Republican Senators show support for Trump's handling of Israel and Iran conflict
President Donald Trump won't say if he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran as conflict continues between Israel and Iran.
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USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump's parade didn't make him feel tough. Maybe a war with Iran will?
Trump's parade didn't make him feel tough. Maybe a war with Iran will? | Opinion Trump is proving, as if we needed proof, that insecure men are dangerous. They act impulsively, with no focus beyond soothing their own tender feelings. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump teases possible strike on Iran but says it's not too late for deal "I may do it. I may not do it." President Trump teased a possible strike on Iran but also said it is not too late to negotiate. Having an insecure president during a time of crisis is a problem, largely because he's going to say things like this when asked about possibly bombing Iran: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' That was President Donald Trump's wildly problematic comment on June 18. First, President Dodo-head seems to think the decision to draw America into a potentially cataclysmic conflict in the Middle East is his alone ‒ you'll note the use of the first person four times in two sentences. Apparently, Congress and the American public have no voice in such a decision. It all rests in the little hands of the Supreme Leader. Trump says, 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' No kidding. Second, the man who oversees the world's largest military probably shouldn't be saying, 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' That sounds like something an unhinged dictator would say and … well, never mind, I guess that tracks. Trump was speaking outside the White House, where he was having two enormous flagpoles installed. It was effectively an advertisement for male overcompensation, which makes sense in the wake of Trump's poorly attended and morose military parade, the one he thought would cast him in the all-powerful-ruler light he desires. Opinion: From massive protests to a puny parade, America really let Donald Trump down The weekend and weakened parade was overshadowed by millions of Americans across the country protesting Trump and his king-like behavior. Trump sent the Marines to be bored in LA Before that, the president's previous show of manly-man toughness ‒ sending the U.S. Marines into Los Angeles to address anti-ICE protesters ‒ also failed. Now, soldiers are just standing around in a city that's doing fine. Will the quest to quench this man's insecurity ever end? Trump stumbled disconsolately from his puny parade to the summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations in Canada on June 16, then left early the next day to return to Washington, DC, ostensibly to deal with the worsening crisis between Israel and Iran. After getting home, Trump's 'dealing with the crisis' seemed to largely involve posting unhinged comments on social media, bizarrely advising residents of Tehran to evacuate and, despite claiming the United States isn't involved in Israel's ongoing attacks on Iran, boldly proclaiming: 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.' Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Trump raises flagpoles while threatening war So are we in or are we out? It's a reasonable question for any American to ask, and it's one Trump clearly won't answer, as evidenced by his 'nobody knows what I'm going to do' comment during the apparently critical installation of new White House phallic symbols. 'These are the most magnificent poles made,' Trump posted on social media on June 17, the night before the flagpoles went up. 'They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality.' Great job, Mr. President. Americans are laser-focused on White House pole quality and are not at all concerned about you starting a war nobody wants ‒ a new Economist/YouGov poll finds "only 16% of Americans think the U.S. military should get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran" ‒ without congressional approval. Trump's sad-boy feelings will always override what's best for America Trump is proving, as if we needed proof, that insecure men are dangerous. They act impulsively, with no focus beyond soothing their own tender feelings. Dispatching troops against American citizens didn't make Trump feel big. A military parade didn't make him feel big. He didn't feel big around other world leaders at the G7 summit, so he left and did some online hollering and saber-rattling. And now? We wait to see if our capricious president needs to drop a bunker-busting bomb on Iran to feel big. We wait to see if Trump single-handedly marches America into war, leaving us to suffer the blowback of his inextinguishable self-doubt. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
New York Times
20 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Supreme Court Upheld a State Ban on Transgender Care for Minors
The Supreme Court announced today that it had upheld a Tennessee law that prohibits some medical treatments for transgender youths. The decision, which shielded similar laws in more than 20 other states, was supported by the court's six conservative justices. All three liberal justices dissented. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the ban did not violate the Constitution's equal protection principles, dismissing the argument that it discriminated based on sex. He acknowledged the 'fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy and propriety' of the treatments, but wrote that those questions should be resolved by elected legislators. (See our annotated version of the court's decision here.) Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the court's decision 'authorizes, without second thought, untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them.' For more: These 27 states have restricted gender-transition treatments for minors since 2021. Go deeper: 'The Protocol' is a new Times podcast about the development of medical treatment for transgender minors and how it became a target of the Trump administration. Listen to it here. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Play Short-Term Market Volatility With These ETFs
The Trump administration's chaotic tariff policies and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are making investors anxious, pushing them toward safe-haven assets. The S&P 500 has faced increased volatility in 2025, with the broad market index falling 2.7% and then rebounding 4.1% over the past month. The index fell about 1.1% on June 13, driven by intensifying protests and mounting Iran-Israel tensions. According to SP Global, U.S. investors remained risk-averse for the fifth consecutive month, even as equity market concerns have been easing. Per an investor sentiment survey, according to the S&P Global Investment Manager Index, the risk appetite of investors has been gradually increasing since April. Yet, June's reading has remained negative, highlighting continued caution. Even with easing in risk aversion, according to SP Global, investors continue to forecast net market losses in the month ahead. The survey's Equity Returns Index fell to -32% in June from -29% in May, reflecting a modest decline in investor confidence and a slightly more pessimistic outlook compared to the previous month. According to Kathryn Rooney Vera, chief market strategist at StoneX Group, as quoted on Reuters, with the market being highly sensitive to headlines and short-term events, short-term market swings have intensified. Struggling with escalating tensions in the Middle East after renewed military strikes between Israel and Iran, concerns over potential supply disruptions are a headwind. According to Rooney Vera, a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz could restrict global oil supply chains, driving up prices and accelerating inflationary pressures. Planned protests across major U.S. cities are drawing investor attention. According to Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder, as quoted on Reuters, the ongoing protests could dampen investor confidence, from a psychological perspective. Any blow to investor sentiment or risk appetite could further weigh on the S&P 500, adding to the headwinds it already faces in the near term. In periods of rising uncertainty, increasing exposure to volatility ETFs in the short term can be a winning move for investors. These funds have delivered short-term gains during periods of market chaos and could climb further if volatility endures. In the current economic environment, volatility-focused funds and strategies are ideal to reassess volatility exposure and for investors with a short-term horizon. With volatility rising due to trade tensions, policy uncertainty, geopolitical conflict and technical market breakdowns, increasing exposure to the below-mentioned funds can be a good strategic move (See: all Volatility ETFs here). iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index Total Return and has amassed an asset base of $375.1 million. The index offers exposure to a daily rolling long position in the first and second month VIX futures contracts. VXX charges an annual fee of 0.89% and has a one-month average trading volume of about 4.39 million shares. iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN has gained 17.87% over the past three months and 16.56% over the past year. ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index and has amassed an asset base of $179.5 million. The index measures the movements of a combination of VIX futures and is designed to track changes in the expectation for one month in the future. The fund is ideal for investors looking to gain from an increase in expected volatility of the S&P 500. VIXY has a one-month average trading volume of about 1.1 million shares. ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF has gained 17.48% over the past three months and 14.66% over the past year. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.85%. ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures Index and has amassed an asset base of $21.4 million. The index measures the movements of a combination of VIX futures and is designed to track changes in the expectation for VIX five months in the future. The fund is ideal for investors looking to gain from an increase in expected volatility of the S&P 500. VIXM has a one-month average trading volume of about 98,000 shares. ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF has gained 12.64% over the past three months and 22.03% over the past year. The fund charges an annual fee of 0.85%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX): ETF Research Reports ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY): ETF Research Reports ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF (VIXM): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
