June 18, 2025: A Bad Day for Truth, Transparency, and (Probably) Tehran

A day of rising tensions abroad, eroding legal norms at home, and a president increasingly untethered from reality. Institutions hold their ground—or don’t.

Let’s start with the obvious.

Iran: Trump’s "No Wars" Presidency Might Be Entering A War Any Day

According to the New York Times, Iran says it's “open to talks.” But their Supreme Leader says hell no. And Trump? He’s over here demanding unconditional surrender like this is a Marvel movie, referring to the U.S. and Israel as “we” in several public sentences.

If you're hearing faint echoes of 2003, you're not alone. State-run Iranian TV is already calling Trump’s terms “ridiculous”, but the man who ran on “no more wars” now looks dangerously close to dragging us into one. Again.

It’s also worth mentioning that we have LITERALLY entered a war in the middle east over fake news about weapons of mass destruction. It would be a level of irony so high that it runs the risk of

I’ll say this, though; my feelings are conflicted. I know that Iran is not a friend to America, nor is Iran a friend to its own people; I also am not wild that Donald Trump was/is speaking about Israel like a teammate. I understand he’s the commander in chief, but I really think Congress should be involved in our country’s decision to go to war.

ICE: Refusing Entry to Congress, Because Apparently That’s a Thing Now

Also in the Times, four members of Congress—Reps. Danny Davis, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson, and Chuy García—showed up to an ICE facility outside Chicago. They were calm. They knocked politely. They pounded on the glass while holding up their congressional IDs.

ICE did not let them in.

To be clear: members of Congress have the legal right to enter immigration detention facilities. Any time. No warrant needed. No advance notice required. This is ICE defying the rule of law in broad daylight, and no one’s doing a damn thing about it.

If elected officials can’t get in, what do you think is happening to the people trapped inside?

Trump vs. Facts: Iran Isn’t Building a Nuke, But He’s Just Gonna Say They Are

Back in March, Trump’s own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, told Congress that Iran isn’t building a nuclear weapon. She said the program was suspended in 2003 and hasn’t been restarted.

When asked about it this week, Trump replied, “I don’t care what she said.”
He then insisted—without evidence—that Iran is “very close” to having a nuke.

Let me be real with you. This isn’t “spin.” It isn’t “a difference of opinion.”
It’s a lie.

The longer our press corps tap dances around that word, the more dangerous this gets. We’ve already seen what happens when truth is diluted to death in the name of objectivity. Let’s not do that dance again.

Federal Reserve Holds the Line (and Trump Has a Tantrum)

The Fed held interest rates steady at 4.25%-4.50%, and Powell all but ignored Trump's latest attempts at manipulation. Trump’s been railing against Jerome Powell all day, throwing a hissy fit that rates are staying put.

I am a far cry from a fan of the Fed; Powell isn’t my bosom BFF. But I’ve gotta give credit where it’s due: he’s doing his job, and he’s doing it independently. That’s what he's supposed to do… When the President of the United States enacts fiscal, domestic and geopolitical policy that initiates changes to the world order of the last 80 years, you take a minute and see where the dust settles. That’s what’s protecting your 401(k) from getting swallowed whole by a temper tantrum.

I think the more Trump acts like a petulant child, the better chance we have of MAGA voters maybe, maybe giving up and walking away.

If the Fed has its way, we might get two rate cuts this year. But if Trump has his way, we’ll get a financial fire sale followed by a gold-plated press conference where he blames “the immigrants and the gays.”

Final Thought:

It might be anecdotal, but I’ve seen a few TikToks of Iranian-Americans who are in contact with their family members in Iran; according to them, the Iranian people want nothing to do with any war. They are no fans of the regime they live under, either; I can’t help but notice We The People share that trait with Iranians. One can’t help but reflect on the reality of two peoples, the vast majority having no animosity whatsoever toward each other, forced into violent war for… what, exactly? What are we doing here?

Cite your sources,

—Brie