and Jared Moskowitz (23rd). Also included are Reps. Frank Mrvan (1st) of Indiana, Jared Golden (2nd) of Maine, Kristen McDonald Rivet (8th) of Michigan, Don Davis (1st) of North Carolina, Nellie Pou (9th) of New Jersey, Gabe Vasquez (2nd) of New Mexico, Dina Titus (1st), and Susie Lee (3rd), and Steven Horsford (4th) of Nevada. The NRCC ads also take aim at Reps. Tom Suozzi (3rd), Laura Gillen (4th) and Josh Riley (19th) of New York, Marcy Kaptur (9th) and Emilia Sykes (13th) of Ohio, Henry Cuellar (28th) and Vicente Gonzalez (34th) of Texas, Eugene Vindman (7th) of Virginia, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (3rd) of Washington state. Democrats are working to win back control of the House in next year’s midterms, as the GOP defends its razor-thin majority in the chamber. “Out of touch House Democrats lit the fire of inflation and tried to slap Americans with the biggest tax hike in decades, all to fund their radical agenda. Voters won’t forget this betrayal – not now, not next November,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella claimed. FIRST ON FOX: THESE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY THEY ‘STAND UNITED’ IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ A memo last month by the NRCC encouraged House Republicans to make the tax cuts a priority as they defended their votes on the tax and spending bill, and to take aim at Democrats for pushing to raise taxes on average Americans. The memo highlighted that the bill “prevents tax increases to put more money in every American’s pocket.” As Democrats attack the bill, they’re highlighting the GOP’s proposed restructuring of Medicaid – the nearly 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage. Democrats have relentlessly attacked Republicans over what they say will be “huge cuts” to Medicaid if the bill becomes law. But the NRCC pushes back, saying in its memo that it is “protecting Medicaid by removing illegal immigrants and eliminating fraud.”
Trump hints at regime change in Iran while declaring ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’ after US strikes
President Donald Trump on Sunday said there may be a regime change if Iranian leadership cannot “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN,” following strategic U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday. In a post to Truth Social, the president questioned why there would not be a leadership shift following the devastating blow to the country’s nuclear program. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” he wrote. “MIGA!!!” Earlier in the day, Trump announced the B-2 stealth bombers credited with strategic attacks landed safely at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, applauding their efforts. PENTAGON FLEXES US MILITARY’S DECOYS AND STRATEGIC DECEPTION THAT TOOK IRAN AND WORLD BY SURPRISE “The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri,” he wrote. “Thank you for a job well done!!! DONA[L]D J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!” The president added that the damage to the sites was “monumental,” pushing back on skepticism from critics about the success of the operation. SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS FORDOW NUCLEAR FACILITY AFTER MASSIVE BOMB STRIKE “The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be ‘monumental,’” he wrote in a separate post. “The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!” More than 125 aircraft were involved in the strikes in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, including seven B-2 stealth bombers, multiple fourth and fifth-generation fighters, dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and “a full array” of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Over 700 Iranian nationals released into US during Biden administration despite terrorism concerns
Over 1,500 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border were arrested during the Biden administration, and nearly 50% of them were released back into the country, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source. More specifically, Border Patrol agents arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2024. Of the 1,504 individuals who were arrested, 729 were released into the U.S. The number of Iranian nationals arrested at the southern border increased year-to-year, with 48 being arrested in FY21; 197 in FY22; 462 in FY23 and 797 in FY24. Likewise, the number of Iranian nationals released also increased, with 12 in FY21; 40 in FY22; 229 in FY23; and 448 in FY24. BORDER PATROL ANNOUNCES ‘PHENOMENAL’ TURNAROUND AS NUMBER OF MONTHLY MIGRANT RELEASES DROPS TO ZERO It is unclear how many of the Iranians released into the U.S. were on the terrorism watchlist, as the Biden administration repeatedly denied Fox News’ Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals for the data. The Biden administration cited “privacy concerns” of the people on the list, as well as “minimal public interest” for denying the requests. Still, there were over 2 million known gotaways at the border during the Biden administration, and because they were never caught, there is no way of knowing where the individuals were from. All Iranians are considered “special interest aliens” because of national security concerns. Therefore, they are supposed to receive enhanced vetting from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN REVEALS UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS IN TRUMP’S BORDER STRATEGY The news comes as U.S. officials sound the alarm regarding the threat of terror-backed sleeper cells in the country just hours after President Donald Trump ordered the successful strikes on key nuclear facilities within Iran. Hours after Trump addressed the nation about the military strikes, the DHS issued a memo sounding the alarm to a “heightened threat environment” in the U.S. While the bulletin did not cite any specific threats, it came as Iranian officials vowed retaliation against the U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER APPREHENSIONS PLUNGE MORE THAN 90% FROM YEAR AGO IN APRIL, CBP SAYS The bulletin points to law enforcement within the U.S. disrupting “multiple potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots” since 2020, while noting the Iranian government’s unsuccessful attempts to target critics of its regime. The advisory comes after Trump ordered military strikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in what officials are calling “Operation Midnight Hammer,” prompting law enforcement to be on high alert regarding the threat of foreign adversary operatives conducting an attack on U.S. soil, with thousands of Iranian nationals previously crossing over the border. “Because of the open borders, we are at a serious catch-up phase,” Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital. “We don’t know where those thousand Iranians are and who knows how many others got across the border. We missed an opportunity when they caught and released those thousand. We missed the opportunity to gather intel by interviewing them and thoroughly vetting them. We just simply let them go, which is gross negligence on the part of the Biden administration.” The possibility of foreign cells carrying out a domestic terror plot was pushed into the national spotlight last year after federal prosecutors announced a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and two U.S.-nationals were arrested for allegedly plotting to murder then-President-elect Trump and a U.S. citizen critical of the Iranian regime. Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita, Danielle Wallace and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.
Trump slams Republican Massie as ‘not MAGA’ following congressman’s criticism of Iran strikes
President Donald Trump slammed Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on social media, calling him a “LOSER” after the legislator posted a string of social media posts criticizing the president for bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday night. Massie said on X that Trump’s actions were “not constitutional.” “When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war,” Massie said in another post. “I’m amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in D.C. (and their social media bots) to say we aren’t at war … so they can make war.” FAR LEFT, ANTI-ISRAEL VOICES DECRY TRUMP IRAN STRIKE, DISMISS IDEA HE’S ‘ANTIWAR PRESIDENT’ In another post, Massie responded to Speaker Mike Johnson’s post in which he defended Trump’s actions and said leaders in Congress were aware of the urgency of the situation — though “imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act.” “Why didn’t you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?” Massie said in response to Johnson’s post. Massie’s words caught Trump’s attention. On Sunday, the president aimed some words back toward the representative. “Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is. Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. TRUMP EARNS BIPARTISAN PRAISE FOR DECISIVE ACTION AGAINST IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM “He is a negative force who almost always votes ‘NO,’ no matter how good something may be. He’s a simple-minded ‘grandstander’ who thinks it’s good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon, while at the same time yelling ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ at every chance they get.” The president restated his case for bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying Iran has “killed and maimed” thousands of Americans — and under the Jimmy Carter administration, even took over the American Embassy in Tehran. “We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!) but, as usual, and despite all of the praise and accolades received, this ‘lightweight’ Congressman is against what was so brilliantly achieved last night in Iran,” Trump wrote. ‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS EVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN “Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes ‘NO’ on virtually everything put before him (Rand Paul Jr.), no matter how good something may be,” the president added. Trump also accused Massie of being “disrespectful” to the military and suggested he “drop his fake act” and put America first. “MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!” Trump said. “The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one,” Trump continued. “Thank you to our incredible military for the AMAZING job they did last night. It was really SPECIAL!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” Fox News Digital reached out to Massie’s office for comment on the matter.
Thomas Massie says he feels ‘misled’ by Trump after Iran strikes: ‘He’s engaged in war’
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Thomas Massie is accusing President Donald Trump of falling short of his campaign pledges with his Saturday night strikes on Iran. “I feel a bit misled,” Massie told Fox News Digital in a Sunday afternoon interview. “I didn’t think he would let neocons determine his foreign policy and drag us into another war.” “Other people feel the same way, who supported Trump — I think the political danger to him is he induces a degree of apathy in the Republican base, and they fail to show up to keep us in the majority in the midterms.” Massie, a conservative libertarian who has long been wary of foreign intervention by the U.S., has been one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration’s recent operation. RUBIO DECLARES IRAN’S DAYS OF ‘PLAYING THE WORLD’ OVER AFTER TRUMP’S DECISIVE STRIKE U.S. stealth bombers struck three major nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran Saturday night. Trump and other GOP leaders hailed the operation as a victory, while even pro-Israel Democrats also offered rare praise. “Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said Saturday night. “And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not. future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.” But progressives and the growing isolationist wing of the GOP blasted it as a needless escalation of tensions in the Middle East, at a time when Israel has been engaged in a weeklong conflict with Iran as well. Top officials up to Trump himself have said the U.S. is not seeking war with Iran. Vice President JD Vance told NBC News’ “Meet The Press” Sunday, “We’re not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.” Massie told Fox News Digital those assurances were “ludicrous.” DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS CRITICIZE ISRAEL’S DEFENSIVE STRIKES AGAINST IRAN’S NUCLEAR SITES “He’s engaged in war. We are now a co-belligerent in a hot war between two countries,” the Kentucky Republican said, arguing that conflict separates this action from Trump’s strikes that killed deceased Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. “You can’t say this isn’t an act of war, that it’s a strike outside of a war,” he said. “This is inside, geographically and temporally, of a war.” The Kentucky Republican notably has broken from Trump on several other occasions, and has been one of the few GOP officials to openly clash with the president — particularly on government spending and foreign intervention. He’s co-leading a resolution to prevent the “United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran” alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., which they introduced days before the strikes. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is leading a Senate counterpart. Massie noted his team was looking at ways to get the resolution on the House floor — while conceding likely opposition from pro-Israel groups and congressional leaders. “We’re going to try to use the privileges of the House to get this to the floor,” he said. “People were saying, ‘Why did you introduce this resolution? The president’s not going to strike Iran.’ He has struck Iran. And now the the naysayers said, ‘Oh, well, you don’t need this resolution.” ISRAEL-IRAN WAR DIVIDES DEMOCRATS, BUT TRUMP’S DIPLOMACY ALSO SPLITTING REPUBLICANS Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Sunday morning press conference that the administration properly notified Congress about the strikes within existing statute — even as progressives and some conservatives accuse him of bypassing a co-equal branch of government. “They were notified after the planes were safely out,” Hegseth said. “We complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act.” But Massie noted that the same War Powers Act also requires Congress to vote on U.S. military intervention in foreign countries within 60 days, if the conflict continues. “Even if they’re able to circumvent a vote on the resolution that Ro Khanna and I have introduced, we’re going to have to vote at some point if this becomes a protracted engagement,” he said. War powers resolutions can be called up for a House vote after 15 days of inaction by the relevant committee, after the legislation is referred to that committee. When reached for comment, the White House pointed Fox News Digital to Trump’s most recent Truth Social post calling Massie a “grandstander” and threatening to recruit a primary challenger against him. “Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is,” Trump wrote. “Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him. He is a negative force who almost always Votes ‘NO,’ no matter how good something may be.” “MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague! The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard. MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one. Thank you to our incredible military for the AMAZING job they did last night. It was really SPECIAL!!!” Fox News Digital also reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment.
JD Vance says Iranian nuclear program ‘substantially’ set back after ‘precise, surgical’ US strikes
Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that America “is not at war with Iran,” but rather is at war with the Iranian nuclear program, which was “substantially” set back by U.S. strikes. In an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Vance praised President Donald Trump’s “decisive action to destroy the program” and expressed an “incredible amount of gratitude” to the U.S. troops, who, he says, flew thousands of miles on a 30-hour non-stop flight, “never touched down on the ground” and dropped a 30,000-pound bomb “on a target about the size of a washing machine.” “No military in the world has the training, the skills, and the equipment to do what these guys did last night,” Vance said. “I know the president and I are both very proud of them, and I think what they did was accomplish a very core American national objective. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons program. The president’s been very clear about this, and thanks to the bravery and competence and skill of our great pilots and everybody who supported this mission, we took a major step forward for that national objective last night.” Vance was hesitant to disclose too much sensitive information about the mission, which reportedly involved 125 aircraft. THE MISSING MULLAH: IRAN’S ‘SUPREME LEADER’ A NO-SHOW FOR NEGOTIATIONS, THEN HID AS US POUNDED NUKE SITES ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked the vice president, “Can you say definitively that Iran’s nuclear program has now been destroyed?” “I don’t want to get into sensitive intelligence here, but we know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night. Whether it’s years or beyond that, we know it’s going to be a very long time before Iran can even build a nuclear weapon if they want to,” Vance said. Pressed on the extent of the damage, the vice president again declined to disclose sensitive intelligence but added, “I feel extremely confident, and I can say to the American people with great confidence that they are much further away from a nuclear program today than they were 24 hours ago.” “That was the objective of the mission – to destroy that Fordow nuclear site – and, of course, do some damage to the other sites as well,” he said. “But we feel very confident that the Fordow nuclear site was substantially set back and that was our goal.” Vance separately told NBC’s “Meet The Press” that the U.S. had engaged in a diplomatic process with the Iranians to no avail until around mid-May when Trump then “decided to issue some private ultimatums to the Iranians.” ISRAEL RECOVERS REMAINS OF THREE MORE BODIES “My message to the Iranians is it would be the stupidest thing in the world,” Vance said about potential retaliation after the U.S. strikes. “If you look at what happened last night, we had an incredibly targeted, precise surgical strike on the nuclear facilities that are the target of the American operation. Our national interest is for Iran to not get a nuclear weapon. Our strikes last night facilitated that national objective. If the Iranians want to enlarge this by attacking American troops, I think that would be a catastrophic mistake.” Vance reiterated how Trump mentioned in his late Saturday night address from the White House that the United States wants Iran to give up their nuclear program peacefully – but allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon remains off the table. “There is no way that the United States is going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And so they really have to choose a pathway,” Vance told ABC. “Are they going to go down the path of continued war, of funding terrorism, of seeking a nuclear weapons? Or are they going work with us to give up nuclear weapons permanently? If they’re willing to choose the smart path, they’re certainly going to find a willing partner in the United States to dismantle that nuclear weapons program.” He also issued a warning. “But if they decide they’re going to attack our troops, if they decide they’re going to continue to try to build a nuclear weapon. Then we are going to respond to that with overwhelming force. So really, what happens next is up to the Iranians.” Trump warned Saturday that “any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.” The U.S. military carried out “massive precision strikes” on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan,” which Trump said for years carried on a “horribly destructive enterprise” and have now been “completely and totally obliterated.”