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Flaring Iran nuclear crisis provides first major test for pivotal Trump trio

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A trio of key Trump administration officials — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt — are in the midst of facing their first major foreign policy test in their high-profile admin roles after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran and President Donald Trump weighs involving the U.S. in the conflict.
The trio ascended to their roles with widespread fanfare among many MAGA conservatives, though many critics just months ago questioned if their prior careers prepared them for what was to come. The current flaring tensions with the Islamic Republic could be the final arbiter of which side was correct.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Fox News / The Will Cain Show)
«President Trump leads from the front, and he has assembled a highly-qualified, world-class team that has helped him achieve numerous foreign policy accomplishments this term,» White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox Digital on Wednesday when asked about the trio’s test on Iran. «The American people trust the President to make the right decisions that keep them safe, and he has empowered his team to meet the moment and advance his foreign policy goals.»
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Secretary Hegseth was one of Trump’s more controversial nominees among critics, as Democrat lawmakers and left-wing pundits slammed Hegseth as unqualified for the job.
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«This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to serve in combat. And not about whether or not you are qualified to be secretary of defense,» Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in January. «And let me just say that the American people need a secretary of defense who’s ready to lead on day one. You are not that person.»
«Is Pete Hegseth truly the best we have to offer?» asked Democrat Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, ranking member of the committee.

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
Hegseth battled against claims he would lower previous standards for the secretary of Defense and that his vows to strengthen the military could be bluster once he was in the role and juggling oversight of the entire military.
«As I’ve said to many of you in our private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,» he said in his opening statement during his confirmation hearing. «He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That’s it. That is my job.»
Hegseth was confirmed to the role after Vice President JD Vance issued a tie-breaking vote when Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against the confirmation.
Hegseth is an Ivy League graduate and former National Guard officer who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay during his military career, which began in 2003. He is also the recipient of a handful of military awards, including two Bronze Stars. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday and was pressed about the Israel–Iran conflict.
«They should have made a deal,» Hegseth said.
«President Trump’s word means something — the world understands that,» Hegseth said, referring to Trump’s repeated pressure on Iran to make a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program as the conflict spiraled.
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«And at the Defense Department, our job is to stand ready and prepared with options. And that’s precisely what we’re doing,» Hegseth continued.
He did not reveal if the U.S. would assist Israel in the ongoing strikes on Iran, but that the Pentagon is in the midst of preparing options for Trump.
Any potential U.S. involvement in the strikes could pull the country into war against Iran.
«I may do it, I may not do it,» Trump said Wednesday on whether he would order a strike on Iran. «I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.»
Hegseth was among high-profile Trump officials who joined Trump in the White House’s Situation Room as the president and his team closely monitor the flaring conflict.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. (John McDonnell/The Associated Press)
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
Director of National Intelligence Gabbard is another Trump official who faced an intense confirmation hearing as critics argued she was unqualified for the role.
Gabbard is a former Democrat who served in the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, a former member of the House Armed Services Committee and an Iraq war veteran. However, she had never held a formal position within the intelligence community before serving as director of national intelligence.
Ahead of her confirmation, Gabbard’s critics slammed her as lacking the qualifications for the role, questioning her judgment over a 2017 meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, labeling her as sympathetic toward Russia, and balking at her previous favorable remarks related to former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
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«Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience and the Constitution of the United States,» she said during her confirmation hearing. «Accusing me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, a guru’s puppet, Modi’s puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.»
She ultimately was confirmed in a 52–48 vote.

Smoke rises from the building of Iran’s state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo)
Gabbard’s March testimony before the Senate dismissing concerns Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon is back under the nation’s microscope after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran. Israel’s strikes were in direct response to Israeli intelligence showing Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a short span of time.
Trump was asked about Gabbard’s testimony while traveling back to Washington Monday evening from the G7 summit in Canada, and the president said he did not «care» what Gabbard had to say in previous testimony, arguing he believes Iran is close to building a nuke.
«You’ve always said that you don’t believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon,» a reporter asked Trump while aboard Air Force One on Monday. «But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?»
«Very close,» Trump responded.
«Because Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon,» the reporter continued.
Trump shot back, «I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.»
When Gabbard appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in March, she delivered a statement on behalf of the intelligence community that included testimony that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon.
«Iran’s cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to U.S. networks and data,» Gabbard told the committee on March 26.
The intelligence community «continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003,» she said. She did add that «Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.»
«Iran will likely continue efforts to counter Israel and press for U.S. military withdrawal from the region by aiding, arming and helping to reconstitute its loose consortium of like-minded terrorist actors, which it refers to as its axis of resistance,» she warned.
However, as critics picked apart Gabbard’s past comments, the White House stressed that Gabbard and Trump are closely aligned on Iran.
A White House official told Fox News Digital Tuesday afternoon that Trump and Gabbard are closely aligned and that the distinction being raised between Gabbard’s March testimony and Trump’s remarks that Iran is «very close» to getting a nuclear weapon is one without a difference.
The official noted that Gabbard underscored in her March testimony that Iran had the resources to potentially build a nuclear weapon. Her testimony in March reflected intelligence she received that Iran was not building a weapon at the time but that the country could do so based on the resources it amassed for such an endeavor.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
Leavitt is the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, assuming the role at age 27.
Some liberal critics, such as Joy Behar of «The View,» attempted to discount her appointment when she was first tapped by Trump, and she has since emerged as a Trump administration firebrand during her routine White House press briefings.
Though Leavitt has overwhelmingly been praised by supporters of the president for her defense of the administration and repeated fiery exchanges with left-wing media outlets during briefings, her tenure has overwhelmingly focused on domestic issues.

President Donald Trump is in the midst of monitoring the flaring conflict between Israel and Iran. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )
Leavitt has kept the nation updated on issues such as mass deportation efforts, Trump’s ongoing list of executive orders affecting policies from transgender issues to electric vehicles, national tragedies such as the terror attack in Boulder targeting Jewish Americans and Trump’s wide-ranging tariff policy that affects foreign nations.
Though the administration entered office with a war raging between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ongoing war in Israel after Hamas attacked the country in 2023, the Israel–Iran conflict provides Leavitt with her first major international crisis that could include U.S. involvement.
Leavitt’s highly anticipated first press briefing since Israel launched its preemptive strikes is scheduled for Thursday.
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De “Hey Jude” a “Hotel California”: 40 letras de canciones que hicieron historia

Hay canciones que pasan a la historia, ya sea por su melodía, por las voces que las interpretan o sus letras. The Independent realizó un ranking de las 40 mejores letras de canciones en inglés de todos los tiempos. Bandas como Nirvana, The Beatles o Abba forman parte del listado. Según el ranking, las canciones se destacaron no solo por su música o interpretación, sino también por la fuerza de sus palabras, capaces de dejar una huella en distintas generaciones.
La lista está encabezada por ‘All Apologies’ de Nirvana. El tema está incluido en el álbum In Utero de 1993. Cobain escribió esta canción dirigiéndose tanto a Courtney Love como a su hija, Frances Bean. Para muchos, este track logra transmitir con especial nitidez el malestar interno y la rabia del músico, a la vez que se entrelaza con una profunda declaración de amor hacia su familia.
Según The Independent, el mensaje contenido en esta canción supera la tragedia personal de Cobain y subraya la permanencia del afecto más allá de la ausencia física. Apenas seis meses después del lanzamiento, el artista se quitó la vida y dejó atrás de sí un tema que muchos consideran imprescindible para comprender el significado de su legado artístico.
El listado continúa con Nine Inch Nails, ‘Hurt’. El tema, escrito e interpretado por Trent Reznor, hace un retrato directo de la autodestrucción y el sufrimiento, elementos presentes desde la primera grabación. Si bien Reznor nunca precisó si el trasfondo hace referencia al consumo de heroína, el texto y la atmósfera de la canción transmiten una carga emotiva que oscila entre el dolor y una poesía sombría.
Joy Division con su hit ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ da continuidad al ranking. “¿Por qué el dormitorio está tan frío volteado de tu lado?, ¿Mi sincronización es tan imperfecta, nuestro respeto se ha agotado?“, cita la letra. El sencillo, escrito por Ian Curtis, refleja matices de su propia experiencia personal, marcada por la crisis matrimonial y una inminente tragedia.
La canción sobresale por una combinación de melodía vibrante y una lírica de gran vulnerabilidad. La composición no transmite un mensaje sombrío en sí mismo, sino que transforma su tristeza en una pieza conmovedora, donde la humanidad del autor adquiere toda su dimensión.
Arcade Fire, ‘Sprawl II Mountains Beyond Mountains’ continúa la lista. Junto a la voz de Régine Chassagne, la canción aporta una atmósfera única. La melodía logra materializar emociones latentes y anhelos de escapar de la uniformidad.
El ranking, presentado por The Independent, sigue con Beyoncé, ‘Formation’; Laura Marling, ‘Ghosts’; LCD Soundsystem, ‘Losing My Edge’; Leonard Cohen, ‘So Long, Marianne’; The Libertines, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’; Kate Bush, ‘Cloudbusting’; Nick Cave, ‘Into My Arms’; The Sisters of Mercy, ‘This Corrosion’ y Sultans of Ping FC con ‘Where’s Me Jumper?’
Seguidamente, el medio español posicionó entre los mejores temas a ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’, de The Smiths; ‘I’m On Fire’ de Bruce Springsteen; ‘Father Lucifer’ de Tori Amos; ‘Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos’ de Public Enemy y ‘Pools (Drank)’ de Kendrick Lamar.
Mientras la comunidad afroamericana afrontaba las consecuencias de políticas conservadoras, Prince decidió abordar en su tema principal cuestiones como la violencia asociada a las pandillas, la pandemia del sida, tensiones políticas y catástrofes naturales. Con este enfoque, el cantante dejó atrás su aislamiento creativo y presentó ‘Sign O ‘The Times’, una canción donde la reflexión social y el comentario sobre realidades urgentes pasaron a primer plano.
En el listado no podían faltar los Rolling Stones. Si bien tienen grandes letras, en ‘Gimme Shelter’ recrean la atmósfera de inestabilidad y amenaza constante de la época. La composición captura el miedo y la incertidumbre de una sociedad al borde de la ruptura. Asimismo consolida el legado de Mick Jagger, Keith Richards y sus compañeros como cronistas musicales de un periodo turbulento.
Si de turbulencias se trata, David Bowie es uno de los artistas que, durante su vida, atravesó momentos turbulentos. Estos periodos fueron de gran inspiración para el músico a la hora de componer. ‘Station to Station’ es una de las canciones grabadas en los días más oscuros de Bowie. El músico lidiaba con su adicción a las drogas en Los Ángeles mientras buscaba refugio en las letras.
El ranking continúa con ‘Supersonic’, de Oasis; ‘Born Slippy’ de Underworld; ‘Landslide’ de Fleetwood Mac; ‘Graceland’ de Paul Simon; ‘Take a Walk on the Wild Side’ de Lou Reed; ‘Every Time the Sun Comes Up’, de Sharon Van Etten; ‘Gloria’ de Patti Smith; y ‘Hotel California’ de Eagles.

Thin Lizzy sigue el listado con ‘The Boys are Back in Town’. Le sigue Nina Simone con ‘Four Women’; St. Vincent ‘Digital Witnesses’; Frank Ocean con ‘Pink + White’. El ranking continúa con ‘Dinner at Eight’ de Rufus Wainwright; ‘It’s Alright Ma’’ de Bob Dylan; ‘The Winner Takes it All’ de Abba y ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ de The Stone Roses.
En los tres últimos puestos se encuentran ‘The World is Yours’ de Nas; ‘When I’m Sixty Four’ de The Beatles y Beck con ‘Loser’. Este último es uno de los éxitos más recordados de Beck. Surgió a partir de una autocrítica espontánea después de escuchar una versión preliminar del tema. El propio músico reconoció sentirse «el peor rapero del mundo» y se definió como “un perdedor”.
Esta percepción no solo alimentó el concepto de la canción, sino que inspiró el famoso estribillo que acabó identificando al tema. A pesar de la aparente falta de coherencia en la letra, la composición logra crear una atmósfera singular gracias a su escritura en flujo de conciencia, un recurso que genera magnetismo incluso en lo absurdo.
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House Republicans warn anti-ICE rhetoric from Democrats is driving violent attacks on agents

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President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and deportation rollout has ignited anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests across the United States.
House Republicans told Fox News Digital there is a parallel between Democrats’ rhetoric against federal immigration officers amid this crackdown and the surge in violence against ICE and Border Protection (CBP) officers.
«The increasingly violent attacks against law enforcement are being egged on by irresponsible Democratic politicians,» Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said in an exclusive interview.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday blamed Democrats’ «sanctuary city policies» for the shooting of an off-duty CBP officer in New York City.
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A split image of demonstrators in New York City protesting the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to more quickly deport certain migrants from the U.S. to El Salvador, alongside a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in 2025. (Getty Images)
A second illegal immigrant has been apprehended in connection to the shooting of the CBP officer. He was reportedly struck in the face and forearm in Manhattan’s Riverside Park on Saturday night. Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a Dominican national who was caught by Border Patrol in April 2023, was taken into custody following the shooting.
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«Without enforcing our immigration laws, we have no immigration laws,» McClintock continued. «Without immigration laws, we have no border, and without a border we have no country. And that’s what Americans suffered for four long years with the open borders policies of the Biden administration.»
Democrat Sens. Alex Padilla and Cory Booker, two of the leading Capitol Hill critics of Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, have introduced legislation that would require immigration enforcement officers to clearly identify themselves without masks.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga, told Fox News Digital that he has «absolutely» seen an increase in violence, explaining that when a member of Congress uses «radical rhetoric,» people take it to heart.

US soldiers seen at the US-Mexican border in New Mexico on May 8, 2025. (Can Hasasu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«We should be applauding them. We should be thankful to them. They are literally removing criminal aliens from our midst and making us a safer nation. And yet these radical Democrats are inflaming the public. And as a result, you’re seeing more violence against them. And it’s unconscionable that they do that,» Clyde said.
Federal immigration law enforcement officers have been targeted since Trump signed his «big, beautiful bill» into law, which includes legislation for robust immigration reform. There were at least two ambushes in Texas, and protesters clashed with federal officers at the Portland, Oregon, ICE facility, over the Fourth of July weekend.
Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., told Fox News Digital that there has been «growing rhetoric by many on the Democratic side» from everyone except Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. Particularly in Los Angeles, Guest pointed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s and Mayor Karen Bass’ anti-ICE rhetoric as protests delved into riots in the West Coast city last month.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Bass has signed a series of executive orders aimed at impeding ICE deportation raids in Los Angeles, criticizing the «unconstitutional, reckless raids» and establishing a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) working group that expands resources for families impacted by Trump’s deportation rollout.
«When we have Democrats constantly attacking our ICE agents for what they’re doing, demonizing them for enforcing the law, that is going to create more violence, and the situation is going to get worse and not better,» Guest added.
Rep. Mariannette Miller‑Meeks, R‑Iowa, added in an interview with Fox News Digital that it’s «unreal to me that people are attacking law enforcement agents trying to do their job.»
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She said the emphasis should be on supporting ICE and CBP agents.
«Keep the focus on deporting criminal illegals, people that are bad actors that should be out of the country, focusing on the influence of gangs and cartels in this country,» Miller-Meeks added, urging her fellow House Republicans to remind Americans that these deportations are necessary due to the surge of illegal immigration under the Biden administration.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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27 inmates from notorious Iranian prison still at large after Israeli strike: Tehran

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Iranian media reported that 27 inmates from the notorious Evin Prison remain at large following an Israeli airstrike last month.
After Israel’s strike during the 12-day war, 75 inmates escaped from Evin prison, according to the Associated Press, which cited a news website affiliated with Iran’s judiciary. In the article, Iranian Judiciary Spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said that out of the 75 escapees, 48 were either recaptured or returned voluntarily, the Associated Press added. Jahangir also stated that the escapees had been serving time for minor offenses.
A view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Evin Prison that took place on June 23, after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 29, 2025. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)
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In June, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, which was aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities. While Iranian officials said 71 were killed in the strike, local media reported that there were 80 killed, including staff, soldiers, inmates and visiting family members, according to the Associated Press.
Sayeh Seydal, a jailed Iranian dissident who survived Israel’s strike on Evin Prison, told relatives that being in the facility was a «slow death,» according to the Associated Press, which obtained a recording of the conversation.
«The bombing by the U.S. and Israel didn’t kill us. Then the Islamic Republic brought us to a place that will practically kill us,» Seydal said.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International called for an investigation of Israel’s strike on the prison as a possible war crime, saying it constituted «a serious violation of international humanitarian law.»

FILE – Rescuers search through the rubble of a damaged section of Evin Prison following an Israeli strike the day before, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mostafa Roudaki/Mizan News Agency, File) (AP Photo/Mostafa Roudaki/Mizan News Agency, File)
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Erika Guevara Rosas, who serves as Amnesty International’s Senior Director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, said «the evidence establishes reasonable grounds to believe that the Israeli military brazenly and deliberately attacked civilian buildings.»
Evin Prison is infamous for its harsh conditions and became a place for Iranian officials to throw protesters.

A person stands on the rubble as a view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Evin Prison that took place on June 23, after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 29, 2025. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
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In 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Iranian officials and entities responsible for a crackdown on protesters, including Evin Prison warden Hedayat Farzadi, who was known for his brutal tactics. The department said that protesters thrown in Evin Prison under Farzadi’s watch were subjected to torture and physical abuse.
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