No, Iran Didn’t Say That

“When I came to President Trump, I told him, ‘We are going into Iran. I did not ask permission. I simply informed him.’” Those were Netanyahu’s words during a speech on Wednesday at the Muni Expo conference for local officials in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu also said he was told, “This is impossible,” and “not to do this.” But Israel, knowing Washington has historically backed them no matter what, and that any escalation in Iran would put American forces in harm’s way, knew full well this would drag the U.S. into the war. The U.S. is no victim, though, or innocent bystander; it decided to fund Israel’s military campaign, genocide and all. In extended remarks, Netanyahu discussed his military achievements, saying Israel went “out into the arena, to initiate, to attack,” adding that “the most important thing we did” in the recent conflicts “was break the barrier of fear.” So Israel

The United Nations published a horrifying report detailing the wholesale slaughter of Palestinian children by the Israeli military. The numbers are shocking and the stories are a nightmare. You’ve been warned. The report estimates that at least 20,000 children have been killed and 44,000 wounded between October 7, 2023 and October 7, 2025. This accounts for 30% of the Palestinian casualties, and the rate may be higher because of the estimated 5,160 children that are still “buried under the rubble.” The children that were wounded are often wounded for life and will require medical care that is not available in Gaza. The report says that they have suffered from what is medically known as “polytrauma,” or “multiple traumas impacting multiple body parts at once, such as bone fractures, significant soft tissue damage, brain and spine injuries, nerve and organ damage and perforating wounds.” Doctors reported what

The Senate finally found its backbone on Tuesday, voting to limit President Trump’s ability to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization. How brave. Not before the bombs fell. Not before the world held its breath waiting to see whether the conflict would spiral into a regional war. Not before lawmakers spent weeks cheerleading military action and wrapping themselves in the flag. Only after the administration signed a memorandum of understanding and signaled that a diplomatic framework was taking shape did enough senators decide it was safe to take a stand. The measure passed 50-48, with four Republicans joining Democrats to support the resolution. Further, it is a toothless, non-binding concurrent resolution that lacks legal force and does not require presidential action to remove U.S. forces from Iran. The vote is being hailed as Congress reasserting its constitutional war powers. Critics might call it something else: a

President Trump is threatening to sue The New York Times after it published a piece titled, “What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much.” Trump’s response? He accused the newspaper of publishing “FAKE & MADE UP ‘FACTS,’” called its reporting “TREASONOUS,” and vowed to add the story to his multibillion-dollar lawsuit, declaring, “They are Criminals.” In another post, he insisted the operation was a complete success, writing: “Their Military is DONE, their Navy is GONE, their Air Force is GONE, their Launching Pads, Missiles, Drones and Manufacturing of same, is almost GONE.” Trump says The New York Times is spreading falsehoods, but how accurate are his own statements? If Iran’s military and navy were truly destroyed, why wasn’t the U.S. able to take control of the Strait? And if all of Iran’s defenses were supposedly eliminated, then why did Washington sign an agreement that favors Iran? Judging by the 14-point memorandum, it

What if simply typing an address into Google was enough to put you on a federal watch list? That’s essentially what happened after newly unsealed court records revealed that the Justice Department ordered Google to identify 311 users who searched for the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National Committee headquarters during the first five days of January 2021. The demand was made because pipe bombs were discovered outside the RNC and DNC headquarters. According to Google’s own legal challenge, the warrant swept up ordinary citizens, party volunteers, journalists, and anyone else who happened to search for a committee’s street address or contact information. Google argued the request was “grossly overbroad” and amounted to the kind of general search the Fourth Amendment was designed to prevent. Apparently, constitutional protections stop at the search bar. Citing United States v. Grubbs, the judge ruled that Google had no legal standing to

Iranian leaders say that a framework for a peace deal was made over the weekend in Switzerland and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will be lifted during the 60-day negotiation period. In a joint statement, leaders from Pakistan and Qatar said that “encouraging progress has been made including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks.” In other words, this is not a final peace deal. It is an agreement to keep negotiating toward one, with a target of reaching a final settlement within two months. The statement says that “the mediating parties will continue to do their utmost to ensure that the negotiations continue to be conducted in a constructive atmosphere with the aim of reaching a final deal.” A constructive atmosphere may be easier said than done. On Sunday, President Trump threatened to “hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last