The leaked and Natasha Bertrand-laundered Defense Intelligence Agency assessment of the aftermath of Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Esfahan and Fordow, quickly made it to the top of the legacy media evening news. Its promise of a minor setback for Iran’s nuclear program, as opposed to total destruction, was uniformly parroted, touted and highlighted by the Trump-deranged media.
Natasha Bertrand is, of course, the same reporter that laundered two of the defining political hoaxes of our time: the Russia Hoax, and the Hunter Biden laptop (as Russian disinformation) hoax. In both instances, leaked intelligence that was coincidentally damaging to President Donald Trump magically found its way to Bertrand, and was dutifully echoed by the rest of the media.
And so begins Act III. ABC News, the most Biden-sycophantic of the networks during the prior quadrennium, began as it often does with these types of Trump-negative reports: with an overly long David Muir introduction that could’ve served as the report itself:
DAVID MUIR: We begin tonight with the breaking news, after the major U.S. strikes on Iran, tonight here, the new classified intelligence report, a preliminary report on what could be a reality check now on the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities. President Trump had declared they were completely and totally obliterated, but tonight, sources say this new preliminary Pentagon report finds the damage was limited, saying Iran's nuclear program was only set back a few months. That daring military mission, B-2 bombers setting off from Missouri, deploying 30,000 bunker buster bombs for the first time on the battlefield- 30,000-pound. Satellite imagery showing the target sites, signs of damage, holes in the ground, but it remains unclear just how much and what kind of damage they did below. Sources say the preliminary report also indicates much of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, because it was likely moved before the U.S. attack.
At that point, Mary Bruce comes on for her own report and her own rehash of the leaked intel, paired with the obligatory mention of Trump’s f-bomb in reference to Israel and Iran’s shooting at each other ahead of a ceasefire. The report ends with Bruce and Muir reciting the intel narrative for a third time.
More of the same at CBS- the most aggressively Trump-deranged network in the second Trump administration. In this case, there was no recitation of the intel at the outset. Anchor Maurice DuBois teases it in the intro, and Senior White House Correspondent Ed O’Keefe mentions it at the top of his report- which was more focused on the NATO summit. But watch what happens at the end, when anchor John Dickerson circles back:
From the end of last night's CBS Evening News item on the Bertrand-laundered DIA leak: anchor John Dickerson made sure to circle back and rehash the leak with senior WH correspondent Ed O'Keefe. Note the helpful bolstering at the very end. pic.twitter.com/gWEoyBICvG
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) June 25, 2025
JOHN DICKERSON: Ed, can we go back to that intelligence assessment of the bombing? What more can you tell us about that?
ED O'KEEFE: So, CBS News has learned a classified preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency has found that Iran's nuclear ambitions may have just been set back by a few months because those three nuclear sites struck over the weekend were damaged, but not completely obliterated, as the president has claimed. The White House is pushing back on this report tonight, saying it's flat out wrong and that it's being peddled by a quote: "low-level loser" in the intelligence community. But one source tells CBS News that these kinds of assessments are thoughtfully prepared, and ultimately tend to hold up.
DuBOIS: OK, Ed O’Keefe at The Hague tonight with the president. Thank you.
O’Keefe’s bolstering is quite something, and reasonable individuals are left to assess whether this performance was in anticipation of blowback over the conduit through which the intel was aired.
At NBC, divergence. Kelly O’Donnell’s item, although pre and post framed with the intel narrative, at least included rebuttal analysis- in this case, from the head of the IAEA who declared a “significant degradation” of capability, as opposed to a short-term setback:
KELLY O'DONNELL: The president projected more confidence that the U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, which included B-2 bombers, 14 bunker buster bombs, delivered a fateful blow. Photos before and after appear to show significant destruction at the sites. However, in a new development tonight, a preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimates that the Iranian nuclear program has been delayed by three to six months, according to three people with knowledge of the report. The White House disputes that initial assessment, calling it “flat out wrong”.
DONALD TRUMP: Iran will never rebuild its nuclear program. From there, absolutely not. That place is under rock. That place is demolished. The B-2 pilots did their job.
O'DONNELL: And this tonight from the director of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI: What we see is a very important degree of damage. The Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly.
All three networks, each in their own way, parroted a low-probability intel leak, evidently timed to cast doubt on the success of Operation Midnight Hammer and ahead of a related Senate hearing. We won’t be fooled again.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective newscasts on Tuesday, June 24th, 2025:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
6/24/25
6:32 PM
DAVID MUIR: We begin tonight with the breaking news, after the major U.S. strikes on Iran, tonight here, the new classified intelligence report, a preliminary report on what could be a reality check now on the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities. President Trump had declared they were completely and totally obliterated, but tonight, sources say this new preliminary Pentagon report finds the damage was limited, saying Iran's nuclear program was only set back a few months. That daring military mission, B-2 bombers setting off from Missouri, deploying 30,000 bunker buster bombs for the first time on the battlefield- 30,000-pound. Satellite imagery showing the target sites, signs of damage, holes in the ground, but it remains unclear just how much and what kind of damage they did below. Sources say the preliminary report also indicates much of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, because it was likely moved before the U.S. attack. And tonight here, the moment President Trump lashed out today, using an expletive when talking to reporters on The White House lawn about Israel and Iran and this fragile cease-fire. ABC's Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce leading us off tonight.
MARY BRUCE: President Trump insists the U.S. strikes on Iran obliterated its nuclear program. But tonight, sources tell us a preliminary Pentagon report indicates at least two of the Iranian nuclear facilities targeted were not completely destroyed. And that Iran's program was only set back a few months.
REPORTER: Do you believe Iran can rebuild its nuclear program?
DONALD TRUMP: Iran will never rebuild its nuclear-- from there? Absolutely not. That place is under rock. That place is demolished.
BRUCE: But sources say the preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency and U.S. Central Command indicates much of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, because it was moved before the U.S. struck. The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned nearly 900 pounds of near-weapons grade uranium is unaccounted for. Sources tell us the Pentagon's early intelligence indicates Iran's centrifuges also remain intact. And though the bombings sealed off the entrances to two of the nation's nuclear facilities, they did not destroy their underground structures. Tonight, The White House pushing back. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth saying “based on everything we have seen, and I've seen it all, our bombing campaign obliterated Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons. It comes amid a fragile truce between Iran and Israel, a cease-fire announced by Trump last night. But in the hours before it went into effect, Iran and Israel continuing to strike at each other.
TRUMP: Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I've never seen before. The biggest load that we've seen. I'm not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour, just drop everything you have on them. So, I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran, either.
BRUCE: Trump clearly furious, using an expletive.
TRUMP: We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the [ bleep ] they're doing. You understand that?
BRUCE: Soon after, the president speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
TRUMP: I said, “you got to call back the planes. It’s enough. It’s enough.” And they did, which I respect very greatly.
BRUCE: And tonight, both Israel and Iran committing to the cease-fire, which, for now, appears to be holding.
MUIR: So, let's bring in Mary Bruce, she’s live tonight from The Netherlands where President Trump is attending the NATO summit now. And Mary, the president has insisted that the U.S. strikes obliterated Iran's nuclear program. Obviously, this new early intelligence indicates something a bit different here.
BRUCE: It does, David. President Trump insists that the U.S. strikes against Iran obliterated and completely destroyed all nuclear facilities and capability, but sources say this early intelligence indicates that's not the case, and that Iran's nuclear program was only set back by a few months. Now, again, David, this is only preliminary intelligence. We’re still waiting on the final report. David.
MUIR: Mary Bruce, traveling with the president. Mary, thank you.
CBS EVENING NEWS
6/24/25
6:30 PM
MAURICE DuBOIS: Tonight, President Trump is in the Netherlands for a meeting of NATO allies.
JOHN DICKERSON: The summit is taking place as a fragile hours-old ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding.
DuBOIS: Back in Washington, the administration is disputing an early U.S. intelligence assessment of the damage done by the American air strikes.
DICKERSON: According to a CBS News poll out this evening, a vast majority of Americans say Iran having a nuclear weapon would be a "very serious or somewhat serious threat" to both the U.S. and to Israel. Still, a majority of those polled, 56%, do not approve of the U.S. military strikes on Iran.
DuBOIS: Our Senior White House Correspondent Ed O'Keefe is traveling with the president. He begins our coverage from outside The Hague tonight. Ed?
ED O’KEEFE: Good evening. President Trump arrived here hoping to have completely wiped out Iran's nuclear program and having brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, but a new initial intelligence assessment tonight suggests the nuclear ambitions may have just been set back a few months, and that ceasefire nearly collapsed today.
Just hours after President Trump first announced the Israel-Iran ceasefire this morning, they exchanged fire again, prompting the president to drop a rhetorical bomb as he vented frustration.
DONALD TRUMP: Basically, you have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the [bleep] they are doing. Do you understand that?
O'KEEFE: Aboard Air Force One, the president called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demand peace.
TRUMP: I said you gotta call back the planes.
O'KEEFE: He insisted Iran will never go nuclear.
TRUMP: The last thing on their minds is nuclear weapons. They don't even want to think about nuclear. And our B-2 pilots made this all possible.
O'KEEFE: And clarified he’s not seeking regime change in Iran.
TRUMP: No, I don't want it. I like to see everything called down as quickly as possible. Regime change takes chaos. And ideally we don't want to see so much chaos.
O'KEEFE: That the ceasefire appears to be holding at all is a significant accomplishment for the president, who pumped his fist as he arrived at the summit, and on his way here was congratulated by NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte in a text message. He added, "You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening." That success is convincing most NATO members to start spending more on their militaries. Leaders are finalizing plans to spend up to 5% of their GDP in the coming years on troops, tanks, aircraft, and weapons, and related infrastructure. “You will achieve something no American president in decades could get done”, the secretary general added in his flattering text. But as Russia bombards Ukraine as it did again today, attacking three cities, that war remains a big focus of this summit.
DICKERSON: Ed, can we go back to that intelligence assessment of the bombing? What more can you tell us about that?
O'KEEFE: So, CBS News has learned a classified preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency has found that Iran's nuclear ambitions may have just been set back by a few months because those three nuclear sites struck over the weekend were damaged, but not completely obliterated, as the president has claimed. The White House is pushing back on this report tonight, saying it's flat out wrong and that it's being peddled by a quote: "low-level loser" in the intelligence community. But one source tells CBS News that these kinds of assessments are thoughtfully prepared, and ultimately tend to hold up.
DuBOIS: OK, Ed O’Keefe at The Hague tonight with the president. Thank you.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
6/24/25
6:32 PM
TOM LLAMAS: And good evening tonight. A fragile cease-fire holding as new questions emerge about the impact of those U.S. airstrikes. NBC News reporting tonight that the American strikes on those three Iranian nuclear facilities only set back Iran's nuclear program by three to six months- that according to one preliminary intelligence assessment. The White House now calling this initial assessment “flat out wrong”. President Trump rebuking both Israel and Iran today over their actions in the tenuous hours as the cease-fire agreement was about to start. Though blows between Iran and Israel were traded just before the deal, with the IDF targeting an Iranian missile launcher and Iran delivering a deadly strike on an apartment building in Israel. We have got our team covering it all from Israel to the Netherlands, where we start with Kelly O'Donnell.
KELLY O'DONNELL: Tonight, President Trump in The Netherlands for the NATO summit, wielding a diplomatic win on the world stage with a tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Iran still holding.
DONALD TRUMP: The cease-fire is very much in effect. And I think we're going to keep it there for a long time.
O'DONNELL: The president projected more confidence that the U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, which included B-2 bombers, 14 bunker buster bombs, delivered a fateful blow. Photos before and after appear to show significant destruction at the sites. However, in a new development tonight, a preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimates that the Iranian nuclear program has been delayed by three to six months, according to three people with knowledge of the report. The White House disputes that initial assessment, calling it “flat out wrong”.
TRUMP: Iran will never rebuild its nuclear program. From there, absolutely not. That place is under rock. That place is demolished. The B-2 pilots did their job.
O'DONNELL: And this tonight from the director of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI: What we see is a very important degree of damage. The Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly.
O'DONNELL: Still, his all-caps style of diplomacy under stress tonight. The red carpet European welcome quite a contrast to the blunt and profane way he left Washington today, furious over additional strikes by both Israel and Iran after he outlined his cease-fire plan.
TRUMP: We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the [ bleep ] They're doing.
O'DONNELL: In flight on Air Force One, he recounted a tense call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
TRUMP: There was going to be a retaliation this morning. And I said, you gotta call back the planes. And they did. Which I respect very greatly.
O'DONNELL: Behind the scenes, a senior White House official says the president over the past 48 hours had called Netanyahu with a clear demand. No more war. Then a trio of top officials: Vance, Rubio, and Witkoff, were directed to reach out to Iran to deliver the message that a cease-fire was expected. And here at the NATO summit, the president shifts to a broader agenda of diplomacy.
LLAMAS: And Kelly joins us now live. Kelly, let's go back to that initial assessment of the damage to Iran's nuclear sites. You have more reporting on The White House reaction?
O'DONNELL: And Tom, The White House is effectively saying hold on. The Pentagon is still examining the consequences of the strikes. Also tonight, we're learning that for the first time, lawmakers have been able to see some of the analysis by intelligence agencies that is secure, and they were able to do that in a secure location. And that is a new development. Tom.
LLAMAS: All right. Kelly O’Donnell for us. Kelly, thank you.