Wednesday morning news: June 18, 2025

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

SOUND: [Air raid sirens]

Israel-Iran latest » Air raid sirens rang out yet again over Tel Aviv Wednesday morning with Iran and Israel trading airstrikes for a sixth straight day.

Israel's air defense systems were activated over both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile:

SOUND: [Israeli fighter attacks]

The Israeli army releasing video of what it said were F-15 fighter jets striking military targets inside Iran.

President Trump said “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran” and urged “unconditional surrender” from Iran.

He also said the United States knows where Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding, but has chosen not to target him for now.

And U.S. intelligence adviser Brad Wenstrup says Trump’s position is clear:

 WENSTRUP: No nukes for Iran. That is where the president, I think, has been very clear that they cannot have a nuclear weapon.

But General Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the joint chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, says his country has no plans to back down.

MOUSAVI: [Speaking Farsi]

He says strong attacks against Israel are coming. He went on to advise Israeli residents to evacuate the cities of Tel Aviv and Jaffa in the coming days.

Division on U.S. role in Iran nuclear de-armament mission » While the United States is providing intelligence and logistical support to Israel, the White House says the U.S. military has not directly taken part in Israeli airstrikes so far.

And on Capitol Hill, there is no consensus on either side of the aisle as to whether the U.S. should take part in the strikes.

And many are now watching to see if the U.S. will do so, particularly with regard to dropping so-called ‘bunker buster’ bombs, which Israel does not possess. And those might be needed to take out nuclear facilities buried deep below ground.

Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty:

HAGERTY:  Whatever decision President Trump takes, I can assure you of this. He's gonna be taking America's interest to heart. He wants to see an end to the carnage. He wants to see that income fast, and he's not going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

It’s not a straight party line issue. Some Republicans have their reservations, while some Democrats are fully supportive of the US involvement to take out Iran’s nuclear capacity.

But Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is not among them.

KAINE:  Fears of a wider war are growing among American officials as Israel presses the White House to intervene in its conflict with Iran.

Kaine said it is “Not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States.”

Every president in modern times has ordered targeted airstrikes, which typically do not constitute initiating a full-scale war. But some lawmakers note that Iran would likely see even limited targeted strikes as an act of war nonetheless.

Airports close across Mideast » The conflict in the Middle East is causing chaos for airlines in the region. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Numerous countries have closed their airspace … with Israeli jets, Iranian drones and missiles flying over their night skies.

Dozens of airports have ground their flights … or at least scaled back operations.

That has left many passengers stranded … including more than 150,000 Isralis abroad.

And aviation expert John Cox says the impact reaches far beyond the Middle East. He explains that there’s a domino effect. In his words … you’ve got “crews that are not where they are supposed to be, airplanes that are not where they’re supposed to be.”

And that can disrupt flight schedules across the globe.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Drone strike in Kyiv » Russian missiles and drones again rained down on Ukraine Tuesday morning. Ukrainian officials say at least 15 people were killed and more than 150 wounded, with much of the carnage occurring when the air assault demolished a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv.

One drone heard here striking its target:

SOUND :[Drone strike]

U.S. State Dept. spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters:

BRUCE:  We condemn those strikes and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those, uh, affected.

It was the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year, with explosions echoing for hours. It followed two rounds of direct peace talks have failed to make progress on ending the war.

Democrats: Medicaid cuts could equal abortion cuts » Republican leaders are working to push a massive reconciliation bill across the finish line in the Senate what President Trump calls his ‘big beautiful bill’ which would address his top priorities.

Democratic and GOP lawmakers are sparring now over Medicaid. The Senate version of the bill looks to make cuts which Republicans say will slash “waste, fraud, and abuse”, not core benefits.

GOP Sen. Steve Daines:

DAINES:  The bottom line is this, Republicans are trying to save Medicaid. We wanna strengthen Medicaid while the Democrats are trying to drain Medicaid.

But Democrats say the cuts could curtail access to abortions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

SCHUMER:  They want every state to have a ban, and what they do is they make abortion inaccessible to so many millions of women who want them.

While federal dollars can’t fund most abortions, some states use their own funds to provide abortion coverage through Medicaid.

Menendez prison » Former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is now officially serving an 11-year prison sentence.

He began serving that sentence on Tuesday after a federal court last year convicted him on charges related to a bribery scheme.

The 71-year-old career Democrat is appealing his conviction, but he will have to do so from behind bars.

Menendez told reporters earlier this year:

MENENDEZ: Regardless of the judge's comments today, I am innocent…

His wife, Nadine, was also convicted and faces sentencing in September.

Authorities say that among things, they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars in Menendez’s home given to him in return for political favors.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: proposed funding changes to the U.S. SNAP program. Plus, how learning to ride a horse can improve serious health issues.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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