Author

admin

Browsing

The Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh did it again.

On Saturday, Raleigh hit his 30th home run of the season, giving him the most homers by a switch hitter before MLB’s All-Star break.

Raleigh’s blast came off Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia to start the ninth inning. This came after he hit two homers Friday against the Cubs to break the previous record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, which was set by Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970.

Raleigh’s journey to greatness is not over yet. He now stands alongside Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as the second Mariners player to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. With his fantastic season, the potential for Raleigh to surpass Mickey Mantle’s record of 54 home runs by a switch hitter, set in 1961, is definitely within reach.

Cal Raleigh stats

  • Batting average: .272
  • On-base percentage: .377
  • Slugging percentage: .649
  • Home runs: 30
  • RBI: 64
  • OPS: 1.026

MLB home run leaders

  1. Cal Raleigh, Mariners – 30
  2. Aaron Judge, Yankees – 27
  3. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – 25
  4. Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks – 24
  5. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies – 23
  6. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs – 21

When do Mariners play next?

The Mariners will face the Cubs again at Wrigley Field on Sunday, June 22 at 2:20 p.m. ET.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

A day after San Francisco Giants’ reliever Sean Hjelle’s wife, Caroline, accused him of infidelity, family abandonment, and abuse in a viral TikTok, posted Friday, June 20, the team released a statement on the matter.

‘We are aware of these serious allegations,’ the statement read. ‘We have been in contact with MLB. These type of allegations fall under their jurisdiction and we won’t be commenting further.’

The TikTok, which has garnered more than 3.5 million views and over 230,000 likes in less than 24 hours since it was posted, includes a caption that says, ‘When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this (video was taken) once I finally found about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse, so I’ve been raising two boys alone.’

Before the game, Giants manager Bob Melvin said Hjelle was available to pitch on Saturday. Melvin acknowledged he was aware of the accusations.

‘He told me about it last night,’ Melvin told reporters. ‘We’ve talked to MLB and at this point, it’s in their jurisdiction so we can’t comment on it any further.’

What else has Caroline Hjelle said on the matter?

The San Jose Mercury News cited a Giants spokesperson, who said the couple is divorced.

It is unclear when the couple officially ended their marriage, but Caroline has several posts on her TikTok alluding to her struggles as a solo parent, dating back to October 2024, when she posted this video for the ’17 Diapers’ trend, meant to detail the struggles of early parenthood.

On April 8 of this year, Hjelle posted another TikTok with the hashtag ‘divorce’, claiming she was ‘devastated’ after ‘finding out all the lies.’

Has Hjelle been important to the Giants’ success?

The Giants have been one of the surprise teams of 2025 with a 42-34 record while sitting in second-place in the NL West. A large reason for that success has been their bullpen, which has posted an MLB-best 2.60 ERA.

Hjelle played a sizable role in the Giants’ bullpen in 2024, when he recorded a 3.90 ERA across 80⅔ innings. However, he’s taken a large step back in 2025, with his ERA ballooning to 4.66, while his BB/9 has increased massively from 1.6 in 2024 to 6.5 this year. Hjelle has pitched only 9⅔ innings this season.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

NASCAR’s first international race in decades proved to be a dominant afternoon for Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.

The Cup Series rookie led 60 of the 100 laps, including the final 32 on the road course in Mexico City, to take his first win of the 2025 season. That victory, in the Cup Series’ first ever race in Mexico, ensures the New Zealander will be in the playoffs this year. It also marked his second career Cup Series win. His first came in a similarly historic setting in 2023 when he won the series’ first street race in the streets of Chicago.

The first points-paying international Cup Series race since 1958 was a commercial success. With 2.1 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, the Viva Mexico 250 had the youngest audience for any Cup Series race since 2017.

This week the grid returns to U.S. soil for a race at an iconic track on the calendar: Pocono Raceway. It’s the only track on the Cup Series schedule with just three turns, and it’s been a staple on the schedule since 1971.

This week’s race is the final one to set seeding for NASCAR’s inaugural in-season challenge. Denny Hamlin secured a top seed in the tournament thanks to his win in Michigan two weeks ago. Van Gisbergen did not qualify for the tournament – which features the top 32 drivers in the points standings prior to Michigan – so his win did not earn him a top seed.

NASCAR IN-SEASON CHALLENGE: What you need to know about the new tournament

There’s still one more chance for the 32-driver field to solidify their seeding in the tournament. Here’s everything you need to get ready for the Cup Series race in Pocono on June 22:

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono start?

The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono on?

The Great American Getaway 400 is the final race of the year to be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video. That means there is no national TV broadcast for the race. Pre-race coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?

Yes, the Great American Getaway 400 will be streamed on Prime Video.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?

The Great American Getaway 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 30 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono last year?

What is the lineup for the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono?

(Car number in parentheses)

  1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
  2. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
  3. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
  4. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
  5. (41) Cole Custer, Ford
  6. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
  7. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
  8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
  9. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
  10. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
  11. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
  12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
  13. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
  14. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
  15. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
  16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
  17. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
  18. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
  19. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
  20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
  21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
  22. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
  23. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
  24. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
  25. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
  26. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
  27. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
  28. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
  29. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
  30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
  31. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
  32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
  33. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
  34. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
  35. (21) Josh Berry, Ford
  36. (51) Cody Ware, Ford
  37. (44) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fastDownload for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The 2024-25 NBA season – through the promise of a fresh start in October to the dog days of late January to the late-season push for the postseason in late March, early April to the two-month playoffs schedule to determine a champion – comes down to one more game.

Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 22 (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Forty-eight minutes – possibly more – between two talented, deep, well-coached and exhausted teams.

‘One game for everything you ever dreamed of,’ Thunder star and this season’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. ‘If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It’s that simple.’

Simple in theory. Difficult in practice.

Because winning a championship isn’t easy. It shouldn’t be.

One more game. The 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history. Pacers-Thunder.

Indiana has never won an NBA title; since relocating to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008, the Thunder have never won a title.

‘Just really focused on Game 7 and trying to take it just a moment at a time,’ Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. ‘Really enjoying what we’re doing. Understanding this is going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, game most of us ever play in in our lives, and for our organization from a historical standpoint, as well. That’s something that you don’t take for granted and you enjoy as a competitor.’

Here’s how each team can win Game 7:

How Thunder can win NBA Finals Game 7

It starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The MVP needs to play like the MVP, and he can’t have more turnovers than made shots as he did in Indiana’s Game 6 victory. Making mid-range shots, getting to the rim and free throw line, knocking down the occasional 3-pointers and making sure his teammates are involved. The Thunder are at their best when Gilgeous-Alexander scores around 30 points, five assists, two steals and attempts 10 free throws and has no more than three turnovers.

Limit turnovers

In Indiana’s Game 3 victory, the Thunder committed 19 turnovers, and in Indiana’s Game 6 victory, the Thunder turned the ball over 21 times. It’s one thing if shots are falling, it’s another to have that many possessions with a field goal attempt.

Offense from Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren

The Thunder don’t need 40 points from Williams like they got from him in Game 5. However, an efficient Jalen Williams who is attacking the basket off the dribble and in transition and scoring 20-plus points while rebounding and collecting assists gives the Thunder a much better chance of winning.

It’s clear Holmgren needs to be involved offensively. He had just six points in the Game 1 loss and four points in the Game 6 loss and was 4-for-18 from the field in those two games. He’s averaging 12.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in Finals victories and 10 points and 7.3 rebounds in Finals losses.

Bench contributions

The Thunder have used depth to their advantage all season. Getting 3s from Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins is important. Caruso has scored just two points in the past two games and was scoreless in Game 6. Wallace, Caruso and Wiggins were 1-for-6 on 3s in Game 6 and 7-for-14 in Game 5 and 14-for-26 in Game 2.

Home-court advantage

The Thunder are not immune to home losses – they lost Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to Denver and Game 1 of the NBA Finals to Indiana at home. However, they were 35-6 at home during the regular season and 10-2 during the playoffs. Oklahoma City provides one of the best home crowds in the league, and the Thunder can use that energy. LeBron James often said home-court advantage doesn’t mean anything until a Game 7.

How the Pacers can win Game 7

Tyrese Haliburton’s ability to play through injury

Haliburton has a strained calf, and if this were the regular season and even earlier in the playoffs, he might not be playing. But in Game 6 and Game 7 of the Finals, he is. He only played 23 minutes in the Pacers’ Game 6 blowout victory and had 14 points, five assists and two steals. That kind of per-minute production should keep the Pacers in the game with a chance to win.

Feisty, unpredictable defense

The Pacers’ improved defense is a major reason they are in this position. They like to pressure the basketball, sometimes full court, and that kind of intensity for four quarters wears down an opponent. Indiana wants to force turnovers, limit Oklahoma City’s offensive opportunities and keep Gilgeous-Alexander from dominating with his scoring. In Game 6, the Pacers held the Thunder to 91 points, which is the Thunder’s lowest-scoring game of the playoffs and just the second time they didn’t reach 100 this postseason.

3-point shooting

The Pacers have been the best 3-point shooting team percentage-wise in the playoffs (.390) and have made 36.4% against the Thunder in the Finals. In their three Finals victories, they have outscored the Thunder 126-87 on 3-pointers. Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Obi Toppin and Haliburton need to combine for about 15 3-pointers. The Pacers average 14 made 3s in their Finals victories and 12 in their Finals losses.

Bench play

When T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin and Toppin are providing quality minutes, the Pacers are tough to beat. McConnell’s bulldog mentality is an important part of Indiana’s success.

Pascal Siakam’s experience

Siakam is the only Pacers player with championship experience (Toronto Raptors, 2019), and he has been a fantastic two-player in this series. If the Pacers win the title, he just might be Finals MVP. He’s averaging 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks and shooting 46.4% from the field and 82.5% on free throws.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle’s strategy

Carlisle has extracted the maximum from this roster. Can he yield another victory? He has a great coaching staff, and Carlisle and his assistants have assembled outstanding game plans for this series. He has found ways to get points against Oklahoma City’s top-rated defense and slow down the Thunder’s No. 3 offense. It’s no secret he’s one of the league’s best coaches over the past two decades, and he has been at the top of his game during the past two seasons with Indiana.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

As the 2025 WNBA season continues to heat up, the Indiana Fever prepare to face off against the Las Vegas Aces at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.

The Fever are aiming to recover from their recent 88-77 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Despite the defeat, Aliyah Boston stood out by leading the Fever in scoring, contributing 17 points and 12 rebounds. Additionally, Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark combined for 27 points.

On the other side, the Aces are looking to break a three-game losing streak after losing 90-83 to the Seattle Storm. In that game, Jackie Young scored 22 points, and A’ja Wilson contributed 20 points and 14 rebounds, but their efforts fell short.

Here is how to watch the Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever take on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, June 22.

What time is Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces?

The Indiana Fever will face off against the Las Vegas Aces at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

How to watch Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces: TV, stream

  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
  • TV: ESPN
  • Live stream: ESPN+, Disney+

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fastDownload for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspap

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

U.S. stocks are on the cusp of a very impressive breakout to all-time highs, but are still missing one key ingredient. They need help in the form of a semiconductors ($DJUSSC) breakout of its own. When the DJUSSC reached its all-time high on June 20, 2024, one year ago, a nasty bearish engulfing candle printed on extremely heavy volume, I wrote an article, “The Semiconductors Have Topped; Look Elsewhere for Opportunities”. Simply put, it was buyers’ exhaustion”. I looked for a 20% drop in the index, providing this chart at the time:

There’s now been a lengthy period of sideways consolidation on the semiconductors as you can see from this updated chart as that 20% drop immediately occurred:

Semiconductor leadership has been held firmly in check by the overhead price resistance just below 22000. Until that resistance is cleared, the QQQ has a lid on it.

Let’s keep in mind that the QQQ, an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ 100 index, can be broken down into its top 2 industry groups, as follows:

  • Semiconductors ($DJUSSC): 21.65%
  • Software ($DJUSSW): 19.11%

More than 40% of the QQQ is comprised of semiconductors and software. Here’s what the longer-term, 5-year software chart looks like:

Software’s relative strength is powerful and we’ve recently seen an absolute price breakout – an awesome combo. On a 5-year weekly chart of semis, it’s quite apparent that when the semiconductors break out, they carry the NASDAQ 100 on their shoulders higher and we’re close to a breakout now:

We just saw a relative strength breakout on the DJUSSC, there’s only one thing missing – that absolute breakout and it’s coming fairly soon, in my opinion.

Market Outlook

A big part of what happens over the next 6-12 months will be highly dependent on the two industry groups above. There are over 100 industry groups and this may be oversimplifying stocks a bit, but make no mistake about it. Higher growth prospects and lower interest rates can result in flying PE ratios and these two groups are home to companies that can expand their businesses very rapidly.

Market Manipulation

I’ve discussed the role of market makers and their manipulation of the stock market many times over the past several years and there’s no doubt in my mind we were just exposed to another massive dose of it in the first half of 2025. At EarningsBeats.com, however, we’ve become experts at spotting it and pointing it out. I discussed the importance of being in cash back in late January and in February before the massive Wall Street ripoff started and I also wrote about the importance of getting back in early. Remember my article in the second week of April, “The Bottom is Here or Rapidly Approaching”? These are real-time articles, folks. You need to see the tops and bottoms before they occur. It does little good to talk about it now. We don’t get a “do over.”

Or do we?

What do I mean by that? Well, we’ll have plenty more chances to spot tops and bottoms in the future, but you need to learn from this year’s mistakes RIGHT NOW. Don’t let these big-money, Wall Street crooks do it to you again. We have one MASSIVE advantage on our side vs. these big Wall Street firms. We can enter and exit stocks in seconds. It takes them days and weeks.

If you want to be better-positioned to see this nonsense AHEAD OF TIME the next time it comes around, I’d suggest that you join me on Saturday, June 28th at 10:00am ET for a 100% free event, “Trading The Truth: How Market Manipulation Creates Opportunity”. CLICK HERE to register and learn more about the event! This is a MUST-ATTEND event and seating is limited. Be sure to save your seat and learn how to protect your hard-earned money for the rest of your financial future!

Happy trading!

Tom

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was delivering remarks at a ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rally in Tusla, Okla., on Saturday night when President Donald Trump announced the United States had successfully attacked three nuclear sites in Iran. 

An aide interrupted Sanders’ remarks to deliver the message Trump had just blasted off on Truth Social. 

‘We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,’ Trump said in the post. 

Sanders read the piece of paper with Trump’s Truth Social post to his supporters, shaking his head as the socialist senator processed what the president had just announced. ‘No more wars!’ the crowd chanted. 

Trump added in the post: ‘All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.’

Sanders nodded along as the crowd continued to chant, ‘No more wars!’ before responding to the news in real time. 

He said the news was not only ‘alarming,’ but ‘so grossly unconstitutional.’

‘All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right,’ Sanders shouted. 

Sanders joins the bipartisan coalition in Congress who have called out the ‘unconstitutionality’ of Trump striking Iran without congressional approval. 

A bipartisan War Powers Resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives this week as strikes between Israel and Iran raged on, and the world stood by to see if Trump would strike. Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution

The War Powers Resolution seeks to ‘remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran’ and directs Trump to ‘terminate’ the deployment of American troops against Iran without an ‘authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.’

‘The American people do not want more war, more death!’ Sanders said. ‘It might be a good idea if we concentrated on the problems that exist in Oklahoma and Vermont rather than getting involved in another war that the American people do not want.’

But Sanders told the crowd not to give up on their vision for America’s future. 

‘In this moment in American history, what we have got to do in Vermont and Oklahoma, in Texas, all over this country, is stand up and fight back, and tell them this is our country!’ Sanders said. 

Sanders has been a vocal opponent of the United States joining Israel in its war against Iran as Trump weighed striking its nuclear facilities. 

‘Netanyahu is not the President of the United States,’ Sanders said on social media earlier this week. 

‘He should not be determining U.S. foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it,’ he added. 

The democratic socialist has been a vocal opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war against Gaza since Israel retaliated following Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. 

After Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities last week, Sanders said it was ‘just his latest violation of international law,’ likening Netanyahu to a ‘war criminal.’

The Vermont senator was speaking at his second rally of the day, part of his southern swing of the ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour that Sanders started in response to Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda. 

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Tx., and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Tx., are slated to join the Vermont senator at his rallies in Texas on Sunday. 

And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined Sanders on his Western swing of the tour earlier this year. 

The tour targets deep red districts currently held by Republicans, a strategy picked up by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who hosted town halls in Republican congressional districts, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through their ‘People’s Town Halls’ across the United States. 

Sanders also held a rally in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, La., on Saturday. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A top expert on the Iran nuclear program believes the regime’s atomic program has been obliterated by Saturday night’s strikes by the United States.

‘The nuclear program is no longer,’ Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a ‘national security and foreign policy’ think tank, told Fox News Digital.

‘Sources in Israel report with high confidence that this chapter is over. Responsible parties must still remove nuclear materials from the facility in Isfahan. But that appears to be the final page to turn,’ he continued. 

President Donald Trump said during his address on Saturday night that ‘Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.’ 

Fox News reported earlier on that Isfahan was ‘the hardest target,’ according to a senior U.S. official.

‘Everyone was talking about and focused on Fordow, but Isfahan was actually the hardest target,’ the official said on background. The U.S. used B-2 bombers to carry out the mission.

A senior U.S. official also told Fox News that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu communicated after the strikes and that Israel had been informed ahead of time.

Lisa Daftari, Iran expert and Editor-in-Chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital, ‘Both Israeli and U.S. officials understand that anything less than total destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure will only result in a temporary pause, not a permanent end. But to truly end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the U.S. and its allies must commit to a campaign—beyond these targeted strikes—backed by sustained pressure, intelligence, and the credible threat of further action if Iran attempts to rebuild.

‘To ensure the eradication of the regime’s nuclear weapons capability, the U.S. must maintain persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to detect any attempts by Iran’s regime to disperse, hide or rebuild its nuclear infrastructure. This would be coupled with continued diplomatic isolation and strict multilateral sanctions blocking the regime’s access to nuclear technology, materials and financing,’ she said.

Trump announced that the U.S. had struck nuclear sites in Iran – a major development amid rising tensions in the region, as Israel and Iran continued to launch airstrikes against each other.

‘We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,’ Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday night.

‘All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,’ he continued.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity said on Saturday night that President Donald Trump had given him details on the U.S. strikes in Iran. According to the ‘Hannity’ host, the U.S. used six bunker-buster bombs — each of which weighs 15 tons — in its strikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility. The bombs were dropped from American B-2 stealth bombers.

During a press conference on Sunday morning, the number of bunker busters used was updated to 14 by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Caine.

‘President Trump took decisive leadership and action to eliminate the last vestiges of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, after Israel’s sustained strikes, which seriously damaged the atomic weapons supply chain from uranium conversion to enrichment, and all the way to weaponization,’ Andrea Stricker, FDD’s Director of Nonproliferation and Biological Weapons told Fox News Digital. 

‘While Tehran’s program is likely set back by years, the United States and Israel need to ensure the regime’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles and all secret advanced centrifuges are fully recovered and destroyed — which means more work ahead,’ she added.

Fordow had two entrances and one ventilation shaft, which likely served as the entrance points for the Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs).

Additionally, 30 Tomahawk missiles launched from U.S. submarines were used in the attacks on the Nanatz and Isfahan facilities. There is speculation that the missiles were shot from an Ohio Class Submarine, but there has been no confirmation.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa, backed President Donald Trump’s decision to have the United States attack three of Iran’s most fortified underground nuclear sites amid rapidly escalating tensions in the Middle East and intensifying Israeli and U.S. military operations against Iranian targets. 

Fetterman called the move ‘correct’ in a post on X just minutes after Trump shared the news on Truth Social. 

‘As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,’ Fetterman said. ‘Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.’ 

Trump declared the operation a ‘very successful attack’ targeting Iran’s key nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

‘We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, incluidng Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,’ Trump wrote in the announcement. ‘All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this.’

He concluded his statement with a call for de-escalation: ‘NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.’

The overnight strike against Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility involved six bunker buster bombs, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Saturday night. Additionally, 30 Tomahawk missiles were launched from U.S. submarines in the attacks on Natanz and Isfahan facilities. 

The strike, marking a major escalation in an already volatile landscape, comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel to eradicate Iran’s offensive missile capabilities. 

The extent of the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure so far remains unclear. 

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A 50-year fight to put abortion back in the hands of states ended three years ago with the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision, but the pro-life movement is now grappling with a new reality — abortion remains prevalent.

Since securing the legal victory, abortion opponents’ concentration has become more fragmented as they contend with evidence that abortions have not decreased and could even be on the rise.

Their next big challenges, they say, include neutering the nation’s largest abortion vendor, Planned Parenthood, by targeting its funding. Restricting access to pills that terminate pregnancies is another top priority, as is investing in their preferred political candidates and ballot measures. 

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, told Fox News Digital in an interview that Dobbs prompted a ‘revolution,’ but she acknowledged that ‘there is a lot of work to do.’ She noted the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that abortions increased in the year after Dobbs and that at least 1.1 million occurred from July 2023 to June 2024.

‘People can sort of assume or just forget how big a moment [Dobbs] is. . . . It is shaking up and realigning public opinion based on where they really stand, so building consensus,’ Dannenfelser said. ‘It would be false to think that it could happen overnight, and we’re still right in the middle of it.’

She said she feels the prospect of defunding Planned Parenthood through a broader reconciliation bill in Congress is ‘strong.’ The measure would prohibit Medicaid funds for entities that perform abortions outside of rape, incest, and a threat to a mother’s life.

Planned Parenthood said in a statement in May, after the bill passed the Republican-led House, that the provision would eliminate other services besides abortion and could cause about 200 of its roughly 600 locations to shutter.

‘If this bill passes, people will lose access to essential, often lifesaving care — cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and yes, abortion,’ the organization said in a statement at the time.

In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eliminated a requirement that a customer must appear in person to receive mifepristone, the pill used to end a pregnancy. The pills became available by mail, and they are now being shipped all over the country from various organizations, including to most of the states that have abortion bans in place.

‘The abortion drugs that are being proliferated by big abortion and Planned Parenthood is a direct assault on the sovereignty of states,’ Dannenfelser said, noting that ‘the people of half the states have said this is the pro-life law that we want, so in order to undermine that and press their agenda, the abortion lobby is promoting abortion tourism across state lines.’

Dannenfelser also said her group, which, alongside its campaign fundraising arm, poured $92 million into the 2024 election cycle, is focused on next year’s midterm races. She noted she wants to maintain a ‘trifecta of pro-life administration, House and Senate.’ 

But some of those hoping to eliminate abortion say the current administration could do more to help their bottom line.

President Donald Trump granted clemency when he took office to nearly two dozen activists who were convicted of blocking abortion clinic entrances, and the president often touts that he appointed three justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

But in terms of the abortion pill, the Trump administration recently moved to dismiss a case in court aiming to tighten FDA restrictions on mifepristone. Trump has vowed to have Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is openly supportive of abortion access, conduct a study of the pill.

Katie Xavios, the national director of the American Life League, told Fox News Digital that she believes Trump ‘really hasn’t been the staunchest pro-life advocate.’

She said mifepristone distribution has ‘no guardrails.’ Dozens of organizations now offer easy access to the pill. Xavios said abortions-by-mail have become the ‘wild west,’ and that the government would have to work aggressively to contain it at this point.

‘I don’t think we’ll ever see anybody take that away unless we can really get a very truly pro-life person in office,’ Xavios said.

American Life League is a Catholic grassroots organization, and Xavios said one of her group’s efforts is to instill values in children that would lead them to opt against abortion if they were faced with the decision in adulthood.

Dobbs was not the win for her side that people have framed it to be, she said.

‘I think we’re still kind of seeing the reverberations of that a little bit in the movement, where a lot of people are struggling to find a new legal fight,’ Xavios said. ‘But I think the real issue that we’re left with is it doesn’t matter if it’s legal or not if people don’t really respect and value the dignity of the pre-born.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS