June 25, 2025

Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.

Peace Through Strength: As Israel-Iran Ceasefire Sticks, U.S.-Iran Talks Resume As Trump Tells Congress U.S. ‘Stands Ready To Take Further Action’ 

President Donald Trump’s June 23 declared ceasefire between Israel and Iran in what the President is calling the Twelve Day War appears to be holding (for now) after a bumpy start, as both sides accused the other of violating the terms of the agreement, but now with both saying they will respect the ceasefire as long as the other side does after Trump rebuked both sides. 

The tenuous truce comes three days after President Trump’s ordered June 21 air strikes against Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, assisting Israel in its campaign that began June 13. 

Now, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff says that talks between the U.S. and Iran have resumed seeking “a comprehensive peace agreement”, telling Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on June 24, “The president has said unequivocally that he wants to see — and he’s hopeful for — a comprehensive peace agreement that goes beyond even the ceasefire… We’re already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising.” 

In the meantime, President Trump on June 23 transmitted a War Powers Resolution letter to Congress outlining the strikes: “The strike was limited in scope and purpose.  The United States discretely targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities.  Iranian troops and other military facilities were not targeted.  No United States ground forces were used in the strike, and the mission was planned and executed in a manner designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks, and limit the risk of escalation.” 

And Trump outlined his authorities to do so involved, consistent with previous presidential administrations: “I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad as well as in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests.  I acted pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct United States foreign relations.” 

And Trump said the U.S. “stands ready for further action” if needed: “The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law, and the United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks.”  

That is peace through strength, as President Trump demonstrated the U.S. is ready and willing to act militarily if it must to protect its interests, including destroying Iran’s nuclear enrichment programs by force if a more permanent agreement cannot be reached. Trump is retaining the credible threat of force. Congress doesn’t need to do a thing (except maybe take notes). 

Without the ability to defend against further air strikes, this gives Iran every incentive to sit down to come to grips with reality: Tehran will not be allowed to get nuclear weapons. 

The conflict began after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found Iran to be in violation of the treaty on June 12 by barring weapons inspectors in violation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty that prohibits non-nuclear-weapon states from “manufactur[ing] or otherwise acquir[ing] nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices…” 

To verify compliance, the treaty requires IAEA inspections of nuclear facilities: “Each non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty undertakes to accept safeguards, as set forth in an agreement to be negotiated and concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency in accordance with the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Agency’s safeguards system, for the exclusive purpose of verification of the fulfilment of its obligations assumed under this Treaty with a view to preventing diversion of nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” 

At the moment, it is an open question if the IAEA will be able to resume its work, including assessing damage to the facilities that were hit by the U.S. and Israel, and otherwise providing a framework — perhaps Trump’s previously proposed nuclear fuel imports for Iran — to avert any further weaponization concerns. 

Now, the President sounds optimistic that the ceasefire will continue holding, speaking at a press conference at the NATO Summit in the Netherlands on June 25, Trump said, “It was a twelve-day war and we think it’s over. I don’t think they are going to be going back at each other. I don’t think so. Not only have we dealt with critical threat of Iran’s nuclear program which is what I wanted. I said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said that for 15 years, long before I decided to do the political thing. But we’ve also asserted the credibility of American deterrence, which is like no other.” 

Trump was also optimistic that Iran would forego its nuclear ambitions, stating, “Iran has a huge advantage. They have great oil and they can do things—I don’t see them getting back involved in the nuclear business anymore. I think they’ve been at it for 20 years and I don’t see that happening either. If it does, we’re always there… We’ll have to do something about it.” 

Trump added, “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done. I could get a statement that they are not going to go nuclear. They are not going to be doing it but they are not going to be doing it anyway.” Trump then asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio on stage, “Do you want to draw up a little agreement for them to sign? Because I think we can get them to sign it.” 

Secretary of State Rubio said he was ready to get back to the table, stating, “I don’t know of any president as willing as he has to talk about peace. We’d love to have peaceful relations with every country in the world. That will depend on Iran’s willingness not just to engage in peace but to work with the United States. I know of no president in our modern history that’s sought peace more than President Trump has.” 

Trump then jumped in and said more talks were planned, stating, “We’re going to talk to them next week—with Iran. We may sign an agreement. I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. They had a war, they fought. Now they are going back to their world. I don’t care if I had an agreement or not. The only thing we would be asking for is we want no nuclear. But we destroyed the nuclear. It’s destroyed. I said Iran will not have nuclear. Well, we blew it up. It’s blown up to kingdom come and I don’t feel very strongly about it. We get a document, it wouldn’t be bad. We’re going to me them, actually. We’re going to meet them.” 

Time will tell if the new talks are much different than the 60-day talks that failed. Following the June 21 devastating air strikes, now there’s one big difference. Now the Iranians know Trump means business. 

Robert Romano is the Executive Director of Americans for Limited Government Foundation.  

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2025/06/peace-through-strength-as-israel-iran-ceasefire-sticks-u-s-iran-talks-resume-as-trump-tells-congress-u-s-stands-ready-to-take-further-action/ 

Poll: Close To Two-Thirds of Democrat Voters Want Their Party Leadership Replaced for Neglecting Issues They Care About   

By Manzanita Miller  

In the midst of President Donald Trump brokering a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran which he has urged both nations to honor, another political battle is unfolding here at home as Democrat voters call for completely new leadership in their party.       

A growing faction of Democrats and political analysts are beginning to recognize and reluctantly admit that they lost the 2024 election due to their abandonment of the middle-class and elevation of a radical left-wing agenda that very few Americans stand behind.  

Polling shows tolerance for the modern Democratic Party is running thin, and the party must be transformed into a more economically responsive body or be replaced entirely.  

A large 4,200-people Reuters/Ipsos poll released June 19 reveals a startling lack of support for the modern Democratic Party’s progressive social agenda, with Democrat voters asserting by a 38-point margin — 62 percent to 24 percent — that the party should replace Democrat leaders with new leaders. This stands in stark contrast to Republican voters — just 30 percent of Republican voters say they want their party leadership to be replaced.    

The poll also unearthed a deep divide between the issues Democrat voters want their party leaders to focus on — which include a slate of economic and social safety net measures — and the fringe social issues they say Democrat elected officials are focused on.    

Voters are growing weary of the Democratic Party’s focus on radical gender issues while neglecting issues they deem more important such as paid family leave, affordable childcare, and lower Medicaid drug prices, according to the survey.   

While a mere 17 percent of Democrat voters say allowing transgender people to compete in women and girls’ sports is a priority for them, 28 percent say their party leaders are too heavily focused on the issue.     

On the flipside, there is an 18-point gap in what Democrat voters want in terms of paid family leave and how voters think Democrat leaders are prioritizing the issue. 80 percent of Democrats say family leave is a priority to them but only 63 percent say the party is focused on that issue.  

There is also a 17-point gap in what Democrat voters want when it comes to lower childcare costs and how voters think Democrat leaders are prioritizing that issue. 73 percent of Democrat voters say lower childcare costs are important to them while but just 55 percent say party leaders are focused on that issue.   

On prescription drug costs, 74 percent of Democrat voters say they want Democrat leaders to focus on lowering drug costs, but only 61 percent say Democrats are focused on the issue, a 13-point gap.  

Then there is the perception that the Democratic Party does not respect and value working Americans. This spring, an alarming poll from Democratic-leaning research group Navigator Research quietly exposed just how much the party’s support among middle-class voters has shrunk due to a mismatch in priorities.    

The poll, which surveyed voters across 62 competitive House districts, exposed how voters said by 14 points — 56 percent to 42 percent — that the Democratic Party is not looking out for working people. Less than half of voters — 44 percent — believe the Democratic Party “respects work”. Even less — just 39 percent — say the party “values work”.  

Thought leaders are beginning to recognize the modern Democratic Party’s inability to match voter needs. David Brooks, an opinion columnist at the New York Times, echoed a need for reform in a recent op-ed, pointing out that Democrats are continuing to lose on policy issues because they have distanced themselves from the middle and working classes and aren’t getting the “big moral questions” right.  

“When millions of people feel that they and their values are invisible to that order, they rightly feel furious and alienated”, Brooks noted. Of course they’ll go with the guy — Trump — who says: I see you. I respect you. If Democrats, and the educated class generally, can’t change their values and cultural posture, I doubt any set of economic policies will do them any good. It is just a fact that parties on the left can’t get a hearing until they get the big moral questions right: faith, family, flag, respect for people in all social classes.”  

Whether Democrats can abandon their failed social justice agenda, reform the party from within, and recoup the middle-class remains to be seen. As an alternative option to absorb disaffected Democrats, interest in a third party is rising.   

A June 18th YouGov survey found a plurality of Americans — 46 percent — say a third party is “necessary” in the U.S. Only 20 percent say the Democratic and Republican parties are sufficient to represent Americans, and 34 percent aren’t sure.  

Democrats — who feel disproportionately neglected and undermined by their own representatives in Congress — are likely to say a third party is needed, saying so by a 23-point margin, 47 percent to 24 percent. Republicans agree by a slim four-point margin, 35 percent to 31 percent. Independents are the keenest on a third party, saying a third party is necessary by a broad 43-point margin, 53 percent to 10 percent.        

Throughout the past decade, the Democratic Party has become increasingly ideological, detached from the needs of most Americans, and devoted itself to a fringe slate of issues that very few voters stand behind.  

A recent YouGov survey finds that Americans trust the Republican Party on a majority of frequently cited issues of importance, from immigration and inflation to taxes, crime, foreign policy, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and even fighting corruption.   

Yet, ideological opposition to President Trump and conservatives is still strong among many Democrats. One takeaway is clear. The radical left, which just five years ago seemed to have infiltrated every aspect of media, culture, and civil society, may be nearing its end. The modern-day pressures of economic issues, an unchecked border, and foreign policy threats — and the Democratic party’s refusal to prioritize these issues over identity politics — have been the party’s downfall.       

A party that once pretended to look out for the middle-class and forward issues like better childcare and healthcare for families has abandoned that pretense and turned to chastising its own people for not being woke enough no matter how much they suffer or sacrifice. This has proved to be a losing strategy. There is a lesson there — in the United States government was formed to represent the needs and desires of the people — not to dictate to them what they should believe.  

Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.  

To view online: https://dailytorch.com/2025/06/poll-close-to-two-thirds-of-democrat-voters-want-their-party-leadership-replaced-for-neglecting-issues-they-care-about/