NationalWatch

Attorney General Pam Bondi was questioned Monday during a House budget hearing about Iranian nationals who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration after the Trump administration warned the conflict with Iran raised threat levels in the United States.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, asked if the attorney general knew how many Iranian nationals in the United States have been convicted of crimes. Bondi said she was unsure, but that more than 1,000 entered the country during the last administration.

“And I can tell you, we are on high alert, and everyone is looking at that very closely,” Bondi said.

TRUMP CALLS IRAN RESPONSE TO STRIKE ON NUCLEAR FACILITIES ‘WEAK,’ SUGGESTS RETURN TO DIPLOMACY

Attorney General Pam Bondi hosted a press event Friday afternoon detailing the charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Pool)

U.S. Border Patrol arrested 1,504 Iranians at the southern border during President Joe Biden’s term, and nearly half of them, or 729, were released into the United States, according to a senior Customs and Border Protection source.

Bondi’s remarks echo those of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which issued a notice one day prior saying that the Iran conflict “is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.” The DHS cited the possibility of extremists in the United States “independently mobilizing to violence” if Iranian leaders were to call for it. The department also said cyberattacks and incidents of antisemitism could increase.

Gonzales asked Bondi about the threat of Iranian “sleeper cells,” to which the attorney general said she could “not talk about that in this setting.”

The line of questioning during a hearing about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year came amid a rapidly evolving conflict in the Middle East that Trump chose to intervene in over the weekend.

OVER 700 IRANIAN NATIONALS RELEASED INTO THE US DEPSITE TERRORISM CONCERNS

Map of US strikes on Iran. (Fox News)

The Trump administration carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, leading to Iran launching a missile attack on a U.S. military base near Doha, Qatar, on Monday. Trump said the Iranians gave “early notice” of the offensive and that no casualties occurred as a result of the attack.

Later Monday, Trump announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran would take effect in a matter of hours, though ceasefire deals have fallen through in the past, and it remains unclear if the agreement will hold.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The DOJ brought an indictment against three men last year in connection to a murder-for-hire scheme that allegedly originated in Iran that involved assassinating Trump before the 2024 election, as well as killing a journalist. One of the men remains at large. He is an Afghan national but was allegedly being paid by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iran-based militant group.

“The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said at the time of the indictment.

Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant in New Haven, Connecticut, who is wanted for allegedly killing a Mexican law enforcement officer.

Orlando Diaz-Cebada, known as “El Leches,” was taken into ICE custody on June 12, 2025, in Connecticut. He is allegedly a member of the Los Pochos gang that works with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to DHS.

“Thanks to our brave ICE law enforcement and federal partners, this criminal illegal alien fugitive wanted for murdering a law enforcement official in Mexico is off America’s streets. This heinous murderer attempted to evade justice by hiding out in Connecticut,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

FEDERAL AGENTS CAPTURE ALIEN ACCUSED OF RAPE, ASSAULT WHILE LA POLITICIANS CONDEMN ICE OPERATIONS

Orlando Diaz-Cebada was arrested by ICE on June 12, 2025, in New Haven, Conn. (Department of Homeland Security)

“These are the types of barbaric criminal illegal aliens our brave ICE law enforcement risks their lives every day to arrest. America is no longer a safe haven for violent criminals. If you are a criminal illegal alien considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United. States,” McLaughlin added.

Diaz-Cebda entered the United States illegally in May 2024, and was deported twice by U.S. Border Patrol, as he tried to enter again two days after the first try. According to DHS, the circumstances of when he returned to the U.S. are unclear, as the department said he was not “inspected, admitted, or paroled” by federal authorities.

A document reviewed by Fox News Digital from the attorney general’s office in Tlaxcala, a state in Mexico, showed that he is wanted in the country for aggravated homicide. 

ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR THROWING MOLOTOV COCKTAIL AT OFFICERS IN LA RIOTS: DHS

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 80 illegal migrants, including several with criminal records, during a worksite enforcement operation at a Louisiana racetrack on June 17th.  (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

The arrest warrant was filed on April 23, 2024, a month before he came to the U.S.

New Haven is considered a sanctuary city, according to WSHU. In April, Mayor Justin Elicker touted a legal win as the Trump administration attempted to scrap federal funding for cities that do not comply with federal immigration enforcement.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“New Haven is a welcoming city and we’re committed to ensuring all our residents feel safe calling the police, seeking medical care, sending their children to school, and accessing critical public services. It’s not only the right policy, it’s the practical policy,” Elicker said in a statement in April.

TWO ILLEGAL VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS, SUSPECTED TDA GANG MEMBERS CHARGED IN DEADLY CHICAGO MASS SHOOTING

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, left, and White House border czar Tom Homan walk at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.  (Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP Photo)

“We need to make sure our police department is working to fight crime and not commandeered to do the work of the federal government. We are very pleased with this ruling and that New Haven will be able to use lawfully obligated federal funds to further strengthen public safety in our city,” the Democrat added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office.

“We fully support the efforts of our federal partners in apprehending this individual, who stands accused of a heinous crime, the killing of a fellow officer. While everyone is entitled to due process, we stand firmly behind actions that protect our communities,” a spokesperson for the New Haven Police Department stated.

Roughly three-quarters of the nation’s health insurance providers signed a series of commitments this week in an effort to improve patient care by reducing bureaucratic hurdles caused by insurance companies’ prior-authorization requirements.

Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced the new voluntary pledge from a cadre of insurance providers, who cover roughly 75% of the population, during a press conference Monday. The new commitments are aimed at speeding up and reducing prior-authorization processes used by insurers, a process that has been long-maligned for unnecessarily delaying patient care and other bureaucratic hurdles negatively impacting patients.   

“The pledge is not a mandate. It’s not a bill, a rule. This is not legislated. This is a opportunity for industry to show itself,” Oz said Monday. “But by the fact that three-quarters of the patients in the country are already covered by participants in this pledge, it’s a good start and the response has been overwhelming.”

A NEW LAW IN THIS STATE BANS AUTOMATED INSURANCE CLAIM DENIALS

Health insurance companies representing roughly 75% of patients in the U.S. signed an industry-led pledge this week aimed at improving patient care through streamlining the long-maligned prior-authorization process used by insurance companies to ensure patients are receiving appropriate care. (Getty Images; AP; iStock)

Prior-authorization is a process that requires providers to obtain approval from a patient’s insurance provider before that provider can offer certain treatments or services. Essentially, the process seeks to ensure patients are getting the right solution for a particular problem.

However, according to Oz, the process has led to doctors being forced to spend enormous amounts of man-power to satisfy prior-authorization requirements from insurers. He noted during Monday’s press conference that, on average, physicians have to spend 12 hours a week dealing with these requirements, which they see about 40 of per week. 

“It frustrates doctors. It sometimes results in care that is significantly delayed. It erodes public trust in the healthcare system. It’s something we can’t tolerate,” Oz insisted.

DR. OZ SAYS TAXPAYERS FOOTING $14 BILLION BILL FOR MEDICAID FRAUD WHILE ELIGIBLE PATIENTS STRUGGLE FOR CARE 

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during a press conference Monday announcing the new industry-led pledge, that the new commitments will significantly improve patient access to care.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The pledge has been adopted by some of the nation’s largest insurance providers, including United Healthcare, Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Aetna and many more. While the industry-led commitments aim to improve care for patients, it could potentially eat into their profits as well if patients start seeking care more often.

The commitments from insurers cemented this week include taking active steps to implement a common standardized process for electronic prior-authorization through the development of standardized submission requirements to support faster turnaround time. The goal is for the new framework to be operational by Jan. 1, 2027.

Another part of the pledge includes a commitment from individual insurance plans to implement certain reductions in its use of medical prior-authorization by Jan. 1, 2026. On that date, if patients switch insurance providers during the course of treatment, their new plan must honor their existing prior-authorization approvals for 90-days while the patient transitions.

DR. OZ UNPACKS POSSIBLE WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAID

Prior-authorization is a long-criticized process that critics have argued blocks patients’ access to care. (iStock)

Transparency is also a key part of the new commitments from insurance providers. Health plans enjoined with the commitments will pledge to provide clear and easy-to-understand explanations of prior-authorization determinations, including guidance for appeals. The commitment also states that by 2027, 80% of electronic prior-authorization approvals from companies will be answered in real-time.   

Oz, during the Monday press conference, compared the industry-led pledge to the Bible, saying, “The meek shall inherit the earth.”

“I always grew up thinking ‘meek’ meant weak, but that’s not what meek means. ‘Meek’ means you have a sharp sword, a sword that could do real damage to people around you, but you decide, electively, to sheathe that sword and put it away for a while, so you can do goods, so you can do important things where once in a while we have to get together, even if we’re competitors, and agree,” Oz said Monday.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“That’s what these insurance companies and hospital systems have done,” he continued. “They have agreed to sheathe their swords to be meek for a while, to come up with a better solution to a problem that plagues us all.”

The Founding Fathers were clear about lots of things, but in the era of modern warfare, who calls the shots and has the final say to head into battle was not the Founders’ most crystalline moment.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to “declare War.” But Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution anoints the President “Commander in Chief.”

Constitutional scholars argue that Congress must adopt a resolution before sending service personnel into hostilities abroad under the aegis of “war.” But what if you just dispatch B-2 bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to fly halfway around the world and slingshot 14 bunker buster bombs into three of Iran’s nuclear facilities? Or if you greenlight Ohio Class subs to fire 30 Tomahawk missiles into Iran as well?

TRUMP RECEIVES MIXED SUPPORT FROM CONGRESS FOR IRAN STRIKES AS WAR POWERS DEBATE RAGES

The debate over who gets to declare war rages on in Congress. (Getty Images)

Are you “at war?” Does the president have the authority to do that? What about Congress?

Well, if you say the president — or Congress — both can be right.

Or wrong.

“I’m someone who believes in the Constitution and the War Powers Act,” said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Fox. “(President) Donald Trump did not declare war. He has the right as commander-in-chief to execute a very surgical process.”

SENATE GOP AIMS TO APPROVE MAJOR LEGISLATION NEXT WEEK AS TRUMP TOUTS PARTY UNITY 

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on June 6, 2023.  (Getty Images)

Mace noted “there were no troops on the ground.”

But then the South Carolina Republican added this:

“The 2001 AUMF is still in place. If we didn’t like it, then Congress should get rid of it,” said Mace.

OK. Hold on.

We know what “troops on the ground” is. We think (think) we understand what “declaring war” is (or do we?).

But pray tell, what in the world is an “AUMF?”

That’s congressional speak for an “Authorization for Use of Military Force.”

It’s kind of like Congress “declaring war.” Both the House and Senate must vote to “declare war.”

US Capitol Building at sunset on Jan. 30, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Transom windows, pie safes and coal chutes in homes all started to become obsolete in the 1940s.

So did “declaring war,” apparently.

Congress hasn’t “declared war” since 1942.

And that was against Romania.

In fact, the U.S. has only “declared war” 11 times in history.

And Congress doesn’t just “declare war.” Both the House and Senate must vote. And so what the modern Congress does now is approve an “authorization” to send the military into harm’s way overseas. That could be by sea. Troops on the ground. In the air. You name it.

Congress authorized the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. That was the gateway to years of fighting in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. More recently, Congress blessed an authorization to invade Afghanistan and wage the “war on terror” in 2001 after 9/11. Lawmakers followed that up in the fall of 2002 for authorization to invade Iraq — on suspicion that Saddam Hussein’s regime had an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and its allies found nothing after the 2003 invasion.

To Mace’s point, the 2001 AUMF is so broad that four American presidents have deployed it for various military action around the world. Mace’s argument would be that Iran or its proxies could launch terrorism attacks — or even a nuclear weapon somewhere. So, the 2001 AUMF is justification for American involvement.

That said, most foreign policy and military experts argue that the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs are calcified, legislative relics.

This is why it’s a political kaleidoscope about how various lawmakers felt about launching attacks on Iran and if Congress must get involved.

Democrats who usually oppose President Trump supported airstrikes.

In this handout provided by the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that took out three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at the White House on June 21, 2025, in Washington. (Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images)

“I’ve been saying, ‘Hell yes’ for I think it’s almost six weeks,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is one of the most pro-Israel lawmakers from either party.

“This window is open now,” said Wasserman Schultz before the attack. “We can’t take our boot off their neck.”

But possible strikes worried lawmakers even before the U.S. launched them. There’s concern the conflagration could devolve into a broader conflict.

“The idea that one strike is going to be adequate, that it’s going to be one and done, I think is a misconception,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Before the conflict, bipartisan House members just returned from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

“They are worried that this will escalate,” said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. “And it wouldn’t take a whole lot for it to spiral out of control.”

This is why Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wanted the House to vote on their resolution before the U.S. attacked Iran.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wanted the House to vote on their resolution before the U.S. attacked Iran on Trump’s orders. (Getty Images)

“I wouldn’t call my side of the MAGA base isolationists. We are exhausted. We are tired from all of these wars. And we’re non-interventionists,” said Massie on CBS.

“You’re wasting billions of our dollars because we’re sending more troops to the Middle East. What did you accomplish? And why are you oblivious to the American people who are sick of these wars?” said Khanna, also on CBS.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., didn’t mention Trump by name, but in a screed posted on X, she excoriated the decision to strike Iran.

“Only 6 months in and we are back into foreign wars, regime change, and world war 3. It feels like a complete bait and switch to please the neocons, warmongers, military industrial complex contracts, and neocon tv personalities that MAGA hates and who were NEVER TRUMPERS!” wrote Greene.

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, also questioned the authority of the president to fire on Iran.

“While President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional,” wrote Davidson on social media.

But when it came to Republicans criticizing those who went against Trump, most GOPers took on Massie.

“I’m not sure what’s going on with Thomas. He votes no against everything,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., on Fox Business. “I’m not sure why he’s even here anymore.”

“He should be a Democrat because he’s more aligned with them than with the Republican Party,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Fox about Massie.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision on the U.S. becoming involved in Israel’s conflict with Iran within the next two weeks. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Shooing away Republicans toward the Democratic Party could be a questionable strategy considering the narrow GOP House majority. It’s currently 220 to 212 with three vacancies. All three vacancies are in districts heavily favored by the Democrats.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., plans to compel the Senate to vote this week on a resolution to determine if the U.S. should tussle militarily with Iran.

“We will have all members of the Senate declare whether or not the U.S. should be at war with Iran. It’s unconstitutional for a president to initiate a war like this without Congress,” said Kaine on Fox. “Every member of Congress needs to vote on this.”

Whether the U.S. is involved in “war” with Iran is an issue of debate. And here’s the deepest secret: Lawmakers sometimes preach about exercising their war powers authorities under Article I of the Constitution. But because votes about “war” or “AUMFs” are complicated, some members would rather chatter about it — but cede their power to the president. The reason? These are very, very tough votes, and it’s hard to decide the right thing to do.

The Founders were skeptical of a powerful executive. They wanted to make sure a “monarch,” or, in our case, a president, couldn’t unilaterally dial up hostilities without a check from Congress. But over time, Congress relinquished many of those war powers. And that’s why the executive seems to call the shots under these circumstances.

Is the U.S. at war? Like many things, it may be in the eye of the beholder.

And whether this responsibility ultimately lies with Congress or the president is in the eye of the beholder, too.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

– Iran launches missile attack on US base in Qatar: Defense official

– Americans vulnerable to lone wolf threats, cyberattacks in wake of Iranian airstrikes: former FBI agent

– Trump campaign launches crusade against GOP congressman who questioned his authority to strike Iran

Trump Slams Moscow’s Threat to Arm Iran with Nukes

President Donald Trump took a swipe at former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for suggesting that other countries would step in to supply Iran with nuclear warheads in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Saturday that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. 

“Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS,’” Trump said in a Truth Social Post on Monday. 

Trump’s comments came after Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said that Iran would continue to advance its nuclear program and would receive assistance from other nations to do so… READ MORE. 

Left: Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivers a speech to delegates during the plenary session of the 22th Congress of United Russia Party, December 14, 2024, in Moscow, Russia; Right:  U.S. President Donald Trump walks toward members of the media prior to answering questions before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 29, 2025 in Washington, DC (Left: Contributor/Getty Images; Right: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

White House

‘TRANSPARENT’: White House office tells agencies to apply ‘gold standard science’ to depoliticize research, restore trust

World Stage

SUMMIT STAKES: What to expect in the upcoming NATO summit: Trump, spending, Ukraine, Iran

LEADING THE WAY: Trump’s week ahead will include a trip to the Hague to meet with NATO leaders as Iran crisis grows larger

A NATO military force stands guard ahead of the two-day NATO summit at the World Forum, in The Hague, on June 22, 2025.  (Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP)

Operation Midnight Hammer

AERIAL KNOCKOUT: US strike damage to Iran’s Natanz, Isfahan nuclear facilities captured in satellite images

RED ALERT: Americans in Qatar under ‘shelter in place’ order

‘THIS DEMON’: Elite university professor sparks social media backlash after revealing what Iran should do next: ‘This demon’

SECOND BLOW: Iran’s Fordow nuclear site struck second time as IDF targets access routes

‘PANDORA’S BOX’: Russia claims US strikes on Iran have opened a ‘Pandora’s box’ and could lead to global ‘nuclear catastrophe’

SUCCESSION SCRAMBLE: Frontrunners emerge as Iranian officials discuss possible successors to Khamenei: report

PAYBACK STRIKES: Iran launches missile attack on US base in Qatar: Defense official

US and Qatari troops and staff await US President Donald Trump at the Al-Udeid air base southwest of Doha on May 15, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

OFF THE GRID: Americans vulnerable to lone wolf threats, cyberattacks in wake of Iranian airstrikes: former FBI agent

FREEDOM BLUEPRINT: Exiled prince looks to lead Iranian people in ending Islamic Republic: ‘Our Berlin Wall moment’

ALERT RISING: Americans must have ‘higher degree of vigilance’ amid Iran terror threat, House Intel chair warns

‘REALLY CONCERNING’: Ex-ICE chief warns Biden’s border crisis likely fueled Iranian sleeper threat in US

NEW RULES OF POWER: Bush’s War on Terror vs Trump’s Iran approach: How US Middle East strategy evolved

Capitol Hill

DEBT-BUSTING SELLOFF: DOGE moves to sell off almost half a billion in federal real estate, relocate cabinet agency HQs

REVENGE PLAN: Trump campaign launches crusade against GOP congressman who questioned his authority to strike Iran

RULES OF WAR: ‘Mofo…in the White House’: Jasmine Crockett attacks Trump, praises Massie in anti-Iran strike rant

Liberal Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett engaged in a lengthy attack on President Trump over the weekend while praising libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. (Getty Images)

BUDGET BATTLE BREWS: Senate GOP aims to approve major legislation next week as Trump touts party unity

MESSAGING WAR: House Republicans target ‘vulnerable’ Democrats for voting against tax cuts in ‘big, beautiful bill’

Across America 

POLITICAL POWER PLAY: Clinton backs Cuomo in NYC mayoral race, boosting scandal-scarred frontrunner

BOILING POINT: New York City on high alert for Democrat mayoral primary after US strikes Iran

‘REGULATE HEMP’: Texas official calls out governor for last-minute THC bill veto

‘GET YOURSELF OUT’: American travelers should know escape routes at transit hubs after Iran strikes, security expert warns

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

A former Clinton-era National Security Council staffer broke with his party and heaped praise on President Donald Trump’s successful strikes on Iran over the weekend, while remarking former Vice President Kamala Harris would have likely lacked the “courage” to execute such a mission if she were commander-in-chief. 

“I am not a fan of many of Donald Trump‘s actions, but I will speak openly and honestly when he takes bold steps defending America’s interests, as he did tonight,” Jamie Metzl, founder of the international social group One Shared World, posted to X on Saturday evening. 

Metzl served on former President Bill Clinton’s National Security Counci and was former President Joe Biden’s deputy staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he heaped praise on Trump repeatedly on X over the weekend, while also taking a shot at Harris’ lack of “courage and fortitude.” 

“But I’m not a blind tribalist and am perfectly comfortable praising President Trump for bold and courageous actions in support of America’s core national interests, as he took last night,” Metzl posted to X on Sunday morning. 

“Although I believe electing Kamala Harris would have been better for our democracy, society, and economy, as well as for helping the most vulnerable people in the United States and around the world, I also believe VP Harris would not have had the courage or fortitude to take such an essential step as the president took last night,” he added. 

PROMINENT TRUMP CRITICS LAUD PRESIDENT’S DECISION TO STRIKE IRAN NUCLEAR SITES

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden during an event marking the 30th Anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, in 2023.  (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Metzl continued in his X messages that “Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years,” and was aiming to build a nuclear weapon with the intention of wielding it over the U.S and its allies. 

TRUMP DECLARES ‘VERY SUCCESSFUL ATTACK’ ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS US FORCES STRIKE 3 KEY SITES

“Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years. Its regime has murdered thousands of American citizens. Its slogan ‘death to America’ was not window dressing but core ideology. It was racing toward a nuclear weapon with every intention of using it to threaten America, our allies, and the Middle East region as a whole. No actions like this come without risks, and I imagine the story will get more complicated over time, but that’s why these types of decisions are complicated,” he wrote. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office regarding Metzl’s post, but did not immediately receive a reply.

D Vance, from left, President Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, secretary of state, and Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense, during an address to the nation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, June 21, 2025.  (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Metzl’s comments are among a cacophony of Democratic elected officials and traditional anti-MAGA voices who have come out to praise Trump since the successful attack on Iran, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer.” 

TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON ‘SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

“The destruction of Iran’s nuclear program is essential to ultimate peace in the Middle East. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue — dealing with the Iranian threat is central to America’s national security. The world is safer because of the actions of our brave service members. I’m praying for the safety of our service members in the region,” New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer said in a statement over the weekend, for example.

Former VP Kamala Harris, President Donald Trump, and former President Bill Clinton.  (Getty Images)

“As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,” Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman wrote on X on Saturday. “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.” 

While New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, a frequent Trump critic, wrote in an opinion piece that Trump made a “courageous and correct decision that deserves respect, no matter how one feels about this president,” while fellow Times columnist David French also said it was the “right decision” on social media. 

Other Democrats and frequent Trump critics, such as New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, have slammed Trump over the strikes, arguing they bypassed Congress.

FETTERMAN BACKS TRUMP AFTER IRAN STRIKES: ‘THE CORRECT MOVE’

Trump announced the Saturday evening strikes on Iran in a Truth Social post that was not preceded by media leaks or speculation that strikes were imminent. The unexpected social media post was followed just hours later by a brief Trump address to the nation while flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. 

 U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L), accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (R), takes a question from a reporter during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. U.S. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“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 late on Saturday in an address to the nation regarding the strikes. “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 No. 1 state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.”

The strikes “obliterated” Iranian nuclear facilities and backed the nation into a corner to make a peace deal, Trump said. This mission was also celebrated by Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine as one that was cloaked in secrecy and intentionally deceptive to confuse the enemy. 

US airstrikes hit numerous facilities within Iran. (Fox News)

“It involved misdirection and the highest of operational security. Our B-2s went in and out of… these nuclear sites, in and out and back, without the world knowing at all,” Hegseth said. “In that way, it was historic.”

The operation included the longest B-2 spirit bomber mission since 2001, the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown and the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, Hegseth and Caine said during the Sunday press conference. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Operation Midnight Hammer followed Israel launching preemptive strikes on Iran on June 12 after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations and subsequent heightened concern that Iran was advancing its nuclear program. Netanyahu declared soon afterward that the strikes were necessary to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

Fox News Digital’s Hannah Panreck contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A top Trump White House official is looking to undercut Senate Democrats’ talking points on Medicaid, arguing that the GOP’s plan to reform the healthcare program would benefit rural hospitals, not harm them.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz told Fox News Digital that “special interests are pushing misleading talking points to try and stop the most ambitious healthcare reforms ever.”

‘BABY STEPS’: LEADER THUNE DETAILS HIS WORK TO CORRAL REPUBLICANS BEHIND TRUMP’S LEGISLATIVE VISION

Newly sworn-in Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks during a ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on April 18, 2025, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik)

Oz’s sentiment comes as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Republicans sprint to finish their work on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” ahead of a self-imposed July 4 deadline.

Part of the bill from the Senate Finance Committee aims to make good on the GOP’s promise to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the widely used healthcare program by including work requirements and booting illegal immigrants from benefit rolls, among other measures.

Tweaks to the Medicaid provider tax rate have ruffled feathers on both sides of the aisle. Indeed, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., sent a letter to Trump and the top congressional Republicans last week warning that changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate would harm over 300 rural hospitals.

SEVERAL PROVISIONS FAIL TO PASS MUSTER WITH SENATE RULES IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at the US Capitol in Washington on June 3, 2025.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

And a cohort of Senate Republicans were furious with the change after the bill dropped last week.

But Oz contended that “only 5%” of inpatient Medicaid spending happens in rural communities, and that the mammoth bill “instead targets abuses overwhelmingly utilized by large hospitals with well-connected lobbyists.”

“We are committed to preserving and improving access to care in rural communities with a transformative approach that bolsters advanced technology, invests in infrastructure, and supports workforce — rather than propping up a system that mostly benefits wealthier urban areas,” Oz said.

Schumer’s letter included data from a study recently conducted by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at his behest. He warned that if the bill is passed as is, millions of people would be kicked off of their healthcare coverage, and “rural hospitals will not get paid for the services they are required by law to provide to patients.”

TOP TRUMP ALLY PREDICTS SENATE WILL BLOW PAST ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE

Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ was sent to the Senate after the House voted to pass the bill.  (AP; Getty; Fox News Digital)

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer, Wyden and Merkley for comment.

However, another report from the Trump-aligned Paragon Health Institute argued similarly to Oz that special interest groups and healthcare lobbyists were “flooding the airwaves with claims” that Republicans’ changes to Medicaid would shutter rural hospitals.

For example, they argued that a recent report from the Center for American Progress warned that over 200 rural hospitals would be at risk of closure, but that the findings were based on changes to the federal medical assistance percentage, or the amount of Medicaid costs paid for by the federal government.

Changes to that percentage were mulled by congressional Republicans but were not included in the “big, beautiful bill.”  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, the changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate, which were a stark departure from the House GOP’s version of the bill, angered the Republicans who have warned not to make revisions to the healthcare program that could shut down rural hospitals and boot working Americans from their benefits.

The Senate Finance Committee went further than the House’s freeze of the provider tax rate, or the amount that state Medicaid programs pay to healthcare providers on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries, for non-Affordable Care Act expansion states, and included a provision that lowers the rate in expansion states annually until it hits 3.5%.

However, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is working on a possible change to the bill that would create a provider relief fund that could sate her and other Republicans’ concerns about the change to the provider tax rate.

New York City is prepping for primary elections on Tuesday as one of several major U.S. cities on high alert following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

“We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran,” the NYPD said in an X post Saturday night. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC.”

As New Yorkers brace for a major heat wave on Election Day, New York State Police are also “working to protect at-risk sites and fight cyberattacks,” Gov. Kathy Hochul shared Saturday night. 

Home to the largest Jewish diaspora outside Israel, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which reached a boiling point with U.S. involvement Saturday, has seeped onto the New York City campaign trail. 

‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an NYC mayoral candidate, right, criticized President Donald Trump on Saturday night for striking Iran without congressional approval. (Getty Images)

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment, has emerged as the frontrunner in a crowded field vying for the Democratic nomination. 

CUOMO’S LEAD SHRINKS WITH UNDER ONE WEEK UNTIL NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL PRIMARY: POLL

Following the United States’ successful strikes on Iran Saturday night, Cuomo acknowledged, “Iran cannot have nuclear capability,” and admitted that eliminating Iran’s nuclear capacity “is in everyone’s best interest.”

However, Cuomo joined the barrage of Democrats criticizing Trump for striking Iran without congressional approval. Reps. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, who proposed the bipartisan War Powers Resolution with 49 co-sponsors as of Sunday, called Trump green-lighting strikes against Iran “unconstitutional.”

Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. 

“I don’t support the way he did it. I do believe he should have consulted Congress,” Cuomo, who secured an endorsement from former President Bill Clinton over the weekend, said in a statement. 

Zohran Mamdani, New York State assembly member and mayoral candidate for New York City, speaks at a rally held by the Working Families Party on May 10, 2025. (REUTERS/Bing Guan)

However, Cuomo’s closest competitors in the race were not so diplomatic. 

State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist with endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, slammed Trump Saturday night. 

“Donald Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not start new ones,” Mamdani said. “Today’s unconstitutional military action represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos.”

Mamdani, who would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City if elected, added he is “thinking of the New Yorkers with loved ones in harm’s way.”

Cuomo took a jab at Mamdani on Sunday, according to The New York Times, telling reporters, “This is not the time for on-the-job training,” in light of the U.S. strikes on Iran. 

NYC comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrives to speak at a rally after being released from ICE detention on June 17, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Additionally, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has cross-endorsed Mamdani as they attempt to consolidate support against Cuomo within the ranked-choice voting style, said during a Working Families Party unity rally Sunday, “Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers are not going to be divided against each other.”

On Sunday night, Lander, who is Jewish, dissed “Trump’s reckless & unconstitutional strikes against Iran” as a “dangerous escalation of war” that “threaten countless Iranian, Israeli & American lives.”

Democratic mayoral candidates who will also appear on Tuesday’s ballot include former Comptroller Scott Stringer, educator Selma Bartholomew, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, investor and editor at Stansberry Research Whitney Tilson, former State Assembly Member Michael Blake and content creator and music artist Paperboy Prince. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Democratic nominee will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an Independent.

Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden is also running as an Independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will once again be the Republican nominee.

Fox News’ Jess Loker contributed to this report. 

The impact of the border crisis under the Biden administration likely added fuel to the fire of an Iranian sleeper cell threat domestically, according to a former top Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official who briefly led Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Following the strike on Iranian nuclear sites by the U.S. on Saturday, DHS issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin warning about the risk of domestic terrorism from Iranian-backed or inspired perpetrators.

“Definitely,” former acting ICE director and Fox News contributor Jonathan Fahey said when asked if the Biden border crisis likely made matters worse domestically.

AMERICANS VULNERABLE TO CYBERATTACKS, LONE WOLF THREATS IN WAKE OF IRANIAN AIRSTRIKES: FORMER FBI AGENT

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conduct an arrest as part of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2025. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS)

“I think one thing that’s really concerning about that: One, they weren’t doing any really meaningful vetting in the last administration. The second part of it is, you know, we have probably 2 million known gotaways come through the last administration, and the people that went through the non-ports of entry, we knew they went through but nobody caught them, so we have no idea who went through,” he added.

Fahey noted that other countries were likely paying close attention to the heavy flow of people crossing into the country illegally. He briefly led ICE toward the end of Trump’s first term and was the former deputy assistant secretary at the DHS.

“But the thing that’s concerning is all of our adversaries knew at the time that we basically, in all intents and purposes, had an open border. So, to the extent they wanted to send people in to spy, to collect intelligence, to do us harm, to plan to do us harm in the future, they had carte blanche to get anyone in that they wanted to with really little or no resistance,” Fahey said.

OVER 700 IRANIAN NATIONALS RELEASED INTO US DURING BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DESPITE TERRORISM CONCERNS

This split shows the border along with former President Joe Biden, left, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. (Photos by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images, Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“That’s what makes what Biden, the Biden-Mayorkas open border just so unconscionable,” he said.

Fox News reported that roughly half of the 1,500 Iranian nationals who came through illegally during the Biden administration were let go into the U.S.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland,” the DHS bulletin stated.

“Multiple recent Homeland terrorist attacks have been motivated by anti-Semitic or anti-Israel sentiment, and the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could contribute to US-based individuals plotting additional attacks,” it continued.

‘OPEN BORDERS’ UNDER BIDEN COULD HELP IRAN RETALIATE WITH US TERROR SLEEPER CELLS: FORMER FBI BOSS

Iranians shout anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans as one of them holds a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israeli attacks on Iran, after Tehran’s Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Other national security experts also doubled down that the releases and gotaways during the Biden administration continued to pose a risk.

“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,” former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Border czar Tom Homan also sounded the alarm about gotaways on “Sunday Morning Futures” right after the Iran strikes.

“We don’t know who they are, where they came from, because they got away because border patrol is so overwhelmed with the humanitarian crisis that Biden created. Over two million people crossed the border and got away. That is my biggest concern. And that’s what created the biggest national security vulnerability this country’s ever seen,” Homan said. 

When it comes to known releases, the Trump administration released nobody in May, compared with roughly 62,000 releases under the Biden administration last May, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. 

President Donald Trump‘s political team has launched a political action committee (PAC) targeting GOP Rep. Thomas Massie’s congressional seat in 2026, Fox News Digital has confirmed. 

Chris LaCivita, a veteran Republican strategist who was co-campaign manager for Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, and Tony Fabrizio, longtime GOP pollster and Trump’s top pollster in 2024, will steer the “Kentucky PAC.”

It is the first time the Trump campaign apparatus has directly targeted an incumbent Republican through a super PAC, and the move signals an aggressive new strategy to hold congressional Republicans accountable for thwarting Trump’s legislative agenda. 

The news was first reported by Axios on Sunday night.

As the president considered whether to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, Massie emerged as the leading Republican voice willing to challenge Trump’s constitutional authority to usher the U.S. into the burgeoning conflict between Israel and Iran. When Trump announced successful strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday night, Massie was clear in his rebuttal, “This is not constitutional.”

THOMAS MASSIE SAYS HE FEELS ‘MISLED’ BY TRUMP AFTER IRAN STRIKES: ‘HE’S ENGAGED IN WAR’

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the Cannon Building on Jan. 7, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“FAFO ….working on the FO …” LaCivita responded to Massie on Saturday, which means, “F— around and find out.”

‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS EVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN

By Sunday night, LaCivita confirmed the Axios report, responding on X, “Here’s the FO” – a clear message to Massie, and any Republican who undermines the president, that Trump’s political arm is prepared to respond. 

Massie was elected U.S. representative for Kentucky’s fourth congressional district in 2012. The fiscal firebrand, one of the few remaining House GOP members willing to disagree with Trump, staved off Republican primary challenges in deep red Kentucky in 2020 and again in 2024. 

Last week, the Republican co-sponsored the War Powers Resolution along with 48 Democrats, trying to prevent Trump from striking Iran without congressional approval. Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. 

From left to right, Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth look on during an address to the nation in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The War Powers Resolution seeks to “remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran” and directs Trump to “terminate” the deployment of American troops against Iran without an “authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.”

When Trump announced America’s successful strikes on Iran – without congressional approval – Massie and his Democratic co-sponsors, including Rep. Ro Khanna, were quick to criticize the president on social media and during a joint appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday. 

“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.” 

The Kentucky Republican 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.

Chris LaCivita, former Trump campaign advisor, is seen here walking in the Albanian capital ahead of Sunday’s election against Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana, Albania, on May 9, 2025. (Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Trump threatened to primary Massie for his unwillingness to bend on the House GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill negotiations, comments Massie subsequently used in fundraising messages for his 2026 re-election campaign. 

Massie was one of just two House Republicans who voted against Trump’s megabill last month, arguing it did not do enough to tackle the country’s enormous national debt, which sits at well over $36 trillion. 

In a lengthy Truth Social post Sunday afternoon, Trump signaled he had enough of Massie’s dissent, claiming “MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” and once again called him a “grandstander.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“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,” Trump said Sunday. 

Massie did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about the Kentucky PAC. 

The U.S. Embassy in Qatar told Americans to shelter in place until further notice Monday morning following the weekend’s attacks on Iran.

The embassy said it made the recommendation “out of an abundance of caution” but provided no other details. Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, where approximately 10,000 U.S. soldiers are deployed. 

The advisory came after the State Department issued a warning to American citizens on Sunday.

“There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.”

STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES WORLDWIDE CAUTION FOR US TRAVELERS FOLLOWING TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES

President Donald Trump visited Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar earlier this year. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo)

Iran vowed to retaliate against the U.S. after American B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites. 

“The criminal US must know that in addition to punishing its illegitimate and aggressive offspring, the hands of Islam’s fighters within the armed forces have been freed to take any action against its interests and military, and we will never back down in this regard,” Abdolrahim Mousavi, the new chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, warned in a statement. 

Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson said the “advisory from a number of embassies to their citizens do not reflect the existence of specific threats.”

“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, adding, “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.” 

US TROOPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST COULD FACE INCREASED THREATS AMID IRAN CONFLICT: ‘IRREPARABLE DAMAGE’

U.S. B-2 bombers carried bunker buster bombs into Iran to strike nuclear sites. (REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo)

Qatar has struck a delicate balance between friendly relations with its neighbor Iran and the West. 

Some 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed across the Middle East.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, left, has walked a delicate line between friendly relations with both the U.S. and Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While Iran is largely expected to launch a counterattack to the weekend’s bombings, Israeli strikes have taken out Iran’s missile launchers and depleted its stock of medium-range missiles.

The U.S. homeland, meanwhile, is under a “heightened threat environment” following the weekend’s strikes, including “low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic Party primary for mayor in heavily blue New York City, frontrunner Andrew Cuomo landed another high-profile endorsement.

Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 during his third term as New York State governor amid multiple scandals, was endorsed by former President Bill Clinton. Cuomo served as Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary during the Clinton administration.

“As President, I chose Andrew to be my Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and he never let me down—but more importantly, he didn’t let the nation down. He built public housing all across the country,” Clinton said in a statement on Sunday.

IS CUOMO’S LEAD IN THE NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL PRIMARY SHRINKING?

(Former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, was endorsed by former President Bill Clinton in New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary.)

Cuomo, who is aiming for a campaign comeback and political redemption, has seen his once-large lead over the rest of the Democrats in the 11-candidate field shrink.

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist state assemblyman from Queens, has narrowed the gap with Cuomo the past couple of months in the Democratic mayoral primary, which is conducted using a ranked-choice voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots.

AOC BACKS RISING PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE IN NYC DEM PRIMARY IN PUSH TO DEFEAT FRONTRUNNER CUOMO 

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City’s most prominent leader on the left, endorsed Mamdani earlier this month. Last week, longtime progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders backed Mamdani, who is originally from Uganda.

With multiple candidates on the left running in the primary, the endorsements by Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders aimed to consolidate the support of progressive voters behind Mamdani.

Democratic mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, left, and Zohran Mamdani, right, present arguments as Whitney Tilson looks on during a Democratic mayoral primary debate on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

In a distant third place in the most recent polls is New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Lander made headlines last week after his arrest by Department of Homeland Security agents in Manhattan after allegedly assaulting a federal officer as Lander tried to escort a defendant out of an immigration court.

Cuomo, his campaign and allied groups in recent weeks have been questioning Mamdani’s experience in leading a city of more than 8 million people.

“Zohran Mamdani’s a 33-year-old dangerously inexperienced legislator who’s passed just three bills with a staff you can fit inside a New York elevator,” the narrator in a Cuomo campaign ad blitz said. “We need someone ready to roll. Andrew Cuomo managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.”

CUOMO TARGETS TRUMP AS HE QUESTIONS MAMDANI’S EXPERIENCE IN NYC PRIMARY BATTLE 

Additionally, Clinton spotlighted Cuomo’s experience in his endorsement statement.

“New York City is facing major challenges. There is a desperate need for affordable housing, homelessness is at a crisis level, and public safety must be restored. It is imperative that New York chooses a mayor who has the ability, talent, and experience to do the job,” the former president said.

Clinton told New York City voters to “not underestimate the complexity of meaningful challenges and the necessity that the next mayor has the qualifications to do the job. New Yorkers should choose competence for a change. I am confident Andrew can turn New York around.”

Cuomo was also recently endorsed by former three-term New York City mayor, billionaire entrepreneur and media magnate Michael Bloomberg.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at the New York City District Council of Carpenters while campaigning for mayor of New York City on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The 67-year-old Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations – which he has repeatedly denied – forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. 

Last month, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about the decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic.

THIS BILLIONAIRE FORMER NYC MAYOR ENDORSES CUOMO AHEAD OF PRIMARY

While the primary is not until Tuesday, more than 384,000 Democrats cast ballots in early voting, which ended on Sunday.

The winner of the Democratic Party primary is traditionally seen as the overwhelming frontrunner in the November general election in the Democrat-dominated city.

However, this year, the general election campaign may be a bit more unpredictable.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who won election in 2021 as a Democrat, is running for re-election this year as an independent candidate. (NYC Mayor’s Office)

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat elected in 2021, is running for re-election as an Independent. Adams earlier this year dropped his Democratic primary bid as his approval ratings sank to historic lows.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.

The mayor made repeated overtures to President Donald Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could seemingly work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.

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 Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on May 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. ( Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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.”

White House Science and Technology Office Director Michael Kratsios. ( Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“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.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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.”

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

Demonstrators walk towards the highway during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

“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.”

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

President Donald Trump will hold discussions with foreign leaders this week at NATO’s summit in The Hague, which comes after his decision to strike Iran with dozens of bombs in an effort to destroy their nuclear infrastructure. (Getty Images)

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.

Security cameras overlook the area near the World Forum hosting the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, June 19, 2025. (Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP via Getty Images)

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.

A NATO military force stands guard ahead of the two-day NATO summit at the World Forum in The Hague, on June 22, 2025. (Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP / Netherlands)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans support increased engagement in international affairs, according to a newly released annual summer survey from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. 

The survey, conducted by polling firms Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, marks the third year the Ronald Reagan Institute has conducted a summer survey asking Americans about their attitudes towards foreign policy. It found 64% of Americans overall favor the United States taking a leadership role in international affairs, which is up more than 20% since 2023.

The trend of Americans leaning towards international engagement, as opposed to isolationism, has seen growing support across both parties – even the America-first MAGA wing of the Republican Party, which leads the way with 73% support for greater international involvement, according to the new survey. Meanwhile, 69% of Republicans support the idea, as well as 65% of Democrats, the survey found.

The survey was released less than a day after the Trump administration ordered a massive surprise strike on Iranian nuclear sites in a move designed to cripple Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure. Approximately 73% of registered voters questioned in a recent Fox News national survey said they think Iran poses a real security threat to the U.S.

KURILLA WARFARE: MEET THE GENERAL LEADING US MILITARY FORCES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AMID IRAN CONFLICT 

President Donald Trump faces a number of challenges with China, Russia, and Iran posing threats on the world stage. (Getty Images)

“Americans are not retreating from the world,” the survey’s introduction stated. “They are rallying around a foreign policy grounded in peace through strength, strong alliances, and morality in foreign policy.”

According to the summer survey, which was conducted before the recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran, 45% of those questioned said they would support Israel conducting targeted airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran faltered. Meanwhile, 37% said they opposed Israeli airstrikes, while 18% said they were unsure. 

Partisan affiliation, while less of a factor when survey respondents were asked generally whether the United States should lead on the international stage, appeared to play a larger role in opinions about engagement pertaining to Iran. Sixty percent of Republicans said they support Israeli airstrikes, but that support dropped to 35% among Independents and 32% for Democrats.

Despite previous media reporting that the Trump administration is open to allowing Iran to continue its uranium enrichment program, potentially allowing the development of Iranian nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump has taken a hardline stance on the issue, repeatedly saying he would not allow the country to develop any nuclear weapons. (Getty Images)

‘THE FIVE’ CONSIDERS ‘ALL OPTIONS’ ON TRUMP’S TABLE FOR ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT

In addition to attitudes about U.S. leadership in global affairs across the world, the annual summer survey from the Ronald Reagan Institute also covers other foreign policy-related questions pertaining to human rights, trade, defense spending and more.

One question sought to gauge an appetite for “territorial expansion.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled interest in acquiring strategic assets like Greenland and the Panama Canal, while he even floated potentially garnering control of the Gaza Strip amid the area’s ongoing issues with terrorism.

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATE

President Donald Trump cut his G7 trip short last week to monitor the Israel-Iran situation from the White House. (Government of Canada/Pool/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The survey found that 55% of Americans supported pursuing acquisition of the Panama Canal, while 47% supported the move to acquire Greenland. 

However, there is also a severe distinction between Republicans and Democrats on this issue, with most Democrats opposed and a majority of Republicans in favor of territorial expansion. When it comes to the Gaza Strip, only 33% of the survey respondents overall indicated they were in favor of such a move, including 24% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This year’s summer survey from the Reagan Institute sampled 1,257 adults across the United States between May 27 and June 2. You can see the full survey here.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine held a press conference from the Pentagon early Sunday morning to relay details on the U.S. military’s successful strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

“Last night, on President Trump’s orders, U.S. Central Command conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in order to destroy or severely degrade Iran’s nuclear program,” Hegseth said Sunday morning from the Pentagon. 

“It was an incredible and overwhelming success,” Hegseth continued. “The order we received from our commander in chief was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program. But it’s worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people for the entirety of his time in office.” 

The press conference was held following President Donald Trump addressing the nation at 10 p.m. Saturday evening, just hours after he announced the successful strikes on a trio of Iranian nuclear facilities. 

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (right) arrive for a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“The mission demonstrated to the world the level of joint and allied integration that speak to the strength of our alliance and our joint forces,” Hegseth continued. “As President Trump has stated, the United States does not seek war, but let me be clear: We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened. Iran should listen to the United States and know that he means it.” 

Caine addressed the media and explained the strikes, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” included the use of submarines, dozens of Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, and the “longest B-2 spirit bomber mission since 2001.” 

“At approximately 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time last night and just prior to the strike package entering Iran, a U.S. submarine in the Central Command area of responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets as often as the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian airspace,” Caine said. “The U.S. employed several deception tactics.” 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, right, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. (Getty Images)

“This was a highly classified mission with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of this plan,” he continued. “I’ll refer you to the graphic on the side as I walk you through some of the operational details. At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States as part of the plan to maintain tactical surprise. Part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy. A deception effort, known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.” 

TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON ‘SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025.  (Fox News / The Will Cain Show)

Trump announced the U.S. had struck a trio of nuclear facilities in Iran via a Saturday evening Truth Social post, which was not preceded by any media leaks of prior indication such strikes were imminent. 

The president ordered U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to carry out the strikes against Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.

Five to six bunker-buster bombs struck the Fordow nuclear site, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity shortly after announcing the Saturday night strikes. 

Trump later addressed the nation from the White House while flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where he announced Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “obliterated” and that the country has been backed into a corner and “must now make peace.”

TRUMP DECLARES ‘VERY SUCCESSFUL ATTACK’ ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS US FORCES STRIKE 3 KEY SITES

“Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said. “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.” 

Vice President JD Vance, from left, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during an address to the nation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 21, 2025.  (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump had repeatedly urged Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program before striking its nuclear facilities, but the country pulled out of ongoing talks with the U.S. scheduled for June 15 in Oman and refused to return to the table in the days following. Israel pre-emptively ordered strikes on Iran June 12 as Israeli intelligence indicated Iran’s nuclear program was rapidly progressing. 

“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 during his address. “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.” 

TRUMP PROMISES TO RESPOND WITH ‘FULL STRENGTH AND MIGHT’ OF US MILITARY IF IRAN ATTACKS AMERICA

“For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs,” Trump continued. “That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular.”

The president said that the U.S. worked like a team with Israel in the lead-up to the strikes. 

“I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu,” he said. “We worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done. And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades.” 

Caine told the media that the strikes Saturday evening were U.S.-led, while lauding Israel for its initial operations “degrading Iranian capabilities.” 

“Israel had an incredible military success, especially at the beginning and ongoing in degrading Iranian capabilities, degrading Iranian launchers,” reusable ballistic missiles, Caine said. “It’s been incredible to watch what our ally Israel has been able to do.” 

“But as it pertains to this strike, this was U.S.-operated and U.S.-led,” he added. “We took advantage of some of the preparatory work that’s been done over the past week and a half.” 

Hegseth underscored that Trump is focused on securing peace in the Middle East following the strikes. 

“As the president put put out last night, he wants peace,” Hegseth said. “There needs to be a negotiated settlement here. We ultimately demonstrated that Iran cannot have a nuclear capability. That is a very clear mission set on this operation.” 

President Donald J. Trump in The Situation Room, June 21, 2025. (The White House via X)

Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on Iran on June 12 after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations and subsequent heightened concern that Iran was advancing its nuclear program. Netanyahu declared soon afterward that the strikes were necessary to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

The strikes were unexpected on Saturday evening, as Trump on Thursday said he would make a decision on Iran within the next two weeks, suggesting that such a strike would not unfold over the weekend. While six B-2 bombers that were spotted heading west from Missouri toward Guam on Saturday afternoon were decoys and part of the “misleading tidbits put out there to suggest that maybe President Trump had put off the decision,” Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin said during an appearance Saturday evening as news broke of the strikes. 

“Those six B-2 bombers that were heading west toward Guam, they would not have made it to Iran in time to take part in this strike,” she said while speaking with Fox News’ Bret Baier Saturday evening. “So, that suggests to me that there was an additional B-1 package that perhaps flew eastward from Whiteman Air Force Base. Again, this was all part of the deception. There was a great deal of sort of misleading tidbits put out there to suggest that maybe President Trump had put off the decision and that this would happen two weeks from now.”

Trump earned bipartisan praise from Congressional lawmakers for taking action to prevent Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, from achieving nuclear capabilities. 

Other members of Congress, however, simultaneously criticized Trump for not asking for Congressional approval ahead of the military strikes and raised concerns of the risk of war.

ISRAEL’S ACTIONS AGAINST IRAN CREATE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN NUCLEAR TALKS, EXPERTS SAY

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has yet to comment on the strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said that diplomacy is an unlikely option in the wake of the U.S. strikes. 

Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

“Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What conclusion would you draw?”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Araghchi said he’ll travel to Moscow later Sunday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Iran enjoys “a strategic partnership.”

Hegseth said on Sunday during the press conference that correspondence with Iran is being conducted both publicly and privately to pursue a deal for peace. 

“I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being directly delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table. They understand precisely what the American position is. Precisely, what steps they can take to allow for peace,” the secretary of defense said. “And we hope they do so.”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was inside the Situation Room Saturday when the U.S. military launched successful strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, a White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital Sunday morning. 

A White House official confirmed Gabbard was in the room Saturday and that she is a “key player” on President Donald Trump’s national security team. 

Speculation had mounted there was a rift between Gabbard and Trump after the president told the media Gabbard was “wrong” about intelligence on Iran back in March when she testified before the Senate that the nation was not actively building a nuclear weapon. 

Photos of the Situation Room released Saturday evening did not show Gabbard present alongside Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other administration officials. The photos, however, did not include wide shots showing the entire room or each individual present, with the White House confirming the intelligence chief was present. 

Trump and Gabbard appeared at odds earlier in June, when the president was asked about Gabbard’s testimony before the Senate in March, when she reported intelligence showed Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon. Trump told the media June 16 he did not “care” what Gabbard had to say in previous testimony, arguing he believed Iran was close to building a nuke. 

‘SHE’S WRONG’: TRUMP SAYS TULSI GABBARD INCORRECT ABOUT IRAN NOT HAVING NUCLEAR WEAPON CAPABILITIES

President Trump and DNI Gabbard  (Getty Images)

“You’ve always said that you don’t believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon,” a reporter asked Trump while aboard Air Force One on June 16. “But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?” 

“Very close,” Trump responded.

Then again Friday, Trump said Gabbard was “wrong” after she reported that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon. 

“My intelligence community is wrong,” Trump said when asked about the intelligence community previously reporting that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon. 

FLARING IRAN NUCLEAR CRISIS PROVIDES FIRST MAJOR TEST FOR PIVOTAL TRUMP TRIO

When Gabbard appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in March, she delivered a statement on behalf of the intelligence community that included testimony that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon. 

“Iran’s cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to U.S. networks and data,” Gabbard told the committee March 26. 

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES

President Donald J. Trump in The Situation Room, June 21, 2025.  (The White House via X)

The intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003,” she said. She did add that “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”

“Iran will likely continue efforts to counter Israel and press for U.S. military withdrawal from the region by aiding, arming and helping to reconstitute its loose consortium of like-minded terrorist actors, which it refers to as its axis of resistance,” she warned. 

VANCE DEFENDS GABBARD AS ‘CRITICAL PART’ OF TRUMP TEAM AFTER PRESIDENT DISMISSED IRAN NUKE THREAT COMMENTS

Members of President Trump’s Cabinet sit among other top officials in the Situation Room on June 21, 2025. (The White House via X)

However, as critics picked apart Gabbard’s past comments, the White House stressed to Fox Digital that Gabbard and Trump were closely aligned on Iran. 

A White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday afternoon that Trump and Gabbard are closely aligned and that the distinction being raised between Gabbard’s March testimony and Trump’s remarks that Iran is “very close” to getting a nuclear weapon is one without a difference. 

TRUMP BLOWS OFF GABBARD DOWNPLAYING IRAN NUKE THREAT, BUT WH STILL SAYS PRESIDENT AND INTEL CHIEF ARE IN SYNC

The official noted that Gabbard had underscored in her March testimony that Iran had the resources to potentially build a nuclear weapon. Her March testimony reflected intelligence she had received that Iran was not building a weapon at the time but that the country could do so based on the resources it amassed for such an endeavor. 

President Donald Trump looks on in the Situation Room on June 21, 2025. (The White House via X)

Gabbard took to social media and blasted the media for “intentionally” taking her March testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee “out of context.” 

“The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,” Gabbard said in a Friday post on X, accompanied by a video clip of her March testimony to Congress. 

“America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly,” she wrote. “President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.”

TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON ‘SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Trump announced in a Saturday evening Truth Social post that the U.S. military had carried out strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, obliterating them. Trump held an address to the nation later Saturday night, describing the strikes as wildly successful and backing Iran into a corner to make a peace deal. 

President Donald Trump announced on June 21, 2025, that the U.S. military had carried out strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, obliterating them. (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“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 on Saturday evening. “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.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs,” Trump continued. “That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for any additional comment on the Sunday strikes, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. 

The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said the future of the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and now the United States is “really up to Iran to decide.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., appeared on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss American strikes against Iran that he said had “severely damaged Iran’s critical nuclear infrastructure.”

“The supreme leader and the ayatollahs in Iran need to understand that President Trump means business,” Cotton said. 

“They have a chance to sue for peace here, to dismantle whatever remnants of their nuclear program remain, and to continue to actually survive, because we haven’t targeted the supreme leader, we haven’t targeted their energy infrastructure, we haven’t targeted other critical infrastructure,” he continued.

IN IRAN’S ‘FOREVER WAR’ AGAINST THE US, REGIME HAS TARGETED AND KILLED AMERICANS WORLDWIDE

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) speaks with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) as National Security Agency Director General Timothy Haugh, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Jeffrey Kruse appear during a Senate Committee on Intelligence Hearing on March 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Andrew Harnik)

“That’s an implicit message that Iran still has things that they hold dear, that neither the United States nor Israel has struck. Iran needs to heed President Trump’s warning.”

When asked by ABC’s Jonathan Karl whether the U.S. would target Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Cotton said he would not “rule any single target in or out,” but made clear that President Donald Trump “does not bluff.”

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR DIVIDES DEMOCRATS, BUT TRUMP’S DIPLOMACY ALSO SPLITTING REPUBLICANS

Timeline showing Operation Midnight Hammer. (Fox News)

“And there are still numerous targets that Iran holds very dear,” Cotton warned. “My message to the supreme leader is: Look at the lessons of history. Do not — do not tempt fate. Do not target Americans. Heed Donald Trump’s warning,” Cotton said. 

The United States inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran by dropping multiple “bunker-buster” bombs and firing dozens of missiles at Iranian nuclear facilities Sunday morning local time.

TOM COTTON PRESSED ON ‘LANGUAGE’ USED IN ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ OP-ED, NATIONAL GUARD PRESENCE

Chairman Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., arrives for the Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on “Worldwide Threats” in the Hart Senate Office Building on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc )

Iran lashed out at the U.S. for crossing “a very big red line” with its strikes.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The warmongering and lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to the Associated Press, adding that he would immediately fly to Moscow to coordinate positions with close ally Russia.

Fox News’ Laura Garrison and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Members of the congressional “Squad” unleashed sharp criticism of President Donald Trump after he ordered a barrage of missile and bomb strikes on Iranian nuclear sites late Saturday.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was the most vocal of all, tweeting several times about the offensive.

Responding to cryptocurrency exchange CEO Arjun Sethi’s comment about U.S. “elites” being most united by war “especially against Muslims in the Middle East,” Tlaib remarked, “Yep and it’s so f—ing sick.”

“President Trump sending US troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of the Constitution. The American people do not want another forever war,” Tlaib added in a separate message.

US MILITARY TROOPS IN MIDDLE EAST COULD FACE INCREASED THREATS AMID IRAN CONFLICT

Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) listen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

“Instead of listening to the American people, Trump is listening to War Criminal Netanyahu who lied about Iraq and is lying once again about Iran. Congress must act immediately to exert its war powers and stop this unconstitutional war.”

She also retweeted right-wing Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who had commented “this (strike) is not constitutional.”

Squad Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., echoed Tlaib’s concerns about “endless war,” and called Trump and Netanyahu “warmongers.”

“It is the people who suffer the illegal & irresponsible actions of authoritarian leaders,” she said. “Only Congress has the power to declare war. We must act to protect our safety and shared humanity.”

Rep. Gregorio Casar, D-Texas, a newer member of the far-left congressional group, claimed it is “illegal” for Trump to act as he did.

“Congress should immediately pass a War Powers Resolution to block Trump from carrying out an unconstitutional war,” the Austin lawmaker said.

“My entire adult life, politicians have promised that new wars in the Middle East would be quick and easy. Then they sent other people’s children to fight and die endlessly. Enough.”

The most recognizable Squad member, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called Trump’s decision “disastrous” and said striking Iran without congressional authorization “a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.”

LAWMAKERS, MEDIA DINGED FOR BLAMING TRUMP OR RIPPING ISRAEL ON IRAN: ‘YOU THINK KAMALA COULD’VE STOPPED THEM?’

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) speaks during a press conference. (Getty)

“He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations,” Ocasio-Cortez went on, adding that Trump has established clear “grounds for impeachment.”

Though not a member of the Squad, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., also made an impeachment call Saturday.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., reiterated other Squad members’ criticisms, adding Trump “reckless(ly) escalate(ed)” the conflict between Israel and Iran.

“Congress must vote immediately on Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers resolutions when we return to session.”

Omar also shared a quote from Bill Clinton, saying prior to the strike that Trump should “diffuse” the situation and that Netanyahu has “long wanted to fight Iran.”

‘WAR CRIMINAL NETANYAHU’: ‘SQUAD’ MEMBERS ERUPT OVER ISRAEL’S ‘RECKLESS’ STRIKE ON IRAN

Squad member Delia Ramirez of Illinois.  (Getty)

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, the Boston lawmaker who also identifies with the Squad, said Trump violated the Constitution and risking innocent lives.

In Pittsburgh, Rep. Summer Lee said Trump is “acting fully outside of his authority and is once again trampling on the Constitution.”

“This is an illegal and terrifying escalation. Dropping bombs on Iran brings us closer to war, not peace, and he is putting millions of lives at stake. Congress must immediately pass our War Powers Resolution to rein him in.”

Lee mocked Trump as “your hypocritical ‘anti-war’ president who just illegally struck Iran and is putting countless lives at risk.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.)  (Getty)

Later Saturday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said the Squad and others crying out about the War Powers Act, saying that courts have ruled it refers to deploying troops, not what Trump has done.

“If we are attacked, the commander-in-chief has the authority and ability to protect Americans at home and abroad if we feel threatened or attacked,” Mullin said.

“He’s keeping America safe,” he told “Hannity.”