Trump Weighs War Intervention in Iran
Bloomberg Markets
Balance of Power
Meghan O'Sullivan, Director at Harvard's Belfer Center, shares her thoughts on whether or not the United States plans on getting involved in the escalation between Israel and Iran, and what US involvement could potentially look like. She speaks with Joe Mathieu and Tyler Kendall on the late edition of Bloomberg's "Balance of Power." (Source: Bloomberg)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
President Trump Announces Special Change To White House
President Trump Announces Special Change To White House originally appeared on The Spun. President Donald Trump has officially made changes to the White House grounds. Well before Trump assumed office in 2017, presidents always had their say on what type of decorations would be added to the White House. That being said, the 47th president of the United States has elected to install a pair of nearly 100-foot-tall flagpoles. Trump shared this news on Tuesday night with his social media followers. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns. It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The digging and placement of the poles will begin at 7:30 A.M. EST, tomorrow morning. Flags will be raised at approximately 11 A.M. EST. These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!" The first flag was raised on the South Lawn this Wednesday afternoon. Several members of Trump's family were in attendance for this ceremony. "They've needed flagpoles for 200 years," Trump said, via Fox News. "It was something I've often said." Trump said he paid for these two flagpoles. He told reporters that each one cost about $50,000 each to complete. Apparently, that's how important this cause was to him. It'll be interesting to see if these flagpoles stick around after Trump's term is Trump Announces Special Change To White House first appeared on The Spun on Jun 18, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
GOP senators back up Trump on Israel-Iran conflict as MAGA base splits on issue
Senate Republicans largely lined up behind President Donald Trump's handling of the conflict between Iran and Israel and said they trusted Trump's judgment on whether the United States ought to involve itself. Trump said again Wednesday that he has not decided whether the U.S. should get more involved in the He signaled to reporters that he would decide at the last moment, stating he'd make the decision 'one second before.' The issue of getting more involved in the conflict has divided Trump's MAGA base, with some pointing to his campaign promise to keep America out of foreign wars. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a defense hawk who said he spoke to Trump last night, endorsed the use of force if diplomatic efforts fail. "Either you want them to have a nuclear weapon, or you don't," Graham said. "And if you don't, if diplomacy fails, you use force." MORE: Israel and Iran are waging an existential battle. What does it mean for the US?: ANALYSIS Most Republicans said that they agreed with Trump that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. "I think this is something on which the entire world can agree: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, or the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead, period," Sen. John Kennedy said. "American foreign policy is always a balance between ... between values and interests. The value here is obvious to everyone. Iran cannot have a bomb. It's just unthinkable, and I support the president unconditionally on that," Kennedy said. Sen. Mike Rounds said there is evidence that Iran was getting closer to building a nuclear weapon. "If Israel has a plan which is appropriate to take care of the problem, then we don't need to be there, but we should never take or eliminate options that are available to the president in exercising his authority as the commander-in-chief," Rounds said. Sen. Kevin Cramer said he would support Trump's decision if he decided to enter the conflict, but would also support a decision to instead "assist Israel in getting the job done." "Iran's made that really crystal clear. They pledged to wipe out the United States of America. I prefer not to let them get here," Cramer said. "I prefer preemptive prevention of war rather than having to end one after it gets to our soil, right?" MORE: Israel-Iran live updates Cramer said Trump has been handling the crisis "brilliantly"and applauded Trump's suggestion that he may or may not get involved. "I think that's pretty honest, right? I may or I may not. I think that that the element of of surprise, if you will, is maintained by an answer that doesn't tell you what he's going to do," he said. "It'd be crazy for the president to give a warning, if you will, of what he may do." Both Republicans and Democrats said they would like Congress to have a role in determining whether the U.S. gets involved in the conflict, but Republicans were much less forceful. "I would love to see Congress have a role, but we certainly don't have time in the midst of what we all see going on for Congress to sit and cogitate for six or eight months," Kennedy said. Democrats, on the other hand, said Trump should get Congress' approval before taking any military action. MORE: Trump on his 'unconditional surrender' demand to Iran: 'I've had it' "At some point, the president must come to Congress if there is to be active, kinetic military involvement that constitutes war. That's the Constitution, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. "And I believe that the president has to face accountability at some point, for the use of military force in combat, in a war. And the question is, when that point is." Other Democrats said the U.S. should be trying to de-escalate the conflict rather than inflame it. "We don't need to escalate in Iran. That doesn't make anyone in the Middle East safer, and it certainly doesn't make the United States any safer right now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. "The role of the United States should be to help de-escalate, to push for negotiations, not to try to set more things afire."
CNN
41 minutes ago
- CNN
Live updates: Israel-Iran conflict, ballistic missile attacks, Trump weighs US involvement
Update: Date: 6 min ago Title: As the Iran-Israel conflict continues, Trump reviews US options. Here's what you should know Content: Iran and Israel continue to trade strikes as President Donald Trump's decision on whether the US would get involved looms large. Trump has reviewed attack plans for Iran but is holding off to see if Tehran steps back from its nuclear program, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for 'standing by our side' as Israel pushes ahead with its fight against Iran. The US on Wednesday evacuated some embassy personnel and family members from Israel on a US military aircraft, three sources told CNN. The US Embassy in Israel said in its latest security alert Thursday local time that it has 'no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.' This came hours after US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X that the embassy was 'working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures.' Here are the key headlines from Wednesday: CNN's Alejandra Jaramillo, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Jeremy Diamond, Tamar Michaelis, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Catherine Nicholls, Michael Rios, Jennifer Hansler, Oren Liebermann, Kylie Atwood and Hira Humayun contributed reporting. Update: Date: 1 min ago Title: Israeli envoy to US says Iran's ability to produce ballistic weapons must also be eliminated Content: Israel's ambassador to the US said Wednesday that Israel must eliminate not only Iran's ability to make nuclear weapons, but also its ability to produce ballistic missiles. 'They come cruising out of the sky and create incredible damage,' Yechiel Leiter told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, referring to Iran's missiles. 'That production capacity has to be eliminated as well.' 'They cannot have the weapons that can destroy Israel, which they claim and which they want to do every day,' he added. Asked about Israel's ability to destroy Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment site, buried deep under a mountain near the city of Qom, Leiter said 'it might require multiple strikes, it might require something else or it might require one of our surprises,' without going into details. 'We have a few tricks up our sleeves,' he said, when asked about Israel's response if the US were not to get involved in the conflict. 'If we have to pursue this and prosecute this by ourselves, we're going to know what to do. We're not going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,' he told Collins. Update: Date: 7 min ago Title: Trump has reviewed attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran steps back from nuclear program, source says Content: US President Donald Trump has reviewed attack plans for Iran but is holding off to see if Tehran steps back from its nuclear program, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. The plans were among an array of options the president's military advisers discussed with him in the Situation Room this week, though officials stressed no decision has been made, as Trump said publicly on Wednesday. 'I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final — I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other,' he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office. 'As President Trump said himself today, all options remain on the table,' a White House official said Wednesday. CNN reported Tuesday that Trump was growing increasingly receptive to using US military assets to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. On Wednesday, CNN reported that discussions were underway among his top officials over how the US could do so without becoming embroiled in a full-scale war.
