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‘Psyop’: How Far-Right Conspiracy Theories About the Minnesota Shooting Evolved to Protect MAGA

 https://www.wired.com/story/psyop-far-right-conspiracy-theories-minnesota-shooting/

In the hours after Vance Boelter was named as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Melissa Hortman, a Democratic Minnesota state representative, and her husband Mark Hortman, far-right conspiracists and Republican influencers claimed he was a violent, leftist Democrat.

When the facts of the story emerged—that the alleged shooter had been registered in other states as a Republican, was said to have voted for President Donald Trump and, as WIRED reported, had participated in an evangelical ministry where he preached against abortion and demonized the LGTBQ community—the conspiracy theories didn’t stop. Instead, they just changed. Posters then claimed the incident was a false flag conducted by the shadowy deep state, while trying to distance the shooter from any connection to the president and the wider MAGA movement.

A Battered Iran Signals It Wants to De-Escalate Hostilities With Israel and Negotiate

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/a-battered-iran-signals-it-wants-to-de-escalate-hostilities-with-israel-and-negotiate-9feab4ae?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Iran has been urgently signaling that it seeks an end to hostilities and resumption of talks over its nuclear programs, sending messages to Israel and the U.S. via Arab intermediaries, Middle Eastern and European officials said.

In the midst of a ferocious Israeli air campaign, Tehran has told Arab officials it would be open to returning to the negotiating table as long as the U.S. doesn’t join the attack, the officials said. Iran also passed messages to Israel saying it is in the interest of both sides to keep the violence contained.

‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/va-doctors-refuse-treat-patients

Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide could refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under new hospital guidelines imposed following an executive order by Donald Trump.

The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers.

Medical staff are still required to treat veterans regardless of race, color, religion and sex, and all veterans remain entitled to treatment. But individual workers are now free to decline to care for patients based on personal characteristics not explicitly prohibited by federal law.

Language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated.

China ‘condemns’ Israel as it looks to show itself as a potential peace broker

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/16/china/china-role-israel-iran-attack-intl-hnk

For one, as the Trump administration’s “America First” policy has shaken up the US’ traditional position on the international stage, Beijing sees an opportunity to further expand its clout. That’s especially true in the context of countries across the Global South, where Israel has received stark condemnation over its ongoing assault on Gaza.

Beijing is also a key diplomatic and economic backer of Iran and has moved to further deepen collaboration in recent years, including holding joint naval drills, even as it’s sought to balance those ties with its growing relations with countries like Saudi Arabia. Chinese officials long voiced opposition to US sanctions on Iran and criticized the US withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, while accusing Washington of being a source of instability and tensions in the region.

Do voter identification laws suppress minority voting? Yes.

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/02/15/do-voter-identification-laws-suppress-minority-voting-yes-we-did-the-research/

There is, of course, widespread debate about the merits of these new laws. Proponents claim that ID laws are necessary to reduce fraud and to restore trust in the democratic system. Critics claim that voter ID laws serve as effective barriers that limit the legitimate participation of racial and ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups.

Who is right? Scholars have been able to show that racial and ethnic minorities have less access to photo IDs, and extensive analysis reveals almost no evidence of voter fraud of the type ostensibly prevented by these laws. But determining just how many Americans are prevented from actually voting is another question altogether. The key question is not whether there could be worrisome effects from these laws, but whether clear-cut shifts in electoral participation and outcomes have actually occurred. Do voter identification laws skew the electorate in favor of one set of interests over others?

These laws have a disproportionate effect on minorities, which is exactly what you would expect given that members of racial and ethnic minorities are less apt to have valid photo ID.

Israel Police International Spokesman: Iranian regime deliberately targeting civilians

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410102

Dean Elsdunne, International Spokesman for the Israel Police, spoke to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News in Petah Tikva, where an Iranian missile slammed into a residential building in Petah Tikva in the early hours of Monday morning, causing dozens of casualties and four fatalities.

Over the past several days, Israeli police forces have responded swiftly and decisively to multiple impact sites across the country. One such strike resulted in a direct hit on a residential building, leading to the deaths of eight individuals and injuring many others.

“This is part of the ongoing pattern we have witnessed from the Iranian regime—once again revealing its true face by deliberately targeting our civilians, as has been the case at other impact sites from this latest barrage,” Elsdunne stated.

IDF Home Front Command extends ban on gatherings; schools and workplaces to remain closed

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-home-front-command-extends-ban-on-gatherings-schools-and-workplaces-to-remain-closed/

Following a fresh assessment, the IDF Home Front Command says there are no changes to guidelines for civilians amid the conflict with Iran.

All gatherings are prohibited, and schools will not open. Workplaces are also closed, apart from those deemed critical.

The guidelines remain in effect until Tuesday night, when the Home Front Command will conduct another assessment.

Donald Trump Tells ICE Agents To Target Democratic Strongholds

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-tells-ice-agents-target-democrat-strongholds-2085878

Trump wrote on Truth Social that ICE "must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America's largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside."

He added: "These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens. These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it!

"I want our Brave ICE Officers to know that REAL Americans are cheering you on every day. The American People want our Cities, Schools, and Communities to be SAFE and FREE from Illegal Alien Crime, Conflict, and Chaos. That's why I have directed my entire Administration to put every resource possible behind this effort, and reverse the tide of Mass Destruction Migration that has turned once Idyllic Towns into scenes of Third World Dystopia."

It comes after Trump's administration provided immigration officials with the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients last week, including their immigration status, the Associated Press reported, citing an internal memo and email.

‘Just like I got India, Pakistan...’: Donald Trump pitches for ‘peacemaker’ deal between Israel, Iran

https://www.businesstoday.in/world/middle-east/story/just-like-i-got-india-pakistan-donald-trump-pitches-for-peacemaker-deal-between-israel-iran-480468-2025-06-15

 In his statement, Trump wrote, “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!”

He referenced multiple geopolitical disputes during his presidency, including tensions between Serbia and Kosovo and the Nile dam dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia. “Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy... and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR. I stopped it... Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam... There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way!”

Trump also suggested his efforts often go unacknowledged. “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!”

However, India has rejected Trump’s assertion that US trade incentives played a role in its February ceasefire agreement with Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that the agreement followed direct talks between the militaries’ Directors General of Military Operations.

Why Is Trump Taking Credit For What He Opposed?

Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel’s Iran attack he publicly opposed

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/13/trump-iran-israel-attacks-response

Donald Trump is walking a tightrope as he claims that he was fully aware of Israel’s plans to launch massive airstrikes against Iran while continuing to distance the US from those strikes and deny Washington took any active role in the preparations.

The White House’s messaging has shifted quickly from Marco Rubio’s arms-length description of the Israeli attack as a “unilateral action”, to Trump claiming on Friday morning that he was fully in the loop on the operation and that it came at the end of a 60-day ultimatum he had given Iran to “make a deal” on its nuclear programme.

The MAGA split over Israel

 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2025/06/13/the-maga-split-over-israel-00405778

Israel’s early-morning strikes targeting Iran have supercharged a debate that has been simmering for years on the MAGA right: Is America’s “special relationship” with Israel consistent with the realist principles of an “America First” foreign policy?

The clash — which is taking place between two powerful factions of the MAGA movement — is unfolding primarily at an ideological level, but its consequences are far from academic. As the U.S. and Israel weigh their response to retaliatory strikes from Iran, the position that the Trump administration eventually adopts in this intra-conservative skirmish will almost certainly shape its involvement in the next stages of conflict — and, by extension, the long-term trajectory of the Middle East.

Tucker Carlson Blasts Former Fox News Colleague Sean Hannity: 'Warmongers'

 https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-sean-hannity-maga-trump-iran-israel-2085472

Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson blasted his former Fox News colleague Sean Hannity on Friday, calling Hannity and other MAGA hawks "warmongers" for cheering Israel's missile strikes against the Iranian regime.

On Friday, Carlson tore into Hannity, Levin, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch and conservative megadonors Isaac Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson.

"The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers," Carlson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: "Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran. On that list: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rupert Murdoch, Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. At some point they will all have to answer for this, but you should know their names now."