Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing — your quick roundup of the most popular stories from the past week, just in case you missed them. Curious about what grabbed everyone’s attention during this eventful week? Settle in with a coffee (or perhaps something stronger, if you prefer), and enjoy this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your go-to online publication — let’s dive in!

#1 – Whoops: If You Didn’t Think Iran Was Working on Nukes, Check Out What This Russian Leader Just Admitted — by Nick Arama

An intriguing aspect of the strike was the noticeable silence from Iran’s close allies, Russia and China, prior to the event. Medvedev’s statements now seem to be more about posturing to show support for their partner.

However, within these two tweets, he’s throwing them under the bus and providing more support for President Donald Trump’s decision. 

Medvedev claims there wasn’t a lot of damage. Uh, yeah, sure.

#2 – Satellite Images Reveal the Hellish Devastation Unleashed on Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Plant — by Bob Hoge

Part of the mountain was simply vaporized:

The initial satellite images from Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment site reveal that a portion of the mountain shielding the facility was completely destroyed by U.S. bunker buster bomb strikes on Saturday.

Possible bomb entry points and rubble was visible following President Trump’s surprise B-2 stealth bomber attack overnight, the images taken by Maxar Technologies show.

The once-brown mountainside turned gray in parts, with the entire topography of the area changed by the detonation of 14 30,000-pound Massive Ordinance Penetrator (MOP) bombs.

#3 – Inside the B-2 Stealth Bomber: Surprising Amenities Available for Crew During Grueling 37-Hour Flight — by Bob Hoge 

But that’s how long it took for our Air Force pilots to get from Missouri to Iran and back for their stunning Saturday night attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

They did enjoy a few creature comforts while soaring through the air in B-2 Stealth bombers, however:

The B-2 stealth bombers used to attack the Fordow nuclear enrichment plant are equipped with toilets, microwaves and usually a cooler for snacks to make life more comfortable for the pilots who were stuck in the cockpit for the 37-hour trip from Missouri to Iran and back.

The fleet of advanced American bombers — originally designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union — took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base outside Kansas City on Friday for an 18 hour ride across the world, refueling several times in mid-air, officials said.

For such long trips to be bearable, the high-tech bombers have their cockpits outfitted with mini refrigerators and a microwave oven to keep its crew fed an [sic] alert.

#4 – LaMonica McIver Gives Up the Game in Comments Made After Court Appearance — by Sister Toldjah

“They will not intimidate me. They will not stop me from doing my job,” she said outside the courthouse in Newark after the brief hearing.

But it was the remarks McIver made during an MSDNC interview with Jen Psaki after her court appearance that raised eyebrows, telling Joe Biden’s former press secretary that she “never thought I’d be facing charges as a sitting congresswoman”:

Look, I never thought I’d be facing charges as a sitting congresswoman, but l’m not going to stop doing my job.

Great to talk with @jrpsaki about what’s next and how we fight this moving forward. pic.twitter.com/jMWxTXMOTH

— Rep. LaMonica McIver (@RepLaMonica) June 26, 2025

#5 – The Genius Deception Trump Pulled on Iran Just Before the Attack on the Iranian Nuclear Sites — by Nick Arama

“There was another wave of B-2 bombers that left Whiteman sometime earlier this week, perhaps just a few days ago. As we heard from Jennifer Griffin, the base was closed.”

“So it appears there was a big deception that bombers instead went east a much shorter distance to get to Iran to launch those strikes,”

Tomlinson said Trump was clear — his red line was that Iran would not get a nuclear weapon. Unlike Barack Obama, whose red line meant absolutely nothing, Trump meant what he said, and he was going to act to ensure that. That takes real courage. 

Trump had Iran looking west at the B-2s, as things were already in motion going east. Talk about an incredible misdirection play — in addition to saying he would decide within two weeks.

What a light year’s difference this is from Joe Biden or Barack Obama. Strength, intelligence, and military deception to help the attack and protect our people accomplishing it.

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