Today in Politics, Bulletin 159. 6/26/25

Ron Filipkowski Jun 26 ∙

… Sec of Defense Pete Hegseth gave an unhinged “press conference” this morning where he ranted and raved and angrily denounced the media for publishing a leaked DIA report which contradicted Trump’s assertions that Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely obliterated.”

… This was Hegseth’s second press conference as SecDef, and it followed the same pattern as the first - he conducted it at 8:00 AM ET while a big percentage of the country was asleep, and he came out with Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine to babysit him. I watched Caine’s confirmation hearing in the Senate and all of his briefings and he appears to be the only competent and honest member of this admin. He did not exaggerate the facts in this briefing either.

… Which means that Hegseth did most of the talking, even interrupting Caine when he started to answer why his previous statement about not knowing the extent of the damage were being contradicted by Trump and Hegseth. Reporter: You said final battle damage will take some time. What has changed? Would you use the term obliterated as well? Caine: “I'll refer that to the intelligence community.” Hegseth interrupts: “I explained what changed. There was a great deal of irresponsible reporting.”

… Michael Weiss, editor of The Insider: “Caine's presentation was detailed, precise and useful. But here's the thing: he represents a Commander-in-Chief who has spent years persuading the American people not to trust anything out of an intelligence community depicted as compromised, deceitful and ideologically motivated. Now Trump is desperate for the intelligence community to back up his claims about Iran to the point of getting it to do PR work on his behalf.”

… Hegseth ranted: “You - the press -cheer against Trump so hard! It's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad! You have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren't effective, and manipulate the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful!”

… Hegseth: “How many stories have been written about how hard it is to, I don’t know, to fly a plane for 36 hours. Has MSNBC done that story? Has FOX? It’s irresponsible!”

… Speaking of Fox, their highly-respected chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin asked: Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved? Hegseth responded angrily responded to his former colleague: “Jennifer, you've been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most, intentionally, what the president says.”

… Griffin responded: “I was the first to describe the B2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission with great accuracy. So I take issue with that.”

… Fox’s chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Griffin on air a short time later: “I’d like to say a word about Jennifer Griffin, who was attacked by the Defense Secretary today. An attack she certainly, in my view, did not deserve. Her professionalism, her knowledge, and her experience at the Pentagon is unmatched. And I have then, have had, and still have, the greatest regard for her. The attack on her was unfair.”

… Hegseth: “President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history!”

… Not D-Day. Not SEAL Team 6 taking out Bin Laden. Not Iwo Jima. Not the Manhattan Project. The Iran bombing.

… A minute after the press conference ended, Trump posted on Truth Social: “One of the greatest, most professional, and most ‘confirming’ News Conferences I have ever seen! The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!”

… One minute after that, Hegseth posted a screen-shot of Trump’s post with the caption: “Thank you, Mr. President!”

… It was clear Hegseth’s entire remarks were directed at pleasing his audience of one in the WH. It was also clear he checked Truth Social as soon as he walked away from the podium to see Dear Leader’s reaction. He yelled at the press the whole time and praised Trump constantly, so of course Trump was happy.

… Hegseth hired one of his right-wing influencer buddies on social media to run the official DOD social media account, and he posted this: “SecDef just called out the Fake News: ‘I mean specifically you, the press core, because you cheer against Trump so hard …”

… It’s “press corps”, not “press core”.

… Trump later posted: “FAKE NEWS CNN IS SO DISGUSTING AND INCOMPETENT. SOME OF THE DUMBEST ANCHORS IN THE BUSINESS!”

… He wasn’t done: “FAKE NEWS REPORTERS FROM CNN & THE NEW YORK TIMES SHOULD BE FIRED, IMMEDIATELY!!! BAD PEOPLE WITH EVIL INTENTIONS!!!”

… Mad King Donald kept ranting more: “Rumor is that the Failing NY Times and Fake News CNN will be firing the reporters who made up FAKE stories on the Iran Nuclear sites because they got it so wrong. Lets see what happens?”

… Punchbowl reported that the WH pulled DNI Tulsi Gabbard from the team briefing the Senate on Iran today. The briefers will be CIA Dir Ratcliffe, Sec of State Rubio, Hegseth and Caine.

… Financial Times: “Preliminary intelligence assessments provided to European govts indicate that Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following US strikes on its main nuclear sites, two officials have said. The intelligence suggested that Iran’s stockpile of 408kg of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordow at the time of last weekend’s attack. It had been distributed to various other locations, the assessments found. The findings call into question President Trump’s assertion that the bombing had ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program.”

[BLEACH BLOND BRAIN DEAD KAROLINE LEAVITT...WORSE THAN HER PREDECESSORS...IF THAT'S POSSIBLE!]

… Press Sec Karoline Leavitt was asked about the report out of Europe: "There was no indication to the United States that any of that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strike."

… “Q: Trump revoked security clearances from several former administration officials, including Pompeo, Milley, and Bolton. Given tensions with Iran, is he considering restoring those details? LEAVITT: That's not under consideration right now.”

… Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute to CNN: “Whether the Iranian program was obliterated or severely damaged, the real story is that Trump is looking for an exit because he does not want to be trapped by Israel into an endless war. Israel wanted the US to destroy much more than just the nuclear program. Despite all of this damage, it’s very clear the Iranians are not gonna back off from their insistence that they’ll continue to enrich uranium.”

… Parsi: “Netanyahu was very upset about Trump forcing a ceasefire on him because after finally having succeeded in getting the US into war with Iran, he was hoping the US would keep attacking Iran for some time rather than cutting it short after only one attack.”

I said this exact same thing on my podcast Uncovered yesterday, where we did a deep dive on the top stories of the week which began with a lot of the implications of the Iran bombing and all the lies being told about it by the Trump admin. A link to the show is here.

… CNN: “The preliminary DIA assessment was a Phase III analysis. It was only an initial report, based on roughly 24 hours’ worth of intel gathering. As more intel becomes available, process will repeat before final judgment. Final Phase III battle damage assessments traditionally include a recommendation about whether any additional military strikes are necessary to achieve the commander’s objective.”

… Which is why you wait until everything is in until you declare total victory and give your opponent a ceasefire to recover and regroup.

… Former Trump NSA John Bolton: “The effort to destroy a complex nuclear program involves strategically breaking the nuclear fuel cycle at multiple points. There is still more to be done to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program.”

… Ayatollah Khamenei: “My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing. The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.”

… "The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration. The US has gained nothing from this war. American strikes did nothing significant to Iran's nuclear facilities. The Islamic Republic won.”

… New NBC poll shows that 38% of the American public now agree with the bombing.

… As the Senate closes in on a planned final vote this weekend of the budget reconciliation package to send it back to the House for negotiations (since they are making so many changes to the bill that passed the house), the Senate parliamentarian threw Republicans a major curveball by ruling that many provisions were improperly added to the bill.

… Republicans added in many provisions that would never be able to overcome a filibuster in the Senate as standalone bills, because a budget reconciliation package can go through on a simple majority. But the parliamentarian’s job is to stop those kind of shenanigans, and she did that job today.

… PBS reported on the provisions that were ruled out of the bill by the parliamentarian:

• Medicaid provider tax freeze/cut.

• Some ACA limits, including the proposed end to "silver-loading".

• The ban on transgender care in Medicaid.

• Denying Medicaid to green card holders and other legal non-citizens.

• Penalizing states providing health care to undocumented immigrants.

• Requiring immediate proof of citizenship for Medicaid

• Limiting some non-citizens from ACA tax credits

• Student loan repayment limits.

• Expanded Pell Grants.

• Restricting cost-sharing funding for health insurance that covers abortion services.

… Several Republicans then angrily called for the parliamentarian to be fired. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX): “It is time to FIRE the Senate Parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough. This is not about partisanship, it is about rule of law. She has failed to apply the rules of reconciliation accurately on multiple occasions. Leader Thune should fire her NOW.”

… Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-AL): “The WOKE Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid and advised Al Gore, just STRUCK DOWN a provision BANNING illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens. This is a perfect example of why Americans hate THE SWAMP. Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE. Her job is not to push a woke agenda. THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.”

… Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to CNN: “The parliamentarian is doing her job, and that's just the bottom line. So no, we're not going to throw the parliamentarian under the bus."

… Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) told HuffPost he would not vote to overrule the parliamentarian.

… Politico asked House Speaker Mike Johnson if Senate Republicans should vote to overrule the parliamentarian, which they can do but is highly unusual and very rarely done: “If only that were our decision. The senators have to make that call. I mean, I can make a case for it, but no one's asked me.”

… MAGA Mike - principled and courageous as always.

… Politico asked Senate Maj Leader John Thune if he would fire the parliamentarian or call for a vote to overrule her decisions: “No, that would not be a good option for getting a bill done.”

… Sen. Susan Collins: “People should remember that what comes around goes around when it comes to the parliamentarian. She may rule the way you like one day, the way you don’t the next.”

… So what now? Republicans can strip those provisions of the bill and put them in separate bills (which would be subject to the filibuster rule), or they can try to rework them. But Trump wants the bill on his desk for a big signing on July 4, and that is looking highly questionable.

…. HuffPost asked Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) what the rulings of the parliamentarian meant for getting the bill passed on time. He responded that the ruling was a “big ol’ grenade.”

… Trump on the bill which includes the largest Medicaid cut in US history and raises the deficit according to the CBO by $10 trillion: "We're cutting $1.7 trillion in this bill and you're not gonna feel any of it. Your Medicaid is left alone. It's left the same."

… Trump: "We will deliver no taxes on social security for our great seniors." (That is not in the bill).

Thank you for the questions you submitted for our Ask the Editor video yesterday. Ben chose 3 of your questions and we also discussed some key points on Iran. You can watch the clip here. If you missed the last Bulletin, which was a wild ride, you can find that here.

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… Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “Senate Dems successfully fought a noxious provision that would’ve decimated America’s healthcare system and hurt millions.

This win saves hundreds of billions of dollars for Americans to get healthcare, rather than funding tax cuts to billionaires. The decision protects health care providers like hospitals and nursing homes, and people with Medicaid for the time being, and though Republicans may now seek other options to fund billionaire tax cuts, Senate Dems will fight those like hell too.”

… But an even bigger problem is that House and Senate Republicans don’t agree on key parts of the bill. WaPo: “The Senate has transformed a slew of key provisions from the House-passed version of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a measure that would extend trillions of dollars in tax cuts, spend hundreds of billions on immigration enforcement and defense and cut spending on social benefit and anti-poverty programs. Now to many House Republicans, the legislation looks unrecognizable — and no longer adheres to hard-fought compromises lawmakers in the lower chamber secured just a month ago.”

… “The Senate version includes deeper funding cuts to Medicaid, which some Republicans fear would threaten rural hospitals in their states. It preserves, for now, some Biden-era clean energy credits the House sought to eliminate immediately. And House and Senate Republicans are still negotiating a compromise over raising the limit on how much taxpayers can deduct in state and local taxes (SALT) - a crucial issue for a handful of House Republicans in high-tax states who have threatened to vote against the bill if they don’t get their way.”

… Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) was asked on Fox about the SALT increases pushed by some Republicans in states like NY and CA. He said they should not get any deduction at all for state income taxes paid: "The economies just need to change leadership at the top of those governments in those big blue states."

… Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) to CNN: “It does look like the Senate and the House are far apart on SALT.”

… House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD): “Our red line hasn’t changed. It has to conform to the House framework, and it doesn’t.”

… Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC): “We’re not going to get jammed on this. We’re just not. There’s no reasonable argument of budging off what we sent over there. I had a hard time with that because we could do so much more. But this is our moment. If we fail to seize it, it’s on us.”

… Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who will be in a tough reelection battle next year, told CNN that proposed Medicaid cuts in Senate bill could cost NC $38 billion over 10 years: “That’s a big impact. I don't think anybody believes the current text is final, so I don't believe anybody would vote for it in it's current form.“

… WaPo: “The House-passed legislation would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. The Senate’s version could add far more. The upper chamber’s tax provisions are hundreds of billions of dollars more expensive, and several proposals lawmakers had hoped to use to cut spending and trim the overall cost have been ruled out of order by the Senate’s parliamentarian.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “The provision in the Republican budget that bans states from regulating AI is really extraordinary and deserves way more attention. It's just a gift to the AI industry so that they can speed forward with job killing AI with zero checks and zero protections for workers.”

… Murphy: “The Republican budget is also apparently going to have a slush fund to bail out red state hospitals while allowing blue state hospitals to close because of the devastating Medicaid cuts. Let's call this what it is - a fundamental corruption. A blow to the heart of our 50-state union.”

… HuffPost: “Another brutal poll for the GOP budget bill, this one from Quinnipiac: Just 29% support, 55% opposition. Only 2/3 backing from Republicans, compared to 87% opposition from Ds and 2/3 opposition from independents.”

… CNN reported that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), at hearing on the $9.4B in DOGE-recommended cuts, said DOGE “has been unnecessarily chaotic. In critical corners of the globe, instead of creating efficiencies, you’ve created vacuums for adversaries like China to fill.”

… CNBC: “Tesla sales in Europe fell for a 5th straight month in May. Data published Wednesday by ACEA found that Tesla’s car sales in the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Assn fell to 13,863 units in May, down 27.9% year on year. Tesla’s European market share also dropped to 1.2% from 1.8% in May 2024.”

… Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) was boasting about a new bill he filed to end the very popular (88% favor in one poll) IRS Direct File Program which allowed taxpayers to file their tax returns directly with the IRS and bypass tax-preparer services: “Nobody asked for the IRS to be Americans’ tax preparer, filer, and auditor. The bill puts an end to the IRS Direct File Program.”

… GDP growth was revised downward in the final report out today on the first quarter of 2025. The economy shrunk by 0.5% in Q1. The Golden Age.

… Trump attempted to stop Netanyahu’s corruption trial with a Truth Social post: “I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister! Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land. Anybody else would have suffered losses, embarrassment, and chaos!”

… “Bibi was a WARRIOR, like perhaps no other Warrior in the History of Israel, and the result was something that nobody thought was possible, a complete elimination of potentially one of the biggest and most powerful Nuclear Weapons anywhere in the World, and it was going to happen, SOON! We were fighting, literally, for the Survival of Israel, and there is nobody in Israel’s History that fought harder or more competently than Bibi Netanyahu.”

… Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State. Perhaps there is no one that I know who could have worked in better harmony with the President of the US, ME, than Bibi Netanyahu. It was the USA that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the USA that saves Bibi Netanyahu. THIS TRAVESTY OF “JUSTICE” CAN NOT BE ALLOWED!”

… The Cradle: “Israeli PM Netanyahu asked a Jerusalem court to postpone his testimony in a long-running corruption trial, citing ‘regional and global developments’ and an urgent need to focus on what his legal team described as pressing national security matters. The request comes after US President Trump publicly urged Israel to cancel the case altogether. In a filing submitted by Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad, the court was asked to cancel hearings scheduled over the next two weeks, arguing the premier is ‘compelled to devote all his time and energy’ to Israel’s current wars.”

… Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid: “The president should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country.”

… Simcha Rothman, who chairs the Knesset’s judicial affairs committee: “US interference transforms the image of the State of Israel from a regional and global power into a banana republic.”

… Republicans launched attacks on multiple fronts against Democratic nominee for NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Trump: “It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!”

… Billionaire hedge-fund investor Bill Ackman: “There are hundreds of million of dollars of capital available to back a competitor to Mamdani that can be put together overnight (believe me, I am in the text strings and the WhatsApp groups) so that a great alternative candidate won’t spend any time raising funds. So, if the right candidate would raise his or her hand tomorrow, the funds will pour in. I am sure that Mike Bloomberg will share his how-to-win-the-mayoralty IP and deliver his entire election apparatus and system to the aspiring candidate so that the candidate can focus all of his or her energy on the campaign.”

… Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) sent a letter to AG Pam Bondi asking her to revoke Mamdani’s citizenship and deport him: "He needs to be DEPORTED. Zohran 'little muhammad' Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York."

… Gothamist reported that Mamdani’s opponent Mayor Eric Adams has another scandal: “Consultant Trent Pool is the latest Adams associate facing criminal charges or a high-profile investigation. Pool was charged with strangling and assaulting his girlfriend at the SoHo Grand Hotel. Prosecutors allege he ‘hit her in the face with a closed fist twice, causing her to cry and covered her nose and mouth, until she was going in and out of consciousness” and strangled her.”

… When Adams’ campaign was contacted by Gothamist, a spokesperson stated that Pool has been fired.

… The Supreme Court ruled today that states can exclude Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs. The 6-3 decision rejected a challenge to SC’s expulsion of Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program. It will likely allow other conservative states to similarly expel reproductive and sexual health clinics from their Medicaid programs — shrinking the already narrow network of providers available to low-income patients.

… Defunding Planned Parenthood is a goal of many conservatives, who object to its abortion services. Federal law has long banned federal money from being used for abortions. But Planned Parenthood clinics provide many other health care services that are typically eligible for payment under Medicaid. The ruling will make it easier for states to deprive Planned Parenthood and other clinics that provide abortions from receiving Medicaid payments for any of their other non-abortion-related care.

ANOTHER TRUMP SCAM!

… The Verge: “When Trump Org launched a flagship phone called the T1 Phone 8002 (gold version), one of the phone’s main selling points was that it was to be made in America. We figured that was unlikely to be true. And we were right: sometime in the last several days, the Trump Mobile site appears to have been scrubbed of all language indicating the phone is to be made in the USA. (Like, for instance, the huge banner on the homepage that says the T1 is ‘MADE IN THE USA.’ Just to name one example.)”

… “Instead, the Trump Mobile website now includes what can only be described as vague, pro-American gestures in the direction of smartphone manufacturing. The T1’s new tagline is ‘Premium Performance. Proudly American.’ Its website says the device is ‘designed with American values in mind’ and there are ‘American hands behind every device.’ Under Key Features, the first thing listed is ‘American-Proud Design.’ None of this indicates, well, anything. It certainly doesn’t say the device is made in the USA, or even designed in the USA. There are just… some hands. In America.”

… Fox: “The House is working on bill to deport any noncitizen who has been convicted of DUI.”

… Interior Secretary Doug Burgum: “President Trump and I have approved 44% MORE federal drilling permits compared to previous administrations over the same time period. Promises made, promises kept in this administration!”

… RFK Jr was on Fox today. “Q - On the issue of fluoride, what has been the response from dentists who may be concerned that some children in lower incomes may not get preventative care? RFK JR: It is an issue. It's a balance. You're gonna see probably slightly more cavities.”

… DHS released a statement that Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old citizen of Canada, died while in ICE custody. He was being held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami. His was found unresponsive and his cause of death is being investigated.

… NATO Secretary-Gen Mark Rutte sought to clarify a comment he made in a press conference with Trump referring to him as “daddy”, which has resulted in MAGA exuberance that the NATO leader was supposedly bowing down to their cult leader: “The daddy thing, I didn’t call him ‘daddy.’ What I said is that sometimes, in Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, ‘Hey, Mark, will the US stay with us?’ And I said that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, ‘Hey, are you still staying with the family?’ So in that sense, I used ‘daddy’ - not that I was calling President Trump daddy.”

… Trump started selling tee shirts today about it.