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A terrorism analyst on Monday explained how the United States-Israel war against Iran might have activated sleeper cells and has concerned law enforcement. Alex Plitsas, counterterrorism program director for the Atlantic Council, told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that recent attacks had suggested increased activity among terrorist sleeper cells. Plitsas cited the attempted attack Saturday by two men charged with using weapons of mass destruction and supporting the Islamic State after throwing a bomb near New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Gracie Mansion, in addition to two other recent terrorism-related incidents — the attack on a nightclub in Austin, Texas, and a bombing outside the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway. He also described a new report that revealed an encrypted transmission was intercepted by the U.S., which has prompted concern among security experts and law enforcement.Tapper asked Plitsas how worried he was about the recent attacks. "Significantly concerned," Plitsas said. "You know, not that there's a particular plot that I'm aware of and not to be alarmist for folks who are listening, but let's we can kind of walk through some of the facts that we that have come out and come to light recently about why I would make that comment. So there's been three cells that have been arrested in Qatar, in the UK and Azerbaijan over the last week that were affiliated with the IRGC, the Quds force — that's Iran special operations folks — that have an external cell that were engaged either intelligence collection or surveillance and preparation, likely for sabotage or terrorist operations. We saw a bombing outside of the U.S. embassy in Oslo. We still don't know who was responsible for that. And then there was reporting that came out earlier today that code words appear to have been intercepted where the Iranians may have activated sleeper cells globally amongst their IRGC folks or potentially Hezbollah. And so they've been known to have folks slip in and out of the United States, intelligence officers from Iran in covert status who have been in the United States conducting surveillance on targets who have also attempted to contract hitmen in some cases you know, there was a plot against President Trump himself."He also mentioned how these operations had targeted others. "There's a very famous female dissident who lives in Brooklyn, they were attempting to assassinate her as well," Plitsas said. "They've become exceptionally bold in recent years. And this all sort of came to light during the Obama administration when it was revealed and disrupted that they were looking at actually bombing a restaurant in Washington at one point, where the Saudi ambassador was said to have been eating. So the threat is real. And as Iran gets further backed into a corner and its military capabilities are further degraded, there's a possibility it could turn to asymmetric threats." Plitsas argued there could be more attacks and that law enforcement would continue investigating. "And as we like to say in the business, you know one time is an instance, two times a coincidence, three times is hostile enemy action," Plitsas added. "We had three cells arrested this week, a bombing outside Oslo. And then potential chatter now about sleeper cells being activated. So the JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force) and speaking to contacts within the FBI and law enforcement community are actively monitoring and aggressively pursuing any leads that are out there right now, including with international partners. So confidence in the efforts are federal law enforcement along with their local partners, have but they only have to be right once, and we have to be right every time."

The U.S. Department of Defense insisted that its military forces had "only just begun to fight" as President Donald Trump insisted that the war in Iran was "very complete."Trump made the statement during a phone interview with CBS correspondent Weijia Jiang on Monday."I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they've got no Air Force," the president was quoted as saying, noting that the U.S. was "very far" ahead of its plans for a 4 to 5 week war.Meanwhile, on Monday, the "Department of War Rapid Response" X account shared a meme reading "No Mercy.""We have Only Just Begun to Fight," the caption added.

President Donald Trump claimed in a new interview what he thinks will come next for the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran as reports surfaced about a conversation Monday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the president. CBS Senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reported that Trump said in a phone interview that the war in the Middle East could be ending soon. It's unclear when the conflict was expected to end. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much," Jiang wrote about the conversation with Trump via X. "They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.” Trump also said that the "U.S. is 'very far' ahead of his initial 4-5 week estimated time frame," Jiang added. The president also reportedly had a phone call with Putin, according to Reuters chief national security reporter Phil Stewart in a post on X, and "shared his proposals aimed at a quick settlement to the Iran war, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. The leaders also discussed the Ukrainian conflict and the situation in Venezuela in the context of the global oil market situation, Ushakov said."Trump was slated to address press questions about the war on Monday afternoon.

The internet reacted Monday after reports that President Donald Trump has set his eyes on Arizona's largest county in hopes to — again — try and litigate the 2020 presidential election and increase the federal government's influence over elections. The Trump administration subpoenaed records from Maricopa County, Arizona, on Monday, Politico reported. In January, the Trump administration raided election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing 2020 ballots. The 79-year-old president has long maintained the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was "rigged" against him despite no evidence of fraud. In 2023, he was indicted in Fulton County for his attempts at reversing his loss in Georgia.Republican and Arizona Senate President Warren Peterson wrote on X that he agreed with Trump, confirming the state would follow the federal demands. "President Trump is 100% correct," Peterson wrote. "Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County. The FBI has the records. Any other report is fake news."On social media, people responded to Trump's latest attempt to revive his 2020 election claims. "Then there were 2 (with Fulton County): Arizona Republican Just hands over keys to election. He posts that he 'received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County. The FBI has the records.' Uggh," Harry Litman, professor and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice, wrote on Bluesky. "Good Lord. You lost man, move on," author and historian Cal Schoonover wrote on Bluesky. "To be clear: In 2021, the AZ Senate hired a now-defunct company, Cyber Ninjas, to lead 'recount/audit' into Maricopa's 2020 results -- the Cyber Ninjas found that, in fact, Joe Biden had won the county, per their hand count, by 360 more votes than originally believed," Vaughn Hillyard, MS NOW senior White House reporter, wrote on X. "The subpoena of the audit records comes at a time that the Trump administration is seeking to rehash the 2020 election. Biden's narrow win in Arizona, which was reaffirmed by the GOP-led audit, was a major focus of Trump's," Eliza Collins, Wall Street Journal politics reporter, wrote on X.

MAGA influencer Steve Bannon lashed out at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he scoffed at a question from 60 Minutes about whether Iran was an imminent threat to the United States."I think much of that discussion is silly and academic," Hegseth told CBS reporter Major Garrett during the Sunday interview.The answer didn't sit well with Bannon on his Monday broadcast."There's just got to be a different messaging," he explained. "It's got to be different information... And let me be specific about that. And you know, I think the world of Pete Hegseth. Nobody fought for Pete Hegseth's confirmation more than this audience and this show.""That being said, the 60 Minutes interview last night, you just can't sit there and go shine us on about imminent threat," Bannon continued. "Oh yeah, it's not an immigrant threat. No, it doesn't work like that. The people in the messaging part, moreover, they've got to get serious about this."The MAGA host insisted that the American people would not accept "short-term pain for long-term gain.""But you're going to start losing people," he noted. "And last night on 60 Minutes, just to kind of shine on imminent threat, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Incorrect, sir. Incorrect, Mr. Pete Hegseth. It was imminent threat, and I'd like to know about that imminent threat.""Because I think you showed last night, there was not an imminent threat, and now we're in it. Now we're in it," Bannon added.

Republican lawmakers, conservative pundits and military veterans reacted with revulsion over the weekend at comments made by podcaster Tucker Carlson on Friday, in which he predicted that US troops would go on a campaign of sexual assault in Iran if the country agreed to Donald Trump’s “unconditional surrender" terms. In an interview with “Breaking Points” co-host Saagar Enjeti, the former Fox News personality reacted to the “unconditional surrender” comments amplified by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, by telling the podcast host, “Unconditional surrender means foreign troops get to rape your wife and daughter if they want — and everyone knows that.”He doubled down by adding, “If there is one consistent lesson of history, it means unconditional surrender means foreign troops get to rape your wife and daughter. Everyone can feel that. That’s like the most atavistic instinct there is. And so to avoid that, people will do anything.”That drew the attention of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who posted the clip on X and commented, “Tucker Carlson is truly unhinged. He asserts: (1) if Iran surrenders, American soldiers ‘WILL rape their wives & daughters,’ and (2) Trump is going to use nukes against Iran. This brazen lie is moronic & delusional.”National Review contributor Pradheep J. Shanker was dumbstruck and wrote, “This is who MAGA still wants to support? A man that think our GIs would rape women...just for the hell of it? Shameful.”"Tucker Carlson just said @realDonaldTrump seeks unconditional surrender in Iran so that American troops can rape their women and girls. What a disgusting thing to say about both Trump and our military. Tucker is not MAGA. He is bat-s—t crazy,” complained Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) who has his own history of outrageous social media posts.Jonah Goldberg, founder of the conservative Dispatch, chimed in with: “Tucker has all of these incredibly lazy but shockingly effective rhetorical tricks. He says ‘everyone knows that’ about something everyone doesn’t know and isn't true. He says ‘no reasonable person can disagree’ about a wildly unreasonable claim. I’m always shocked by the people who fall for this c--p.”“This is moon bat crazy! How can he not know that Germany and Japan both surrendered unconditionally in WWII?! Is he suggesting that American troops then raped all the Japanese and German wives and daughters?? Carlson has lost his mind,“ wrote Washington Times columnist Dr. Everett PiperMilitary veteran Green Beret Nap Time took Carlson’s comments personally and argued, “This is the most vile and disgusting thing he could have possibly said. He’s claiming to be ‘America First’ but then saying that our troops would rape women and children in Iran if they surrender. Got it. You. Do. Not. Hate. These. People. Enough.” - YouTube youtu.be

Kai Trump, the granddaughter of the president of the United States, made a video bragging about taking her Secret Service agents on a luxury shopping trip.In a 20-minute YouTube video titled "I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon," Kai Trump shared her experience shopping at the upscale grocery chain."Alright, guys, well, welcome back to the channel," the MAGA influencer began. "Right now, we are in Erewhon, which is in LA. This is to be an Erewhon video. and everything I get from Erewhon... Erewhon is the most expensive grocery store, pretty much out there. Everything's crazy expensive."At one point, the president's granddaughter joked that the shipping trip was so expensive that she would have to "file for bankruptcy."The spree came as a war in Iran started by Kai Trump's grandfather was causing gas prices to spike to over $3 a gallon in many states.Commenters on X blasted her for the "tone deaf" shopping trip."Time to enlist, girly," one person wrote."Give me a break. Put a uniform on," Tracey Gallagher agreed.

Pentagon war planners were blindsided by the scope of Israeli strikes on Iran, sparking the first significant rift between the U.S. and Israeli militaries since the conflict began eight days ago.According to Axios, the Israeli Defense Forces destroyed an estimated 30 fuel depots during the offensive Saturday — far more extensive than what U.S. military officials expected when Israel provided advance notice of the strikes.A senior U.S. official bluntly stated, "We don't think it was a good idea." An Israeli official characterized the American reaction as: "WTF?"Pentagon strategists are concerned that destroying infrastructure serving ordinary Iranians could backfire strategically, potentially unifying Iranian society behind the regime while simultaneously driving global oil prices higher — a political liability Trump desperately wants to avoid."The president doesn't like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn't want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices," a Trump adviser told Axios.The scale of the destruction has alarmed even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a consistent war supporter. Graham posted on X: "Please be cautious about what targets you select. Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor."The disagreement between the allies is expected to be addressed at senior political levels as both nations confront the unintended consequences of the escalating air campaign.