Bill Moyers was one of the good progressive media personalities who doesn't resort to boombastic journalism.
Longtime progressive agitator and former press secretary for Lyndon B. Johnson has passed away at the age of 91.
Moyers became one of television’s most honored journalists, masterfully using a visual medium to illuminate a world of ideas, died Thursday at age 91.
Moyers died in a New York City hospital, according to longtime friend Tom Johnson, the former CEO of CNN and an assistant to Moyers during Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration. Moyers’ son William said his father died at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York after a “long illness.”
Moyers’ career ranged from youthful Baptist minister to deputy director of the Peace Corps, from Johnson’s press secretary to newspaper publisher, senior news analyst for “The CBS Evening News” and chief correspondent for “CBS Reports.”
But it was for public television that Moyers produced some of TV’s most cerebral and provocative series. In hundreds of hours of PBS programs, he proved at home with subjects ranging from government corruption to modern dance, from drug addiction to media consolidation, from religion to environmental abuse.
In 1988, Moyers produced “The Secret Government” about the Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan administration and simultaneously published a book under the same name. Around that time, he galvanized viewers with “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth,” a series of six one-hour interviews with the prominent religious scholar. The accompanying book became a best-seller.
His televised chats with poet Robert Bly almost single-handedly launched the 1990s Men’s Movement, and his 1993 series “Healing and the Mind” had a profound impact on the medical community and on medical education.
In a medium that supposedly abhors “talking heads” — shots of subject and interviewer talking — Moyers came to specialize in just that. He once explained why: “The question is, are the talking heads thinking minds and thinking people? Are they interesting to watch? I think the most fascinating production value is the human face.”
(Softly) speaking truth to power
Demonstrating what someone called “a soft, probing style” in the native Texas accent he never lost, Moyers was a humanist who investigated the world with a calm, reasoned perspective, whatever the subject.
From some quarters, he was blasted as a liberal thanks to his links with Johnson and public television, as well as his no-holds-barred approach to investigative journalism. It was a label he didn’t necessarily deny.
“I’m an old-fashion liberal when it comes to being open and being interested in other people’s ideas,” he said during a 2004 radio interview. But Moyers preferred to term himself a “citizen journalist” operating independently, outside the establishment.
Public television (and his self-financed production company) gave him free rein to throw “the conversation of democracy open to all comers,” he said in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press.
From sports to sports writing
Born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on June 5, 1934, Billy Don Moyers was the son of a dirt farmer-truck driver who soon moved his family to Marshall, Texas. High school led him into journalism.
“I wanted to play football, but I was too small. But I found that by writing sports in the school newspaper, the players were always waiting around at the newsstand to see what I wrote,” he recalled.
He worked for the Marshall News Messenger at age 16. Deciding that Bill Moyers was a more appropriate byline for a sportswriter, he dropped the “y” from his name.
He graduated from the University of Texas and earned a master’s in divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was ordained and preached part time at two churches but later decided his call to the ministry “was a wrong number.”
His relationship with Johnson began when he was in college; he wrote the then-senator offering to work in his 1954 re-election campaign. Johnson was impressed and hired him for a summer job. He was back in Johnson’s employ as a personal assistant in the early 1960s and for two years, he worked at the Peace Corps, eventually becoming deputy director.
On the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Moyers was in Austin helping with the presidential trip. He flew back to Washington on Air Force One with newly sworn-in President Johnson, for whom he held various jobs over the ensuing years, including press secretary.
Moyers’ stint as presidential press secretary was marked by efforts to mend the deteriorating relationship between Johnson and the media. But the Vietnam war took its toll and Moyers resigned in December 1966.
Of his departure from the White House, he wrote later, “We had become a war government, not a reform government, and there was no creative role left for me under those circumstances.”
He conceded that he may have been “too zealous in my defense of our policies” and said he regretted criticizing journalists such as Pulitzer Prize-winner Peter Arnett, then a special correspondent with the AP, and CBS’s Morley Safer for their war coverage.
A long run on television
In 1967, Moyers became publisher of Long Island-based Newsday and concentrated on adding news analyses, investigative pieces and lively features. Within three years, the suburban daily had won two Pulitzers. He left the paper in 1970 after the ownership changed. That summer, he traveled 13,000 miles around the country and wrote a best-selling account of his odyssey: “Listening to America: a Traveler Rediscovers His Country.”
His next venture was in public television and he won critical acclaim for “Bill Moyers Journal,” a series in which interviews ranged from Gunnar Myrdal, the Swedish economist, to poet Maya Angelou. He was chief correspondent of “CBS Reports” from 1976 to 1978, went back to PBS for three years, and then was senior news analyst for CBS from 1981 to 1986.
When CBS cut back on documentaries, he returned to PBS for much less money. “If you have a skill that you can fold with your tent and go wherever you feel you have to go, you can follow your heart’s desire,” he once said.
Then in 1986, he and his wife, Judith Davidson Moyers, became their own bosses by forming Public Affairs Television, an independent shop that has not only produced programs such as the 10-hour “In Search of the Constitution,” but also paid for them through its own fundraising efforts.
His projects in the 21st century included “Now,” a weekly PBS public affairs program; a new edition of “Bill Moyers Journal” and a podcast covering racism, voting rights and the rise of Donald Trump, among other subjects.
Moyers married Judith Davidson, a college classmate, in 1954, and they raised three children, among them the author Suzanne Moyers and author-TV producer William Cope Moyers. Judith eventually became her husband’s partner, creative collaborator and president of their production company.
What angers me more than everything is the fact that some on social media actually justify the criminal acts done by law enforcement?
We are going to see more Rodney Hintons.
White extremists seriously believe that the police looking for criminals have justification to commit traffic offenses. They claim that the victims should have adhere to the police vehicle regardless.
No one is seeing that a vehicle traveling over 100 mph can travel two football fields in less than 20 seconds.
A Warren, Michigan officer is facing vehicular manslaughter after killing two men when he was driving his patrol vehicle at an excess over 100 mph.
The junk food media is following the trial of James Burke. The former officer is trying to justify his crime by pointing out that the victims were allegedly drinking and driving.
The driver Cedric Hayden Jr., 34 and his passenger Dejuan Pettis, 33 turned into the path of Burke. Before the collision, Burke was well over 100 mph.
Relatives and supporters of the men shook their heads when Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Bosek testified on Monday, June 23, about the speeds the police-owned Ford Explorer was traveling before and when it collided with a Dodge Durango the men were riding in.
Former Warren police officer is trying to use a loophole to escape vehicular manslaughter charges.
Burke, 29 is charged with two counts of homicide-manslaughter with a motor vehicle, a felony, and two misdemeanor charges, a moving violation causing serious impairment of bodily function and public officer−willful neglect of duty in the Sept. 30 crash. Burke was terminated by Warren police after he was criminally charged, his attorney, Marc Curtis, said after the hearing.
The sheriff's office indicated the police's oncoming SUV slammed into the Durango as it turned left from Schoenherr Road onto Prospect Avenue about 5 a.m. Fieger Law — the firm representing the men's families — released what it indicated were three new videos taken prior to and during the violent collision between the two vehicles.
Burke's 34-year-old partner was hurt in the crash, but has not faced any charges.
Burke said little during the exam except to answer "Yes," your honor" to questions Chmura posed to him.
The sheriff's office previously indicated the Warren officers were responding to a Flock camera hit on a stolen, black Jeep Cherokee out of Sterling Heights that was traveling southbound on Schoenherr at 10 Mile. There allegedly were two stolen firearms in the Cherokee, the sheriff's office spokesperson previously said. She previously said there was no "pursuit," but the officers were responding to a be-on-the-lookout.
The victims were not suspects.
The defense is going to use the driver's influence on alcohol to say that he failed to notice a high speeding police cruiser without lights or siren. Burke will claim that he was on a search and pursue.
New York assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. His win shook the Democrats. A time for a reckoning when it comes to ineffective Democrats. If they continue to back Israel, prepare for more Zohran-like candidates.
Why the Democratic Party is its own worst enemy?
The Democrats continue to be the party of the status quo. Democratic voters who are progressive have become tired of paying for high rent. They are tired of hearing promises but continued failure. They want a future where you shouldn't be bankrupt through a medical bill. They want a future where religion isn't a litmus test to why a person should run for office. They want a future where our lawmakers aren't in unison of sympathy for a foreign country.
They want the Democratic Party to stop being conservatives.
Maybe there should be a serious third party where candidates can run on a platform.
The Democrats can't be the "Vote Blue No Matter Who" or No Matter What."
The Democrats should have a strong message.
"REBUILD THE COUNTRY FROM THE BOTTOM UP!"
"IF YOU WANT MOVEMENT WE MUST PROVIDE MOVEMENT!"
"WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?"
These are some of the things I hope to get to the Democratic Party. Alas, they do not listen to me.
Last year, I got a call from a Democratic-aligned focus group asking me about then Ohio senator Sherrod Brown, former president Joe Biden and the Democratic Party in general.
They asked me how I feel and would I vote in the general. I told them of course I am going to vote in the 2024 election. But I am very disappointed with the president and the senator for supporting Israel. I directly stated that if Biden didn't end his support of Israel, he could lose.
Well here we are.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is an ineffective House Minority Leader. He cannot get the party on board when it comes to fighting Trump and ending support for Israel.
Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic Party nomination for mayor of New York City and these establishment folks continue to denounce the win.
It's the lack of self reflection.
When Democratic voters supported a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, former president Joe Biden and former vice president Kamala Harris ignore the concerns.
When Democratic voters said that age was an issue when it comes to Biden, the former president ignore them. The former president did not put up a fight and pretty much sold us out.
Progressives demanded a fight and what we got was a sacrificial goat.
I wanted Harris to win. But her support of Israel, her refusal to distance herself from Biden, her inability to listen to a person who lived in Palestine and the big money donors. It was a total let down. I almost wanted to stop blogging.
But then I realized that Trump and Vice President JD Vance are the perfect example of the United States in decline. I want to live to see our country take a nasty fall.
Independent senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is ineffective. He continues to do rallies to keep the progressive base engaged but fails to deliver on policies. He will not outright call for an end to the apartheid ethnostate of Israel.
The party that wants to deliver on worker's rights, affordable childcare,women's rights, police reform and affordable healthcare were dealt blows by the Supreme Court and the Republican state legislature.
We allowed it to happen because we allowed Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema and John Fetterman's refusal to end cloture and vote by simple majority. They slowed down so much and Biden's legacy will be tarnished because of the genocide.
Mamdani is destroying the establishment. He paid attention to the economic needs of New Yorkers. He didn't shame or push celebrity endorsements like Harris, Biden or even Trump.
He literally sees the concerns to why Harris failed. Trump lied about lowering the prices and ending the war. He is still full steam ahead on a war with Iran, continuing the Gaza genocide and removing immigrants despite most of them being law abiding. A lot of his voters are betrayed.
Pay attention to economic needs and stop insulting our intelligence.
A Democrat with a backbone. I hope he stands by what he says. Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor.
The nominee is Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
He will face off against incumbent Eric Adams and Republican perennial candidate Curtis Silva in the New York City mayoral election. The Democratic primary for New York City mayor was a contentious one.
Mamdani, a New York state assemblyman from Queens who is a member of the Democratic Party and is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
He is only 33 years old. He is an Ugandan American and a Sunni Muslim.
If elected, he will be the first Muslim mayor of New York City.
He has faced an onslaught of smears. Every freaking day, it's a question about fucking Israel.
Former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo has conceded. In the rank choice voting, Mamdani had an insurmountable lead against the former governor.
Cuomo's late entry, his sexual harassment allegations, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his revenge plots on former allies, as well as the backing from Trump's fiercest donors doomed him. Oh, he is also planning on defending Israel in the International Court of Justice against well established claims of genocide didn't help him.
Embattled New York mayor Eric Adams has backing from Democrats and Republicans.
He defeated the establishment and now will set the new standard. The Democratic Party needs to be on high alert. They are at risk of being primaried by candidates who are tired of the status quo politics. The candidates must support progressive policies, abandon Israel and fight dirty. If the Republicans can continue to elect morons and extremists to their fold, Democrats must stop raising the bar.
We need to start vetting candidates. We have to prevent any candidate who takes AIPAC money from winning nominations. We have to stop with the Vote Blue No Matter Who nonsense.
We have to stop electing Democratic candidates who vote like Republicans. No more endorsing candidates like Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Ritchie Torres, John Fetterman, Josh Gottheimer, Tulsi Gabbard, Jeff Van Drew, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo and centrists in general. Enough of this get along with Republicans.
Republicans do not get along with Democrats.
Why are the Democrats always willing to broker with them?
No wonder the Democrats are unpopular.
I stand by what I say. No more support for the Democratic Party. They continue to back Israel. They have little to no fucking chance of winning federal elections in 2026 and 2028.
Do not believe the polls saying the Democrats can retake the House.
Mamdani has a challenge. He will have to win over old school Black voters. Rev. Al Sharpton backed Cuomo which shows how out of touch he is. But since Sharpton and the National Action Network has a strong presence in New York City, Mamdani might have speak at one of these conventions.
Back to the podcast circuit. Andrew Cuomo defeated.
He will have to win over Jewish voters who believe he is a Muslim terrorist. The recent interview done by Stephen Colbert shows how the narrative about "Israel's right to exist" will not go away. He will continue to face attacks for being against Israel and not putting the safety of Jewish Americans first. He affirms that he wants New York City safe for all its citizens. He said that Israel must be a state with equal rights. They see this as insufficient because they want Israel as a "Jewish state" instead of an equal for all country. Israel has been a controversial issue for both Democrats and Republicans alike. Mamdani has faced continuous death threats from Zionists.
Zionists have plotted for set ups since Mamdani's rise.
He will have to face an onslaught of calls of him being a "big giveaway" Democrat.
Apparently we can give our taxpayer money to fund Israel but oh it's problem when it comes to lowering rent and offering affordable transit in the city.
President Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Republicans and several opportunistic agitators will certainly start attacking Mamdani for being a Muslim, a socialist and a supporter of Palestinian freedom.
Pro Israeli extremists are working hard to defeat Mamdani.
Israel is working overtime to hurt him. AIPAC will likely back Adams again.
Adams will earn backing from some Republicans and Democrats. He will also reveal he switched parties. Trust me.
Adams is an independent but originally was a registered Republican before switching to a Democrat in the 2021 mayoral elections. He is the second African American mayor of New York City. He reestablished policies from Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. Adams abandoned the Bill de Blasio policies of community policing and people over surveillance policies.
Adams was a target of Republicans. Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Texas governor Greg Abbott deliberately shipped migrants to New York City to protest immigration policies by former president Joe Biden.
Adams who faced a criminal indictment for corruption had his charges dismissed this year by the Trump Department of Justice. Trump directly told Adams to not stop ICE from apprehending migrants and work with white nationalist Tom Homan.
Adams is pretty friendly with Trump as well as Steve Bannon, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
This also makes it possible. Democrats need backbone. Zohran Mamdani could shake the status quo.
Democrats need to focus on primaring Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and even Gov. Kathy Hochul. We got to stop electing old Democrats. We must stop electing pro Israel Democrats. We must stop being a party of everyone when they aren't working for the benefits of everyone.
Like they are going to listen to a dottering old man with a catheter on his leg.
Donald J. Trump, the 45th/47th President of the United States will be the last person leading this country to back Israel.
The next president will be forced to abandon Israel or the world will abandon the United States.
TRUMP is fuming over the premature ending of the ceasefire he boasted on social media. The Israeli regime started this and the United States agitated with Iran.
"They don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. We have to have Israel calm down because they went on a mission this morning."
Iran is not conceding to Israel or the United States. The conflict is now officially a regional conflict and the beginning of World War III.
You can thank Trump and former president Joe Biden for this chaotic mess.
Trump has spoken to Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu from Air Force One as he made his way to the NATO summit at The Hague. The AP should regard Netanyahu as a Jewish white supremacist who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Netanyahu has refused any ceasefire proposals. He is engaging in these endless conflicts to drive the United States to engage conflict with Iran. It was first about nuclear weapons and now it's about regime change. In reality, Israel wants to expand its borders through war. Israel and the United States are also trying to pillage natural resources from Iran, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Trump is lying about trying to stop this. Because he is fearful of the Israeli Mossad releasing embarrassing things about him, Vice President JD Vance and Republicans.
Trump did not mince words, according to a White House official familiar with the matter. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the private leaders’ call, said Trump was “exceptionally firm and direct with Prime Minister Netanyahu about what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire.”
I'm not stopping.
The official added that Netanyahu understood the severity of situation and acknowledged Trump’s concerns. But like all concerns, Netanyahu ignores them and basically continues to engage in conflict to protect himself from a criminal trial in Israel and extradition to the Netherlands for a trial at the Hague.
Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect. Iran’s state media said its military denied firing on Israel.
Iran “violated it but Israel violated it too,” Trump said. “I’m not happy with Israel.”
Israel and Iran had accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by Trump to end their 12-day war that had roiled the Middle East.
Trump has expressed deep disappointment with both Israel and Iran over the truce he helped broker as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said at the White House.
The president took to his Truth Social platform to warn Israel to end its attacks.
“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION,” Trump posted. “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
Trump and his idiot posse claim Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire.
This is not a game.
President Donald J. Trump cannot be trusted when it comes to his promises.
The president announced there is a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. When there is a ceasefire, Israel is still killing and causing chaos. They will violate it.
Mark my words, Israel will continue.
Trump on Monday said the “12 day war” between Israel and Iran was set to end in a ceasefire, holding out the reported deal as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump posted on social media.
The White House reposted Trump’s announcement with a photo of the president holding a red hat that said “Trump was right about everything” in all capital letters.
A ceasefire would be welcome news for the region and the world. But the situation in the Middle East remains far from stable and it was impossible to predict how longer-term dynamics might be affected. The Israeli and U.S. bombing of Iran certainly has slowed Iran’s ability to enrich nuclear material but it might also have steeled Tehran’s resolve to breakout toward a bomb.
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump’s announcement comes just before he leaves Tuesday for a NATO summit in the Netherlands, where he will likely make the case that his mix of aggression and diplomacy has succeeded. Never shy to suggest he deserves the Nobel Peace Price, Trump went so far as to give the conflict between Israel and Iran the name of the “12 day war,” a title that seemed to reference the 1967 “Six Day War” in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
As Trump described it, the ceasefire would start with Iran and then be joined by Israel 12 hours later, with the president writing that the respective sides would “remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.” The phased-in ceasefire was set to begin at roughly midnight Washington time and culminate within 24 hours.
“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump said.
A senior White House official said Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire. The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks, said Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels.
The White House has maintained that the Saturday bombing helped get the Israelis agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal.
Iran’s foreign minister said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel would, though it’s unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leader, played in the talks. He had said on social media that he would not surrender.
The exact terms of the ceasefire other than the timeline provided by the Trump administration remained to be seen.
On Sunday, the Trump administration had insisted that Iran abandon its program to enrich uranium for possible use in nuclear weapons as a condition of any lasting peace. While the bombings of the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan facilities were a powerful show of force, it remained uncertain just how much nuclear material Iran still possessed and what its ambitions would be going forward.
Vice President JD Vance said in a TV interview just as the ceasefire was announced that the world would look back at the war between Israel and Iran -- and the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities -- as “an important reset moment for the entire region.”
What more damage Netanyahu can do?
Appearing on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” the vice president said the Trump administration hoped that the Iranians had learned an important lesson: If they want to build a nuclear weapon in the future, he said, “they’re going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military again.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on the social media site X an Associated Press headline of the news and wrote that Trump “has accomplished what no other president in history could ever imagine — the obliteration of the Iranian Regime’s nuclear program, and an unprecedented ceasefire between Israel and Iran.”
The ceasefire announcement came after Iran attempted to retaliate for the U.S. assault with a Monday missile strike aimed at a major U.S. military installation in the Gulf nation of Qatar. Trump separately thanked Iran on social media for giving the U.S. and allies “early notice” of the retaliation.
The president expressed hope that Tehran — with its reprisal for the U.S. bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities — had “gotten it all out of their ‘system’” and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war.
“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,” Trump said on social media. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.”
The Iranian attack on U.S. forces at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran’s first act of direct retaliation against the U.S. since Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Leon Panetta, who served as CIA director and defense secretary under former President Barack Obama, said Iran’s restrained response suggests that “their ability to respond has probably been damaged pretty badly.” He also said it’s a potential signal “they’re not interested in escalating the war, either with Israel or the United States.”
Trump said Iran launched 14 missiles at the base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command and was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The base houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of those wars.
The president said 13 of the Iranian missiles “were knocked down” by U.S. air defense systems while one was “‘set free’ because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.”
Hours before Iran launched its attack on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to “shelter in place until further notice.” The Qatari government issued an extraordinary order to shut down its busy airspace.
The attack came as global markets were trying to ascertain what lays ahead after the U.S. struck key Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend with a barrage of 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles.
The financial markets appeared to respond to the tensions with a relative measure of calm, given the possibility that Iran could try to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. But oil prices that had been elevated when the war started between Israel and Iran fell roughly 5% on Monday to $65 a barrel, quickly appearing to erase the risk that the war could cause energy prices and overall inflation to spike worldwide.
Trump earlier Monday called on the U.S. and allied oil-producing nations to pump more oil and “KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN.”
Israel has become one of the biggest road blocks in the Republican and Democratic Parties. Also the age issue is haunting both of the parties. Many of the leaders are old, tired and stuck on 20th Century policies that drive America futher down.
Israel and its allies overplayed the use of antisemitism.
From now on, as long as there is no violence towards anyone practicing Judaism or Islam, I will not hold my tongue when criticizing Israel, Jews, President Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, former president Joe Biden, former vice president Kamala Harris, most members of Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, the Canary Mission, Zionism, colonialism, imperialism, slavery, racism, Christian nationalism and white supremacy.
They are the cause of global instability in the world.
Again, as long as there is no violence towards anyone practicing religious beliefs, there is no antisemitism when criticizing the Jews.
Let's clear up the junk food media's account of Oct. 7. The Israelis used the Hannibal Directive to massacre the settlers to prevent Hamas from taking IDF soliders. The IDF has used the weapons to kill settlers at a festival.
Hamas has been very clear on who they targeted. They targeted the IDF and the walls. They do not target civilians. Israel has exaggerated the way this went down.
They have used American weapons to kill children, women, men, their own settlers, journalists, doctors, humanitarian aid workers, UN peacekeepers and their own IDF soliders. Israel has killed Americans, British, German, Australian, Canadians and French citizens.
Israel censors footage of Tel Aviv being attacked.
No investigations were carried out to why Israel targeted them.
Israel refuses to allow independent monitors into Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
IDF soliders who refuse to carry out orders are often taken out by snipers.
The "hostages" were IDF soliders.
Israel has violated the ceasefire. They are planning on invading Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. They have stopped humanitarian aid and attacked any attempts by volunteers or independent surveyors.
Israel wants the U.S. to start a war with Iran.
The supporters of former president Joe Biden and former vice president Kamala Harris are playing on this "We tried to warn you" nonsense. How can you morally stand on principles of being a progressive and still back fucking Israel?
First and foremost, Americans have a right to vote for whomever they chose.
Second, Harris failed to win over voters. She stuck with former president Joe Biden on the economy, Israel, Ukraine, immigration and inflation. The former president failed to listen to voters and his base.
The former president gave unilateral support and cover. We knew Trump would be worse. We demanded that Biden and Harris put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel to stop killing. We urged them to stop invading other countries. Biden ignored the concerns. The Democrats paid the price.
This shows a lot of "tone deafness" within the Democratic Party.
It is not Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) or the former Biden-Harris supporters' fault for Biden and Harris' missteps. The writing was on the wall, they warned Biden and Harris. Muslim and Arab Americans did not like being ignored.
Those fucking hypocrites sat in silence as Israel is killing men, women and children.
They can fuck themselves.
Israel has killed Americans. No one was held accountable.
The assassination of John F. Kennedy did not bring investigations into his death or why Kennedy never got the Zionist Organization of America (now AIPAC) to register as a foreign agent.
The attack of the USS Liberty did not move Lyndon B Johnson or then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to cut Israel loose.
The dancing Israelis on September 11th in New Jersey doesn't get news coverage. It is looked as a conspiracy theory or an antisemitic attack on Jewish people.
Tel Aviv deserves its fate.
The killing of Rachel Corrie did not move George W. Bush to cut Israel loose.
The deaths of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, Tawfiq Abdel Jabbar, Furkan Doğan, Mahmoud Shaalan, Mohammad Khdour, Omar Assad, Shireen Abu Akleh, Jacob Flickinger and Kamel Ahmad Jawad were never investigated by the U.S. Justice Department.
Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump continue to suck the cock of an Israeli.
Mask off.
Resistance is not terrorism.
Occupation of oppressed people is not peace.
A two state solution is "separate but equal" and a de facto apartheid.
Telling other countries to take Palestinians is ethnic cleansing.
A sovereignty seizing land in a violent conflict is a war crime.
A violent attack on children throwing rocks at tanks is justified in the minds of those who support Israel.
Spitting and shoving Christians, Satanists, non Zionist Jews, Muslims and Hindus is considered a custom in Israel. How is this disgusting act justified?
The double standard in media coverage is the Israelis are hostages and the Palestinians are prisoners. Some of the Palestinians held in Israeli custody are children under the age of 14.
When Russia seized Ukrainian land and Crimea, the U.S. pushed for sanctions.
When Israel seized Lebanese and Syrian land, the U.S. recognized it as Israeli sovereignty. They have actively rejected sanctions imposed on Israel.
When the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian president Vladimir Putin, the United States praised the decision. When it came to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the United States rushed to sanctions and threaten imprisonment for the workers at the ICC.
Tehran still faces airstrikes.
Iran supports the resistance. The U.S. and Israel labels it as an enabler of terrorism and war. Yet, Israel has created the conflicts by forcing regime change, killing their civilians, their scientists, their military generals and their diplomats. No one seems to call this terrorism. In fact, some U.S. lawmakers see it as justifiable offense.
Hamas stated the reasons for the attack on occupation forces. It has nothing to do with the Jewish religion, a concert or Iran.
The IDF has the weapons to destroy everything. All on the American taxpayer, Israel has killed civilians, their own citizens and the status quo.
Holding these lawmakers accountable is not just a pledge, but a promise. You need to learn who represents your community. Your local community member, your school board member, your mayor, your state representative, your state senator, your governor, your U.S. Representative, your U.S. Senator and the president need to be held accountable for their actions.
Israel must be held accountable for war crimes and the U.S. must end its aid. Our taxpayer money should not help Israel any further.
Israel is the red line. If any lawmaker, entertainer, athlete or social media influncer backs the apartheid ethnostate, they will face a boycott.
Regardless of political affiliation, if you are supporting Israel, you are not getting donations or a vote from me.
Americans Are Tired Of The Status Quo.
The Resistance Must Stop Israel!✊️🇵🇸 🇮🇷 🇾🇪 🇮🇶 🇵🇰 🇹🇷 🇪🇬 🇨🇳 🇯🇵 🇪🇸 🇮🇪 🇱🇧
Israel 🇮🇱 Will Be Destroyed. ☠️☠️☠️☠️
This 🇮🇱 And Zionism Will Be Regarded As A Symbol Of Evil In The 21st Century.
I will hold President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accountable.
The call number to the White House and U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police.
Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to", blaming "illegal immigrants" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable. Let them know that you are tired of going to war at the behest of Israel or Urkaine. You want our American military out of the Middle East and every fucking international conflict in the world. You want legislation to focus on ending gun violence, lowering costs, improving healthcare and building relationships with other nations. Let them know that we are tired of police officers using immunity when committing death of suspects in custody. Let them know that you are tired of private equity firms getting away with destroying small businesses and long established companies. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. You are tired of hearing about "Israel having a right to..." and the bogus claims of being anti-Semitic or in support of terrorism.
We have bigger issues at home and our tax dollars should solve the housing crisis, lowering food prices, fixing roads, bridges, helping reinvest in struggling urban and rural communities. We don't want any more wars on behalf of Israel. We have hospitals closing, big box retailers leaving communities and television programs dying. There are bigger issues in the country than Israel. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and legislators avoid influence from lobbyists.
The attempted mass shooting in Wayne, Michigan. It was averted by the church deacon and security officer.
An alleged active shooter intent on attacking a Michigan church on Sunday was shot and killed by a security guard, authorities said.
The attempted shooter was named Brian Browing, a 31 year old white man from Romulus.
Browning was armed with an AR-15-style rifle, more than a dozen fully-loaded magazines, a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, police said.
The shooting unfolded around 11:15 a.m. local time at the CrossPointe Community Church in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, according to the Wayne Police Department.
Law enforcement sources said the suspect drove his Nissan truck into the church and opened fire, ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ reported.
And to think Israel deserves more attention. The United States has its focus on protecting a foreign nation that is committing genocide over its own domestic problems.
We cannot get the fucking assholes in Congress to pass gun reform or legislation to prevent these idiots from massacring Americans.
The alleged active shooter intent on attacking a Michigan church on Sunday was shot and killed by a security guard, authorities said.
The shooting unfolded around 11:15 a.m. local time at the CrossPointe Community Church in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, according to the Wayne Police Department.
Law enforcement sources said the suspect drove his Nissan truck into the church and opened fire, ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ reported.
The Wayne Police Department confirmed on Facebook that the suspect was shot and killed by a security guard at the church. At least one victim was shot in the leg during the attack, according to police.
Police are investigating a Facebook livestream of the CrossPointe Community Church service in which gunshots can be heard as members of the congregation are seen rushing to evacuate the sanctuary.
A bomb-sniffing dog was brought to the scene by the Michigan State Police and a police bomb squad was also brought to the scene, according to officials, but there was no immediate confirmation from police that explosives were involved in the incident.
Children and parents flee as the gunshots are heard.
As police investigated a motive for the attack, the FBI said it was sending agents to Wayne to help in the investigation.
"Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a statement.
The church shooting came during a heightened threat environment across the country following the U.S. attack overnight in Iran that destroyed or severely degraded three of Iran's nuclear facilities, according to White House officials.
Acknowledging the heightened threat environment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that "it is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict."
"The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crime," Noem said.
The attack in Wayne came in the wake of a public bulletin the Department of Homeland Security issued after the U.S. strikes in Iran, warning that "low-level cyber attacks" against U.S. targets "are likely" and that extremists inside the U.S. would be more likely to turn to violence if Iranian leadership calls for such retaliation.
The bulletin further urges the public to report any suspicious activity.
It was not immediately known if the church attack has any connection to the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The attack occurred about a half-hour after Sunday-morning services at CrossPointe Community Church started, according to police.
Officers arriving at the scene quickly evacuated the church after learning that a security guard stopped the attack by shooting and killing the suspect, according to police.
WHITE PRIVILEGE IS REAL! IT'S "SUIT AND TIE" WHITE SUPREMACY ON TELEVISION, RADIO, THE INTERNET AND AMERICAN POLICY!
FOR EVERY BAD COP, THERE WILL BE A DEAD COP!
IF THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO AID ISRAEL, THE WORLD WILL BOYCOTT THE U.S. AND ABANDON THE DOLLAR!
I DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET OR THE COP'S VERSION.
THERE IS NO GOD!
GOD IS NOT FIXING THIS!
FUCK YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!
Trump gave us open season.
These murderers don't have mental illness. They are calculated and prepared. It happened to be a moment where they have the opportunity to take out lives.
There's no sickness in the head. Most mass shooters legally obtain their assault rifles without little background checks. They have likely no criminal history and they are willing to use the assault weapon in the only thing it's good for: Killing numerous lives.
I dismiss this ridiculous notion that criminals are the problem, not the guns.
Firearms are often obtained through legal purchases.
Again, having more security, teachers being armed and offering safe rooms are not solving the problem. The problem is lawmakers not willing to stop gun violence.
According to the far right: White shooters are mentally ill. Black shooters are unrepentant thugs and criminals. Gay shooters are active groomers. Muslim shooters are terrorists. Hispanic and Asian shooters are illegal immigrants. According to the far right, almost all white [or non-white] mass shooters are registered Democrats [or some progressive activist] because they have liked or done one thing common to the left. Of course, they often share or post disinformation by using the "Sam Hyde" meme or make bogus social media platforms with the shooter's image as a way to denounce most mass shooters being white or associated with conservative causes. The far right says a white person should "protect" themselves from thugs, terrorists or protesters. They believe the use of firearms are "justified" if they are protesting or even instigating a conflict. The far right believes if a shooter is a police officer, an active military member, a veteran or a citizen who supports conservative causes, they are considered a "heroes" and use of firearms are justified. If the shooters are teens in urban communities, the far right automatically assumes the gunmen are Black.
The Republicans usually amplify white victims. Anytime a person of color kills a white victim, it is often wall-to-wall coverage on Fox, Twitter and they force it into national news. They make the case to blame Black Lives Matter, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Democrats, Rev. Al Sharpton and rap music for Black on whatever violence. Republican legislators who do not live in urban neighborhoods often troll social media to talk about gun violence or crime in Chicago, Baltimore, Milwaukee and New York City while not doing a damn thing to stop it. If a white person shoots a Black person, the shooter is given the benefit of doubt. White shooters are given glowing profiles about their perfect lives and how friends noticed something but refused to do something. When it comes to Black shooters, automatic vilification. They don't see mental illness. They see it as gang violence, allegedly fatherless homes, Democratic policies or the need for more firearms.
Not a Muslim. Not a Black person. Not a LGBTQ person.
The far right and Republicans exploit gun violence in the Black community for culture wars and racism.
Holding these lawmakers accountable is not just a pledge, but a promise. You need to learn who represents your community. Your local community member, your school board member, your mayor, your state representative, your state senator, your governor, your U.S. Representative, your U.S. Senator and the president need to be held accountable for their actions.
Israel must be held accountable for war crimes and the U.S. must end its aid. Our taxpayer money should not help Israel any further.
Israel is the red line. If any lawmaker, entertainer, athlete or social media influncer backs the apartheid ethnostate, they will face a boycott.
Regardless of political affiliation, if you are supporting Israel, you are not getting donations or a vote from me.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend's social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency. Learn more on the Lifeline's website or the Crisis Text Line's website.
The call number to the White House and U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police.
Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to", blaming "illegal immigrants" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable. Let them know that you are tired of going to war at the behest of Israel or Urkaine. You want Congress and the president to solve the housing and homeless crisis. You want our American military out of the Middle East and every fucking international conflict in the world. You want legislation to focus on ending gun violence, lowering the cost of rent, lowering the cost of food, lowering the cost of hospital visits, improving healthcare and building relationships with other nations. Let them know that we are tired of police officers using immunity when committing death of suspects in custody. Let them know that you are tired of private equity firms getting away with destroying small businesses and long established companies. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. You are tired of hearing about "Israel having a right to..." and the bogus claims of being anti-Semitic or in support of terrorism.
We have bigger issues at home and our tax dollars should solve the housing crisis, lowering food prices, fixing roads, bridges, helping reinvest in struggling urban and rural communities. We don't want any more wars on behalf of Israel. We have hospitals closing, big box retailers leaving communities and television programs dying. There are bigger issues in the country than Israel. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and legislators avoid influence from lobbyists.
I am starting to realize that white men are the most dangerous humans on the planet. They are so locked in this belief that they are the rightful people to control the world and its resources. Damn the others.
The West is on the decline.
The United States and Israel are on the decline.
President Donald J. Trump, former presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden will be ranked among the worst of the 21st Century.
They were literally compromised by a foreign country.
Even former president Barack Obama was compromised by a foreign country.
At least he will be the only president ranked favorably.
Trump will be the last U.S. president to support Israel. Any future presidential candidates will be pushed to denounce Trump, Zionism and Israel. If not, they will continue the status quo.
The greatest danger in the United States is gun violence. The biggest cause of chaos in the world is Israel. A partnership that is based on white supremacy. A perversion of Christian and Jewish religion. A cause and effect that woke the U.S. up.
World War III is here.
If any of these delusional lawmakers and media personalities say that it was the right call, "I got a beach in Alaska" that has luxury sands. Alaska does have beaches but nothing like Florida or Texas.
This is why its important to vote.
Y'all voted for President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance on the illusion they would lower the prices of gas, food and consumer services.
They quickly pivoted from one controversy to another. They flooded the zone as Steve Bannon put it.
They cannot pass the Big Beautiful Bill because its unpopular.
Trump is spending millions on himself and y'all are struggling to pay your bills.
The U.S. dollar is collapsing thanks to the arrogance that Trump, Bush and Biden imposed on China, Iran and the European Union.
Tonight, President Donald J. Trump announced the U.S. had struck three nuclear facilities in Iran.
George W. Bush, Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump will go down in history as the worst U.S. presidents in modern history.
At the behest of Israel, the president bragged about committing a war crime on baseless allegations and fighting words.
Trump has abandoned Make America Great Again. It is Israel First for the president and Congress.
Trump said that Iran’s major nuclear enrichment facilities were “completely and totally obliterated” after the United States dropped bombs on them Saturday night — and warned that American forces would carry out further hostilities if Tehran does not negotiate a peace settlement.
The airstrikes, which targeted the Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan nuclear sites, are the first time the United States has conducted a direct military attack on Iran, and they further escalated a military conflict between Iran and Israel that began on June 13.
Trump's claim about the result of the strikes could not be independently confirmed.
“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy,” Trump said in a nationally televised address from the White House, with Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio flanking him. “Remember there are many targets left. ... [I]f peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”
Trump first announced the strikes in a Truth Social media post at 7:50 p.m. ET.
At the White House, Trump thanked God, the military and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying U.S. officials "worked as a team" with their counterparts in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu, in his first public comments on the U.S. strikes, congratulated Trump for his “bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might” of the American military.
The decision will “change history,” Netanyahu said in an English-language video statement.
In a brief phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker, Trump called the strikes a “great success” and a “complete and total success.”
A gamble by Trump
Trump’s decision to bomb Iran represents a gamble that U.S. military action against Tehran’s nuclear program can remain limited in scope and that the United States will not be drawn into another open-ended war in the Middle East.
Trump and his aides appear to have calculated that the U.S. action did not mean opening the door to a long-term military assault on Iran and that a one-off strike could deal a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Walk the dog. These war criminals are going to drag the world to war.
U.S. military commanders have not yet outlined the possible damage to Iran’s nuclear sites, including a deeply buried facility in Fordo believed to hold enriched uranium and sophisticated centrifuges. If the bombing was less than precise or if Iran moved key nuclear-related hardware, U.S. aircraft could still be ordered back to finish the job.
Even if the bombing raids hit their targets, the decision to attack Iran carries risks and uncertainties.
If Trump’s gamble pays off, Iran’s nuclear capabilities will be set back years and possibly decades. Iran could find itself severely weakened, having suffered a series of devastating blows over the past year from Israel’s military and intelligence operations.
But Iran has a history of striking at more powerful adversaries by using asymmetric tactics, including terrorist attacks. In 1983, Washington accused Iran of using Lebanese Hezbollah militants to carry out lethal bombings of a Marine Corps barracks and the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
With both Israel and the United States bombing its territory and Israel’s government suggesting Iran’s government might collapse, Iran’s political leaders are likely to see the current conflict as a fight for the survival of their regime.
Iran has said it has a right to self-defense if it is attacked, and it could be looking to strike at U.S. bases or embassies in and outside the region. Iran still has ballistic and cruise missiles that it could try to fire at American bases in the Persian Gulf or elsewhere, a scenario the U.S. military has long prepared for.
It’s not clear whether Iran could retaliate with missile attacks on U.S. or allied forces in the Gulf. Israel has managed to intercept many of the ballistic missiles and drones that Iran has fired over the past week, though its air defenses are coming under increasing strain.
Iranian officials could choose a more drastic response by planting sea mines or attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Such a move could cause havoc in the oil markets and the global economy. But it would also disrupt Iran’s own oil exports, depriving the country’s struggling economy of badly needed oil revenue. And it could antagonize other countries that have so far stayed out of the conflict.
Iran had long counted on its proxy forces in the region as a defensive ring to fend off its enemies and deter any possible attack by Israel or the United States.
But its most important ally, Hezbollah in Lebanon, has been devastated by a series of Israeli attacks and assassinations. And in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, Hamas — which Iran armed and trained — has been badly weakened and its leaders have been killed.
But Tehran still has Shiite militias in Iraq and Houthi militants in Yemen that could possibly target American forces, including in Syria.
The New York Police Department said in a statement that it was putting officers at sensitive locations around the city in the wake of the U.S. action.
“We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran,” the statement said. “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.”
Partisan reaction
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., attacked Trump's decision to strike Iran, saying that “the risk of war has now dramatically increased.”
“President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East,” Jeffries said in a statement.
Tommy Vietor, who was a National Security Council spokesperson during the Obama administration, warned of retaliatory attacks by Tehran against the United States.
“Iran might retaliate today, tomorrow or in months. Or a year from now, Iran or its proxies might blow up a bus filled with American tourists in Cyprus,” Vietor wrote on social media. “No one knows what comes next. Bombing Iran started something that we no longer have the capacity to predict or contain.”
Republican members of Congress said on social media that they supported Trump’s decision to bomb the three nuclear sites in Iran.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said, “Good. This was the right call. The regime deserves it.”
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said the attack was necessary. “The prospect of the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons represents the most acute immediate threat to America and our allies,” he said.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas called Trump’s actions “courageous and correct,” and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said the president’s actions show “what peace through strength looks like.”
Iran will break Israel and the United States.
Focus on Fordo site
The facility at Fordo, Iran’s most advanced, is built inside a mountain and believed to be safe from any bomb except the United States’ GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a “bunker buster” weapon.
Trump did not say which type of bombs were used, but it was widely expected that the GBU-57 would be used. Earlier in the day, several American B-2 stealth bombers, which are the only plane that can carry GBU-57 bombs, which weigh 30,000 pounds, took off from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
Trump's turn
NBC News has reported that Trump initially opposed Israel’s taking military action against Iran, favoring negotiations over bombing. But in the days before Israel's strikes on Iran, he became convinced that Israel’s heightened anxiety over Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities was warranted.
After a pivotal June 8 briefing from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, about Israel’s plans and U.S. options for supporting its operation, Trump gave tacit approval for Israel to conduct strikes and for the U.S. to provide limited backing.
Even though many of his MAGA allies have advocated against U.S. military involvement, Trump’s rhetoric about Iran has steadily escalated since Israel’s bombing campaign began.
On Tuesday, he called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” on Truth Social.
Wednesday morning, he said he was still considering U.S. strikes.
“I may do it. I may not do it,” he told reporters outside the White House. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
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