Abigail Spanberger opened her general election bid for Virginia governor Wednesday using her high school alma mater near Richmond. “I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,” the former congresswoman says as she walks past a bank of lockers in her first ad since securing the Democratic nomination. Later, she notes her experience as a CIA case officer, then in the halls of Congress as a tough-minded, get-things-done lawmaker. The same kind of message is echoing in New Jersey from Rep. Mikie Sherrill, as she also makes a bid for governor. Both women are selling themselves as Democrats who can rise above the rancor of Donald Trump’s Washington.

In an interview with Kan News on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu disclosed that Israel’s military offensive against Iran nearly didn’t go forward, with the mission being on the verge of cancellation at the last minute.
When asked whether Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is a potential target, Netanyahu made it clear that no one in Iran is exempt. “I instructed that no one in Iran has immunity. It is inappropriate and unnecessary to add more than that. We need to let the actions speak more than the words.”

The White House has issued a stark warning about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, stating that the country could be mere weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb. This revelation comes as President Donald Trump continues to weigh the possibility of launching a military response against the Iranian regime.
“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the press, underscoring the immediacy of the threat.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump announced on Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to authorize military action against Iran, as he remains optimistic about a potential diplomatic breakthrough.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting Trump during her press briefing.
Speaking the day before, Trump mentioned that Iranian officials were expressing interest in meeting with him directly at the White House.
“If there’s a chance for diplomacy, he’s not afraid to grab it,” Leavitt said.

President Donald Trump says he will decide sometime in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will be “directly involved” in Israel’s campaign against Iran. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the announcement during a Thursday press conference, reading a statement directly from Trump. “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Leavitt quoted. PRESS SEC: “Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon.

WATCH: From right to left. Rav Boruch Neuwirth, Rosh Yeshivas Wolfson, Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshivas Beth Medrash Govoha, Rav Don Segal, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, Rav Dovid Cohen, Rav Chevroni, Roshei Yeshivas Chevron, at an event in Lakewood to Benefit the Keren Olam Hatorah.

PRESS SEC: “Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader.” “Which would, of course, pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.”

PRESS SEC: “President Trump is a peacemaker-in-chief. He is the peace-through-strength president, & so if there’s a chance for diplomacy, the President’s always going to grab it, but he’s not afraid to use strength as well.”

During a tour of the IDF Intelligence Directorate’s Targeting Center on Wednesday, Major General Shlomie Binder, who heads the Intelligence Directorate, stated that Israel’s current military actions are effectively shifting Iran’s status from a remote strategic issue to a direct and immediate concern.
“We struck the Quds Force very hard on the first night. This includes roughly 30 commanders; the names that were published are those of the more senior ones. But we’re talking about Chiefs of Staff and Air Force Commanders,” said Binder.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito paid respects to atomic bombing victims in Hiroshima as the city marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy later this year. Naruhito, accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, bowed deeply at the cenotaph for the atomic bombing victims and offered bouquets of white flowers. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century aggression in Asia. Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance to remember and keep telling the tragedy of the war to younger generations.

For years, Israel has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists, hoping to choke progress on Iran’s nuclear program by striking at the brains behind it. Now, with Iran and Israel in an open-ended direct conflict, scientists in Israel have found themselves in the crosshairs after an Iranian missile struck a premier research institute known for its work in life sciences and physics, among other fields. While no one was killed in the strike on the Weizmann Institute of Science early Sunday, it caused heavy damage to multiple labs on campus, snuffing out years of scientific research and sending a chilling message to Israeli scientists that they and their expertise are now targets in the escalating conflict with Iran.

WATCH: WH Press Sec Karoline Leavitt delivers a message from President Trump regarding Iran. “I will make my decision… within the next two weeks.”

Israel’s dramatic initial strike against Iran was a significant achievement in terms of military coordination and intelligence execution, but it will not be enough to entirely eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities without American involvement, said Sima Shine, a former senior Mossad official.
Shine expressed genuine admiration for the precision and synchronization displayed by both the Mossad and the IDF in launching Operation Rising Lion. She described the attack as a masterclass in planning and execution. Nevertheless, she emphasized that dismantling the entirety of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would require active U.S. participation.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have held several phone conversations in recent days, according to a Reuters report released Thursday. These communications came in the wake of Israel’s June 13 air offensive against Iran and represent the most extensive contact between the two officials since April, three diplomats familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Pages