Israel/Hezbollah Fighting Never Stopped

Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel. Israel strikes back at Hezbollah, even in Beirut when they have a juicy target. This is what a Middle East cease-fire looks like. Axios: Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday in retaliation to a Hezbollah missile attack on northern Israel, Israeli officials said. Why it matters: Iran threatened last week to launch a missile attack against Israel if it attacks Beirut, while the U.S. has backed Israel’s right to self-defence. Such a move could unravel U.S.–Iran negotiations and reignite the war. A U.S. defense official tells Axios that U.S. forces in the Middle East “are prepared for defense” in case Iran implements its threats and launches new attacks. Israel notified the Trump administration before the strike, a U.S. official and two other sources with knowledge tell Axios. “The United States supports Israel’s right to self-defense and stands with the legitimate Government of Lebanon as it works to deliver a better future for its citizens,” a second U.S. official tells Axios. Hezbollah “must stop firing immediately and allow these agreements to take effect.” Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike answered Hezbollah missiles fired at northern Israel earlier Sunday, which the Israeli military says it intercepted. Israeli officials said the Beirut strike targeted a Hezbollah command center in Dahieh — a Shia district known as a Hezbollah stronghold. (Axios.) If you are following the current war(s) in the Middle East, Barak Ravid seems to have some of the best sources.

 

Iran Firing Missiles at Israel; Trump Asks Israel Not to Respon

Iran has been firing missiles at its Gulf neighbors throughout the cease-fire, but refrained from hitting Israel until Sunday. Axios: President Trump will call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and press him not to retaliate for Iran’s missile attack, Trump tells Axios. “I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one,” Trump said. Why it matters: The ceasefire in the Middle East is teetering after Israel struck Beirut and Iran fired multiple waves of missiles in response. Trump is racing to stop the escalations from killing his hopes at a lasting deal with Iran. Netanyahu’s answer will measure how much sway the American president still holds over Israel. Driving the news: Iran fired missiles at Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. It’s Iran’s first direct attack since the April 8 ceasefire. Israel says it has intercepted the missiles. Trump’s demand that Israel not retaliate is highly unusual. Without U.S. support, any Israeli strike in Iran will be much more difficult and risky. A U.S. official told Axios: “We are not part of this,” but it is unclear whether Trump will order the U.S. military not to assist Israel in a strike in Iran, especially when it comes to air refueling and other kinds of military coordination. (Axios.)

Late Sunday night, Israel bombed northern and Western Iran in retaliation for missile strikes. Axios: The Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on military targets in central and Western Iran on Monday morning local time, Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. Why it matters: The strikes, in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack against Israel, mark a new phase in a growing escalation that started on Sunday morning. This is the first time Israel has struck Iran since the April 8 ceasefire. Iran had threatened to expand its attacks and target U.S. bases in the region if Israel retaliated. Further exchanges of fire could unravel the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and lead to the resumption of the war. President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several hours before the strikes to stand down and refrain from retaliating. State of play: Explosions were heard in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, Tabriz and Kermanshah, according to Iranian state media. A U.S. official said the Israel strikes were “relatively limited” in their scope. (Axios.)

Democrats Stick With Platner, Don’t Believe All Women Anymore

Democrats are so concerned about fighting fascism that they are determined to stick with the Nazi/Communist pedo-dating-app girlfriend abuser who trains Antifa in assault tactics. Some moderate Democrats are worried, but only John Fetterman has broken with him, while presumed presidential candidate Ro Khanna and Bernie Sanders are foursquare behind him. CBS News: Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California on Sunday condemned Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s alleged conduct toward women, but said he has taken “accountability” for his actions.  “His actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” Khanna said in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” Khanna campaigned with Platner on Friday in Maine as Democrats seek to flip the seat held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in what is one of the most closely watched races in the country. Any hope for Democrats to take control of the upper chamber includes flipping Collins’ seat, and she is the only Republican senator representing a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024.  “The Maine voters that I met said they don’t like it. They knew that he had these chapters. They are willing to extend him grace and redemption and they’re focused now on what he’s running for,” Khanna said. (CBS News.) If Maine is a proxy war between the DSA Democrats and the Establishment Democrats, it’s clear the DSA is winning.

Miracle in Los Angeles: Third Place Finisher Now Getting First Place in Late Ballots From Areas With Large Homeless Populations

It’s not striking that Democrats are picking up some votes in the interminable post-election vote counting; what is striking is that Nithya Raman, the weak third-place finisher, is suddenly getting substantial majorities in the late votes, despite weak polls and a weaker campaign. New York Post: Spencer Pratt’s once-comfortable lead in the Los Angeles mayoral primary has been slashed yet again — as a fresh batch of ballots delivered another major boost to progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman in their race to the November runoff.  New results released Saturday show Pratt’s advantage over Raman shrinking to just 7,494 votes, down from more than 20,000 a day earlier. Roughly 78% of the ballots had been counted as of Saturday. Spencer Pratt’s once-comfortable lead in the Los Angeles mayoral primary has been slashed yet again — as a fresh batch of ballots delivered another major boost to progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman in their race to the November runoff. Raman picked up 23,514 votes in the latest count, more than double Pratt’s gain of 10,336. Her share of the vote jumped from 24.9% to 26.2%, while Pratt slipped from 28.2% to 27.3%. The dramatic shift has thrown new uncertainty into what had appeared to be a clear path to the November runoff for the former reality TV star. Just days ago, Pratt held a commanding lead over Raman and looked firmly positioned to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in November. Bass remained in first place with 235,180 votes, or 34.8%. Pratt stood at 184,596 votes, while Raman surged to 177,102. (NY Post.) Even more striking is that Raman’s most enthusiastic votes come from the Skid Row area.

Henry Nowak Case Has Ignited Firestorm

The controversy over the police’s negligence in the Henry Nowak murder case is now getting international attention, with Vice President Vance and the State Department weighing in, and ordinary Britons understandably enraged. Labour, of course, is responding with outrage that people are outraged. Vice President J.D. Vance: Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit. His murder is as tragic as it is enraging. He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.  Henry was far from the first to so needlessly lose his life, and I fear he won’t be the last. Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response—the only response—is righteous anger. One of the most important things the Trump administration has proven to the world is that stopping the flow of mass migration and defending national sovereignty is a matter of political will and leadership. Anything else is an excuse. It is because we love the West that we want to preserve it. We love our civilization. We love our country. We love our children. And nobody—nobody—should ever die the way that Henry Nowak died. May God comfort those who loved him, and may God rest his soul. (J.D. Vance on X) State Department: Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West. The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time. (X) There have been protests in support of Henry Nowak in multiple countries around the world.

Meal Kit Promotes Pride Month With Tips About Eating for An*l Sex

HelloFresh had an unusual marketing push targeted at gay men for Pride Month, including tips for how to prepare for a hard night of sodomy. Daily Wire: Meal-kit delivery giant HelloFresh is facing backlash after publishing a Pride Month advertisement that many critics described as vulgar and unnecessarily sexual. The company, which delivers pre-portioned ingredients, recipes, and cooking instructions directly to customers, posted the ad on social media Thursday as part of its Pride Month marketing campaign. “We know that eating isn’t always a top priority this month,” the company wrote. “We respect that. But for those of you who are … prepping … we have an extensive lineup of high-fiber recipes available. Happy Pride.” The post is a reference to anal sex and preparation for sexual activity. The company further amplified the “joke” by using a suggestive promotional code from a commenter. “Use code BOTTOMSUP for a Pride Month discount,” the company wrote. (Daily Wire.) No word on whether Hello Fresh provides recipes that include using a pillar of salt.

Jobs Report Was a Blowout Nobody Expected, Proving Trump’s Policies Working

The media and analysts keep telling us to expect an economic slowdown, but the jobs market doesn’t seem to be paying attention. Ed Morrissey: Donald Trump finally got the economic success he has touted since his re-election. Will it come in time to boost the GOP’s midterm chances? For the third straight month, the US job market blew past analyst expectations. The economy added 172,000 jobs in May, according to today’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not only that, but revisions to the previous two months added another 93,000 jobs. Wages also kept pace slightly ahead of inflation, despite the worries over the oil crunch creating a mildly worrisome inflationary wave. (Hot Air.)

Karmelo Anthony Trial Not Looking Good for the Defense

Karmelo Anthony’s contention is that he killed Austin Metcalf in self-defense, but the evidence seems not to back him up. CBS News: The prosecution rested after calling 21 witnesses. The defense then began presenting its case. Some of the most gripping testimony came from the medical examiner. The judge warned the courtroom that the information would be graphic, prompting Metcalf’s family to leave the room. Graphic autopsy details described: Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura testified that Metcalf was stabbed through the heart. She described the wound as gaping, two-and-a-half inches in length, and not survivable. Prosecutor Bill Wirskye showed four autopsy photos to the jury. Several jurors appeared emotional, covering their mouths. Witnesses recount stabbing scene: Eighteen-year-old Eddie Parra, a teammate of Metcalf at Memorial High School, also took the stand. Prosecutors asked Parra who he noticed in the tent. “Karmelo was there. I dabbed him up,” Parra said. Wirskye asked if Parra thought it was weird that Anthony was in the tent. “Yes, because teams are supposed to be at their own tent,” Parra said. Parra broke down on the stand when describing the stabbing, saying he noticed blood and a hole in Metcalf’s chest, and that Metcalf started screaming for help. The prosecutor asked Parra if the case was about race or self-defense, and Parra said no. Wirskye then asked who was wrong that day. Parra replied, “Karmelo.” (CBS News.)

Everybody’s Making Fun of Scott Pelley

Scott Pelley is on his post-firing primping-and-preening tour, but not everybody is impressed by his contention that Bari Weiss is a murderer or by his pomposity. Pelley was shocked that Weiss asked his staff why ordinary Americans thought the media was biased, and Pelley denied anybody thought so. David Strom: Scott Pelley is a “newsman.” A “journalist.” Not just a journalist, but a journalist at the storied 60 Minutes. Somebody who we are told is at the pinnacle of his industry, a master of his craft, and one of the most informed people in the universe. And he thinks that Bari Weiss was gaslighting the staff when she asked them why people thought they were biased. Where’s the evidence, Bari? I bet you are just making it up, or reading your 4-Chan fascist threads, or trusting randos on Reddit, because nobody I know thinks we are biased! That, my friend, is a bubble. A bubble so impenetrable that the most mainstream polls, such as Gallup, don’t penetrate. A trend that gets discussed endlessly outside the elite bubble, and that many people find tiresome because it is so obvious. Most people who follow journalism as journalism, instead of merely consuming it passively, have moved on from “are they biased” to “are they biased on purpose, or just in a bubble, and how much of both? (Hot Air.)

Trump Eviscerates Kristen Welker, Walks Out on Interview

Anybody with an IQ above room temperature is at least slightly bothered by the fact that elections in California take about a thousand times longer to count than France’s, India’s, Ecuador’s, or Florida’s. And that the results always seem to swing just as Democrats would like, especially after the past few years of “reforms.” Not Kristen Welker, though. New York Post: A visibly agitated President Trump stormed off his interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” after a testy exchange with a reporter who grilled him over his claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Trump lashed out at moderator Kristen Welker after she insisted he failed to provide a shred of evidence about his disputed accusations that the 2020 election was “rigged” against him or that the elections in California are subject to malfeasance. “You’re a one-sided crooked network,” Trump fumed during the interview, which aired Sunday. “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.” Welker pleaded with Trump to continue, recalling how she trekked over to Wisconsin for the interview, but the president was done. (New York Post.) Welker seemed especially put out that she had to step foot in flyover country.