Iran Shoots Down US Apache Helicopter in Strait of Hormuz; Crew Members Rescued

The two crewmembers were rescued by a drone-boat. Central Command: At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters. The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59 (CENTCOM). More details on the rescue: The crew of a U.S. Apache attack helicopter shot down by Iran was rescued by a drone-boat known as Corsair. It was a first-of-its-kind operation, with incredibly high stakes…. Saronic advertises Corsair as autonomous. It was not immediately clear how it maneuvered during the rescue mission. It was operated by the Navy’s Task Force 59, which was established in 2021 to experiment with unmanned tech and artificial intelligence and fold them into naval operations. Navy leadership has for years advocated for a hybrid fleet, or a mix of manned and unmanned ships. The Corsair, unveiled in October 2024, is 24 feet long. It can travel 1,000 nautical miles, carry 1,000 pounds and hit speeds greater than 35 knots (Axios).

Trump Vows Retaliation

The president’s red line in recent days has been the lives of US troops. The president responded on Truth Social: I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack (Truth). Ed Morrissey: No one got killed, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort on the part of the Iranian regime. Trump’s comments about his red line for restarting full kinetic operations got picked up widely by American and international media. It seems highly unlikely that the Iranians were unaware of this. Either they want to test him to see if he was serious, attempt to humiliate Trump by forcing him to absorb the attack, or they just really want the war to fully restart. It may be all three at the same time. According to Peter Doocy at Fox News, Trump is inclined to give Ahmad Vahidi what he apparently desires (Hot Air).

US Strikes Iran: ‘a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression’

That description comes straight from CENTCOM: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression (CENTCOM). Tuesday evening we heard of a second and third round of retaliatory strikes. Barak Ravid of Axios: Third round of strikes now, per U.S. official. (Ravid). Jonathan Karl of ABC News: I was on the phone with Trump as CENTCOM announced US retaliatory strikes against Iran.  Here’s what he said: “I think it’s very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak.” He added: “This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is” (Karl). Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies: President Trump is right to respond. But the more effective strategy is to impose—and support Israel’s right to impose—overwhelming costs on the regime in Tehran and its terror network. The lesson: perceived weakness invites aggression. Strength restores deterrence. Escalate to de-escalate (Dubowitz).

Iran Threatens Retaliation: ‘Soon, a heavy response will be given to the enemy's hostile actions’

That threat was reported on a number of outlets. This from Israel’s i24: IRGC threatens ‘harsh response’ to US retaliation strike in Iran ‘Soon, a heavy response will be given to the enemy’s hostile actions,’ said the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force spokesperson (i24). The Hill: In turn, Iranian officials have made thinly veiled threats against the U.S., with Tehran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi calling for the U.S. to retreat. “Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire,” he posted on X. “To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave. We prefer language of diplomacy but speak other languages too” (The Hill).

Graham Platner Secures Democrat Nomination for Senate in Maine

No, it’s not a huge surprise. What is notable and newsworthy, though, is the fact that Democratic leaders and the electorate themselves seem unfazed. Platner represents everything they are supposed to hate: Terrible treatment of women, sexual scandals, demeaning of those who served the nation (Decision Desk). Meanwhile, his previous campaign manager is now speaking out against him. Genieve McDonald became Platner’s political director in August 2025. After what she experienced, it didn’t last long. She wrote a piece for the Post: I quit the campaign in October, disturbed by what I learned about the candidate and concerned about his potential impact on the Democratic Party’s prospects in my home state. As Tuesday’s primary arrives, I want to make clear what transpired since August and why my concerns have only grown. Advocating for the working people of Maine has driven me since my days as a commercial lobster boat captain and continued to drive me as a state legislator. I support my local community today by serving as the school board chair. Graham Platner is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country…. I was one of the Platner campaign’s first gaslighting casualties (Washington Post).

House Passes Reconciliation Bill Funding ICE and Border Patrol for Three Years

The vote was 214-212—all Democrats present voted against the bill. Bill Melugin: The House just voted 214-212 to pass the Senate’s reconciliation bill to fund ICE and CBP with $70 billion over the next three years. The bill will now head to President Trump’s desk for signature. Every Republican present voted yes, every Democrat present voted no. Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) voted no (Melugin). Speaker Johnson celebrated the win: By funding it for three years is we’ve taken away their ability to cut that funding, to block that funding, or to take hostage the funding for the remainder of the Trump administration. They gained absolutely nothing from their reckless crusade to return our country to open borders and unfettered mass migration (Melugin).

Vance Refers Tim Walz, Keith Ellison to DOJ for Criminal Fraud Investigation

Vice President JD Vance has formally referred Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison to the Department of Justice Monday for criminal investigation after a new House Oversight report documented years of ignored fraud warnings. “The evidence is overwhelming that state officials knew about systemic fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs and chose to look the other way,” Vance said in a statement. Washington Times: Mr. Vance, the administration’s fraud czar, said he was making the referral after reviewing the findings from the House Oversight Committee. The committee’s report, published Monday, alleges that Mr. Walz and Mr. Ellison were “aware of widespread taxpayer fraud in federally funded social programs for years” and did not take steps to stop it. An estimated $300 million in federal child nutrition funds and potentially $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds were “lost” or placed at “serious risk,” according to the report. “As a result, potentially billions of American taxpayer dollars were allowed to flow to fraudulent actors, while vulnerable populations were harmed and whistleblowers were ignored, sidelined and retaliated against,” the report says (Washington Times). Jeff Charles at Townhall: Walz and Ellison had the authority to cut off payments to fraudulent operations, but they allowed taxpayer funds to continue flowing to these entities even after the red flags emerged in the Feeding Our Future case. The report highlights how the Department of Education continued paying Feeding Our Future and other fraudsters out of fear of political repercussions (Townhall).

House Judiciary Holds Revealing Hearing on Southern Poverty Law Center

All who have tracked with SPLC over the years are finding a bit of relief: The real hate group is now being exposed. Chip Roy pressed SPLC President Brian Fair on the curious fact that all kinds of Christian groups make the “hate map”—but no radical Islamic groups.  Chip Roy: How many Islamic extremist groups do you have listed on your hate map out of the 1500 groups? I can’t seem to find one. SPLC President: We don’t target groups based on their religion. It’s based on what they say about other people. Chip Roy: You just mentioned anti-LGBT groups a minute ago. Is it your position that there are a bunch of pro-LGBT extremist Islamic groups? (X). Rep. Jim Jordan pressed him on damning allegation after damning allegation. Fair’s robotic response to nearly every question was: that’s an allegation in the indictment that will be responded to by counsel in the Middle District of Alabama (Townhall). The program of placing SPLC staffers and funding those groups has ended. Jordan pressed Fair on why: We stopped the program because we believe hate and extremism has migrated significantly online and into government agencies (X). And the room gasped. More from Bob Hoge at RedState: [President Brian Fair] did the SPLC no favors today. If you’re an actor working on how to convincingly come across as squirrely, evasive, and untrustworthy, this performance is one you should study (Red State).

SPLC Hearing Highlights Horrors of Abortion

In particular, the horrors that are meted out very unequally on innocent black infants. SPLC claims that pro-life groups are white supremacists. Texas Rep. Brandon Gill highlighted the numbers: How many babies in the United States that are aborted or black? About 40% of abortions nationwide or of black babies, blacks represent about 13% of the population. Does that sound like something a white supremacist would oppose? (Red Wave). And, Alveda King, niece of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., had a beautiful opportunity to make the case for life: I reject the notion that Americans who hold traditional Christian beliefs should be treated as threats or terrorists simply because we disagree with a prevailing political thought! I dream that Americans will one day see each other, not as enemies, but as neighbors. I dream that we will hear each other, see each other, and recognize that every human life has value from the womb to the tomb and beyond. We are as scripture teaches, one blood, one human race. And if we remember that truth, we can build a future worthy of the sacrifices made by those who came before us” (Daugherty).

Cleveland Clinic Settles DOJ Investigation, Agrees to Stop Destructive Gender Treatment of Minors

This is the second major win for biological reality—after the Texas Children’s Hospital win in May. Christian Post: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation has agreed not to provide transgender-related surgeries and hormone drugs for minors and give $2 million to fund detransition care as part of a legal agreement. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the Cleveland Clinic entered into an agreement with federal authorities and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost…. Under the agreement, the Cleveland Clinic will pay $308,000 to resolve allegations that it submitted false billings to public and private payers to secure insurance coverage for so-called gender transition procedures on minors. The facility has also committed $2 million to provide care for individuals who regret their gender transition, commonly known as detransitioners. Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said in the announcement that he was grateful for the clinic’s decision “to be part of the solution” and “not part of the problem” (Christian Post). The Hill adds: Cleveland Clinic also pledged a 20-year commitment to not perform or offer gender-affirming care — which includes the administration of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones — for minors (The Hill).