Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Friday, June 13, 2025

Israel Strikes Iran

Dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.” Netanyahu: Netanyahu: “We are after a very successful opening strike, and with God’s help – we are going to achieve many achievements” (Mossad). Adam Kredo of Free Beacon: Israel launched the opening salvo in a massive military campaign against Iran and its nuclear program late Thursday evening, bombing dozens of military targets that included the homes of senior Iranian political and military officials, as well as two major nuclear sites. Iranian state TV reported that the Israeli strikes appear to have killed at least four officials, including Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Hossein Salami. The former IRGC leader said earlier Thursday that the Islamic Republic was “fully ready for any scenario” ahead of the Israeli operation. Also killed, according to Iranian media, were Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander in chief of the Iranian armed forces, and armed forces chief of staff Mohammed Bagheri. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the operation is designed to derail Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program,” he said. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program. We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile program” (Free Beacon). Haviv Rettig Gur: Hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles launched at Israel for two years, hundreds of thousands of Iranian missiles and rockers buried under Lebanese villages aimed at our cities. And decades of calls for our destruction (Rettig Gur).

Israeli Strikes Look Like Decapitation Effort

Killed: Hossein Salami, Commander, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Killed: Mohammad Bagheri, military chief. Israel Hayom: Reports from Iran indicate a string of eliminations among the upper echelons of the Islamic Republic’s leadership during the Israeli strikes on Iran’s capital, Tehran. According to an announcement in local media, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami has been killed. After conflicting, the state media also confirmed that Iran’s military chief, Mohammad Bagheri was also killed. Several nuclear scientists were also eliminated.Bagheri, who had led the Iranian military since 2016, was seen as the architect of the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program. His family connections also bolstered his status in the regime: his brother was a celebrated figure in the Iran-Iraq War, which helped Bagheri forge ties with Iran’s ruling elite (Israel Hayom). Farnaz Fassihi: Iran’s state television says at least four officials appear to be killed in targeted assassinations including the commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards Gen. Hossein Salami (Fassihi). Katie Pavlich: Israel isn’t just taking out Iran’s nuclear sites, they’re taking out the regime (Pavlich). Brandon Weichert: REGIME CHANGE IS NEXT. Be watching (Weichert).

Rubio: Israel Acting Autonomously

Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” he said in a statement Thursday evening. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel” (Rubio). Speaker of the House Mike Johnson: Israel IS right—and has a right—to defend itself! (Johnson).

Iran Launches Drones at Israel

YNET on Thursday evening: Iran has launched more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles toward Israel, the IDF said Friday morning, marking a major escalation in regional tensions following the start of Operation Rising Lion targeting Iran’s nuclear program. “We are working to intercept them,” military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a statement, referring to the drones—known by their Hebrew acronym as UAVs or “katbamim.” The military did not provide immediate details on the types of drones used, their targets or whether any had already been intercepted (YNET).

San Francisco Judge Blocks Trump on Control of National Guard; Appeals Court Temporarily Blocks His Ruling

First on the San Francisco Judge: A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to “return control” of the California National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom after the president issued an extraordinary order deploying them to Los Angeles over the weekend. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, presiding over the case, granted California’s request for a temporary restraining order, granting the federal government a stay until Friday to appeal the ruling…. The case was brought by California against the Trump administration earlier this week after a historic weekend in L.A. County. The state contends that Trump exceeded his authority in an “unprecedented power grab” by federalizing the Guard without the consent of Gov. Gavin Newsom, and by deploying Marines on American soil (Los Angeles Times). The response last night from the federal appeals court: A federal appeals court late Thursday blocked a lower court judge’s order instructing President Donald Trump to return control of 4,000 California National Guard troops that he had federalized to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The 9th Circuit … scheduled a hearing for Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the appellate court will consider arguments then on whether to extend a stay of Breyer’s order, or allow his ruling to take effect (CNBC). Mike Davis on the San Francisco Judge: Clinton Judge Charles Breyer, Clinton Justice Stephen Breyer’s 83-year-old younger brother, denied Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom’s absurd request to order the President to turn back his military operation to save Los Angeles from foreign invaders’ burning and looting (Davis).

California Senator Padilla Gets Aggressive With Secret Service Agents

The incident happened after he burst into a briefing of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Just the News: Footage shared by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on Thursday showed California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla pushing law enforcement officers back as he’s removed from a DHS press briefing. The senator was forcibly removed during a briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in California regarding the ongoing riots in Southern California, where he accused the secretary of exaggerating. As he was pushed out of the room by two men, Padilla could be heard saying, “I’m Sen. Alex Padilla and I have questions for the secretary.” Officers placed handcuffs on him after he went to the ground, video footage shows (Just the News). Padilla, simply put, was aggressive. Tricia McLaughlin, our Assistant Secretary Dept. of Homeland Security: Padilla pushing and shoving law enforcement officers to get his way back to the podium. Incredibly aggressive behavior from a sitting US Senator (McLauglin). Nick Arama: if they’re trying to turn this into performance theater, it’s not going to work because people saw what happened (Red State).

Hamas Murders Aid Workers of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Evidence, again, that the new group Israel and the U.S. are leaning on is a direct threat to Hamas. Reuters: At least eight Palestinians who worked for the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation died in an ambush, the GHF said on Thursday, blaming Hamas militants for the killings that rocked the troubled food distribution operation. A bus carrying about two dozen GHF workers was raked with gunfire on Wednesday night as it headed to an aid centre in southern Gaza, the foundation said, adding that many of its staff were injured and some might have been kidnapped (Reuters). The Washington Post has a dark double standard on what they accept as fact: One standard for Hamas, quite a different one for the Jews: When Hamas officials alleged, without evidence, that Israel killed “over 30” Gazans near an aid site, the Washington Post cited the claims uncritically. Less than two weeks later, when an American- and Israeli-backed aid organization accused Hamas of killing eight of its workers, the Post dinged the group for not “offer[ing] evidence.” The latest Post piece covered a Wednesday night statement from the aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), that said members of its team “were brutally attacked by Hamas” as they traveled “to one of our distribution centers in the area west of Khan Yunis.” In its third paragraph, the piece stated that the GHF “blamed the attack on Hamas, the militant group that ruled Gaza, but did not offer evidence.” It also referred to the GHF as “a controversial aid group backed by the United States and Israel” (Free Beacon).

FBI Director Kash Patel Hails Record Drug Bust

Fox News: FBI director Kash Patel praised his agents as well as those from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for taking down a major drug operation in Atlanta, resulting in the removal of 33 firearms and over 252 kilograms of drugs valued at over $9 million, from the streets. The FBI, alongside the DEA and state and local authorities executed three search warrants last Thursday, resulting in the arrest of 47-year-old Bartholomew Keeton Harralson (Fox News). This comes on the heels of other significant busts, including last month’s fentanyl seizure: Federal authorities have arrested 16 individuals and seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across multiple states, dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations in U.S. history. “This historic drug seizure, led by the DEA, is a significant blow against the Sinaloa Cartel that removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle every cartel network operating illegally in the United States” (Justice).

Heroes of the New York Times: Nurses Who Sends Abortion Pill Behind Enemy Lines

Making heroines of nurses who take innocent human life in states where it the most vulnerable are legally protected. Pam Belluck of the New York Times: Ms. Lynch’s husband, Jay, packaged the pills into a plain white envelope and labeled it with the Alabama address, as well as their service’s name and return address. A mail carrier picked it up from their mailbox. Included was a handwritten note on paper decorated with flowers: “We are here for you if you need us. You are not alone. Feel free to reach out anytime, no matter what you need.” Ms. Lynch is one of about several dozen providers in the country taking legal risks by prescribing and sending pills to patients in states with abortion bans. Many providers are based in states with shield laws, intended to offer them protection by preventing authorities there from cooperating with out-of-state officials who try to prosecute or sue them for serving people in their states. A close-up view of two boxes of abortion medication on a wooden table. About 20 states have adopted some type of abortion shield law since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion in 2022. Eight explicitly protect telemedicine abortion prescribers who send medication to patients in any state. Delaware’s shield law isn’t as explicit, and there are different views on the scope of its protection, some legal experts said. Ms. Lynch said lawyers advised her that Delaware’s laws appear to protect prescribers who mail pills to any state, but she recently decided to move to one of the eight states with the clearest protections (New York Times).

10.

June Is Now “Fidelity Month”

Or at least that’s the effort from new coalition of leaders, organizations and ministries. What is it: Fidelity Month is a positive, grassroots movement to heal division and restore unity in our nation. It celebrates June as a season of recommitment to God, our spouses and families, our communities, and country (Fidelity). Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a resolution that June be formally recognized as “Fidelity Month”: The resolution recognizes the national strife resulting from declining traditional values and serves as a rededication to these principles for the wellbeing of the American people. “America’s success hinges on the values of faith, family, and patriotism,” said Senator Mike Lee. “Celebrating Fidelity Month this June, we stand against a tide of moral relativism, a culture which increasingly revolves around serving one’s self, rather than our duty to others. Loving families and faithful marriages must be a guiding star for our society and a cornerstone of our communities” (Lee). Andrew Walker: At a time when America’s moral fabric is fraying and too many voices denigrate the very values that once bound us together, #FidelityMonth is a timely and essential initiative. Faith, family, and patriotism are not relics of the past — they are the pillars of any flourishing civilization. I wholeheartedly support this effort to call Americans of every background to renew their dedication to these enduring truths. Without such fidelity, freedom itself becomes fragile (Walker). It’s a fitting juxtaposition to Pride Month.

SUBSCRIPTION INFO: This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It is only sent to people who signed up from one of the Salem Media Group network of websites. We respect and value your time and privacy.
Unsubscribe from The Daybreak Insider
6400 N. Belt Line Rd., Suite 200, Irving, TX 75063
Copyright © 2025 Salem Media Group and its Content Providers. All rights reserved.