The Daily Populous Monday June 23rd, 2025 night edition
Authored by rollingstone.com and submitted by Quirkie

After President Donald Trump’s decision to strike three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, administration officials are barely bothering to pretend the unprecedented — and potentially calamitous — attacks were motivated by new intelligence suggesting Iran was on the brink of having nuclear weapons.

Just months ago, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to Congress, in her opening statement, that the U.S. intel community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon” and had not reauthorized its nuclear weapons program.

While Trump recently publicly disputed Gabbard’s testimony, according to two administration officials with knowledge of internal deliberations in recent weeks, the president’s decision to strike was not driven by any new U.S. intelligence on Iran.

“There is no intel,” says one of the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. “Nothing new, that I’m aware of… The president is protecting the United States and our interests, [but] the intelligence assessments have not really changed from what they were before.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, confirmed Saturday night that American intelligence assessments on Iran have not changed. “I was briefed on the intelligence last week. Iran posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States,” he wrote on social media. “Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon.”

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly says, “This is false and lazy ‘reporting’ designed to undermine President Trump’s highly successful operation to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”

Trump’s attacks on Iran constitute an act of war — and could set off a new, long-term conflict with potential to grow into something much larger. Unlike a previous time an American president preemptively initiated a war in the Middle East, when George W. Bush plunged America into a disastrous war in Iraq, he and his team spent roughly a year building a case of lies and propaganda to sell to a public that was already broadly supportive of post-9/11 military action. Editor’s picks

The second Trump administration skipped the pretense, opting to speed-run the U.S. into conflict, at a time when public polling shows that the idea of war with Iran is spectacularly unpopular with the American people.

In his address to the nation Saturday evening, Trump said, “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”

Trump did not claim on Saturday that he launched the attacks because Iran was close to having a nuclear weapon — as he had suggested earlier in the week. “I think they were very close to having one,” the president said Tuesday, as he disputed Gabbard’s testimony to Congress.

The Trump administration has since attempted to recast Gabbard’s comments before Congress, because, after she said Iran was “not building a nuclear weapon,” she had added: “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”

Gabbard posted on X on Friday, “The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division. America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly.” Related Content

“As the president and White House officials have said many, many times, U.S. intelligence showed Iran had all it needed to build a nuclear weapon,” Kelly says. She points to a statement earlier this month from U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla, who asserted that Iran’s “current [uranium] stockpiles and the available centrifuges across several enrichment plants are sufficient to produce its first 25 kg of weapons-grade materials in roughly one week and enough for up to 10 nuclear weapons in three weeks.”

The attacks on Iran represent both a major escalation and a rapid shift in posture toward Iran. Not long ago, Trump was working to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran — a development that was somewhat ironic given Trump had withdrawn from Barack Obama’s Iran deal in his first term as president.

Across the federal government, senior officials and policymakers aren’t pretending that Trump’s claims of an imminent nuclear threat are built on anything but vibes, whether intentionally manufactured or not.

During a press conference Sunday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked whether the U.S. had new intelligence suggesting Iran had been attempting to build nuclear weapons.

“I would just simply say that the president’s made it very clear he’s looked at all of this — all of the intelligence, all the information — and come to the conclusion that the Iranian nuclear program is a threat,” Hegseth said.

Appearing on Meet the Press on Sunday, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked whether Trump had moved to attack Iran based on U.S. intelligence or rather intel provided by Israel, which has been attacking Iranian nuclear and military sites, officials, and scientists since June 13.

“Of course, we share intelligence with a lot of agencies, British, Israeli and so forth, but it was our intelligence that motivated us to act,” Vance said, before quickly pivoting.

“The thing that I would really emphasize is the way in which the Iranians seem to be stonewalling us,” he said. “That was not, by the way, our consensus back in March of this year, we saw the Iranians making some concessions. We thought the conversations were actually productive. By mid-May, everybody in our intelligence community and the president’s senior team looked at ourselves and said, the Iranians are not being serious. … If you believe, as we did, that the Iranians are rushing towards a nuclear weapons program while simultaneously refusing to negotiate, how can we do anything but take serious action against this program?” Trending Stories ‘There Is No Intel’: Trump’s Attacks on Iran Were Based on Vibes, Sources Say 'The Onion' Mocks Congress' 'Cowardice' in 'New York Times' Full Page Editorial Bonnaroo Pivots to Full Refunds for Canceled Festival, 'Not Announcing Future Dates' Yungblud Really Really Really Swings Big on the Charmingly Overwrought 'Idols'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was pressed on Face the Nation on Sunday to say whether the U.S. had seen intelligence showing that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered the country to make nuclear weapons.

“That’s irrelevant,” Rubio said, saying it didn’t matter if such an order was given. “They have everything they need for a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Eridanosvoid on June 22nd, 2025 at 16:50 UTC »

Just to get this straight. We invaded Iraq because Bush lied about them having WMDs which was hugely controversial. Yet Trump can just go "Fuck it, I just feel like starting a war" and we are supposed be okay with not even having the courtesy of being lied to?

nonamenolastname on June 22nd, 2025 at 16:42 UTC »

He was itching to bomb Iran for a long time.

During the press conference Hegseth mentioned that it took several weeks to plan this attack. Bibi bombed Iran last week, and yesterday we bombed Iran. Translation: Bibi and Trump planned it, Bibi put it in motion, and Trump followed through.

Taylamade87 on June 22nd, 2025 at 16:42 UTC »

FIRST 6-MONTHS OF 2ND TERM

————————-——————————

First 100 days list %42-%45 avg. approval

———POST FIRST 100 DAYS———-

Make Alcatraz Great Again!

Wanted to be the new Pope/ Sith Lord

Fires the NSA, Mike Waltz, & makes him the ambassador for the UN

HSS doesn’t know what Habeas Corpus means, ICE goes billions of $’s over budget, & detains multiple US citizens during “raids.”

ICE arrests NJ mayor, a member of congress, a NY comptroller, threatens Cuomo, Gov Newsom, & detains CA senator “Jose” Padilla

Newark airport crisis + more deadly aviation accidents

Ashli Babbitt $5 million settlement & teases more Jan 6 restitution

Hegseth illegal wiretap firings, multiple fighter jets lost overboard while fighting the Houthi’s, & ceasefire did not include Israel

Renaming the USS Harvey Milk / brings back Fort Bragg & other confederate names

Palantir surveillance contract + DOGE gets access to social security info

The Ukraine mineral deal gets signed, admin gives up on ceasefire, & the largest missile + drone strikes since the start of war

Russian sanctions in “two weeks” (announced in May). Says Putin’s crazy & he’s been helping Russia

Indian v. Pakistan War breaks out. First hot war between nuclear powers

Wants to “Lower” drug price after a “$100 million in lobbyist payments didn’t buy him”

AI created MAHA report & “don’t take health advice” from the HHS

🌮’s on Chinese tariffs, announces EU tariffs for 2 days, tariffs exclusively on Apple and metals, & a 90-day pause on other tariffs.

Gets the last living American hostage out of Gaza, Gaza gets reoccupied w/ no ceasefire, & Palestinian’s still being killed en masse

Lets in Afrikaner “white genocide refugees” + Shows SA leadership videos of violence in the Congo during Oval Office presentation

Lets in El Chapo’s family & tells the Afghan refugees it’s safe to go home

$400m Qatari AF1 “gift” after AG Pam Bondi was paid 100k a month to be a Qatari lobbyist

Signs deals in the Middle East & gets a bump in family’s crypto wallet/international golf courses

Exclusive crypto dinner for presidential access and more pardons

Lifts sanctions on Syria for its “attractive” new leader

JFK files fed through AI for declassification advice

More deadly tornadoes/cuts to FEMA and NOAA, admin doesn’t approve or delays response relief, & FEMA director unaware of hurricane season

US credit rating downgraded & tells US corporations to “eat the tariffs”

Wants to investigate Kamala’s celebrity endorsements and Sea Shell gate (8647)

Take it Down Act - deep fakes

Announces Golden Dome/ nuclear space race

Illegally deports Asians to South Sudan & announces new travel bans

Cancels Harvard’s federal contracts, tries to block foreign students, & obtain student lists + scan their social media.

Approves Nippon’s takeover of US Steel & extends tik-tok sale deadline

Appoints a 22-year old ex-Gardner to head counter terrorism

Elon gets black eye, a golden key, & 💔.

Trump gets rid of his Tesla & is on Epstein’s list

Brings Kilmar back from El Salvador for trial

Raids Home Depot’s and other workplaces sparking nation-wide protests and riots in LA

Unilaterally sends the military into LA from a UFC game

Trips going up AF1 stairs + catheter gate

Russia hits 1,000,000 casualties. US wishes them a Happy Russia Day

Removes the Kennedy’s Rose Garden from the White House to install new ballroom

Takes down Hillary’s portrait & replaces it with a meme of his face

First president not invited to NAACP/ removes the bust of MLK

Destroying $12m worth of HIV meds & other vital medications

Israeli War with Iran breaks out. Thinks Putin should mediate & be back in the G8. Leaves G7 early with +%60 no confidence rating

Rise in antisemitic & politically motivated killings. Won’t talk to Gov. Walz about Vance Boelter

Largest ever US protest “no kings day” takes place

Falls asleep at his GI Joe themed birthday (sponsored by coinbase) while Israel takes direct missile hits from Iran

Announces Trump golden mobile phones - made in China

Makes his 1st trade deal in 90 days with the “EU” & the “wind” drops the “important documents” on the floor

Celebrates Juneteenth by wanting citizens to have less holidays - has golfed 20% of 2nd term

Mahmoud Khali gets released from detention

Has signed more executive orders then Biden’s whole term

Offensively bombs Iran’s nuclear research sites - stills wants a noble peace prize

WW3