Transcript

6.23.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the reading of the
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Washington Post for this Monday, June twenty third. As a reminder,
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. Your reader for today is Rod Brotherton.
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And since it's Monday, we always start off reading Paul
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Prather's weekly column from the Lexington Herald Leader. But Paul
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had the week off, so he has no article. But
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there's another one here. I think it's worthy of our reading.
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And it's called Kentucky has too many counties? Do we
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have the political will to fix it? And it's by
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Adam Koenig. It goes it seems as if everyone is
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unhappy with the government. Certainly if you spend any time
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on social media, that is an easy conclusion to come to.
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Too often, policy proposals, especially at the federal level, are
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not meant to make meaningful positive changes. Bills to placate
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a particular person, constituency, or business with no firm bases
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are too common. Therefore, this column will be the first
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of a few that provide some actionable policy suggestions that
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make sense but will take some political backbone to make
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it happen. First, Kentucky has too many counties, way too
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many counties. It's time to eliminate some, or at least
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streamline the process by which counties could merge if they
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want to. Kentucky has the third most counties in the country,
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with one hundred and twenty Yeah, Kentucky has twenty fifth
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in population and thirty seventh in land area among all
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the states. So how did we get here? Well, the
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Kentucky Constitution states that every person must live within a
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day's travel from the county seat. Back in the eighteen hundreds,
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that meant a horse ride to the county seat. This
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required the division of many counties to fulfill that requirement.
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The last county to be created was McCreary County in
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nineteen twelve. Today, a day's ride could mean by vehicle.
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In that case, I could get from Ashland to Fulton
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in a day. It would be a long day six
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hours according to my GPS, but fulfills the requirement. So
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it's time to get rid of all that bloat and
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eliminate counties. Right because having twenty two counties with less
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than ten thousand people in it should be easy to address. Heck,
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half the counties have less than twenty thousand people. If
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we started over from scratch, there is no way we
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would allow this. So something has to be done right, Well,
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not so much. Let's take the most extreme example and
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look at its impact. Robertson County has the smallest area
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and population in Kentucky. In fact, the estimated population of
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Robertson County as of July of twenty twenty four is
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two thousand, three hundred and eighty two. No, that is
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not a typo. That is less than six percent of
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the population of the city of Georgetown. Yet Robertson County
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has an elected judge, executive, seven magistrates, county attorney, county clerk,
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Circuit Court clerk, Sheriff Jaylor, property value to administrator, coroner, surveyor,
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and seven constables. Also, they have an elected school board
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that services approximately four hundred and fifty students.
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Speaker 2: That's a whole lot of government.
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Speaker 1: And remember that half the counties of Kentucky have less
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than twenty thousand people.
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Speaker 2: So if you live in.
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Speaker 1: A larger county, you might ask, why does that affect me?
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There are many formulas for the distribution of funds in
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Frankfort that benefit small counties. The biggest example is the
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road funding formula, where twenty percent of the money distributed
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to the counties is evenly divided among all the counties.
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So for that portion, Robertson County and its twenty three
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hundred and eighty two residents get the same amount of
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money as the three hundred and twenty nine thousand, four
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hundred and thirty seven residents of Fayette County. I have
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many strong reservations about the actions of Doge in DC,
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but as far as the Doge deve and Frankfurt, I
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provide you with this idea to implement a common sense
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method to trim government that will not only save money
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but deliver better results. I would argue that each county
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should have a minimum of twenty thousand people. However, as
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I said that at the start of the column, it
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will take political backbone to get it done. Adam Koenig
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spent sixteen years as a Republican Kentucky State representatives. He
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owns a consulting company, Konig Public Policy and Political Consulting,
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and he can be reached at Adam at KPPPC dot us.
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Interesting words to ponder, all right, let's take it. The
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news headlines from the Washington Post, it has been a
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busy weekend, and the lead story, US officials detail Iran
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bombing raid, noting limited attack for now. The massive US
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attack launched overnight on Iran's nucletar program was unprecedented in
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its scope and the weaponry used, but was intended as
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a limited strike and not to overthrow the Iranian government,
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top Trump administration official said Sunday, as Defense Secretary Pete
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Hegsith and General Dan Kine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs
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of Staff, provided details in an early morning news conference
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of the US stealth attacks on Iran's three main nuclear sites.
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Senior Trump administration officials took to the news Sunday broadcasts
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with a unified message the goals of the operation had
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been achieved and nothing more was planned unless Iran chose
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to retaliate, and the door to negotiations on US terms
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was open. Our view has been very clear that we
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don't want to regime change. We want to end their
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nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the
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Iranians about a long term settlement. Vice President j D
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Vance said on NBC's Meet the Press. We're ready to
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negotiate this in a peaceful diplomatic way, echoed Secretary of
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State Marco Rubio on CBS's Faced the Nation. There are
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no planned military operations right now against Iran. Unless they
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mess around and they attack Americans or American interests, then
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they're going to have a problem. But by Sunday afternoon,
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President Trump appeared to have veered off, at least for
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part of that message, posting on his social truth site
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that if the current Iranian regime is unable to make
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Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change miga.
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Trump announced the strikes on social media Saturday evening, then
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said in a brief address to the nation that the
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United States had obliterated Iran's nuclear program at the four
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doh and Natan's uranium enrichment facilities and at Isfahan, where
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highly enriched material was stored. On Sunday, he posted that
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the damage was monumental, although it remained unclear whether the
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sites had been destroyed or if Iran had previously moved
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materials to other sites ahead of the attacks. As Middle
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Eastern leaders, US allies and lawmakers struggled to understand Trump's
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reasoning for the timing of the attack on a nuclear
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weapons program his own intelligence agencies said was months, if
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not years, from developing a bomb. Attention focused on the
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immediate aftermath of the strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aargaichi,
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speaking at a news conference in Istanbul, said all options
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remain on the table for retaliation from Tehran. Iran's Islamic
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Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz,
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the narrow passageway and vital sea lane at the entrance
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to the Persian Gulf through which most of the region's
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oil exports flow. A senior political officer in Yemen's Iranian
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Bakt Huthi militia said that our military response is coming
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and in the first phase we will target American forces
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in the Red Sea. Such actions, particularly an attempt to
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mine or otherwise close the strait, would not only draw
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a US response, but would also be a suicidal move
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by Iran. Rubio said while the United States would be affected,
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presumably in terms of rising oil prices, he said there
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would be a lot of more impact on the rest
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of the world. China in particular, imports much of its.
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Speaker 2: Oil through the waterway.
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Speaker 1: He said in a briefing to the UN Security Council
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called to an emergency meeting by Iran on Sunday. The
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Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the
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assessment of the damage so far included visible craters at Fordah,
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Iran's main location for highly enriching uranium, at this no time.
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Speaker 2: At this time, no one.
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Speaker 1: Including the IAEA, is in a position to assess the
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underground damage at Fordah, Raphael Mariano Grossi said. Grossi also
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noted that at Isfahan, where much of Iran's highly enriched
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uranium is stored, above ground, buildings were hit in addition
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to one's destroyed in previous Israeli attacks, and entrances to
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tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to
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have been hit by US bombs that penetrate deep into
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the earth. At the third site, the Tans, where Israel
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also struck previously, the fuel enrichment plant has been hit
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again by US penetration munitions, he said. Iran has informed
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the IAEA there has been no increase in off site
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radiation levels. Grosi had previously said that the risk of
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radiation fallout from the enrichment sites was minimal. As more
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details of the strike were released, US lawmakers divided on
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largely partisan bases, with most Republicans hailing Trump's move as
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a bold and necessary Democrats, joined by some Republicans, charged
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that it was unconstitutional and violated Congress's power to declare
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war and could lead to a wider conflict. Leaders from Britain, France,
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and Germany, who have been engaged in their own negotiation
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efforts with Iran, issued a statement saying they stand ready
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to contribute to any talks leading to an agreement, and
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urged Tehran not to take any further action that could
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destabilize the region. Arab leaders were largely quiet, although Saudi
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Arabia said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sultan had held talks
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with his Persian Gulf counterparts. The United States and Iran
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accused each other of diplomatic deception in the lead up
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to the US action. Trump, who said Thursday that he
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would give Iran up to two weeks to respond to
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his demand that Iran eliminate its uranium enrichment program, allowed
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just two days before the bombs fell. Trump gave in
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to the demands of a criminal and had blown up
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diplomacy Ragchi sid in a reference to Israeli Prime Minister
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Benjamin Netanyahu. We didn't blow up diplomacy, Vance countered. We
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felt very strongly that the Iranians were stonewalling us. They
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weren't taking this seriously. Of course, we trust our intelligence community,
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but we also trust.
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Speaker 2: Our instincts, he said.
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Speaker 1: The real catalyst for Trump's decision, he said, was intelligence
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that the Iranians stopped negotiating in good faith. US Iran
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talks over the country's nuclear program began in April, but
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stalled on the question of whether Tehran would be allowed
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to continue uranium and richment at low levels used for
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civil and research purposes. Since Trump, during his first term
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in office, withdrew the US from the twenty fifteen agreement
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that limited Iran's enrichment and imposed strict international verification, Iran
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has produced hundreds of pounds of uranium and rich to
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near weapons grade material, according to the IAEA. Although the
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Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty to which Iran is a signatory,
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does not prohibit enrichmond, the US negotiating position is now
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that all Iranian enrichment must cease. The US military operation
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relied heavily on deception and secrecy. Numerous defense officials, speaking
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on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of
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the issue, said they first learned of its Saturday evening
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in Washington, either as it was being carried out or
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just afterward. Aiding the slight of hand, the Pentagon deployed
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multiple B two Spirit stealth bombers west over the Pacific
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Ocean from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, raising the
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prospect that the US might be preparing to strike Iran
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in the coming days from an airfield in Guam, or Diego, Garcia,
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and Indian Ocean Island. At the same time, a separate
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fleet of B twos took off just after midnight Saturday
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morning from Whiteman, about fifty miles from the outskirts of
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Kansas City, and flew stealthily to the east. Neither lawmakers,
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US allies, or the forty thousand American troops fanned out
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at bases across the Middle East were notified in advance.
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Later Saturday morning, online flight trackers reported apparent aerial refueling
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of the westward flying bombers over the California coastline and
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off the coast of Hawaii. A US official said Saturday
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that multiple B twos were flying over the Pacific and
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what was seen at the time as a show of
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force after Trump and his advisers said Thursday and Friday
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that they wanted to give diplomacy one last chance. Caine,
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the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, later called the flight
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over the Pacific a decoy and a deception effort known
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only to a small number of planners and key leaders
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in Washington and Tampa, the home of the US Central Command,
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the top military headquarters overseeing operations in the Middle East.
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It was unclear how many of the Air Force fleet
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of nineteen B two spirits were sent on the decoy flights.
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Seven B twos, each armed with two thirty thousand pounds
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bunker busting massive ordnance penetrator bombs, flew eighteen hours eastward
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and into Iranian airspace, accompanied by multiple fighter jets. At
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about five pm in Washington. The US strikes on Iran
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began as a Navy submarine in.
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Speaker 2: The Middle East.
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Speaker 1: Pentagon officials declined to say which one or where it
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was located. Open fire with about two dozen Tomahawk crewise
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missiles against key infrastructure targets came said at the news conference.
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While the Navy had assembled a fleet of warships in
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the region that included two aircraft carrier strike groups and
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numerous destroyers, the submarine had kept a low profile in
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keeping with its typically secret missions and locations. At around
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seven forty pm Washington time, around two am in Iran,
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the B twos and their support aircraft began launching air strikes. Kane,
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a former fighter pilot, said jet fighters swept out of
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the front of the bombers at high altitude and speed,
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hunting for any potential enemy fighter, jets or surface to
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air missile threats that could imperil the mission. It marked
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the first time the massive ordnance penetrator or MOP bombs
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were used in combat. All told, US forces launched about
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seventy five munitions at Iran during the operation, all without
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Iran responding. Kane said, we are unaware of any shots
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fired at the package. On the way out, he said,
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Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's
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surface to air missile systems did not see us through
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the mission. We retained the element of surprise the seven
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B two s, which refueled in the air multiple times
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on the Iran round trip landed back at Whiteman on
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Sunday afternoon, and the next story what satellite images reveal
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about damage to Iran's nuclear sites. Satellite images provide the
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first glimpses of the aftermath of US strikes on three
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sites said to be central to Iran's nuclear program, revealing
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severe damage at above ground facilities as well as the
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entry points left by bombs that burrowed deep underground to
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target some of the most protected uppers.
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Speaker 2: At about two ten.
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Speaker 1: Am Sunday local time, a B two stealth bomber dropped
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the first two bunker busting massive ordinate penetrators or mops
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on the heavily fortified uranium enrichment facility at four Dow.
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According to General Dan Kine, the chairman of the Joint
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Chiefs of Staff, the thirty thousand pounds precision guided bombs
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are designed to destroy subterranean targets. Seven B twos dropped
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the total of fourteen bombs there and at enrichment site at.
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Speaker 2: The town's official SID. A U S.
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Speaker 1: Submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at
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key surface infrastructure targets at a facility at Ishafan Caine
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said the Tomahawks were the last strikes of the US
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attack and on the three nuclear infrastructure targets, which ended
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around two thirty.
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Speaker 2: Five am local time.
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Speaker 1: President Trump said the strikes completely and totally obliterated the facilities.
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Penning On leaders used a more measured description of the
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news conference Sunday, saying that the sites all sustained extremely
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severe damage and they believed they had achieved a destruction
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of capabilities at FORDAW. A senior Israeli official told The
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Washington Post that an early assessment shows the site at
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Ishafan was annihilated and the facilities in Fordau and the
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Times were severely damaged. The officials spoke on the condition
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of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. Experts cautioned against drawing
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conclusions too quickly, as underground impacts depend on a variety
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of factors, including depth of detonation, surrounding geology, and any
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secondary explosions due to any combustible material in structure, but
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satellite images provide important early indications about what was hit,
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they said. Satellite images taken Sunday morning show at least
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six apparent bomb entry points, two clusters of three such
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points along the ridge above the Fordal facility. According to experts,
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built into a mountain about sixty miles south of Tehran,
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the site was considered largely impenetrable to any bomb, but
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the mop Clustering several munitions around a single point of
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impact is a common targeting method for destroying bunkers and
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well hardened structures, says West Bryant, the former chief of
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Civilian harm Assessments at the Pentagon Civilian Protection Center for Excellence,
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one of a dozen experts in satellite imagery or munitions
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reviewed by.
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Speaker 2: The Post for the story.
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Speaker 1: He said that in such cases, multiple bombs sometimes passed
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through a single entry point. The experts said the strike
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superior to have targeted a two hundred and fifty meter
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long part of the facility containing centrifuge used to enrich uranium.
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Speaker 2: The images shed.
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Speaker 1: A little light on the status of that equipment, which
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is hundreds of feet underground. Satellite images from the days
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before the US strike showed unusual truck and vehicular activity
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at the ford Au facility, according to a senior analyst
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at the satellite from Maxar Technologies, who also spoke on
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the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of
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the matter.
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Speaker 2: On Thursday, there were.
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Speaker 1: Sixteen cargo trucks along the access road leading to the
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underground complex. Images taken the next day showed that most
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of the trucks had moved a little more than a
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half mile northwest, farther from the facility. Other trucks and
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bulldozers were positioned near the site's entrance, including one truck
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directly next to it. Spencer Fargaso, Senior research fellow at
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the Institute for Science and International Security, said the vehicles
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appear to be dump trucks, and that, among other possible reasons,
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workers may have backfilled the tunnels in and out of
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the facility as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread
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of hazardous material if they evacuated any equipment. It had
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to happen prior to the filling of the tunnels, Ferragasso said,
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referencing the challenge of handling the uranium and centrifuges, which
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use hazardous materials and can be easily damaged, it would
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be a large and complicated undertaking. They probably shut things
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down and removed what they could, then sealed it up,
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said Jeffrey Lewis, Director of the East Asia Non Proliferation
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Program at the Middlebury Institute's James Martin Center for Non
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Proliferation Studies, leaving Washington and Jerusalem to play huack a
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mole with iron now. The tunnel entrances near the trucks
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were seen to appear to be filled with dirt, either
23:56
from the shock wave of the bombing or from previous
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RANGEIA in activity experts said. About two hundred and fifteen
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miles south of Tehran, the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, the
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country's largest nuclear research complex and home to thousands of
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nuclear scientists, three Chinese research reactors and laboratories linked to
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Iran's atomic program, was targeted in Israeli attacks earlier this month.
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According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, those strikes damaged
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at least ten buildings on the complex, including the Center
24:34
of Chemical laboratory, a reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and a
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nuclear material storage site material storage site. Among other functions,
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the Safon facility converted natural uranium into a compound that
24:49
could be enriched ats interfuges in.
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Speaker 2: Natans or FORDAU.
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Speaker 1: Satellite images after the US strikes showed damage and destruction
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in the complex, with much of the area covered in
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debris and ash. The complex main uranium conversion facility was
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severely damaged, Ferragasso said in an email to the Post,
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knocking the facility out of operation. The entrances to an
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underground tunnel complex also appears to have been hit. According
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to the IAEA, The tunnels north of the main area
25:23
are believed to be used to store enriched uranium. Lewis
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said the status of Iran's almost nine hundred pounds of
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highly enriched uranium is not currently known. Isfahan had in
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the past been a main storage site for Iran's enriched uranium,
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according to twenty twenty three reports by the Institute for
25:45
Science and International Security. The IAEA Director General Rafael Mariaso
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Grossi told CNN on Sunday that Iran has made no
25:55
secret that they have protected this material similar to what
26:00
was seen in Fordau. Trucks and heavy equipment were spotted
26:04
in satellite imagery late last week near the entrances to
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these tunnels, which were later seen buried with soil. According
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to Lewis and Ferragaso, the preparation around these tunnel entrances
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indicates that the Iranians had time to prepare for the
26:20
Isfahan strikes.
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Speaker 2: Lewis said the destruction.
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Speaker 1: Of the Isfahan INTC will set the program back, but
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individual machinery pieces will likely have been moved out, but
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not all, said Decker Elvath of the Center for Naval Analysis,
26:39
an expert on satellite imagery analysis of nuclear and ballistic
26:43
missile power. The Natanz Enrichment Facility, roughly one hundred forty
26:49
miles south of Tehran, is Iran's primary enrichment site, with
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two enrichment plants, one above and another below ground. An
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additional facility nearby, a newer edition, is buried deep underground
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and is used to manufacture centrifuges. Israeli airstrikes at the
27:08
Natance facilities on June thirteenth, destroying electricity infrastructure as well
27:14
as the above ground part of one facility where centrifugees
27:17
were installed, and seriously damaging the enrichment area underground, according
27:22
to the IAEA. George Herbert, a missile and explosive experts
27:28
at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, told The Post
27:32
that the Israeli underground penetrating attacks may or may not
27:37
have destroyed that area of the facility. Satellite imagery taken
27:42
after the US strike shows at least one penetration hole
27:46
from an MOP also known as the GBU fifty seven,
27:50
above the buried ENRICHMENTD facility, according to experts, They said
27:54
they saw little evidence of new damage to the above
27:56
ground facilities. The underground for facility was likely destroyed given
28:01
the power of the munition and the shallow depth of
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the site, Lewis and Farragasso said. Herbert said he believed
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that most of the explosive energy of the MOP expanded
28:12
into the underground spaces efficiently and would have destroyed all
28:17
equipment at least to some distance away. The strike probably
28:22
did not destroy the structural columns holding the halts up,
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or there would have been a collapse visible on the surface,
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he said. Based on the satellite images. Lewis said the
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underground facility used to make manufacture centrifuges appears not to
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have been hit in Sunday's strikes, and a correction says
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in a previous version of this story said in one
28:49
place that only two bombs were dropped on Fordao and
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a dozen on the Tans and Ishafahan, transposing the names
28:57
of two of the Iranian facilities as the story said elsewhere.
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At least six bombs were dropped on for Dow and
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next how Trump got to yes on bombing Iran. For days,
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President Trump played cooi about whether he would strike Iran,
29:17
declaring that he hadn't made up his mind, even as
29:19
he approved the attack plans and directed military officials to
29:23
ready their forces. Within a small circle of White House
29:26
and Administration officials, however, it was clear that even when
29:30
Trump said Thursday that he might take as long as
29:33
two weeks to decide, and attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
29:36
was imminent, and the roofs was already underway. Just over
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thirty six hours after that announcement, a host of military aircraft,
29:45
including seven B two bombers, were on their way to Iran.
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The number of Administration officials read in on the plan
29:53
remained small Across the White House, Some staff were in
29:58
the dark about if and when.
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Speaker 2: The strike would occur until shortly before.
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Speaker 1: In some cases, after Trump announced the mission to the
30:06
world on Saturday evening, Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman
30:11
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the highly classified
30:15
mission as one with very few people in Washington knowing
30:18
the timing or nature. Trump's statement about potentially waiting.
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Speaker 2: Up to two weeks.
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Speaker 1: Was our attempt to throw the Iranians off guard, the
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senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the operation said.
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Speaker 2: But there was also some truth.
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Speaker 1: To it, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
30:39
Because of the sensitivity of the situation, Trump had posed
30:43
question after question to his advisors throughout the week about
30:47
how the military could keep up the operation surgically. In
30:50
an effort to avoid a broader involvement in the war.
30:54
He made clear he reserved the right to abort the
30:57
plan at any moment. Up until lanes reached Iranian airspace
31:02
at roughly six pm in Washington, Trump repeatedly said he
31:07
was still open to a diplomatic solution. In the days
31:11
after Israel's initial strike against Iran, however, he grew increasingly
31:16
positive about military action as he watched Israel's success and
31:21
confronted Roleron's unwillingness to make the sort of drastic concessions
31:27
that might have convinced him to call off the strike.
31:30
He had given Iran an ultimatum. The ultimate ultimatum, he
31:35
termed at Wednesday, demanding that the country completely give up
31:39
its ability to enrich nuclear fuel a technology into which
31:43
the nation's leaders had poured enormous resources over two decades.
31:48
Speaker 2: The Iranians had.
31:49
Speaker 1: Repeatedly refused to agree to that in negotiations the spring.
31:54
Trump himself never had direct contact with Iranian officials. Steve Whitcoll,
32:00
Trump's Special envoyd to the Middle East, continued diplomatic talks
32:04
with Iran throughout the week. European officials had held a
32:09
negotiating session with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas at a Getchi
32:14
on Friday, but the White House did not expect meaningful
32:17
progress to come.
32:18
Speaker 2: From those talks.
32:19
Speaker 1: According to the senior official, he knew there probably wouldn't
32:23
be a breakthrough, which is why the Pentagon was putting
32:26
together a plan throughout the week. The senior official said
32:30
Friday session was a genuine effort by Europeans for diplomacy,
32:36
but no interest from Iran at all, said a senior diplomat.
32:40
Speaker 2: Involved in the meeting.
32:42
Speaker 1: Raj Shti said publicly in Geneva that Iran would not
32:46
negotiate about the future of nis En Richmond program while
32:50
it was under attack, a stance that was matched by
32:53
his conduct behind closed doors.
32:56
Speaker 2: At the diplomat said.
32:59
Speaker 1: After Israel began strikes on Iran on June thirteenth local time,
33:04
some top US officials, including Vice President JD. Vance, privately
33:09
raised cautions about how to proceed. According to two administration
33:13
officials with knowledge of the discussions, Vance, an Iraq war
33:19
veteran who has long been skeptical about the United States
33:22
entering wars, wanted to make sure all the tires were
33:26
kicked as the administration discussed its military plans, and that
33:31
risks to US forces were minimized. As it became clear
33:35
that Trump was closing in on a plan to strike Iran,
33:39
Vance and the rest of his advisors supported Trump's approach,
33:42
according to the senior official. Day by day, meanwhile, Iron's
33:47
defenses were being worn down by Israeli attacks, increasing the
33:52
likelihood that US military advisors would assess that a bombing
33:56
run of their own would be successful. Midweek, Israel had
34:01
achieved air superiority over Iran, said retired Lieutenant General Charlie
34:06
tuna More, a former Air Force F sixteen fighter pilot.
34:11
Although we could have executed our operation unilaterally without a doubt,
34:16
it was beneficial to the United States to have that
34:19
as the predicate. With the administrations a sense of camaraderie
34:24
developed among the close knit team, according to the senior official,
34:28
Even as news reports swirled about the internal discord, the
34:33
official insisted that accounts of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and
34:38
Director of National Intelligence Tulsey Gabbard being sidelined were false reporting.
34:44
As the B two stealth bombers left the US in
34:47
the early hours of Saturday morning, Trump and his vice
34:51
president were each far from the situation room, the President
34:55
at his golf club in New Jersey and Vance in
34:58
the air returning from California. Continuing with their scheduled trips
35:02
to appear at fundraisers on opposite coasts, further contributed to
35:08
the reduced sense of urgency among observers. After returning from
35:14
New Jersey in the early evening, Trump walked into the
35:17
White House just as the B two's and their support
35:20
planes entered Iranian airspace. The President made his way from
35:24
the residents toward the West Wing, and within forty minutes,
35:28
the bombers were over their targets. At seven point fifty pm,
35:33
twenty minutes after the bombers had exited Iranian airspace, Trump
35:37
and his aides posted an announcement on his truth social
35:41
site alerting the world that the attack that the attack
35:45
had occurred. Among those in the situation room with Trump
35:50
and Vance on Saturday, the team that had been appraised
35:53
of the secret operation in the days beforehand were Hegseth
35:57
Gabbard Witkoff, Secretarious State Marco Rubio, General Cain, White House
36:03
Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Counsel Dave Warrington,
36:09
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and James Blair, Trump's Deputy Chief
36:15
for Staff for legislative affairs. The White House Press Secretary
36:19
Caroline Levitt and Dan Scavino, Trump's longtime aide who handles
36:24
many of his social media posts, were also in the
36:27
room and read in early on the strategy. Attorney General
36:32
Pam Bondi had not been part of the core team
36:35
involved in strategizing, but was added.
36:37
Speaker 2: To the group Saturday.
36:39
Speaker 1: Defense and State Department officials worked to ensure US assets
36:44
and Americans in the region were protected as much as possible,
36:47
while US forces there were minimized. According to the senior
36:51
administration official, the decision to strike was a turnabout from
36:55
a generation of US leaders Trump included, who made differentations
37:00
about the risks of hitting Iran's nuclear program as recently
37:05
as nine days before the US strikes, when the Israelis
37:08
first bombed Iran, Trump's top foreign policy officials took pains
37:14
to make clear that Israel was acting alone. Tonight, Israel
37:20
took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in
37:24
strikes against Iran, Rubio said. Then Officials who spoke to
37:29
Rubio in the days after that initial Israeli action said
37:33
they came away thinking Trump was still focused on extracting
37:37
diplomatic concessions from Tehran. That seemed to change last Monday,
37:43
the day Trump was at the Group of Seven summited
37:45
in Canada, he cut that trip short, saying he needed
37:49
to deal with the Middle East crisis. That night, Trump
37:53
warned Iran supreme leader Ali Kameni that he could easily
37:58
be killed, to Tehran, a city of ten million people,
38:02
to immediately evacuate. By Tuesday, Trump had warmed to the
38:07
Israeli actions so much that he had begun referring to
38:11
the US and Israel as a unit, posting online that
38:15
we now have complete and total control.
38:18
Speaker 2: Of the skies over Iran.
38:21
Speaker 1: And crediting the American made equipment being used. He reviewed
38:25
the attack plans that same day, according to two White
38:28
House officials, Throughout the week, White House officials also kept
38:34
in close contact with influential leaders and Trump's bass, including
38:38
Stephen K. Bannon, Charlie Kirk, and Jack Prossebek, to make
38:43
sure they were being and felt heard. According to two
38:47
White House officials with knowledge of communications, Bannon and Kirk
38:52
each paid a visit to the White House. Officials said
38:55
the president was happy to hear from Bannon and other
38:58
voices critical of US and Vall, even though they did
39:01
not sway him. He also continued to hear from more
39:05
hawkish conservative voices such as Mark Levin, even as Levin
39:09
was critical of Trump's claim that he wanted more time
39:12
to make a decision, he was listening to people across
39:16
the ideological perspective of his political base.
39:19
Speaker 2: The senior administration officials said.
39:22
Speaker 1: Ultimately, the President felt this is a decision the base
39:26
should support and get behind, because ultimately he's preventing a
39:31
conflict that could very well have happened if the Supreme
39:34
Leader instructed Iran to create the nuclear weapon. On Saturday,
39:41
Rubio made a fresh round of calls to European allies,
39:44
and European officials had said, Europeans were told of the
39:48
strikes just after they happened. According to the officials, those
39:52
in the situation room with Trump in recent days, including
39:56
top cabinet officials who had been appraised of recent intelligen
40:00
says Trump weighed the strike, were hesitant Sunday to put
40:04
a time on when exactly the President made a decision.
40:08
The senior administration officials said there was not really.
40:11
Speaker 2: A moment that Trump made his final decision.
40:13
Speaker 1: It was based on feeling the President had as he
40:17
realized diplomacy would not lead to an acceptable outcome. Vance
40:22
conceded on television Sunday morning that it wasn't entirely clear
40:26
at what point Trump was fully on board. I don't
40:30
know that any of us knew exactly when the President
40:32
made the decision, except for the President himself, Vance said
40:36
on Meet the Press, He himself, over time decided this
40:40
was necessary. Vance said, but of course he had the
40:45
ability to call off this attack.
40:48
Speaker 2: Until the very last moment. And the next story.
40:51
Speaker 1: On the Iranian side, Iran says all options are on
40:55
the table. A bigger conflict, though, may threaten the regime's survival.
41:02
After a US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran is
41:06
weighing its response, with its top diplomat saying all options
41:10
are on the table after Washington proved they only stand
41:15
understand the language of threat and force. The United States
41:20
opted for a dangerous military operation, an aggression against the
41:25
people of Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arichi said Sunday,
41:31
and he separately warned of everlasting consequences for Iranian officials.
41:38
The choice of how to retaliate is existential. A wider
41:43
war would not only risk increase violence against the Iranian state,
41:48
but senior Iranian officials, who believe an expanded conflict could
41:53
also threaten regime survival. According to analysts and officials briefed
41:58
on the matter, the Trump administration has warned Iran against italiation.
42:04
There will be either peace or there will be tragedy
42:08
for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the
42:12
last eight days, said President Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
42:18
said at a Pentagon news conference Sunday that this mission
42:22
was not and has not been, about regime change. He
42:26
said messages have been delivered to Iranian officials that now's
42:31
the time to come forward for peace.
42:35
Speaker 2: But after more than a week of war.
42:38
Speaker 1: It's unclear how easily Iranian officials are able to communicate
42:42
and plan. One European official briefed on the matter said
42:46
calls scheduled between senior Iranian officials and their foreign minister
42:51
counterparts have been dropped or had to be repeatedly rescheduled
42:55
in recent days because of connectivity issues. Those kinds of
43:00
communications disruptions could have an impact on decision making in
43:05
the moment, but Iran anticipated possible US strikes for days,
43:10
said Vali Nasser, a professor of Middle East and International
43:14
studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
43:19
This is not a sudden decision for them. I think
43:22
they've had a week and perhaps even more before the
43:25
war started. They had time to think about what their
43:28
options are. Nasar said Iran could try to mitigate the
43:32
fallout from a strike on US interests by providing advanced warnings,
43:38
or he said, Iran may intensify strikes against Israel, a
43:42
move that would save face but might not invite further
43:46
escalation from the United States. It is not retaliation out
43:51
of revenge. It is retaliation to try to create deterrence,
43:55
he said. The response has to have a purpose in
43:59
the sense of managing the next stage. Because of their proximity,
44:04
US bases in the region are particularly exposed. Iranian officials
44:10
have previously warned that US bases would be considered legitimate
44:14
targets in the event of US intervention in Iran's powerful
44:18
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described them Sunday as a vulnerability.
44:24
The number, dispersion, and size of US military bases in
44:29
the region have not been a strength, but have doubled
44:32
their vulnerability.
44:33
Speaker 2: The IRGC said.
44:36
Speaker 1: Washington effectively placed itself on the front lines of aggression.
44:42
In the hours after the US strikes, Iran shot back
44:46
at Israel, firing two volleys of over twenty ballistic missiles.
44:50
The attacks penetrated Israel's sophisticated air defenses, hitting residential buildings
44:55
and wounding eighty six people, according to Israel's Health Ministry.
45:00
Support is also building for Iran for a withdrawal from
45:04
the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, move that would make it
45:08
more difficult to monitor and verify the country's nucletar program.
45:13
With the US attack on nucletar facilities, there is no
45:17
longer any reason to continue cooperation in the form of safeguards.
45:22
Mohammed sele Jochar, the head of the Iranian Parliament's Commission
45:26
for the country's Internal Affairs, told state run media such
45:31
a move could set non polariferation efforts in Iran back
45:36
for decades. Said Sina Azodi, an expert on Iran and
45:41
a lecturer at George Washington University, This would mean that
45:46
Iran goes nuclear, but there is no absolutely monitoring of
45:50
the Iranian nuclear program, he said. I can't emphasize how
45:54
dangerous this can be. But a senior Israeli official, speaking
45:59
of condition of anonymity discuss internal deliberation, said, if the
46:05
Iranian regime decides to go on without any agreement and
46:10
try to rebuild again, they should understand that it won't
46:15
be a huge challenge for us to get there again
46:18
and destroy it again. So I think this regime will
46:22
think now one hundred times before doing anything. The International
46:28
Atomic Energy Agency chief Raphael Marioso Grossi, said in a
46:33
posting on x that he is convening an emergency meeting
46:36
Monday in light of the urgent situation in Iran. No
46:41
increased levels of radiation were detected at the sites that
46:44
were struck. According to the UN Nuclear Watchdog's statement, it
46:50
is unclear how much damage was done to the Iranian
46:53
nuclear sites. Trump said three nuclear facilities, including the heavily
46:59
fortified fours, the main Uranium and Richmond sited in the Tans,
47:03
and the Isfahan facility, were obliterated. The senior Israeli officials
47:09
said that Isfahan was annihilated and that for Dao and
47:13
the Tans were severely damaged. Iranian officials downplayed the impact,
47:19
saying that the facilities that were struck had been evacuated
47:23
and the nuclear material was moved elsewhere. General dan Kin,
47:28
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at
47:30
a briefing Sunday that the facilities sustained extremely severe damage,
47:37
but that it was too early to determine the scale obstruction.
47:42
Arachi said in a news conference Sunday that he did
47:46
not have exact information about the level of damages. And
47:50
the lead up to the US attacks, Arab officials in
47:53
the region were engaged in a high level diplomacy to
47:57
prevent further escalation, encouraging Iran and the US to return
48:01
to the negotiating table. Iranian officials have previously said they
48:06
are prepared to talk with the US, but insisted that
48:09
Israeli strike cease before formal negotiations could begin. Arachis accused
48:17
Washington and Israel of scuttling diplomatic efforts at Friday's talks
48:22
with European foreign ministers in Geneva and ended without a breakthrough.
48:27
Inside Iran, people reached by the Washington Posts said they
48:32
are bracing for a more prolonged conflict. The fact that
48:36
America has entered this war is really a shock for
48:39
all of us, said a woman who fled her home
48:43
in Tehran, Iran's central Isfahan province. Like others, she spoke
48:49
on the condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal.
48:54
If in the first days of the war, people thought
48:57
that they would be some limits, that they'll return again
49:01
to negotiations right now, but the main dread is the
49:04
war will stretch on, she said. A business mind in
49:08
Tehran said Iranians are bracing for more economic repercussions if
49:13
the conflict stretches on. Already, in the past week, Iranian
49:17
businesses were seeing sharply reduced revenue and beginning to talk
49:21
of layoffs.
49:22
Speaker 2: He said.
49:23
Speaker 1: It's a mix of despair and fear right now, he said.
49:29
People who fled Tehran are also wondering when they can
49:32
return to their homes and worry that water and electricity
49:36
might get cut off as part of a prolonged fighting,
49:39
said the Iranian woman. These have become much more serious concerns,
49:44
she said, adding that she and her family are so
49:48
afraid that gasoline supplies will be affected that they don't
49:52
dare to drive anywhere, choosing to walk instead. The business
49:56
mond in Tehran said Iranians had four years imagine the
50:00
possibility of an American attack and saw it as a
50:03
sort of final stage, indicating an imminent, more dangerous phase
50:09
of the conflict. From a mental perspective, people feel that
50:13
they've entered the final stage that.
50:16
Speaker 2: They always feared, he said.
50:22
Speaker 1: And now moving away to a story that says here's
50:25
where the US will see record breaking heat this week.
50:29
A wave of record breaking humidity and heat is surging
50:33
across the United States, with about two hundred and sixty
50:35
five million people forecast to experience ninety or one hundred
50:40
degree temperatures during the week ahead, including humidity levels that
50:44
rival those in the Middle East. The combination of extreme
50:49
heat and humidity can be dangerous and there will be
50:52
little relief at night, with low temperatures hovering in the
50:56
mid seventies to near eighty in many Central and Eastern states.
51:02
Saturday was hot and humid across the Central States, with
51:05
temperatures reaching ninety eight degrees in Denver, ninety seven in Nashville,
51:09
and ninety four in Chicago. In Minneapolis, the temperature didn't
51:13
fall below ninety degrees until one am local time Sunday,
51:17
after reaching ninety six on Saturday. A June humidity record
51:21
was tied in Green Bay, where the due point reached
51:24
seventy six degrees on Saturday morning, a value more typical
51:28
of Florida. The most intense conditions will be found across
51:33
the Plains and Midwest on Sunday, before days of triple
51:37
digit heat broiled Big East coast cities.
51:41
Speaker 2: As of early.
51:42
Speaker 1: Sunday, heat advisories or warnings covered more than one thousand
51:45
counties from Nebraska to Maine. Hundreds of record breaking temperatures
51:50
or forecast across the country through Thursday, with the highest
51:54
number probably occurring on Tuesday. The conditions will bring an
51:59
increase risk for heat related illnesses, especially for people without
52:03
access to air conditioning, those working outdoors, and people with
52:08
underlying health conditions, as well as pets and other animals.
52:12
And here's the daily forecast of the most unusually humid heat. Monday,
52:18
Millions of people across the Midwest, Northeast, and mid Atlantic
52:22
will again waken to record high morning temperatures. Afternoon temperatures
52:27
may reach one hundred degrees from the Carolinas to Massachusetts,
52:32
breaking records, including in the areas around major cities such
52:36
as Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Washington and Baltimore, Philadelphia,
52:41
and New York. The day will also be extremely humid
52:45
along the eastern Seaboard into southern Canada, where du points
52:49
will probably break June records Tuesday. Tuesday may come with
52:55
the highest number of temperature records, as high searge to
52:57
one hundred degrees from or more from near Boston to Atlanta.
53:02
Washington could come close to reaching its highest June temperature
53:06
on record of one hundred and four degrees set in
53:09
twenty twelve. Other Eastern cities forecast reach or exceed one
53:13
hundred include Atlanta, Macon and Augusta, and Georgia, Columbia and
53:18
South Carolina. Fayetteville and Raleigh in North Carolina, Richmond and
53:23
Charlottesville in Virginia, Baltimore and Salisbury and Maryland, Georgetown in Delaware,
53:29
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, Atlantic City and Trenton and Newark in
53:35
New Jersey, New York and Poughkeepsie in New York, Hartford
53:39
in Connecticut, Westfield and Milton and Massachusetts, and Manchester and
53:43
Concord in New Hampshire. On Wednesday, triple digit again temperatures
53:50
again are possible near New York to the Florida Panhandle.
53:53
Those scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms could temper
53:58
the heat slightly. Extreme heat and humidity will continue in
54:03
the Midwest and mid South on Thursday. It will still
54:07
be hot and humid in the mid Atlantic and southeast
54:10
and central states, but the coverage of one hundred degree
54:14
heat will probably decrease because of afternoon clouds, showers and thunderstorms.
54:20
Several East Coast cities may eclipse one hundred degrees for
54:23
several consecutive days and will approach their June monthly record
54:26
during the week ahead.
54:28
Speaker 2: Here are some notable.
54:29
Speaker 1: Heat statistics that could be neared tide or broken. Washington
54:35
consecutive days of June with high temperatures at o above
54:39
one hundred degrees current record two days. June monthly record
54:43
high current record one hundred and four and June monthly
54:47
record high overnight temperature current record eighty two. For Baltimore,
54:53
consecutive June days with a high temperature at oer above
54:56
one hundred current record only one day. Philadelphia consecutive June
55:01
days with a high temperature at or above one hundred
55:03
degrees current record two days. The June monthly record highs
55:08
current record is one hundred and two and June monthly
55:11
record high overnight temperature the current record eighty two. And
55:16
New York the first one hundred degree temperature during June
55:20
since nineteen sixty six. The June monthly record high which
55:25
is a record of one hundred and one degrees, and
55:28
the June monthly record high overnight.
55:29
Speaker 2: Which is currently eighty one.
55:32
Speaker 1: The heat dome driving the extreme conditions will weaken late
55:36
in the week, but waves of above average temperatures and
55:40
humidity are expected into July. And finally, GOPNG and Trump's
55:47
tax bill would sell off USPS brand new electric vehicles.
55:52
A little notice provision of President Trump and the Republican's
55:56
massive tax and immigration legislation would force the government to
56:00
undo billions of dollars in electric vehicle investments made by
56:03
the US Postal Service, unwinding much of the Biden Administration's
56:08
climate push at the mail agency while dealing it a
56:11
sharp financial setback. The Postal Service in twenty twenty two
56:16
embarked on plans to purchase sixty six thousand electric mail
56:20
delivery vehicles, many of them Bespoke Next Generation delivery vehicles,
56:25
from the defense contractor Oshkosh. The agency has also purchased
56:30
hundreds of e transit delivery vans from Ford and spent
56:34
more than half a billion dollars remodeling its outdated mail
56:39
and package sorting facilities to accommodate electric and low emissions vehicles.
56:45
The agency expects to send to spend nine point six
56:48
billion dollars on the project.
56:50
Speaker 2: In total.
56:51
Speaker 1: Three of that billion dollars comes from taxpayers to cover
56:55
the cost difference between gas powered vehicles and more expensive EVA.
57:01
The remaining funding comes from the Postal Service's independent accounts.
57:05
The agency is largely self sufficient finance the sale by
57:09
the sale of postage products. The sentence version of the
57:13
Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill would see the General Service
57:16
Administration taking possession of the nearly seventy two hundred new
57:20
postal evs and associated infrastructure and put the assets up
57:25
for auction. The proposal is likely to generate much revenue
57:29
for the government. There is almost no private sector interest
57:33
in the mail trucks and used EV charging equipment, but
57:38
specifically for the Postal Service and already installed in postal
57:42
facilities generally cannot be resold. The funds realized by the
57:47
auction of the vehicles and infrastructure would be negligible. Much
57:51
of the infrastructure is literally buried under parking lots, and
57:54
there's no market for use charging equipment. Pete passed to
57:58
the Postal Services Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy,
58:02
wrote to senators this month. And this concludes the reading
58:07
of the Washington Post for today, Monday, June twenty third.
58:10
Your reader today has been Rod Brotherton. If you have questions, comments,
58:15
or suggestions concerning the program, please feel free to call
58:18
us at A five nine four two two sixty three ninety.
58:22
Thank you for listening, and now please stay tuned for
58:26
continued programming right here on Radio I