Jun 13 2025

It Begins – Israel Has Launched “Preemptive Strikes” Against Iran

Posted originally on CTH on June 12, 2025 | Sundance

Tehran is 7.5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

As was widely expected, overnight in Tehran, Israel has begun a series of what it calls “preemptive strikes” against Iran. Iranian state media outlet IRNA reported repeated explosions could be heard in Tehran.

VIA CNN – Israel has launched what it is calling a “preemptive strike” against Iran and declared a state of emergency, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said in a statement.

Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv following the announcement.

The U.S. did not provide any assistance or have any involvement in the Israeli strike, a U.S. official told ABC News. (read more)

Sirens were sounded in Israel as the nation prepares for long-planned counter attacks from Iran to begin. Three hours before the Israeli strikes began, President Trump released a statement saying, “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Iran had previously vowed to strike at both Israeli and USA targets if they were attacked. The attack is taking place around 3:00-4:00am local time on Friday the 13th in Tehran. The National Day of Rage in the USA is scheduled for Saturday, June 14th. The anti-Israel protesters will now likely align with the anti-deportation protesters and things could get dramatic in the USA.

There are reports of approximately a dozen sites inside Iran being targeted. Everything is very fluid at the moment.

President Trump emissary Stephen Witkoff was previously scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman on Sunday and discuss Iran’s response to a recent American proposal for a nuclear deal. Against the backdrop of the Israeli attack, the meeting is now unlikely.

Residential areas in northeast and west Tehran are reported to have been targeted by Israeli airstrikes, likely targeted elimination attempts of senior IRGC commanders. pic.twitter.com/Wg6vXrB82G
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) June 13, 2025

Jun 13 2025

President Trump Takes Questions from Media Following Auto Bills to Remove Impact of California Regulations

Posted originally on CTH on June 12, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump signed three congressional resolutions related to former President Biden-era electric vehicle standards, blocking California’s electric vehicle sale mandates and diesel engine rules. At the conclusion of the bill-signing, President Trump responded to questions from the assembled press pool. [Video at 57:42 – prompted] The question about illegal alien farm workers is around 01:14:00.

Jun 13 2025

President Trump Sends Two Messages on Ongoing Illegal Alien Removals – Criminal Aliens Must be Aggressively Removed, and Non-Criminal Alien Workers May Get Leniency

Posted originally on CTH on June 12, 2025 | Sundance

It was always going to be difficult to balance the long-term illegal alien workforce removal against the contrasted aggressive ICE deportation operation. President Trump’s two statements on the issue today highlight the difficult dynamic.

Just hours before President Trump noted the aggressive deportation operation would continue, he also noted there would be leniency for farm workers and those in the hospitality industry. Suggesting, “some changes are coming.”

Jun 13 2025

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Responds to Media Questions About Alex Padilla Ambush Effort

Posted originally on CTH on June 12, 2025 | Sundance

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stopped to briefly answer a media question after the event where Democrat Senator Padilla attempted to ambush Secretary Noem and was forcibly removed by federal security officials. WATCH:

It looked to me like Kristi Noem’s security detail did everything exactly as they would if anyone else attempted such a stunt.

Jun 13 2025

Democrat Senator Alex Padilla Attempts to Ambush DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Forcibly Removed from News Conference

Posted originally on CTH on June 12, 2025 | Sundance

Democrat Senator Alex Padilla claims he was in the federal building waiting for a scheduled briefing with federal officials and General Guillot, when he heard DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was giving a press briefing nearby. Senator Padilla entered the room and attempted to rush toward Noem without announcing his intention; he was intercepted by security and forcibly removed from the room while he began saying who he was.

What is witnessed on the cameras is exactly what would happen to any random person who attempted to confront a cabinet secretary during press briefing. However, Padilla and his tribe are claiming victim status as an outcome of his attempted publicity stunt. WATCH:

According to CBS News, Secretary Noem was asked by a reporter about the incident and clarified that she does not know the senator and that he did not request a meeting with her. “When I leave here, I’ll have a conversation with him and find out really what his concerns were,” Noem said. “I think everyone in America would agree that wasn’t appropriate.”

Senator Padilla is not a well-known public figure and was likely unknown to many of the security officers and law enforcement in the room at the time of the incident.

VIA CBS – […] Padilla addressed the situation outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Westwood, appearing to get emotional at times. He told reporters he was in the federal building waiting for a scheduled briefing with federal officials and General Guillot when he went to listen to Noem’s speech. He explained that he was trying to get information about DHS’s immigration enforcement actions around the LA area and the state.

After being forcibly removed from the room, Padilla said he was forced to the ground, handcuffed, but was not detained or arrested.

“If this how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question you can only imagine what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country,” he said. (more)

Jun 13 2025

Air India Boeing 787 Heading to London Crashes During Takeoff in Ahmedabad, 242 Passengers and Crew with Dozens of Ground Fatalities

Posted originally on CTH on June 12, 2025 | Sundance

A terrible and tragic incident. An Air India Boeing 787 departing Ahmedabad, India, crashes into a populated area during departure. Details begin to surface and there are no survivors from the airplane, and many killed on the ground. There are no words for incidents like this, only prayers for those lost and for the families of those now encompassed by unimageable grief.

(via AP) – […] Air India said the Gatwick Airport-bound flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew, with 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. The Boeing 787-8 crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. (08:08 GMT), Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told AP.

Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed into a medical college hostel and burst into flames near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

Firefighters doused the smoking wreckage of the plane, which would have been fully loaded with fuel shortly after takeoff, and adjacent multistory buildings with water. Many charred bodies lay on the ground and parts of the fuselage were scattered around the site. Indian army teams were assisting civil authorities to clear debris and help treat the injured.

Visuals also showed the tail cone of the aircraft with damaged stabilizer fins still attached to it lodged near the top of one of the buildings.

In a social media post, Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words” and said “my thoughts are with everyone affected.”

“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” city police chief G.S. Malik told The Associated Press. Malik said the dead could include both passengers and those on the ground. “Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,” he added. (read more)