đŸ”” Trump's Iran Decision

Author

Citizen Frank
June 17, 2025

Good evening. It’s Tuesday, June 17.

President Donald Trump is considering whether to launch a military strike against Iran as he demands the country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “surrender” in Tehran’s conflict with Israel, current and former administration officials told NBC News on Tuesday.

A strike by the United States is one option among a range that Trump is weighing after meeting with his top national security advisors in the Situation Room on Tuesday afternoon, the officials told NBC.

The meeting came hours after Trump warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows “exactly” where he is “hiding.”

 
 

Iran is preparing missiles and military equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East should the U.S. join Israel’s war against the Islamic republic, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing American officials who have reviewed intelligence reports.

The U.S. has sent about three dozen refueling aircraft to Europe that could be used to assist fighter jets protecting American bases or that would be used to extend the range of bombers involved in any possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Fears of the war escalating are growing among American officials as Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities entered its fifth day. If the U.S. joins the Israeli campaign and strikes Fordo, a key Iranian nuclear facility, it could provoke Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen to resume striking ships in the Red Sea, the officials said. They added that Iranian-backed terrorists in Iraq and Syria would probably try to attack U.S. bases there.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday was taken by ambulance to a Washington, D.C., area hospital.

“Secretary Noem had an allergic reaction today. She was transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She is alert and recovering,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

CNN reports numerous Secret Service agents are posted at entrances of the hospital where Noem was admitted.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running for mayor as a Democratic candidate, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Tuesday while attending a court hearing involving illegal immigrants possibly set for deportation.

Lander was forcefully escorted out by federal authorities at an immigration court building in Manhattan. The mayoral candidate was walking alongside an immigrant whose case was dismissed pending appeal in court moments before.

“While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” Lander campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekec said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “This is still developing, and we are monitoring the situation closely.”

A Democrat lawmaker in North Carolina is facing blowback over a photo she posted to social media depicting a beheaded President Donald Trump.

State Rep. Julie von Haefen published a video over the weekend showing a number of images from a “No Kings” protest in Raleigh, including one of a woman holding up a sign with a guillotine and a message that read, “In these difficult times some cuts may be necessary.” On one end hung what appeared to be Trump’s head with a powdered wig. A man’s head with a swastika emblazoned on the forehead hung from the other side.

The Libs of TikTok account on X shared a screen grab of the violent image, calling it “sick” and tagging the FBI. Von Haefen deleted her X account and Libs of TikTok noted the lawmaker reposted her video on Facebook, but edited to remove the execution-themed photo.

Tyler Perry was hit this week with a $260 million sexual harassment and assault lawsuit from “The Oval” actor and screenwriter Derek Dixon.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in Los Angeles, alleges the entertainment mogul promised Dixon career advancement during the time of his “sustained” advances and used his position of power to retaliate when they weren’t reciprocated.

“Mr. Perry took his success and power and used his considerable influence in the entertainment industry to create a coercive, sexually exploitative dynamic with Mr. Dixon — initially promising him career advancement and creative opportunities, such as producing his pilot and casting him in his show, only to subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances,” the lawsuit reads. “These events occurred while Mr. Dixon was employed as a series regular on the Tyler Perry show ‘The Oval,’ and while Mr. Perry held direct control over his employment, compensation and creative opportunities.”

Consumer spending pulled back sharply in May, weighed down by declining gas sales and looming unease over where the economy is headed, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Retail sales declined 0.9%, even more than the 0.6% drop expected from the Dow Jones consensus, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation. The decline followed a 0.1% loss in April and came at a time of unease over tariffs and geopolitical tensions. Sales rose 3.3% from a year ago.

Excluding autos, sales fell 0.3%, also worse than the estimate for a gain of 0.1%.

Reply

or to participate.