Cities around LA ‘silenced into submission' by angry protesters
Former GOP Congressional candidate Alex Balekian discusses how his hometown of Glendale was targeted by 'communist thugs' who forced the city council to cancel a contract with federal authorities for deporting illegal immigrants.
Hundreds of thousands are rallying across the United States against the Trump administration.
This comes ahead of a military parade to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, which coincides with US President Donald Trump's birthday.
'You have cities around Los Angeles, neighbourhoods, who are trying to lie low because they do not want a target on their backs because they have been silenced into submission,' Mr Balekian told Sky News Australia.
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The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Trump faces three excruciating choices to end a war only he can end
The German foreign minister has offered, alongside Britain and France, to negotiate with the Iranians. But America would still have to play a central role in the talks. No one else could assure both Israel and Iran that an agreement would stick. If it is serious about a deal, it will need to be a more competent negotiator this time around. Steve Witkoff, the US president's Middle East envoy, managed just five meetings with Iran in two months, while juggling a portfolio that also included the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. He also scorned help from American allies (a European diplomat says he received more detailed readouts on the talks from Iran than from America). Loading Would America join the war? If Trump is not serious about diplomacy, his second choice is whether America should join the war. Satellite imagery suggests that Israel has destroyed the so-called 'pilot-fuel enrichment plant' at Natanz, an above-ground facility where Iran enriched uranium to 60 per cent, a small step below weapons-grade. But it has yet to damage the enrichment facility at Fordow, which is dug into the side of a mountain, too deep for Israeli ordnance to reach. Israel could damage the entrances and ventilation shafts, in effect entombing the facility for a time. It would rather enlist help from America, which has specialised bombs capable of burrowing deep underground. It has asked Trump to join strikes on Fordow (he has not yet agreed). In the most optimistic scenario, those sorties would both cripple the facility and spook Iran into submitting to a deal. Reality is rarely so tidy, however. Iran may fear that strikes on Fordow are merely the opening act in a broader campaign to topple the regime. That could lead it to retaliate against America or its allies in the region. Iran has so far refrained from such actions, fearing they would draw America into the war; if America were already involved, though, Iran may feel it had nothing to lose. Some of Trump's supporters in Washington, and some analysts in Israel, suspect Netanyahu has such a scenario in mind. When the war began, after all, Israel said it only needed America's permission. Now it wants America to join a limited military campaign – one that could easily morph into something bigger. The prime minister seems increasingly fixated on toppling Iran's regime. In a statement addressed to the people of Iran on June 13, he urged them to 'stand up' against their rulers. Two days later, in an interview with Fox News, he was asked if regime change was Israel's goal. 'It could certainly be the result, because the Iran regime is very weak,' Netanyahu replied. Several of Trump's advisers have urged him not to approve American strikes, fearing it would become an open-ended campaign. Loading The final option That points to Trump's third choice. Israeli leaders like to say that their country defends itself by itself. But it relies on America to protect it against Iranian ballistic missiles, to share intelligence and to resupply its army. If Trump stays out of the war, and if he declines to pursue serious diplomacy – or if his efforts are aimless and futile, a hallmark of his administration – he will have to decide how much continued support to give Israel. He could urge Israel to end the war anyway. Or he could allow it to continue, much as he has done in Gaza since March, when Israel abandoned a ceasefire there. Israel could probably continue its strikes in Iran for weeks, especially if Iran runs short of the ballistic missiles it uses to counter-attack. Would it eventually declare victory? Or would it keep bombing and hope it could destabilise the regime? And if Iran could no longer effectively strike back at Israel, would it widen the war to neighbouring countries?
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump faces three excruciating choices to end a war only he can end
The German foreign minister has offered, alongside Britain and France, to negotiate with the Iranians. But America would still have to play a central role in the talks. No one else could assure both Israel and Iran that an agreement would stick. If it is serious about a deal, it will need to be a more competent negotiator this time around. Steve Witkoff, the US president's Middle East envoy, managed just five meetings with Iran in two months, while juggling a portfolio that also included the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. He also scorned help from American allies (a European diplomat says he received more detailed readouts on the talks from Iran than from America). Loading Would America join the war? If Trump is not serious about diplomacy, his second choice is whether America should join the war. Satellite imagery suggests that Israel has destroyed the so-called 'pilot-fuel enrichment plant' at Natanz, an above-ground facility where Iran enriched uranium to 60 per cent, a small step below weapons-grade. But it has yet to damage the enrichment facility at Fordow, which is dug into the side of a mountain, too deep for Israeli ordnance to reach. Israel could damage the entrances and ventilation shafts, in effect entombing the facility for a time. It would rather enlist help from America, which has specialised bombs capable of burrowing deep underground. It has asked Trump to join strikes on Fordow (he has not yet agreed). In the most optimistic scenario, those sorties would both cripple the facility and spook Iran into submitting to a deal. Reality is rarely so tidy, however. Iran may fear that strikes on Fordow are merely the opening act in a broader campaign to topple the regime. That could lead it to retaliate against America or its allies in the region. Iran has so far refrained from such actions, fearing they would draw America into the war; if America were already involved, though, Iran may feel it had nothing to lose. Some of Trump's supporters in Washington, and some analysts in Israel, suspect Netanyahu has such a scenario in mind. When the war began, after all, Israel said it only needed America's permission. Now it wants America to join a limited military campaign – one that could easily morph into something bigger. The prime minister seems increasingly fixated on toppling Iran's regime. In a statement addressed to the people of Iran on June 13, he urged them to 'stand up' against their rulers. Two days later, in an interview with Fox News, he was asked if regime change was Israel's goal. 'It could certainly be the result, because the Iran regime is very weak,' Netanyahu replied. Several of Trump's advisers have urged him not to approve American strikes, fearing it would become an open-ended campaign. Loading The final option That points to Trump's third choice. Israeli leaders like to say that their country defends itself by itself. But it relies on America to protect it against Iranian ballistic missiles, to share intelligence and to resupply its army. If Trump stays out of the war, and if he declines to pursue serious diplomacy – or if his efforts are aimless and futile, a hallmark of his administration – he will have to decide how much continued support to give Israel. He could urge Israel to end the war anyway. Or he could allow it to continue, much as he has done in Gaza since March, when Israel abandoned a ceasefire there. Israel could probably continue its strikes in Iran for weeks, especially if Iran runs short of the ballistic missiles it uses to counter-attack. Would it eventually declare victory? Or would it keep bombing and hope it could destabilise the regime? And if Iran could no longer effectively strike back at Israel, would it widen the war to neighbouring countries?
Herald Sun
5 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Iran behind two Trump kill plots, says Benjamin Netanyahu
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TRUMP STOPPED ASSASSINATION OF IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER Israel had a plan to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Trump vetoed the operation, according to the New York Post. Israel reported that they had an opportunity to kill Iran's top leader, but Mt Trump persuaded Israeli officials not to go through with it, the two unidentified officials told Reuters. 'Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership,' an official said. ISRAEL-IRAN WILL 'MAKE A DEAL', SAYS TRUMP Donald Trump predicted that both Iran and Israel will 'make a deal'. Mr Trump boasted about past peace deals between warring nations and complained that despite him playing a key role in many of those deals, he 'doesn't get credit for anything.' 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. As Mr Trump made his post, Iran blamed Israel for five car bombs that detonated in Tehran Sunday. Israel had conducted a series of pre-emptive strikes on Iran last week, targeting its nuclear facilities, killing top military brass and wiping out key scientists in the theocratic regime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the Sunday strikes were 'just the beginning'. 'During my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR. I stopped it (Biden has hurt the longer term prospects with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it, again!),' Mr Trump further claimed. 'Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way!' he went on. 'Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!' MACRON BERATES TRUMP FOR GREENLAND THREATS French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland, as he made a visit to the Danish autonomous territory. 'That's not what allies do,' Mr Macron said as he arrived in Nuuk, Greenland's capital. Mr Macron is the first foreign head of state to visit the vast territory – located at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Arctic – since Mr Trump's annexation threats. Mr Macron said his visit was aimed at conveying 'France's and the European Union's solidarity' for 'the sovereignty and territorial integrity' of Greenland. VIETNAM 'NARROWING THE GAP' IN US TRADE TALKS Vietnam said it was 'narrowing the gap' in trade talks with Washington, but key issues remain unresolved as it tries to head off Donald Trump's threatened 46 per cent tariff. Vietnam has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States of any country after China and Mexico, and was targeted with one of the highest rates in Mr Trump's global levy blitz. Vietnamese and US officials have now held three rounds of talks as they strive for a compromise before a 90-day pause on the tariff plans expires in early July. 'The Vietnam and US negotiating teams made much progress, narrowing the gap in all areas of negotiation,' said a statement from Vietnam's trade ministry after four days of talks concluded in Washington on Thursday. 'The two sides discussed frankly and in a constructive spirit the issues of concern of each country,' it added. But the statement said meetings would continue online to discuss 'outstanding issues'. – with AFP and The New York Post. Read related topics: Donald Trump
