Good morning everyone. There is a surge of major news unfolding right now. The White House is blocking an intelligence report warning of elevated terrorism threats inside the United States linked to the war with Iran.
At the same time, Trump is escalating his rhetoric, saying additional groups in Iran are now under consideration for death and destruction as Tehran rejects demands to surrender while signaling it will step back from attacks on neighboring countries. The United States has also launched strikes in Ecuador alongside the Ecuadorian military, and gas prices are climbing rapidly across the country. In short, it is shaping up to be an extremely busy and consequential weekend.
Because of you, this platform has reached tens of millions of people with accurate and verified information at a moment when misinformation is spreading aggressively. Together we have challenged false narratives, exposed misleading claims from those in power, and helped keep the public informed with facts.
Here’s the news:
- A new Daily Mail report confirmed that the White House blocked a planned joint intelligence bulletin from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and National Counterterrorism Center that warned of elevated terrorism threats in the United States linked to the war with Iran. Officials said Iranian actors, proxy groups, and radicalized individuals could target U.S. personnel but the bulletin was put on hold for White House review, raising concerns that delaying the warning could hinder law enforcement awareness as tensions escalate following the U.S. and Israel’s Operation Epic Fury against Iranian leadership.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will stop attacking neighboring countries or launching missiles unless those countries initiate attacks on Iran, while rejecting Donald Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender. Trump responded by warning that Iran would be hit very hard and said multiple areas and groups inside the country are under consideration for complete destruction in future strikes.
- When asked about Russia providing intelligence to the Iranians, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the only people who should be worried right now are Iranians who think they will survive.
- Senator Lindsey Graham was a key voice pushing Donald Trump to strike Iran, repeatedly lobbying the president and framing military action as historic leadership while using rhetorical appeals in private conversations. According to the Wall Street Journal, to strengthen his case, Graham traveled to Israel multiple times in recent weeks to meet with intelligence officials, saying they would “tell me things our own government won’t tell me,” and he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while advising him on how to lobby Trump directly for military action.
- A classified report by the National Intelligence Council representing all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that even a large-scale U.S. military assault on Iran would be unlikely to topple the country’s entrenched clerical and military leadership. The analysis said that even after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing the regime would likely follow established succession protocols to preserve continuity of power, and it judged the chance of Iran’s fragmented opposition taking control as unlikely, casting doubt on plans to remove Iran’s leadership. From the Washington Post:
- A U.S. munition is increasingly believed to have struck an elementary school in Minab, Iran during the opening phase of the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign, killing more than 170 people. U.S. officials told Congress the area was being targeted by American forces and an investigation is underway into whether the strike resulted from faulty intelligence or poor targeting, while witnesses said the school was built on a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base that had been closed for about 15 years.
- Overnight, the U.S. military carried out a targeted strike in Ecuador alongside Ecuadorian forces against a narco-terrorist supply complex, part of a broader campaign to dismantle drug trafficking networks in the region. U.S. Southern Command said the operation involved lethal action against designated terrorist organizations at Ecuador’s request, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike and said more operations were likely as the U.S. expands efforts with regional partners to disrupt narco-terrorism across the Western Hemisphere.
- Six U.S. Army Reservists were killed in an Iranian drone attack on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, and a dignified transfer ceremony for their remains is scheduled at Dover Air Force Base with President Donald Trump expected to attend. The soldiers were part of the 103rd Sustainment Command, and the ceremony reflects the military’s longstanding process of honoring service members killed in action before their remains are returned to their families.
- U.S. gasoline prices have surged sharply, with the national average rising from about $2.80 per gallon in mid-January to roughly $3.41 now, marking a significant increase in a short period of time.
- The New York Post is reporting that newly released Justice Department documents show that a guard responsible for monitoring Jeffrey Epstein searched Google for updates about Epstein in jail minutes before he was found dead in his cell in 2019. The same guard also made a $5,000 cash deposit days before the death, raising new questions about the circumstances surrounding the suicide, though earlier criminal charges against the guards for falsifying records were ultimately dropped.
- Donald Trump joked about the value of his political endorsements, saying candidates often ask for his support and go on to win by large margins, and quipped that if it were legal he might try to get paid for giving endorsements.
- According to MS Now, the Obama Presidential Center is set to open on June 19 with celebrations planned throughout the week. Valerie Jarrett said former President George W. Bush is invited due to his close working relationship with the Obamas, but President Donald Trump has not been invited to the opening.
- ICE deported a mother and her two young children from San Francisco to Colombia after detaining them during a routine immigration check-in, including a six-year-old boy who is deaf and was not given his assistive communication devices. California’s state superintendent and educators are calling for the child to be returned to the U.S., arguing the deportation deprived him of necessary support services and the ability to communicate because he primarily uses American Sign Language.
- U.S. Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn said she will not accept an invitation to visit the White House after winning gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, saying athletes have the right to choose what they endorse. Glenn, who is openly pansexual and outspoken on LGBTQ+ rights, expressed support for other athletes who have also declined to meet with President Donald Trump.
- An analysis of FDA records found that more than 100 substances used in common U.S. foods, supplements, and beverages were never reviewed for safety by the Food and Drug Administration. Investigators say companies are exploiting the “generally recognized as safe” rule to introduce new chemicals into the food supply without mandatory oversight, raising concerns that potentially harmful ingredients are entering products without proper health scrutiny.
- The Florida Bar said it mistakenly stated that it was investigating Lindsey Halligan, a Trump-appointed former interim U.S. attorney who oversaw controversial prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents. The bar later clarified that no ethics investigation is currently underway and that it is only monitoring legal proceedings related to a complaint alleging Halligan violated professional rules during her tenure.
- A tornado struck the Union City area in southern Michigan, killing three people and injuring at least a dozen as powerful storms tore roofs off buildings, downed trees, and caused widespread damage. Authorities warned residents to expect power outages and road closures as severe weather swept across parts of the Midwest, with millions of Americans placed under risk alerts.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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