Thursday morning news: June 19, 2025

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Israel-Iran » A plea for peace:

KHATIB: Crying in Hebrew

A Palestinian citizen of Israel says his wife and two daughters were killed in an Iranian missile strike over the weekend.

His family members among the roughly two dozen residents killed in Israel since back and forth airstrikes began a week ago when Israel launched a mission to destroy Iran's nuclear sites.

SOUND: [Air raid sirens, June 18]

Sirens again blaring over Tel Aviv yesterday as Israeli air defenses intercepted more Iranian missiles.

But the Wall Street Journal reports that Israel’s missile defenses may be increasingly vulnerable, with defense forces running low on critical Arrow defensive interceptors.

As for Iran: publicly, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei says his government has no intention of backing down. But President Trump says privately, Iran wants to talk.

TRUMP: I don't wanna fight either. I'm not looking to fight. But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have do. Maybe we won't have to fight, don't forget, we haven't been fighting.

But all eyes remain on the Trump administration to see whether the U.S. military will join the Israeli airstrikes against Iranian nuclear targets.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz:

CRUZ: The only question of direct U.S. involvement that is being discussed is do we use the bombs that we have and Israel does not—the bunker-busters—to take out this nuclear weapons research lab.

Ayatollah Khamenei is threatening the United States with— “irreversible harm” if the US military joins the airstrikes.

When asked about Iran’s tough talk and refusal to surrender, President Trump responded—quote—“good luck.”

Skrmetti SCOTUS » The Supreme Court Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors with gender dysphoria.

WORLD’s Travis Kircher reports:

TRAVIS KIRCHER: In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled that the law only needed to meet the lowest legal standard — called “rational basis” — under the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. That means the state just had to show that the law serves a reasonable purpose.

Arguing for Tennessee in December, Matthew Rice pointed out the law’s purpose:

RICE: It’s application turns entirely on medical purpose, not a patient’s sex. That is not sex discrimination…. The Equal Protection Clause does not require the states to blind themselves to medical reality.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, noted that there are strong debates over safety and efficacy.

But he said the Court’s job is only to decide whether the law violates the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause — and in this case, it doesn’t. So, Roberts said, it’s up to voters and lawmakers to decide the policy … not the Court.

The court’s three liberal justices dissented. They argued that the law clearly targets people based on sex and transgender status — which, they said, should trigger tougher legal scrutiny.

The case centered on whether gender identity is a fixed immutable characteristic. And that came up during this exchange between Justice Samuel Alito and Chase Strangio, a woman who identifies and presents as a man. Alito raised questions about people who describe their gender as ‘fluid.’

ALITO: Are there not such people?

STRANGIO: There are such people, I agree with that, Justice Alito.

ALITO: So it’s not an immutable characteristic, is it?

For WORLD, I’m Travis Kircher.

Fed leaves rates unchanged » Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the central bank will continue to hold interest rates where they are for now.

The Fed’s strategy remains wait-and-see.

POWELL:  Everyone that I know is forecasting a meaningful increase in inflation in coming months from tariffs because someone has to pay for the tariffs.

The central bank held rates steady for a fourth meeting in a row.

That drew criticism from President Trump, who said many predicted that inflation would have already surged by now, and it hasn’t happened.

TRUMP: We have no inflation. We have only success, and I’d like to see interest rates get down.

Trump said he feels Powell is doing a poor job as Fed Chair. Powell, for his part, again said the president’s remarks have no bearing on Fed policy.

But Jerome Powell also said Wednesday that the U.S. economy remains solid, and that the board does foresee two interest rate cuts by the end of this year.

Hearing on alleged cover-up of Biden decline » On Capitol Hill

GRASSLEY: I would like to welcome everyone to this Judiciary hearing.

A Senate panel began digging into whether there was a cover up at the White House to hide then-President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.

Republicans charge that by the end of his presidency, Biden was not mentally fit for office. Sen. John Cornyn:

CORNYN:  This was a constitutional crisis bigger than President Biden, bigger than any single election.

GOP senators want to know if White House officials worked to hide Biden’s condition from Congress and the public. And they say they’re determined to find out if anyone other than the president was secretly pulling the strings on policy decisions while wielding President Biden’s automated auto-pen signature.

But Democrats called the hearing political theater and a waste of time. Ranking Member Dick Durbin:

DURBIN:  So far this year, the Republican majority on this committee has not held a single oversight hearing despite numerous critical challenges facing the nation that are under our jurisdiction.

The panel will question several former Biden aides later this month,and have subpoenaed the former president’s then-White House physician Kevin O’Conner.

Congo and Rwanda peace settlement » Representatives from Congo and Rwanda have signed the text of a peace agreement between the two countries in Washington.

Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in the east of the country, and U.N. experts says the rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from the neighboring nation.

The decades-long conflict escalated earlier this year, when the M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic Congolese cities of Goma and Bukavu.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: a new president in South Korea raises more questions than answers. Plus, what it’s like for an old dog to learn new tricks.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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