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Trump's War in Iran Axios Barak Ravid, Marc Caputo,Zachary Basu
"It was a headfake": Inside Trump's secret orders to strike Iran
President Trump told the world last Thursday that he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to strike Iran.
48 hours later, B-2 stealth bombers were whizzing through Iranian airspace — undetected — on a mission to cripple the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
Why it matters: Trump remained open to aborting the mission if a diplomatic window emerged. But his public countdown doubled as a smokescreen — concealing a strike plan that was already in motion, according to multiple officials.
"It was a headfake," a Trump adviser told Axios. "He knew the media couldn't resist amplifying it. He knew the Iranians might think he was bluffing. Well, everyone was wrong."
"The president wanted to buy time," another adviser said. "He knew what he wanted to do. And he knows he can't look eager for war. So all the folks in MAGA urging restraint gave him some space."
Driving the news: The bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities on Saturday marked the most direct and consequential U.S. military action against Iran since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979.
Trump, who praised the operation as a "spectacular military success," came to the decision to join Israel's war after months of failed diplomacy — and one last secret effort to meet with Iranian officials last week.
Once Trump decided Thursday that a military intervention was necessary, he tightly controlled the administration's messaging and narrowed the circle of people involved in the planning.
Between the lines: As with many moments of geopolitical drama during Trump's two terms, his aides have gone to great lengths to emphasize an image of total command and decisive leadership.
Latest on Elon and DOGE Story by Eric Bradner, CNN
Federal agencies are rehiring and ordering back from leave some of the employees who were laid off in the weeks after President Donald Trump took office as they scramble to fill critical gaps in services left by the Department of Government Efficiency-led effort to shrink the federal workforce.
The Trump administration’s quiet backtracking from the firings and voluntary retirements — which are also paired with new hires to fill vacancies those departures created — come as federal agencies are still implementing their “reduction-in-force” plans as part of a push for spending cuts.
Experts warned that even though the Trump administration has backtracked on some of its efforts to shrink the federal workforce, the rapid rehirings are a warning sign that it has lost more capacities and expertise that could prove critical — and difficult to replace — in the months and years ahead.
“There are time bombs all over the place in the federal government because of this,” said Elaine Kamarck, the director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. “They’ve wreaked havoc across nearly every agency.”
Some government employees’ firings were halted by courts. But other moves to reinstate federal workers come as the Trump administration faces pressure from lawmakers, industries and groups they serve.
JD Vance Appears on Fox News Mere Seconds After Trump Announces Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran: We Got it ‘Across the Finish Line!’
Charlie NashJun 23rd, 2025, 6:53 pm
What's Going on with Trump's Foolish Cabinet
"Trump Builds His 'Central Casting' Cabinet," read the Axios headline in November, two weeks after the 2024 election, noting that president-elect Donald Trump was sequestered at Mar-a-Lago "weighing in on clips of Cabinet and administration prospects' TV appearances" to decide how effective they'd be publicly representing him.
Six months later, we're seeing the stark limits of these made-for-TV selections, and the gap between what works playing to the cameras in reality TV and the fundamental tasks of governing in reality.
This weekend's momentous decision to bomb Iran's nuclear sites offered a striking example of Trump sidelining members of what The Atlantic has called his "Cosplay Cabinet".
Hegseth says the Pentagon has given Trump options for Israel-Iran conflict
Story by TARA COPP, DAVID KLEPPER and AAMER MADHAn
WsshingtonCNN —Tjree controversial nominees faced sharp questions in the Senate during hearings Thursday from Democrats as well as several Republican senators in what amounted to the most direct skepticism from GOP senators over Trump’s nominees to date.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to be Health and Human Services secretary, was pressed on his views on vaccines by GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who said he had “reservations” about Kennedy’s past positions on vaccine safety.
And Tulsi Gabbard, who has been tapped to be the director of national intelligence, faced questions from several Republicans about her views on Russian aggression, US government surveillance and NSA leaker Edward Snowden
AG Pam Bondi Blasts Pennsylvania Rep. Dean In Fiery Exchange Over Trump Pardons, Ethics
Story by Liam Edgar, Tampa Free Press
Kristi Noem hit by vicious dig as she’s told she’s broken the lawStory by Alexander Willis, Raw Story
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says support for Ukraine will be "unwavering" until peace is achieved, at the final day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit
Carney was speaking alongside Ukraine's President Zelensky at the summit in Alberta, Canada
US President Donald Trump returned to Washington last night, skipping planned meetings with the Ukrainian and Mexican presidents today
Activism
Rock Hill
South Carolina
"No Kings" Protest 6/14/2025
Rock Hill
South Carolina
"No Kings" Protest 6/14/2025
Charlotte NC
"No Kings" Protest
6/14/2025
Asheville NC
"No Kings" Protest
6/14/2025
Charleston SC
"No Kings" Protest
6/14/2025
Community
Charlotte was home for me since 2010. Being in Rock Hill is relatively new to me, so I am still learning where to go, what to do, and especially the history.
Let me fill you in...
Lifelong Learning @ Rock Hill (LL@RH) is an inclusive community of adults, age 50+, who share knowledge through unique learning opportunities and local excursions. Each semester, outstanding volunteer instructors offer a wide variety of classes and fascinating experiences for interested adult learners. The only prerequisite is a curiosity to learn!
Following the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, and the 1960 Woolworth lunch-counter sit-ins by North Carolina A&T students in Greensboro, African Americans in Rock Hill took the lead in energizing the civil rights movement in South Carolina. Led by the politically charged student body of Friendship Junior College, the Rock Hill movement signaled a major change in protest tactics by black Carolinians, supplementing traditional legal challenge
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Thirteen people were arrested during two nights of protests in Rock Hill, Thursday and Friday, as community members demonstrated against what they see as excessive force during an arrest.
A viral video posted on social media shows two brothers being arrested Wednesday during a struggle with police officers at a gas station. The video had more than 87,000 views.
The attorney and family of Ricky and Travis Price said the force used by the arresting officers was excessive. June 23, 2021.
Fun in Rock Hill
It's not all protests! Sometimes you can just have fun! I am personally looking forward to the International Festival at St. Anne's! I really want to go to Charlotte for a Drag Show!
Culture
