Israel carried out strikes against Iran on Thursday evening, according to multiple reports. The Israel Defense Forces “launched a preemptive, precise, combined offensive to strike Iran’s nuclear program,” the IDF wrote on X.  “Dozens of IAF jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran,” the IDF said just before 4 a.m. Friday morning in Jerusalem. “Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world.” The IDF added that Israel “has no choice but to fulfill the obligation to act in defense of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past.” The strikes came one day after news broke that the U.S. was evacuating nonessential personnel from its Iraqi embassy along with family members of military personnel at multiple bases in the Gulf.   The State Department also ordered embassies within striking distance of Iran “to convene emergency action committees (EACs) and send cables back to Washington about measures to mitigate risks,” The Washington Post reported ahead of the strikes.   The U.S. has been engaged in ongoing negotiation with Iran over its nuclear program. President Donald Trump repeatedly said in recent weeks that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and following reports of a deal that would allow for some uranium enrichment to continue in Iran, Trump said any deal with Iran will ban all enrichment. But Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said there would be no deal if Iran was not allowed to continue enrichment.   Iran has been enriching uranium far beyond levels needed for civilian use.   While Iran is likely to respond to the preemptive strike from Israel, war is not necessarily imminent, according to Heritage Foundation national security experts Victoria Coates and Robert Greenway.   A broader conflict in the region in response to a strike is a “legitimate concern,” Coates and Greenway wrote in a recent report, but “it is by no means the inevitable outcome of an action targeted at Iran’s nuclear facilities. In fact, history indicates that limited strikes on rogue nuclear programs do not result in war: in 1981 and 2007, for example, Israel executed successful targeted strikes on both Iraq’s and Syria’s nuclear programs without igniting regional conflicts.”   This is a breaking news story and it may be updated. The post Israel Carries Out Strikes Against Iran appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Efforts by the UK government to quietly erode digital privacy have sparked international concern and galvanized support for Apple, which is now facing off against British authorities over an order demanding access to encrypted data. WhatsApp has stepped forward in Apple’s defense, pledging to aid the company’s legal fight and warning that the UK’s position could have global repercussions. Central to the dispute is a secretive instrument known as a Technical Capability Notice (TCN), quietly issued in February. While officially unacknowledged, the order is believed to require Apple to dismantle key parts of its encryption framework by building covert access into its Advanced Data Protection system. This move would not only compromise the security of users in the UK but would expose private information belonging to anyone using iCloud, regardless of location. Apple chose not to comply. Instead, the company disabled the encryption feature for users in the UK and sought to block the directive from taking effect through the courts. WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has now thrown its weight behind Apple’s resistance. The messaging platform’s leader, Will Cathcart, told the BBC the legal battle could have far-reaching implications, warning that the UK’s move “could set a dangerous precedent” and might encourage other governments to demand similar access. Cathcart reaffirmed WhatsApp’s long-standing stance, stating, “WhatsApp would challenge any law or government request that seeks to weaken the encryption of our services and will continue to stand up for people’s right to a private conversation online.” Digital rights groups, including the Open Rights Group, have echoed those concerns. They caution that undermining encryption could put millions of people at risk, well beyond the UK’s borders. British officials maintain that the power to issue TCNs is essential in fighting serious crimes, such as terrorism and child exploitation. They insist privacy intrusions would only occur when strictly necessary. However, due to the classified nature of these notices, neither Apple nor the government has formally confirmed the order’s existence, and the associated legal proceedings have taken place almost entirely out of public view. Across the United States, lawmakers from both parties have raised alarms. During a June 5 congressional hearing on the CLOUD Act, an international agreement that allows the UK to request data from US technology companies, members of the House subcommittee expressed unease with the British request, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Republican Congressman Andy Biggs, who chairs the subcommittee, accused the UK of misusing the framework. He argued the demand violates the trust upon which the agreement was built and suggested that if the UK continues on this path, the agreement itself should be reevaluated. He cautioned that acquiescing to such demands could prompt other governments to follow suit. Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin also voiced concern. Backdoors, he warned, could lead to far more than surveillance, opening the door to hacking, unauthorized surveillance, and identity theft. During the hearing, Raskin noted, “Some argue privacy is passe…Cookies monitor which sites we click on,” and highlighted how easily anonymized data is re-identified and sold. But he was firm in his rejection of that premise, stating, “Americans’ security from government intrusion has never been more urgent or important.” Apple’s position remains unchanged: any intentional vulnerability, once introduced, becomes a target. The company insists that no matter the intention, backdoors fundamentally weaken user protections and endanger global privacy. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post WhatsApp Backs Apple Against British Spy Tool appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Bluesky is a 'Hateful' Place in a Downward Spiral

BREAKING: Israel Conducts Airstrikes in Iran; UPDATE: 'Dozens' of Nuclear-Site Targets

To the applause of many on the right, the Pentagon has issued a ban on transgender men and women in the military. Officials have said that as of December, 2024, there were 4,240 troops who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria on active duty — but that number may be higher, as there are about 2.1 million total troops serving. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is among those pleased with the decision, writing, “No More Trans @ DoD" in a post on X.Democrats are of course fighting the ban — and shockingly, BlazeTV host Alex Stein agrees with them.“I disagree with this too,” he tells Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). “Because if you look at our military, Congresswoman Mace, and you look at transgenders — I’m just talking about statistically — you want a mean, tough military, right? Nobody’s meaner than a transgender person.”“Nobody’s more violent than a transgender person,” Mace responds.“We give them guns, we put them on the front line — the trans out there are like Rambo, and they’re going to fit in,” Stein says.“But they love Hamas a lot, though,” Mace counters.“But Hamas will throw them off the roof,” Stein fires back.“I don’t know that they could shoot a terrorist, because they love them,” Mace says. “They like the terrorists. Look at what they’re doing — Trantifa — in California. Burning it down. I agree with you, but I don’t think they would shoot a terrorist in the Middle East, because they like them so much.”“That’s a sad, sad, weird, confused person that will go there and protest for Palestinian people that would literally murder them. It’s kind of a weird moral conundrum,” Stein agrees.“They would decapitate them in a heartbeat. They wouldn’t last five minutes,” Mace adds.Want more from Alex Stein?To enjoy more of Alex's culture jamming, comedic monologues, skits, and street segments, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A security expert appeared to stun the CNN anchor who asked him to assess the incident where a Democrat politician was aggressively shoved out of DHS Sec. Kristi Noem's press conference.Democrats are outraged over the video footage of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California being dragged out of a briefing Thursday, but instead of justifying the outrage, Josh Campbell said the agents acted appropriately to the threat. 'You can't interrupt something like that, that's already in progress, without having those consequences.' "How should we, in your view, be analyzing how we're seeing these agents respond?" asked Kasie Hunt. "Well, it's easy to think about this as one incident, but actually from a law enforcement perspective, we're really looking at three separate incidents that happened," said Campbell. He said the first incident was the interruption of the DHS secretary that was not a part of a question and answer period. "You can't interrupt something like that, that's already in progress, without having those consequences," he explained. RELATED: Democratic senator’s botched ambush of DHS presser ends in handcuffs Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images He said the second incident was when Padilla turned into the agents as they were walking him out. "At that point, from a security detail perspective, we're taking this person out against their will. We've asked the person — and again, this is all happening very quickly — but the moment he turns into them, they realize this is not someone who is going to comply," Campbell said. He did express some concerns about whether they needed to take Padilla to the floor after he had already been ejected. But he added that Noem had no responsibility for their actions. “This was neither the fault nor the responsibility of DHS Secretary Noem,” Campbell added. “She’s in the middle of a press conference. There’s someone who interrupts and then makes it clear by his movements that he is not going to comply. He’s taken out. Again, I don’t think any of that was her responsibility.”Video of Campbell's comments were posted to the X account of White House communications director Steven Cheung. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Chuck Todd Confuses Violent Rioting and Expressing Your Right to Assemble Peacefully

LAWSPLAINING: Uh-oh. Judge Breyer Is Probably Going to Rule That Trump Cannot Call Out the Military in LA

With the new Battlefield game (which we'll refer to as Battlefield 6 given it has no official title yet) being playtested privately in Battlefield Labs, it's expected that we'll see gameplay of it leak even if there's an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) signed by the participants.

Breaking: Israel Launches Multiple Strikes in Iran as Explosions Rock Tehran