Trump’s strike did the job and erased Iran’s nuclear program. But now, Congress must reclaim its constitutional role before we drift into another endless war without direction or debate.
Donald J Trump is not in the habit of consulting others or seeking consensus. His capacious gut tells him everything that he thinks he needs to know, and he is going with that…first, last, and always. Congress is merely an irritation to Trump, and he’ll continue to treat it as such…..until and unless we present him with a new one that is willing to stand up to his authoritarian tendencies.
There is no way trump is going to concede to Congress. His goal is to rule with impunity which is exactly what he has with the corrupt Supreme Court decision. HIS congress will not push congressional authority, no way, not ever. We can only hope that we will be able to vote come the midterms and rid ourselves of the cowardice Republican party. You're right Michael, what's done is done but I do not believe that there will EVER be congressional oversight again until the current members of the congress and senate are jilted into action, and that action is for us to show unanimously that we are NOT OK WITH THE CURRENT REGIME.
Congress will never step up. Little Mike doesn't have the balls to do his job and if he won't do his job, then the other's can't. He is tRump's "yes" man. " Mr. President, you can do whatever you want. I won't stand in your way. You can drive our country in the ground and I won't try to stop you. This is your country not the people's. We don't need a democracy. The Constitution is a little piece of paper, that you don't like, so we will tear it into little pieces and throw it to the wind, so you don't have to follow it. Nobody will notice and nobody will care, because, Mr. President, you are the greatest human being that ever walked this earth. You are the only one that knows how to run this country. You have my full co-operation and my blessings." That seems to be what little Mike is saying. Makes me want to throw up. Little Mike needs to remind himself, that he is not there to be tRump's yes man. Do your job little Mike and grow some balls and do what you were elected to do.
Trump has proven to lie every time he opens his mouth. So why should the American people believe him when he says it was an imminent threat and that it was a success and that threat is gone. Especially since he didn’t follow proper protocols or consult with the intelligence specialists or Congress. The whole thing does not sit right with me. I don’t think you should be giving him any kudos for this.
Seriously? THIS is your concern? Can we stick with the subject, please? This is a serious time. It’s not time to pick apart Michael’s demeanor on a certain day. Show some respect.
Michael, I love you to death brother....BUT ! ....I can't believe you to be this naive saying...." tRUMP’s strike did the job and erased Iran’s nuclear program."......Iran doesn't have nukes, a nuke weapons program or working on one.....This attack did absolutely nothing, except, the US starting a war with Iran because of Israel and Netanyahu having tRUMP twisted around his little finger....Oh yeah, dropping 12 30K lb. Bunker Buster bombs out of our total arsenal of 20 along with 30 Tomahawk missiles that don't look to have done much of anything, much less having totally destroyed Iran's nuke facilities as tRUMP and his fucking lacky band of morons are claiming.....Iran now retaliating by closing the straits of hormuz and sending missiles against US military in the region.....Oh yeah....and Russia & China looking to support Iran, possibly providing Nuke warheads.....yeah...this was a great move.... :-(
First, I was repeating g Trump’s words so as to issue one of 2 cautionary tales. First, if what he said is accurate, good. That means Congress must now be included and start doing their job. Second, if it’s not accurate, what is really happening here and how concerned should we be?
I usually agree with your arguments, as you are well-intentioned and viscerally involved into leading this resistance, especially from where you are coming from. However, this time, I'd like to comment your publication to bring some nuance.
'This moment doesn’t have to be a prelude to war. It doesn’t have to be used by Democrats as a war cry against Trump.'
On the contrary, I think Democrats have to use everything in their power to denounce Trump's Regime and bring it to an end. The majority of Americans do not want war. In Canada, we're worried as well, and we have to denounce all kind of world war escalation. We now have to reassure our teenager, some are pretty worried about the state of world affairs, and as parents we want to protect them as much as possible. So we cannot be silent.
I listened to Lev Parnas and Malcom Nance over the week-end. I agree with Malcom's analysis. You attack a country and you expect them to not retaliate? In doing so, he's taking upon himself to speak for 'all americans' and thus planting seeds for the next generation of angered middle-eastern kids to hate the Western world and perpetuate the cycle of violence. Trump's tweets over the week-end are risible. Good luck with that.
In the USA Trump has already brought war within his own country with his hateful and divisive rhetoric. The ICE raids are nothing short of Nazism. I won't even start on people shooting their own and gun violence. I mean, WTF? when I look at some the leaders in power, I see glorification of the behavior of cavemen and the Alphas leading the group into silent submission if it wants 'to survive'. I think it's time to set limits to the insanity and the non-acceptable.
'It can be the start of the hard, necessary work of peace. But only if we all show up; and that includes all members of Congress doing their job.'
This I totally agree with. But right now, they are scared shitless of their cult leaders who threaten them into silence and passivity by manipulation, blackmail, extortion, and violence (which they encourage in their most-radicalized followers). Listening to the MTN's podcasts about townhalls where Democrats show up and get standing ovations even by Republicans while their elected hide is a relief. It's not too late.
Be outraged and continue to build your movement. Positive emotions are noble, and must be encouraged, but at the same time, people have to be touched in their everyday life in order to start getting evolved. Right now, they're starting to get destabilized and realize it. Time to use these emotions and translate them into non-violent actions. The NO KINGS 2.0 on July 4th has to become the expression of this outrage. 5-11 millions have to become 15 millions +. And so on, and so on.
You guys can do this. Much support from your neighbors. Elbows up. 💪🫶🐻❄️
Excellent response and analysis. Prior to reading Michael's report today, I watched his video session with Lev Parnas and Malcolm Nance. An enlightening discussion of what happened in Iran and what's next. As I read today's Substack report, I became dismayed after reading that Michael agreed with tRump's action, tRump's description of the action and the big IF of whether we are in a war or strategic pause. In my view "strategic" has never been in tRump's vocabulary or actions. He doesn't know what the word means. If he does know, a double pox on him. To my knowledge, there is currently no evidence that the U.S. destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Michael, please know that I am a subscriber and dedicated reader of your outstanding reports. Thank you doesn't begin to express my gratitude for your work. Have a grand time in Paris. You deserve it. And more.
It's par for the course for Trump to annoumce that Iran's nuclear capability is completely obliterated immediately after the strike. I mean, COVID was going to evaporate on its own by Easter. In this instance, as in that one, this could be characteristic wishful thinking/ braggadocio, rather than reality. We don't know yet and I've seen reports that indicate that the damage set Iran back but that it didn't destroy the facilities to the extent that Trump seems to be certain it did. I'm with Michael that the world is better off now. But if (and I'm shooting from the hip here), Trump and his buddy Kash have reassigned FBI agents who were monitoring terrorist activity to the border, is it possible that we here in America are more vulnerable to the response of embedded Iranian terrorist cells who are now more motivated to act? Am I just being paranoid or hypercritical of what feels like ore chaos on the horizen?
A big middle finger to Donald last nite. NYT: "President Trump lashed out at both Iran and Israel for launching attacks after his cease-fire announcement."
And here's a MAGA who's about to learn a hard lesson:
A WSJ article today reports that NATO leaders are also okay with the airstrikes, even if it's universally agreed that we have low confidence in the decision-makerl, because according to NATO, Iran is heavily supporting Russia against Ukraine. For example, NATO reports that Iran supplies Russia with drones? Had we heard about this previously? I also think we need to try very hard to focus on facts, rank them in terms of critical need, and proceed accordingly. Trump is a danger to our democracy. but If there's a missile symbolically flying over Trump's head, from a foreign foe and aimed at us and our allies, we take care of the missile first. I read Adam Kinzinge's Substack, and agree with Michael that Kinzinger is correct.
Thank you Michael. I hear you, and I so appreciate your thoughts on all of this. It’s why I’m here, and will continue to be one of your biggest fans. I totally get what you’re saying. I really do.
I don’t know anyone who thinks Iran should have a nuclear bomb. I think there is consensus about that across the country and around the world. And I don’t think anyone is crying if indeed, Trump did destroy their capability. That would be a good thing. I just think this is a VERY slippery slope he’s on with this move. What’s next? It’s not like Trump is trustworthy or honest abut ANYTHING. It’s not like the constitution or basic rule of law is something he cherishes or follows. It’s not like the safety of ordinary Americans is a priority to him. We all know that it is NOT. I have questions.
Who’s to say this all isn’t one giant WAG THE DOG? And we all know that whatever this, it was done in coordination with Putin. Trump doesn’t as much as scratch his head without Putin’s approval. This we all know. And Putin doesn’t say yes, unless there is something in it for him. What was that thing? I, and others, believe that thing was to let Iran move some of their stockpiles somewhere else. This gives Trump an opportunity to play hero, and bomb Iran so that he can look good to America. But is it now still quite possible that Iran can still VERY much continue their programs elsewhere? Putin is hosting an Iranian delegation at the Kremlin today. Would that happen if Putin did NOTHING to help IRAN? These are questions I have, and I’m sure many others do too.
All that being said, IF there was an imminent threat, CONGRESS should have been told. EVIDENCE should have been presented to them and to US now. The American people should know why their tax dollars are paying for this, and just what the risk was to all of our lives.
And I am so with you on CONGRESS! They are useless these days! Democrats are in the minority, but they should could as hell been making more NOISE. It’s incredibly bothersome. We need new leadership…INDEED.
Donald J Trump is not in the habit of consulting others or seeking consensus. His capacious gut tells him everything that he thinks he needs to know, and he is going with that…first, last, and always. Congress is merely an irritation to Trump, and he’ll continue to treat it as such…..until and unless we present him with a new one that is willing to stand up to his authoritarian tendencies.
There is no way trump is going to concede to Congress. His goal is to rule with impunity which is exactly what he has with the corrupt Supreme Court decision. HIS congress will not push congressional authority, no way, not ever. We can only hope that we will be able to vote come the midterms and rid ourselves of the cowardice Republican party. You're right Michael, what's done is done but I do not believe that there will EVER be congressional oversight again until the current members of the congress and senate are jilted into action, and that action is for us to show unanimously that we are NOT OK WITH THE CURRENT REGIME.
Congress will never step up. Little Mike doesn't have the balls to do his job and if he won't do his job, then the other's can't. He is tRump's "yes" man. " Mr. President, you can do whatever you want. I won't stand in your way. You can drive our country in the ground and I won't try to stop you. This is your country not the people's. We don't need a democracy. The Constitution is a little piece of paper, that you don't like, so we will tear it into little pieces and throw it to the wind, so you don't have to follow it. Nobody will notice and nobody will care, because, Mr. President, you are the greatest human being that ever walked this earth. You are the only one that knows how to run this country. You have my full co-operation and my blessings." That seems to be what little Mike is saying. Makes me want to throw up. Little Mike needs to remind himself, that he is not there to be tRump's yes man. Do your job little Mike and grow some balls and do what you were elected to do.
Trump has proven to lie every time he opens his mouth. So why should the American people believe him when he says it was an imminent threat and that it was a success and that threat is gone. Especially since he didn’t follow proper protocols or consult with the intelligence specialists or Congress. The whole thing does not sit right with me. I don’t think you should be giving him any kudos for this.
I'm not sure but this Substack doesn't sound like Michael. What happened to him since he was told not to participate in the NO KING protest.
He was different on his live with Lev and Malcolm yesterday as well.
Any idea?
Seriously? THIS is your concern? Can we stick with the subject, please? This is a serious time. It’s not time to pick apart Michael’s demeanor on a certain day. Show some respect.
Michael, I love you to death brother....BUT ! ....I can't believe you to be this naive saying...." tRUMP’s strike did the job and erased Iran’s nuclear program."......Iran doesn't have nukes, a nuke weapons program or working on one.....This attack did absolutely nothing, except, the US starting a war with Iran because of Israel and Netanyahu having tRUMP twisted around his little finger....Oh yeah, dropping 12 30K lb. Bunker Buster bombs out of our total arsenal of 20 along with 30 Tomahawk missiles that don't look to have done much of anything, much less having totally destroyed Iran's nuke facilities as tRUMP and his fucking lacky band of morons are claiming.....Iran now retaliating by closing the straits of hormuz and sending missiles against US military in the region.....Oh yeah....and Russia & China looking to support Iran, possibly providing Nuke warheads.....yeah...this was a great move.... :-(
First, I was repeating g Trump’s words so as to issue one of 2 cautionary tales. First, if what he said is accurate, good. That means Congress must now be included and start doing their job. Second, if it’s not accurate, what is really happening here and how concerned should we be?
Hi Michael 😊
I usually agree with your arguments, as you are well-intentioned and viscerally involved into leading this resistance, especially from where you are coming from. However, this time, I'd like to comment your publication to bring some nuance.
'This moment doesn’t have to be a prelude to war. It doesn’t have to be used by Democrats as a war cry against Trump.'
On the contrary, I think Democrats have to use everything in their power to denounce Trump's Regime and bring it to an end. The majority of Americans do not want war. In Canada, we're worried as well, and we have to denounce all kind of world war escalation. We now have to reassure our teenager, some are pretty worried about the state of world affairs, and as parents we want to protect them as much as possible. So we cannot be silent.
I listened to Lev Parnas and Malcom Nance over the week-end. I agree with Malcom's analysis. You attack a country and you expect them to not retaliate? In doing so, he's taking upon himself to speak for 'all americans' and thus planting seeds for the next generation of angered middle-eastern kids to hate the Western world and perpetuate the cycle of violence. Trump's tweets over the week-end are risible. Good luck with that.
In the USA Trump has already brought war within his own country with his hateful and divisive rhetoric. The ICE raids are nothing short of Nazism. I won't even start on people shooting their own and gun violence. I mean, WTF? when I look at some the leaders in power, I see glorification of the behavior of cavemen and the Alphas leading the group into silent submission if it wants 'to survive'. I think it's time to set limits to the insanity and the non-acceptable.
'It can be the start of the hard, necessary work of peace. But only if we all show up; and that includes all members of Congress doing their job.'
This I totally agree with. But right now, they are scared shitless of their cult leaders who threaten them into silence and passivity by manipulation, blackmail, extortion, and violence (which they encourage in their most-radicalized followers). Listening to the MTN's podcasts about townhalls where Democrats show up and get standing ovations even by Republicans while their elected hide is a relief. It's not too late.
Be outraged and continue to build your movement. Positive emotions are noble, and must be encouraged, but at the same time, people have to be touched in their everyday life in order to start getting evolved. Right now, they're starting to get destabilized and realize it. Time to use these emotions and translate them into non-violent actions. The NO KINGS 2.0 on July 4th has to become the expression of this outrage. 5-11 millions have to become 15 millions +. And so on, and so on.
You guys can do this. Much support from your neighbors. Elbows up. 💪🫶🐻❄️
Excellent response and analysis. Prior to reading Michael's report today, I watched his video session with Lev Parnas and Malcolm Nance. An enlightening discussion of what happened in Iran and what's next. As I read today's Substack report, I became dismayed after reading that Michael agreed with tRump's action, tRump's description of the action and the big IF of whether we are in a war or strategic pause. In my view "strategic" has never been in tRump's vocabulary or actions. He doesn't know what the word means. If he does know, a double pox on him. To my knowledge, there is currently no evidence that the U.S. destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Michael, please know that I am a subscriber and dedicated reader of your outstanding reports. Thank you doesn't begin to express my gratitude for your work. Have a grand time in Paris. You deserve it. And more.
Thank you Skayen for your input!
Excellent points!
How can we be sure that the nuclear program was destroyed? There has been suggestion. that all wa smoved to another site......
It's par for the course for Trump to annoumce that Iran's nuclear capability is completely obliterated immediately after the strike. I mean, COVID was going to evaporate on its own by Easter. In this instance, as in that one, this could be characteristic wishful thinking/ braggadocio, rather than reality. We don't know yet and I've seen reports that indicate that the damage set Iran back but that it didn't destroy the facilities to the extent that Trump seems to be certain it did. I'm with Michael that the world is better off now. But if (and I'm shooting from the hip here), Trump and his buddy Kash have reassigned FBI agents who were monitoring terrorist activity to the border, is it possible that we here in America are more vulnerable to the response of embedded Iranian terrorist cells who are now more motivated to act? Am I just being paranoid or hypercritical of what feels like ore chaos on the horizen?
A big middle finger to Donald last nite. NYT: "President Trump lashed out at both Iran and Israel for launching attacks after his cease-fire announcement."
And here's a MAGA who's about to learn a hard lesson:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/marjorie-taylor-greene-iran-trump
A WSJ article today reports that NATO leaders are also okay with the airstrikes, even if it's universally agreed that we have low confidence in the decision-makerl, because according to NATO, Iran is heavily supporting Russia against Ukraine. For example, NATO reports that Iran supplies Russia with drones? Had we heard about this previously? I also think we need to try very hard to focus on facts, rank them in terms of critical need, and proceed accordingly. Trump is a danger to our democracy. but If there's a missile symbolically flying over Trump's head, from a foreign foe and aimed at us and our allies, we take care of the missile first. I read Adam Kinzinge's Substack, and agree with Michael that Kinzinger is correct.
(Darn! My aging eyes only notice the "auto-wrongs" after posting. Oh well.)
How can we be sure that the nuclear program was destroyed? There has been suggestion. that all wa smoved to another site......
Hopefully Congress will move in the direction you suggest. Good article and great questions!
Thank you Michael. I hear you, and I so appreciate your thoughts on all of this. It’s why I’m here, and will continue to be one of your biggest fans. I totally get what you’re saying. I really do.
I don’t know anyone who thinks Iran should have a nuclear bomb. I think there is consensus about that across the country and around the world. And I don’t think anyone is crying if indeed, Trump did destroy their capability. That would be a good thing. I just think this is a VERY slippery slope he’s on with this move. What’s next? It’s not like Trump is trustworthy or honest abut ANYTHING. It’s not like the constitution or basic rule of law is something he cherishes or follows. It’s not like the safety of ordinary Americans is a priority to him. We all know that it is NOT. I have questions.
Who’s to say this all isn’t one giant WAG THE DOG? And we all know that whatever this, it was done in coordination with Putin. Trump doesn’t as much as scratch his head without Putin’s approval. This we all know. And Putin doesn’t say yes, unless there is something in it for him. What was that thing? I, and others, believe that thing was to let Iran move some of their stockpiles somewhere else. This gives Trump an opportunity to play hero, and bomb Iran so that he can look good to America. But is it now still quite possible that Iran can still VERY much continue their programs elsewhere? Putin is hosting an Iranian delegation at the Kremlin today. Would that happen if Putin did NOTHING to help IRAN? These are questions I have, and I’m sure many others do too.
All that being said, IF there was an imminent threat, CONGRESS should have been told. EVIDENCE should have been presented to them and to US now. The American people should know why their tax dollars are paying for this, and just what the risk was to all of our lives.
And I am so with you on CONGRESS! They are useless these days! Democrats are in the minority, but they should could as hell been making more NOISE. It’s incredibly bothersome. We need new leadership…INDEED.
My feelings too. Your the best and call it for what it really is... Keep it up, bro