Senate Parliamentarian Going at Big, Beautiful Bill Like Lizzie Borden

Former President Barack Obama had some harsh criticism for Big Tech platforms that allow free speech, while delivering remarks at the June 17 Connecticut Forum.  Obama lamented that America had lost its “monoculture” and no longer unanimously listened to legacy media sources such as CBS anchor Walter Cronkite or TIME Magazine. Obama lamented that Americans are divided on the facts and not the issues. This is rich, particularly coming from a man whose political party claims that men can switch genders and have babies. After placing the blame on his political opponents and Big Tech greed, Obama proposed that the media and the government had a role to play. [Story Continues on MRC Free Speech America] 

President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the NATO summit in the Hague, Netherlands, held on June 24 and 25, where world leaders are anticipated to cover a wide range of pressing topics.The annual meeting provides Trump with an opportunity to promote American interests over globalist ideals while reducing the United States' defense burdens, potentially reshaping the alliance.'President Trump will be calling on NATO allies to step up to the plate and invest in the defense of Europe.'This will be the first NATO summit hosted in the Netherlands since the alliance's founding in 1949. Approximately 9,000 attendees are expected, including 6,000 officials representing various countries.Defense spendingA top concern for the Trump administration is ensuring that American taxpayers do not carry an unfair defense burden compared to their NATO counterparts.Trump has maintained a firm stance with NATO allies, pressuring the countries to substantially increase defense spending from 2% of their GDP to 5% as part of the president's efforts to push for burden-sharing among the nations.Nile Gardiner, the director of the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom and Bernard and Barbara Lomas Fellow, told Blaze News that defense spending is expected to "dominate" most of the summit."This is the top priority for the U.S. administration. President Trump will be calling on NATO allies to step up to the plate and invest in the defense of Europe. I think you'll be looking for all of the alliance members to pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defense," Gardiner stated.NATO's 32 allies previously agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.With ongoing concerns of escalation from Russia, NATO's latest plan aims for 5% of GDP for defense budgets, including 3.5% for military spending and 1.5% for security-related infrastructure.RELATED: Trump touches down in Canada for G7 summit. Here's what's on the menu. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty ImagesLast month, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he expects the ally countries to agree to the new goal during the upcoming annual summit."Let's say that this 5% — but I will not say what is the individual breakup, but it will be considerably north of 3% when it comes to the hard spend, and it will be also a target on defense-related spending," Rutte remarked.‘The reality right now is Europe is not in a position to defend itself.’The Financial Times reported in late May that Spain was the last major holdout on NATO's plan to increase defense spending.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last month that when he met with José Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister, he "urged Spain to join Allies in committing 5% of GDP to defense."Albares responded, "There was an exchange [with Rubio], and both of us expressed our views very clearly. I insisted that it was a huge effort to reach 2% and that the debate right now needs to focus on capabilities."Spain currently commits only 1.28% of its GDP to defense spending. In April, Pedro Sánchez, Spain's prime minister, announced a plan to meet NATO's existing 2% requirement for the first time in 2025.A White House official confirmed to Blaze News that Trump "intends to secure a historic 5% defense spending pledge from NATO allies that will advance stability in Europe and around the world."NATO members reached an agreement on Sunday to increase their defense spending target to 5% of GDP. Yet Spain opted out.Sánchez declared, “We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do so.”On Monday morning, Rutte held a press conference before the summit, confirming that NATO members had agreed to the new defense spending goals.Peace through strengthThe Trump administration has prioritized facilitating peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the war and reduce the United States' aid commitments. Meanwhile, tensions between Israel and Iran also remain ongoing. The U.S. launched airstrikes against three of Iran's nuclear enrichment sites over the weekend.Resolving these conflicts is certain to be another key topic at the upcoming summit. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker previously stated that the Trump administration will begin talks with allies later this year about withdrawing American troops from Europe.While Whitaker previously stated that "nothing has been determined," he noted that the administration would converse with NATO allies after the summit."It's more than 30 years of U.S. desire [to reduce troops in Europe], President Trump just said enough, this is going to happen and it's going to happen now. This is going to be orderly, but we are not going to have any more patience for foot-dragging in this situation. ... We just need to work through the practical consequences," Whitaker remarked.RELATED: Lindsey Graham champions sending troops to Iran despite Americans' weariness of endless war US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesEarlier this month, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, stated that Russia would not end the war with Ukraine until NATO withdraws its military forces from Eastern Europe, citing it as a central cause of the war.Ryabkov stated that America must take actionable steps to address "the root causes" behind Russia's security disputes."Among these causes, NATO expansion is in the foreground. Without resolving this fundamental and most acute problem for us, it is simply impossible to resolve the current conflict in the Euro-Atlantic region," he said. "Given the nature and genesis of the Ukrainian crisis, provoked by the previous U.S. authorities and the West as a whole, this conflict naturally acts, well, if you like, as a test, a trial, which checks the seriousness of Washington's intentions to straighten out our relations."Trump stated that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 14, mainly about the Iran conflict. He noted, "Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine," but he indicated that there will be future discussions regarding that war."He is doing the planned prisoner swaps — large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged, immediately, from both sides. The call lasted approximately 1 hour. He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end," Trump wrote in a post on social media.‘Trump will be urging strong support from NATO members for Israel unity, calling for an end to Iran's nuclear program.’Trump attended the Group of Seven summit in Canada, which was held from June 15 through 17, but left before the event's final day when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Rutte joined a breakfast discussion about the ongoing conflict. Several Cabinet members, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, remained at the event to represent the U.S.Zelenskyy, who will also be attending the NATO summit, has been pushing for allies to implement stricter sanctions against Russia.Gardiner stated that he anticipated the Trump administration would press European allies to increase military production to ensure that they have the industrial capacity necessary to "produce large amounts of tanks, weapons, aircraft, [and] ammunition to use for the defense of Europe against Russia.""The reality right now is Europe is not in a position to defend itself," Gardiner continued. "I think, also, President Trump will be urging European NATO allies to stop buying Russian energy."He noted that European NATO members purchased roughly €7 billion worth of liquefied natural gas from Moscow."They are directly helping to fund the Russian war machine," Gardiner said. "In fact, European NATO allies spend more money buying Russian gas than they do in terms of military assistance in Ukraine."RELATED: A treacherous week for America First (and Israel, too) NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event on July 9, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesGardiner added that recent conflict in the Middle East would also likely be front and center during the summit."Trump will be urging strong support from NATO members for Israel unity," Gardiner stated.Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons."For 40 years, they've been saying 'death to America,' 'death to Israel,' 'death' to anybody else that they didn't like," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "If you go back 15 years, I was saying, 'We cannot let Iran get a nuclear weapon.'"After bombing Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, Trump warned that Iran would face further strikes if its leaders fail to reach a peace agreement with Israel.During the Monday press conference, Rutte addressed the United States' recent strikes against Iran."When it comes to NATO's stance on Iran's nuclear program, allies have long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon. Allies have repeatedly urged Iran to meet its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty," Rutte stated.A reporter asked Rutte whether he has concerns that the U.S. strike on Iran would result in the Trump administration deprioritizing NATO."I don't think so," he replied. "The news about Iran is, at this moment, grabbing all the headlines, and it is, of course, important news, but this summit is really about making sure that the whole of NATO, 1 billion people, will be safe, not only today but also three, five, seven years from now.""Let's not forget, Iran is heavily involved in the fight of Russia against Ukraine," Rutte continued. "No doubt it will emerge in the discussions."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

On June 21, 2025, the United States launched a military mission dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan to dismantle Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities and block its path to nuclear weapons. This marked the U.S.' first direct engagement amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The U.S. deployed 125 aircraft, including seven B-2 stealth bombers that unleashed 14 GBU-57 "bunker-buster" bombs on Fordow, alongside over two dozen Tomahawk missiles striking Isfahan. In a White House address, President Trump hailed the operation as a "spectacular military success."And Mark Levin agrees. “What Donald Trump did as commander in chief is remarkable,” he says. “It's not just that he had the courage to order the attack on the Islamo-Nazi Iranian nuclear sites, but look how it came off,” he adds, referring to how all U.S. military equipment, including the seven B-2 bombers and other aircraft involved in Operation Midnight Hammer, along with American personnel, returned safely to their bases with no reported damage or casualties.“This is what we should be used to — that is, a commander-in-chief, not an interventionist,” who “knows when and how to use the United States military … the most massive and powerful fighting machine on the face of the earth, ready to take action as needed, in any environment, against any enemy, in any way,” says Levin. “We should be cheering this.”He looks back to how former President Bill Clinton was naive enough to give North Korea “billions and billions of dollars to feed their people” when right under his nose, the communist nation was building “a nuclear missile.” Obama was hardly better. His administration appeased Iran's "Islamo-Nazi" regime with a nuclear deal that was overly lenient, allowing the terrorist nation to pursue nuclear weapons.In 2018, Donald Trump set America back on the right path when he “ripped [Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] up” and put “the Iranian regime on its back.” Unfortunately, Biden then reversed course, reinstating Obama’s flawed JCPOA approach, surrounding himself with the same advisers, and providing Iran with billions in funds.“And so Donald Trump comes in again — thank God, thanks to you — and he says, ‘Wait a minute, these guys are gonna have a nuclear weapon,”’ says Levin, noting that this threat was confirmed by intelligence and the IAEA. “And Donald Trump says … ‘I know there are people in our country that are isolationists; I know there are people in our country who claim to speak for MAGA and don't. I, Donald Trump, I'm MAGA; I speak for MAGA, and MAGA doesn't believe in suicide."’“And then he orders this in coordination with the Israelis,” says Levin, calling Operation Midnight Hammer “absolutely fantastic.”To all those who are now drowning in “what if” questions about how Iran will respond, he says the far more important question is: “What if we didn't stop Iran and they had nuclear weapons?”“The fact is the enemy itself remains: It is Islamo-Nazi terrorism … wherever it is,” Levin insists. “They want to kill us; they've been wanting to kill us since long before the other day when we hit those sites ... and they’re going to continue to try and kill us.”The “Islamo-Nazi mindset,” he says, is “kill the Jews, kill the Christians, kill Muslims who don't agree with us, kill the Hindus, kill the Buddhists, kill the West, kill the Americans — kill until we control the world.” This bloodthirsty mentality is deeply entrenched in religious creed, and so it will never go away. Operation Midnight Hammer “doesn’t change” Iran’s bent toward terrorism, but what it did accomplish is to remove its capacity to inflict it.“The enemy is still there, but this particular element of the enemy and this particular program of the enemy has been destroyed,” says Levin.To hear more of his commentary, watch the video above.Want more from Mark Levin?To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

On June 21, the U.S. military conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — in an operation code-named Midnight Hammer, which was aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and preventing the Islamic nation from developing nuclear weapons. The strikes, which marked the first time America has been directly involved amid the Israel-Iran conflict, involved 125 aircraft, including seven B-2 stealth bombers dropping 14 GBU-57 "bunker-buster" bombs on Fordow and over two dozen Tomahawk missiles targeting Isfahan. President Trump called the mission a "spectacular military success" in his televised address from the White House.Naturally, however, Americans are wondering what comes next. How will Iran respond? What does the future hold for the United States?Monday morning on “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn broke it all down and explained the possibilities for the future. “Hopefully this is a one-and-done strike, like it was when President Trump took out Soleimani during his first term,” but there’s also the possibility that we get “more involved,” says Glenn.“What we cannot have is another prolonged military fiasco in the Middle East. We cannot have American boots on the ground, and I know President Trump, and I know he doesn't want that either,” he explains.However, it all depends on what Iran does next. Two possibilities scare Glenn: Iran might “begin targeting U.S. forces on the ground all over the Middle East,” or “the Iranian-backed terrorists [might] begin attacking us right here in the U.S.” Or perhaps the nation will play “the big ace up their sleeve” and close the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil choke point. Glenn notes that Iran’s parliament has approved a measure to close the strait in retaliation for U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities, but the final decision rests with the Supreme National Security Council and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.If the latter happens and the Strait of Hormuz is indeed closed, “we will see a spike in our oil prices somewhere between $120 and $150 a barrel,” possibly even “as high as $200 a barrel,” Glenn warns, calling such a price increase “a very, very bad knockout punch” to the global economy, which is essentially being held together by “chewing gum and duct tape.”There’s also the possibility that the Iranian regime could “crumble and fall apart” and “the people rise up,” but that is looking more and more unlikely, as reports indicate that Iran’s “religious police” — one of the “most brutal police forces out there” — are roaming the streets in great numbers, arresting civilians, ordering people to stay in their homes, monitoring phones, and checking cars.“Over the weekend, at least 100 religious dissidents have already been executed, called spies for Israel,” says Glenn.One of the most “disturbing developments,” he says, is the fact that both China and Russia have condemned the United States for the strikes. “I read this morning that one of the top officials from Iran is going to Russia today to meet with Putin,” meaning “their alliance is not being deterred.”Right now, nothing is certain, says Glenn. “Our future is complicated. ... It will either be an amazing success or lead us toward a very dark future.”However, to those “blaming Donald Trump” for the uncertainty of America’s future, Glenn says, “you can blame every president since 2000.” Trump’s presidential predecessors “have always said that they would never allow Iran to get a nuclear bomb. President Trump is just the first one to not send them a pallet of cash to try to bribe them.”Operation Midnight Hammer was “decisive, bold, and courageous action. Now let’s prepare for fire and pray, pray, pray for peace.”To hear more of Glenn’s analysis, watch the episode above.Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security vowed never to allow Kilmar Abrego Garcia to "go free on American soil," after a judge ordered his release from detention pending an immigration trial.The fight over the fate of the accused gang member who had been living in Maryland has come to symbolize the opposition of Democrats to the mass deportation efforts of the Trump administration.'We have said it for months and it remains true to this day: he will never go free on American soil.'On Sunday, the Trump administration was dealt a blow in that struggle when U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ruled that the government had not proven its contention that Garcia was a flight risk and ordered his release."Overall, the Court cannot find from the evidence presented that Abrego Garcia's release clearly and convincingly poses an irremediable danger to other persons or to the community," she added.Holmes, however, acknowledged that the ruling was "little more than an academic exercise" because Garcia would likely be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin appeared to confirm Holmes' suspicions in a response to the ruling."Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a dangerous criminal illegal alien. We have said it for months and it remains true to this day: he will never go free on American soil," she wrote on the X social media platform.Garcia was initially deported to the infamous prison in El Salvador for terrorists, but a campaign by Democrats and court challenges led the Trump administration to bring him back to the U.S. Then the Justice Dept. immediately filed far more serious charges against him related to an alleged human-trafficking ring.He has pleaded not guilty to the new smuggling charges, and his attorneys argued that they were merely an attempt to justify his deportation after the fact.Holmes scheduled a hearing on Wednesday to determine the conditions of his release, but the government has already filed a motion to appeal the order.RELATED: Chuck Schumer says Trump's refusal to follow Supreme Court edict is 'dangerous and outrageous' Supporters of Trump's mass deportation plans have argued that it is simply too onerous a demand to provide due process to the millions, and possibly tens of millions, of illegal aliens who are present in the U.S."The Trump administration is very invested in making this a referendum on the immigration debate, which, as you know, has become coarsened and polarized," said Chris Newman, an attorney for the Garcia family. "I view this as a core constitutional order case, a core due process case."President Donald Trump personally weighed in on the debate in April when he released a photograph of himself holding an image of tattoos on Garcia's knuckles that allegedly symbolized his membership in MS-13, a heinous criminal gang.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It would merely set the stage for war — again.

Scott Jennings to Sen. Chuck Schumer: 'Bro Stop Being a Drama Queen'

Laura Ingraham Spots 2 'Self-Righteous Media Dinosaurs' With ZERO Self-Awareness

Dune: Awakening is setting the bar high and breaking records. After one of the smoothest game launches in recent history, Dune: Awakening has quickly amassed over one million players to become Funcom's fastest-selling game.