A New War Begins, Israel Attacks Iran's Nuclear Sites
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Chart of the week: More than 50% of all public schools in Washington D.C. are charter schools, the highest percentage in the country. This is followed by Arizona (24%), Florida (17%), and Colorado (14%).
Minnesotan politician and spouse murdered: Two Minnesotan politicians and their spouses were gunned down, leaving one couple dead and the other couple seriously injured. Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota State Representative for 20 years, and her husband Mark were shot and killed in their home. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, sustained multiple gunshot wounds but survived. Both lawmakers were Democrats. The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, was tracked down and arrested alive after a two-day manhunt. During that time, he drove to another politician's house, knocked on the door, and yelled, “This is the police. Open the door. We have a warrant!” But the family was not home. MN Governor Tim Walz called the attack a “political assassination” and the District Attorney said it was “carefully planned.” Boelter also had a list of the names of dozens of other state and federal officials (press conference after suspect caught).
Artificial food dyes: Kraft-Heinz announced it will remove artificial dyes in all their products, as well as new products, by 2027. The same day, General Mills said it will eliminate all artificial dyes from U.S.-based cereals and all its food served at K-12 schools across America by the summer of 2026. The news is a welcome sign for Robert F Kennedy Jr., whose department (Health and Human Services) has been pushing for such reforms across the board.
A woman who was diagnosed as brain dead and on life support since February delivered her baby this week in Atlanta, Georgia, via C-section. The baby, named Chance, weighed 1 lb and 13 oz and is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit. According to reports, the hospital decided to keep the mother, Adriana Smith, on life support due to the Georgia law which makes abortion illegal after a heartbeat is detected. The medical team kept Smith alive while the baby developed enough to perform a C-section. “He’s expected to be ok,” the baby’s grandmother told a local news outlet. "He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him." The mother of the baby, a 31-year-old nurse, was taken off life support on Tuesday following the delivery.
The Department of Homeland Security directed ICE agents to resume their immigration raids on farms, hotels, restaurants, and other workplaces, reversing a short-lived pause pushed by President Trump. In the wake of the protests in Los Angeles and more pressure over his Administration’s immigration policy, Trump had briefly signaled he wanted workplace arrests to stop because they were hurting American farmers and other employers. ICE is under pressure from the Administration to get daily arrests of undocumented immigrants up to 3,000 (from current levels of about 2,000).
More: The WSJ reported that in late May, President Trump was frustrated that deportation levels were not higher. In a closed-door meeting, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, reportedly told ICE officials to “just go out there and arrest illegal aliens.”
Trump military parade: President Trump hosted a military parade in Washington D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. June 14th also coincided with the president’s 79th birthday as well as flag day. The parade included 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters. The event cost between $25 and $45 million according to the military. During his remarks, Trump emphasized that “the United States of America will always have the grace of Almighty God and the iron will of the United States Army.” (highlights of parade)
Israel Attacks Iran’s Nuclear Sites, A New War Begins
Some context: how it began
Last week on Thursday, Israel launched a series of large strikes on Iran targeting their nuclear base, top-end scientists, and military officials. Following the beginning of what’s been dubbed “Operation Rising Lion,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that “Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time...This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival.”
Netanyahu says the operation could last for weeks until the goal of destroying Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missile production is complete.
For years, Iran has waged a proxy war with Israel through various groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. However, last year (2024) marked the first time the two countries began directly attacking each other.
For the past 8 days, the two countries have exchanged continuous missile attacks. An Iranian missile hit a suburb of Tel Aviv, as well as Soroka Medical Center, the largest hospital in southern Israel where around 80 people were injured. At the same time, Israel has targeted and hit several nuclear sites in Natanz and the unfinished nuclear reactor called Arak.
Israel has also dominated the sky dismantling much of Iran’s air-defense system and flying at-will over the capital city of Tehran. It also allows Israel to shoot down Iranian missiles immediately after they are launched.
The high financial costs
The cost of the airstrikes is an important piece to the puzzle as experts say Israel is spending upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars every single day. Interceptor missiles that are used to shoot down attacking strikes, cost roughly $200M each day. And to date, building and damage repairs in Israel are estimated to be at $400M. There are not endless resources so Israel is likely trying its best to accomplish their mission in under a month.
Trump says U.S. could strike within two weeks
While President Trump and his Administration were clear to note that they were not part of the initial strikes targeting Iran last week, both tone and action have changed in recent days with Trump saying he has “approved” military plans to join in alongside Israel's efforts to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
In addition, U.S. military warships and aircraft have surrounded the sea in the Middle East and Iran in preparation for further defense of Israel or even direct U.S. involvement. According to reports, only the U.S. has the military capabilities to take out the deep rooted Iranian nuclear site under the mountains called the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. It currently remains intact and would require use of bunker buster bombs to be destroyed.
President Trump said he will decide whether to strike Iran in the next two weeks while he gives space to see if Iran agrees to abandon their nuclear program altogether.
Dive deeper: Independent journalist, Ken Klippenstein, writes, “Trump Secretly Greenlit the Iran War.”
Learn about Iran
Officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country otherwise known as Persia, has a population of just over 90M people, 99% of which are adherents to Islam. Iran’s political system consists of a parliament, president, and a clerical/religious Supreme Leader. For much of the 20th century, Iran was a highly-developing, largely secularized nation. Iran was ruled by a king and had diplomatic and friendly ties with the U.S. and Israel.
Much of this changed with the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when the country overthrew its king, who was pro-American. The revolution brought an end to the former monarchy and ushered in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with Ruhollah Khomeini as its religious and political Supreme Leader.
Why is Iran a foe of Israel and the U.S.?
Iran’s animosity toward the U.S. dates back many years, and was shaped in large part by a few events:
1953 Coup: The U.S. (CIA) and Britain (M6) helped orchestrate a coup to overthrow Iran’s newly elected leader and replace him with the son of the former king of Iran.
1979 Iran Hostage Crisis: In the wake of the Iranian Revolution, the U.S. granted asylum to the former king of Iran. In response, more than 50 American diplomats and civilian personnel were held hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The standoff lasted more than 444 days.
1980-1989: The U.S. supported Iraq in its nearly decade-long war against Iran.
When Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1979, its stance toward Israel turned hostile as well, underpinned by deep religious and political opposition. Iran’s leaders viewed Israel’s control of much of Palestine since 1967 as oppressive and unjust.
The strong alliance between the U.S. and Israel means the Iranian government’s hatred of the two countries are linked. Iran’s former Supreme Leader Khomeini was known to call the United States the “great Satan” and Israel the “small Satan.” He is also quoted saying, “The clearest manifestation of the Jewish–Christian conspiracy against Islam was the establishment of Israel by Western imperialism in order to oppress the Muslims."
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