Word

 

Iran - Israel

According to CNN US intel suggests that Trump's attack did not destroy Iran's nuclear sites and likely ONLY set the program back by 'months'. 

NBC News -  Israel has accused Iran of what it described as a “severe violation” of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire — a charge Iran denies. Speaking to reporters early Tuesday morning, Trump acknowledged that both Iran and Israel violated the agreement and warned Israel against launching another attack on Iran in a post on Truth Social.

The precarious truce was reached earlier when Israel and Iran said they had agreed to a ceasefire proposed by Trump nearly two weeks after Israel first launched airstrikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his country had achieved "all of the objectives" of its military operations in Iran and therefore accepted the terms of the truce. Iranian state media acknowledged the start of the ceasefire early Tuesday local time. 

Trump announced a "complete and total ceasefire" on social media yesterday afternoon and said when it took effect "the war will be considered ended." In an exclusive phone interview with NBC News' Yamiche Alcindor, Trump said the ceasefire would last "forever." Asked whether the war was completely over, Trump said, "Yes. I don't believe they will ever be shooting at each other again." 

A diplomat briefed on the talks said the agreement was the result of negotiations by Trump, Vice President JD Vance and top Qatari officials who took the proposal to Iran. Earlier, Iran launched a retaliatory strike on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where thousands of U.S. troops are stationed. No casualties were reported. Experts said the strike appeared to be designed to avoid triggering a massive escalation with the U.S, experts and former officials said. 

The 12 days of strikes between Israel and Iran have killed at least 400 people and injured 3,000 in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry, while Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel have killed at least 24 people. 

The Guardian -  When Donald Trump ordered the US military to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend, the debate among intelligence officials, outside experts and policymakers over the status of Tehran’s nuclear program had largely been frozen in place for nearly 20 years.

That prolonged debate has repeatedly placed the relatively dovish US intelligence community at odds with Israel and neoconservative Iran hawks ever since the height of the global war on terror.

For nearly two decades, the US intelligence agencies have concluded that while Iran has a program to enrich uranium, it has never actually built any atomic bombs. It is an assessment that has been at the core of their intelligence reporting on Iran since at least 2007. This has led to constant debates over the years over the significance of Iran’s uranium enrichment program versus “weaponization” or bomb-building.

Israel and the Iran hawks have repeatedly said that the debate over enrichment versus weaponization is not significant, because Iran could build a bomb relatively quickly. But Iran suspended its weaponization program in 2003 and hasn’t tried to build a bomb since; it’s been clear for decades that the Iranian regime has seen that its own interests are better served by maintaining the threat of having a nuclear weapon rather than actually having one.

 

Medicaid

CALL TO ACTIVISM  - Mike Johnson says "We are not cutting Medicaid. We're strengthening the program.” The House literally  just voted for their budget with cuts Medicaid for 11 million people. Every American needs to know this

Word

 

Heat

 NY Times - The heat dome that is scorching more than 90 million people across the United States this week also threatens to deliver polluted air, something that scientists say is a growing problem on a warming planet.

Researchers are increasingly worried about the twin health hazards of extreme heat and pollution, which can amplify each other. As climate change drives up global temperatures past record levels, the frequency of days when it is both hot and polluted has also been increasing.

“We’re in the middle of a bad air quality summer in a lot of the country,” said Joseph Goffman, who led the Office of Air and Radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency during the Biden administration. “And now it’s more likely than not that we’ll see summers like this in the coming years.”

Several factors are converging to amplify health risks during sweltering days. Extreme heat can trap polluted air in place, so it does not dissipate. Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and intense, pumping smoke into the atmosphere and contributing to the reversal of a decades-long trend of air quality improvement in some parts of the United States.

 

Travel

Study Finds 

• 94% of Americans traveled domestically in the past year while only 28% traveled internationally, with 30% of domestic travelers feeling nervous about going abroad
• Top travel anxieties include potential delays and cancellations (42%), means of travel (40%), and current government policies (40%)
• Only 10% bought travel insurance on their last trip, but 65% are now considering it for their next trip, with 32% calling it their go-to travel hack

 

Word

 

Abortion

 Axios - The number of abortions in the U.S. continued to rise last year, despite state-level bans and restrictions enacted since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

• U.S. abortions totaled 1.14 million in 2024, the largest number in recent years, Axios' April Rubin reports.
• Most abortions still occur in person, but the use of telehealth for the procedure is growing rapidly, according to the Society of Family Planning.

Environment

 EcoWatch -  New research has found that 18 percent of private wells sampled in Pennsylvania exceed the maximum contaminant levels for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Of the wells sampled, 65 percent had detectable levels of PFAS, and almost half contained several of the chemical compounds.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) conducted a three-year study with data provided by citizen scientists on the levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” in 167 private wells in the state, a press release from Penn State said.

“Due to limited regulation of private wells, individuals who rely on wells as a potable water supply frequently face significant challenges in ensuring safe drinking water. Widespread occurrences of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater increase these challenges and pose additional threats to public health,” the authors of the study wrote.

 

Trump’s empire of lies and loot

Hartmann Report -  People wonder out loud why the Trump administration would lie to us so frequently and so egregiously when the truth is so obvious. Just in the past few days:

— Cosplay Kristi claiming that Senator Padilla was “lunging” at her.
— JD Vance proclaiming that Los Angeles is filled with “rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor.”
— DNI Director Gabbard telling Congress under oath that the intelligence community does not believe Iran is building a nuke, then saying the opposite to the public on social media.
— Republican congresspeople and the Speaker of the House repeatedly promising that their billionaire-tax-cut legislation won’t cut Medicaid as they revive Reagan’s lie that tax cuts for the morbidly rich will help out average working people.
— Stephen Miller’s wife claiming that “The number [of fraudulent Social Security claims] is 40 percent” when in fact it’s so small as to be functionally meaningless.
— Trump attacked Iran despite that country posing no threat to the US whatsoever.
— ICE claiming the father of three Marines that they beat to the ground and pounded on was trying to attack them with a Weedwhacker, when in fact video shows no such thing.

The dirty little secret about fascism, authoritarianism, or whatever else you want to call the form of government Trump’s trying to impose on the United States is that it’s not even remotely legitimate governance on behalf of We the People but instead is merely a setup to steal everything that’s not nailed down.

Trump himself, after all, has already made at least a billion dollars off his presidency in just the first five months, his son Barron just made at least $40 million, and his other sons are cashing in on deals with foreign governments that run into the billions. It’s a haul worthy of Midas — or Putin. More 

Money

 USA Facts

• In 2024, the US produced $29.2 trillion in goods and services, with $24.3 trillion (83.3%) coming from services and $4.9 trillion (16.7%) from goods. 
  
  
• These financial figures are called “value added,” aka what these sectors contribute to the economy. (Read the article for more on how value added is calculated.) 
  
  
• Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing accounted for $6.2 trillion (or 25.5%) of all service-based value. Professional and business services followed ($3.8 trillion), followed by educational services, healthcare, and social assistance ($2.5 trillion). 
  
  
• Goods production is, of course, still crucial to the economy. The nation’s goods-producing industries are agriculture, mining, construction, and manufacturing. Manufacturing alone accounted for 59.8% of all US-produced goods, generating $2.9 trillion.
  
  
• The top goods by value added were chemical products ranked first at $575.2 billion, then food, beverage, and tobacco products ($350.1 billion). Computer and electronic products ($308.3 billion) were third.

 

Can the president constitutionally declare war?

NPR -  Article I gives Congress the power "to declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water." Article II, meanwhile, designates the president as "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States," giving the executive authority to direct the military once conflict has been authorized.

"I think it's pretty clear that the framers thought that any time we were going to be making the decision to go to war with another country, that was going to be a decision for Congress," says Rebecca Ingber, a law professor at Cardozo Law School in New York.

Yet presidents have long sent U.S. forces into combat without a formal declaration of war. As an early example of this, Stephen Griffin, a constitutional law professor at Tulane Law School, points to the Quasi War, a limited naval conflict between the fledgling U.S. and its erstwhile Revolutionary War ally, France. It took place at the end of the 18th century but there was never any formal declaration of war between the two countries.

That trend accelerated after World War II, driven by a combination of new military technologies and evolving global institutions.

"The creation of the atom bomb changed the game," says Griffin. In the early republic, communications were slow and military deployments took months. After 1945, however, "things were speeded up," Griffin notes. "You would need sometimes an instant response."

He also points to the influence of the United Nations, which the U.S. helped establish in 1945. The U.N. Charter prohibits the use of force by member states except in self-defense or with Security Council approval. Even in the U.S., that framework helped shift legal discussions away from formal declarations of war and toward concepts like "use of force," he says.

Critically, Griffin says, the Constitution doesn't require Congress to issue a formal declaration of war. What matters is legislative approval — such as an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF). "The constitutional requirement is about legislative approval," he explains, "not literally picking up a document that says, 'Declaration of War' and signing it."  More

 

Immigration

Supreme Court Allows Rapid Deportations to ‘Third Countries’

ICE

 The Guardian -  In the public consciousness, Ice has become defined as Trump’s personal rogue agency doing his bidding regardless of accepted norms and laws. They have become a kind of domestic enforcer for Maga’s agenda, rounding up “illegals” and deporting what they say are criminals to El Salvador, to face justice in a place without trials. When Trump promised “retribution” in the lead-up to his second presidency, activists say these are now the soldiers carrying it out.

Many people have wondered, is this DHS and Ice mandate even legal? Answers to that are varied, aspects of which are being argued over in courts, but in theory, the marriage of a national police force with local policing should have boundaries....

Protests over mass Ice roundups in LA, led to Trump sending 4,000 national guard troops (against the wishes of the state) and deploying 700 active-duty marines. California has taken the Trump administration to court over what it sees as the unlawful deployment of the national guard to counter protests even the Los Angeles police department characterized as mostly under control.

“The concerns that animated the protest of federal actions inevitably will spill over to local police when demonstrations take place,” said Fagan. “Keeping them separate will become increasingly difficult as the federal immigration campaign grows wider and deeper.”...

Facing up against Ice has equally become a Democratic and leftwing rallying cry and all over the US, opposition to the raids have grown from the grassroots. Some polls show the deportations have become a toxic circus for Trump and the Republican party. 

Best states for outdoor activity

SmileHub -  With the official beginning of summer encouraging millions of Americans to enjoy the warmer weather and longer hours of sunshine, the non-profit organization SmileHub today released new reports onth e Best States for Outdoor Enthusiasts in 2025 to help people find the best organizations and locations for their well-being.

To highlight the best states for outdoor enthusiasts, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states based on 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from air pollution to outdoor gear stores per capita to the economic impact of outdoor recreation.

Best States		Worst States
1. Montana		41. Nebraska
2. Alaska		42. Rhode Island
3. Colorado		43. Illinois
4. Washington		44. Alabama
5. Utah		45. Nevada
6. Vermont		46. Kansas
7. South Dakota		47. Arkansas
8. Maine		48. Kentucky
9. Wyoming		49. Oklahoma
10. Oregon		50. Mississippi

Key Stats

• Maine has the highest share of forest coverage – 47.7 times more than North Dakota, which has the lowest share.
• Hawaii has the least air pollution – 3 times less than California, which has the most air pollution.
• Utah has the lowest share of adults reporting no leisure-time physical activity – 2 times lower than Mississippi, which has the highest share.

View the full report and your state’s rank,

Trump regime to dump forest protection

Axios - The Agriculture Department plans to rescind longstanding protections for large forest areas, a 2001 policy called the "roadless rule."

• The big picture: Withdrawing the rule will end "prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on nearly 59 million acres of the National Forest System, allowing for fire prevention and responsible timber production," USDA said.
• The other side: The Center for American Progress, one of many green groups to bash the move, said the move would "shamelessly offer up some of our most treasured national forests for drilling, mining, and timber." WaPo has more.

Word

Iran - Israel

NBC News -  Iran's military said it targeted America's Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar with a "devastating and powerful" missile attack today in retaliation for the U.S. attack on three of Iran's nuclear facilities, according to a statement from the IRGC published by Iranian-state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. "The recent attack on the American airbase targeted the headquarters of U.S. Air Force Command," a strategic military asset belonging to the U.S., the outlet reported. 

The Guardian -  Israel’s strike – and the US’s – on Iran cannot be justified under international law’s self-defence doctrine. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, rightly warns of catastrophe in the Middle East, urging diplomacy as the only solution. Yet Mr Trump walked away from the Obama-overseen deal that slowed Iran’s programme, and now has struck Iran when it sought negotiation despite Israel’s attacks. Sir Keir Starmer, too, called for de-escalation and negotiation, though he backed the US strike. The US did not request British assistance – but the fear remains that European powers may be drawn into another criminal and disastrous war in the Middle East.

In rejecting diplomacy and choosing war, not only in breach of international law but at the behest of a country pursuing annihilation in Gaza, the US has delivered a resounding blow to the architecture of global affairs. It has signalled that countries that negotiate (Iran) face stark consequences, which those which rush to own the bomb (North Korea) can avoid. Its embrace of pre-emptive strikes is handy for Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and any leader who might want to carry out their own. Even if the immediate crisis in the Middle East can be contained, the cost of this reckless act may not be fully felt or comprehended for decades.

 Axios -  Senior Trump administration officials are conceding that "they did not know the fate of Iran's stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium," The New York Times' David E. Sanger writes. "That stockpile of fuel is now one of the few nuclear bargaining chips in Iranian hands."

There's growing evidence, Sanger writes, that "the Iranians, attuned to Mr. Trump's repeated threats to take military action, had removed 400 kilograms, or roughly 880 pounds, of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. That is just below the 90 percent that is usually used in nuclear weapons."

U.S. historian Timothy Snyder:

1. Many things reported with confidence in the first hours and days will turn out not to be true.

2. Whatever they say, the people who start wars are often thinking chiefly about domestic politics.

3. The rationale given for a war will change over time, such that actual success or failure in achieving a named objective is less relevant than one might think.

4. Wars are unpredictable.

5. Wars are easy to start and hard to stop.

 

War history

Matthew Travi:

Bush 1 (R) - Gulf War

Clinton (D) - No Wars

Bush 2 (R) - Iraq War

Bush 2 (R) - Afghanistan War

Obama (D) - No Wars

Biden (D) -No Wars

Trump (R) - Iran War

Anyone Not seeing the trend here?

Meanwhile. . .

Gavin Newsom - 7 active wildfires burning in California right now. Trump pulled over half of the state’s National Guard fire crews off their jobs. They’re literally sitting around in L.A. doing nothing

Cities With the Highest Risk of Lead Paint Exposure

Polling