World braces for Iran's response

Presented by Jewish Federations of North America — Plus: Trump, Thune search for megabill unity

MORNING REPORT  MORNING REPORT Monday, June 23 | By Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch   PRESENTED BY Listen and Subscribe: In today's issue: ▪ US awaits Iran's retaliation ▪ Trump, Thune search for megabill unity ▪ DNC wrestles with its financial future ▪ NATO prepares for Trump © The Associated Press | Jose Luis Magana  Trump, world brace for Iran's response The United States and allies are on high alert today for Iran's next move as President Trump defends his decision to enter the Israel-Iran conflict. The president is slated to meet with his national security team this afternoon amid fallout over the U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear sites and a day after hinting at potential regime change in Tehran. "The timing, nature and the scale of Iran's proportionate response will be decided by its armed forces," Iran's United Nations ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said Sunday at an emergency U.N. meeting. Trump's riskiest military decision to date as commander in chief has set off a wave of questions, including over America's geopolitical goals in the Middle East and whether the conflict widens. "I remain hopeful these limited strikes greatly advanced our national security objectives," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Sunday, "but if it is clear this is becoming a wider conflict, we must remember that Congress alone holds the constitutional power to authorize war."  Seven B-2 bombers deployed from Missouri carried out "precision strikes" at three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend in what Vice President Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday amounted to military deterrence to safeguard Americans. "If they decide they're going to attack our troops, if they decide they're going to continue to try to build a nuclear weapon, then we are going to respond to that with overwhelming force," Vance told ABC's "This Week." Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS's "Face the Nation" that the administration "achieved our objective" while leaving the door open to what comes next.  Tehran has dismissed calls for renewed talks with the U.S. During Sunday's emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, Iran denounced the U.S. and Israel while voicing skepticism about the potential for diplomacy. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH? "Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier," Trump said during a Saturday night address in which he celebrated a "spectacular military success." The president warned, "There are many targets left" if Iran does not agree to a satisfactory peace deal. U.S. intelligence has been assessing the extent of the damage from the strikes, particularly at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility buried beneath a mountain. The New York Times reported that U.S. officials concede they do not know the location or condition of Iran's stockpile of near-weapons grade uranium or the state of Iran's overall nuclear program following the weekend bombings. The stockpile of fuel is a significant bargaining chip for Tehran. ▪ The Hill: Satellite images show strikes' impact on Iran nuclear sites  Fears are running high that Iran could retaliate against any of the 40,000 U.S. forces in the Middle East or through other means and targets. A "heightened threat environment" exists because of Trump's order to attack Iran, according to a federal bulletin issued to the public Sunday by the Department of Homeland Security, which warned of potential cyberattacks carried out by Iran or its proxies.  Iran's Parliament has approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian television on Sunday. The shipping route between Iran and Oman is key to the economies of the U.S. and the world and Rubio called on China to help block its closure. ▪ The Hill: Strait of Hormuz becomes flash point in US-Iran conflict Vance — an Iraq war veteran who previously applauded Trump's campaign pledge to keep the U.S. out of wars — during Sunday television interviews discouraged fears of a "long, drawn-out" U.S. involvement. The vice president also argued that his statements that Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities are "significantly degraded" are the same as saying "destroyed." Trump said Iran's nuclear facilities were "obliterated."  Those are assertions that will be reexamined as the impact of Saturday's U.S. bombings becomes clearer.  'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN': Trump, who previously denied wanting to topple Iran's regime, on Sunday seemed to encourage that idea. "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. Isolationist Republicans, who last week were uneasy about the U.S. entering the Iran-Israel war due to recent history, have largely rallied around Trump and the performance of the U.S. military under his command. GOP lawmakers on Sunday warned on talk shows that Iranian terrorists "might" be plotting inside the U.S., and they blamed former President Biden for "four years of open-border" policies.  Democratic lawmakers, wary of criticizing the military for carrying out a dangerous and complex bombing plan, instead pummeled the president for not consulting Congress. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) urged for Trump's impeachment if Democrats win a House majority next year. Seeking help from Russia, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived there for meetings today. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news conference before Araghchi's meeting with President Vladimir Putin that what Russia offers "depends on what Iran needs." Putin's suggestion that he could mediate the conflict was meant to be an indication of Russia's help, Peskov added.  During 10 days of war with Israel and through Sunday, Iran did not receive concrete support from any of its past allies and patrons.  Attacks between Israel and Iran have continued following the U.S. bombings. The Israeli military launched airstrikes on Iranian cities Monday morning from Tehran to Kermanshah in the west. ▪ Bloomberg News: Iran stands alone against the U.S. and Israel. China and Russia offer only rhetorical support.  At the United Nations, Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking Sunday during the second Security Council meeting in three days, rebuked the U.S. for escalating the conflict in Iran. Meanwhile, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the damage to Iran's facilities resulting from the U.S. strikes. Iran told the agency there was no uptick in off-site radiation levels following the U.S. attacks, Grossi said. Smart Take  with Blake Burman NewsNation is told the initial approval from President Trump for Operation Midnight Hammer came Friday afternoon.  You can only imagine what was on the mind of the commander in chief as that was happening. We know of at least one other topic, though: interest rates, as the president continued to rail against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.  When markets open this morning, crude oil will be front and center. It was already up roughly 21 percent over the past month, and that was before Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz.  I'll also be checking out bond yields for potential reaction. The administration hasn't been shy to acknowledge they closely watch the bond market.  Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. 3 Things to Know Today Amid Trump's tariffs, the U.S. is racing to develop alternatives to China's rare earth materials. A newly approved preventive shot could transform the HIV landscape. Only two injections administered a year have been found to be widely effective at preventing the virus from causing infection. In a bid to address an artificial intelligence (AI) crisis at Meta, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has gotten personally involved in recruiting top talent. LEADING THE DAY © The Associated Press | Jose Luis Magana  BIG, BEAUTIFUL UNITY? Trump on Sunday touted the "great unity" among Republicans following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and he called on the party to focus on getting his agenda bill through Congress to his desk. "Great unity in the Republican Party, perhaps unity like we have never seen before," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Now let's get the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill done." Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is aiming to set up floor action on the bill for the middle of this week. But Republican senators and aides are skeptical the GOP will have all the problems in the bill worked out before the July 4 recess, with just a handful of legislative days left. Thune is juggling moderates' concerns over Medicaid and SNAP cuts, and he is under pressure from conservatives to cut the federal Medicaid assistance percentage and to aggressively phase out renewable energy tax credits.  Senate Republicans directed the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to score the cost of extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts as a continuation of "current policy" instead of "current law" so it would not add significantly to federal deficits. The panel, which projects the deficit impact of all tax bills, scored the extension as budget neutral, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports, which dramatically lowers the projected cost of Trump's megabill. The JCT projects tax-related provisions of the Republican bill as adding $441.5 billion to the deficit over the next decade, instead of the $4 trillion that Democrats say would be the projected cost of the tax provisions if they were scored on a "current law" baseline. "Republicans finally showed their hand, and it's completely dishonest. 'Current policy baseline' is a budget gimmick that is nothing more than smoke and mirrors instead of honest accounting," said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee. "This bill will add trillions upon trillions of dollars to the national debt to fund tax breaks for billionaires — while Republicans want everyone to think it adds zero." Meanwhile, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled against a controversial provision in the megabill that would have made it significantly more difficult for courts to enforce contempt findings against the Trump administration. MacDonough ruled that limiting courts' ability to hold Trump officials in contempt violated the Senate's rules governing what can be passed with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track. ▪ Politico: The Senate's parliamentarian late Saturday allowed Republicans to include in the megabill a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state and local AI laws. FOES: Trump's political operation has launched an aggressive effort to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a staunch opponent of the megabill. Trump said Sunday that MAGA should abandon Massie, calling him a "a simple minded 'grandstander' who thinks it's good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon." Speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation," Massie slammed the Trump-authorized strikes against Iran, saying there was "no imminent threat" to the U.S. He quipped on the social platform X that Trump "declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress." ▪ The Hill: There's no clear front-runner ahead of House Democrats' Tuesday vote to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. TARIFF EXTENSIONS: Some Senate Republicans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of deals on tariffs, write The Hill's Alex Gangitano and Al Weaver. The Trump administration has insisted it is in talks with trading partners but has little to show for it ahead of the July 8 deadline, beyond deals with China and the United Kingdom.  "I think they're working very hard on them — I know that for a fact," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). "I think the approach that was taken in the first place creates a lot of complications because it does produce this enormous workload and need for negotiation with an enormous number of countries."  When asked if she is concerned the administration's negotiators are stretched thin, Collins was blunt. "Yes," she said. "Very." ABREGO GARCIA UPDATE: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador, was ordered released from jail on Sunday while he awaits federal trial. The government is expected to quickly detain him. ▪ The Hill: Trump's whittling away at protected places for immigrants has fueled fears among healthcare workers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will arrest patients in or around hospitals.  ▪ The Hill: Mixed feelings come with the resumption of processing and interviews for foreign students after the Trump administration added an expanded requirement for full access to applicants' social media.  ▪ CNN: A federal judge on Friday indefinitely blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to host international students WHEN & WHERE The president will meet with his national security team at 1 p.m. The House will meet at noon. The Senate will convene at 4:30 p.m. CONTENT FROM OUR SPONSOR The Jewish Federations of North America is convening leaders to DC this week to call on Congress and the Trump Administration to take action to safeguard Jews and Israel. Find out more at jfeds.org/sixpointsecurity  ZOOM IN © The Associated Press | Rod Lamkey, Jr. DEMOCRATS UNDER PRESSURE: Democratic National Committee Chair (DNC) Ken Martin is navigating growing turmoil within the party's ranks six months into Trump's term. The committee has been plagued by party infighting that has spilled out into the open in recent weeks, writes The Hill's Julia Manchester. On top of a series of high-level exits, reports have surfaced that the committee is strapped for cash amid donor frustrations. Critics argue that the disunity can be traced back to Martin, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday found 62 percent of Democrats say "party leaders should be replaced."  Others insist it's a reflection of the Democratic ecosystem as a whole.  "Ken Martin is stepping into a really difficult situation right now, and I would say he was elected and they handed him a mop and a bucket," said Brian Lemek, a Democratic strategist and founder and executive director of Defend the Vote. Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) argued that the internal tensions spilling out into the open only serve as a distraction. "I think people need to separate their emotion from the work that needs to be done because the infighting that we're seeing, it's taking our focus off of the bigger picture at hand," Jones told The Hill. Meanwhile, former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg is making it clear he's not going anywhere — whether Democrats like it or not. The 25-year-old gun control activist opted against running again for vice chair after his decision to get involved in Democratic primaries sparked intense backlash. But Hogg has continued to be active on the political scene since then. ▪ The Wall Street Journal: The Texas Republican primary between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton is already a shootout and could hurt Republicans' chances against Democrats. CALIFORNIA DREAMING: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is seeing his name rise toward the top of potential 2028 contenders. The governor has framed himself as a face of resistance to Trump's second-term moves, energizing Democrats and upping his 2028 primary chances in the latest Morning Consult polling. But Democrats also acknowledge Newsom still faces an uphill climb as he handles the end of his tenure as governor and navigates the nation's polarized political climate.  "He's doing really well among Democrats, both in California and throughout the nation. He's getting a boost in 2025," said John Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College in California. "Unfortunately for him, a presidential nomination won't happen until 2028." Former Vice President Kamala Harris is leaning toward entering the California gubernatorial race, sources familiar with her thinking tell The Hill's Amie Parnes. They say Harris is sticking to a self-imposed end of summer deadline in deciding whether to wade into the already crowded governor's race.  "She has a lot of people in her ear telling her that it makes the most sense and she can do the most good," said one source who has spoken to Harris about a potential run.  ELSEWHERE © The Associated Press | Peter Dejong  NATO SUMMIT: Ahead of a meeting this week in The Hague, Netherlands, NATO countries agreed on a statement on Sunday that sets a goal of 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for annual defense spending by 2035. The statement has the approval of all 32 NATO members — though Spain, which had posed objections, got an exemption. But it will only become official when it is approved by leaders, including Trump, on Wednesday.  Trump has long pushed for a 5 percent spending target for NATO members, although he suggested on Friday that target should not apply to the United States. The alliance's current goal is 2 percent of GDP — and here's who is actually paying. ▪ NPR: Ahead of the NATO summit, Europe is uncertain about its old ally, the U.S. ▪ BBC: 32 nations but only one man matters. NATO's summit is all about Trump. GAZA: Israel announced on Sunday that it recovered the remains of three hostages from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the three individuals as Yonatan Samerano, Shay Levinson and Ofra Kedar, saying they were "murdered and taken hostage" during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. ▪ NPR: As Israel recovers the bodies of three more hostages, how many are still in Gaza? ▪ The Guardian: "A shell fell meters away": One man's attempt to reach the new aid distribution hub in Gaza. OPINION Trump's Iran strike was clear and bold. The aftermath could be far messier, by David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post. How Iran might strike back, by Colin P. Clarke, guest essayist, The New York Times. THE CLOSER © The Associated Press | Richard Vogel  And finally … 🏄‍♂️ Hang ten! A furry pack descended on the ocean in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Friday to compete in the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge surf contest. Dogs ranging from 2 to 13 years old — corgis, dalmatians, pit bulls, labradors and more — showed off their skills riding waves to secure a spot in canine surfing history. Check out photos here and here of the good boys and girls gently riding the curl. KTLA-5 has video news coverage here.  Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Kristina Karisch. Follow us on X (@asimendinger & @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends! Privacy Policy   |   View in Browser   |   Manage Subscriptions Sign Up for Other Newsletters   |   Unsubscribe   400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc.   |   All Rights Reserved