Thank you for your attention to this matter: Donald Trump delivered the high water mark of his first administration some five years ago, when he put a ninja missile through the skull of IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani. There were, unfortunately, many setbacks from there: the China virus, the BLM riots, the collapse of the southern border, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the wars in Ukraine and in Israel, the unrelenting campaign of lawfare against Trump himself. Thankfully, our editors write, "Trump overcame all that to vanquish his enemies—and now to vanquish ours."
He declared war against the anti-Semites on college campuses. He lifted the Biden administration's Israeli arms embargo. And then he delivered "a crippling blow to the Iranian nuclear program in a strike that resolved once and for all the nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship under this administration." Jew-haters within the American right have squirmed as a result. We've taken great pleasure.
"And while we are in awe of the Israeli planning, courage, and fortitude that made it possible, American Jews should thank the American president who delivered the coup de grâce, who made it possible with his steadfast support and the ability of American military power to deter, and to destroy.
"We'll start. President Trump, we thank you for your attention to this matter!"
READ MORE: Trump Delivers Victory in 12-Day War
A vote of low confidence: The U.S. military dropped nearly 500,000 pounds of bombs on Iranian nuclear sites, quickly declaring them destroyed. CNN acted as if it secured a major scoop, then, when it reported that an "early U.S. intelligence assessment" found that the strikes "did not destroy the core components of the country's nuclear program and likely only set it back by months." It didn't take long for some holes to emerge.
For starters, the assessment was based on satellite images and considered "low confidence," according to Jennifer Griffin of Fox News, two facts the CNN report omitted. It was also questioned by American physicist David Albright, who said Iran "likely lost close to 20,000 centrifuges at Natanz and Fordow" and will need to spend "significant time, investment, and energy to return to its previous state before the war." Chief U.N. nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi, meanwhile, had this to say in an interview with Martha MacCallum:
"I think the Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly, significantly. It is clear that there is one Iran—before June 13, nuclear Iran—and one now." The difference is "night and day," Grossi said.
Trimming the fat: Under former boss Jeff Zucker, CNN made a habit of handing out massive contracts to on-air "talent" like Anderson Cooper, the old money scion who makes $18 million a year reading a teleprompter. Soon, there will be a new sheriff in town, Gunnar Wiedenfels, and he's expected to take a different approach.
Wiedenfels, our Andrew Stiles writes, is "a notorious figure in media circles known for his ruthless cost cutting." He "has a proven track record of not giving a shit about the woke liberal proprieties that dominate among media elites," having opted not to release the movie Batgirl as CFO of Warner Bros. Discovery to "save millions on taxes by writing it off as a loss." And when CNN is split off from Warner Bros., its current parent company, along with other declining assets, Wiedenfels will become CEO.
"Wiedenfels will almost certainly take aim at the bloated salaries of CNN's top anchors," writes Stiles. "Where else could Cooper, who doesn't need the money, make that much? Certainly not on Substack, where disgruntled former TV stars go to die."
READ MORE: The Scythe Draws Near: CNN’s Overpaid ‘Talent’ Brace for Deep Cuts Amid Corporate Shakeup
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