Good Morning and happy Juneteenth, this is the Commonwealth Report.
News for the public, not the powerful
Iran’s New Supreme Leader claimed Trump signed memorandum of understanding “out of desperation”
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, broke his silence Thursday. He authorized direct talks with the United States, but he warned it doesn’t mean Iran is bowing to Washington. It was his first public word since he was wounded in an Israeli strike on his father’s residence in the opening days of the war. Negotiators had been waiting for his green light before flying to Switzerland this weekend (which may now be off). He said he opposed signing the memorandum of understanding but approved it anyway, on the recommendation of President Masoud Pezeshkian and the national security council. He insisted any future talks won’t mean accepting the enemy’s position. Then he claimed Trump signed it “out of desperation.” One analyst says Khamenei is hedging his bets, ready to grab credit if it works and dump the blame on the president if it fails. That’s how concentrated power always protects itself.
Does Trump Really Believe There Are No Limits To His Power?
President Trump sat down with the Axios Show and said something that should worry every American. Asked what the Iran war taught him about the limits of his power, he answered “There are no limits.” Think about that. Trump went into that war demanding unconditional surrender. He came out with a thin memorandum of understanding instead, and he admitted he cut the deal to keep the world from sliding into a depression. He worried the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed and choke off the world’s oil. Yet he insists the war proved his strength, not his limits. He bragged about a naval blockade where no ship got through. A president who tells you he answers to nothing isn’t describing strength. He’s describing a man who’s forgotten he works for us. The whole point of our system is limits on power, and he just told us he doesn’t feel any.
Trump is Suing Philadelphia Over Masked Agents?
The Trump administration sued Philadelphia on Thursday. The reason? The city passed a law saying federal agents can’t hide their faces, can’t drive unmarked cars, and have to show a badge when asked. Philadelphia called the package “ICE Out.” The Justice Department says it’s blatantly unconstitutional, and it even sued the mayor, the district attorney, and the city solicitor by name. Violators could face fines and jail, and the law was set to take effect in July. A federal court already blocked a similar law in California. One councilmember put it plainly, saying the lawsuit is about Trump demanding that cities bow down and accept federal overreach without boundaries. New Jersey and New York passed their own versions, and Trump’s gone after them too. Ask yourself why an agency would fight this hard for the right to operate in your neighborhood with its face covered. Accountability is the thing they’re afraid of.
Even Fox News Finds Half Of Republicans Hate This Economy
When Fox News delivers bad news for Trump, you know it’s bad. A brand new Fox poll finds fifty-nine percent of voters feel pessimistic about the economy. Only twelve percent say they’re getting ahead. Forty-four percent say they’re falling behind. And half of Republicans now rate the economy as poor. Trust in the federal government just hit an all-time low of twenty-five percent. A fifty-four percent majority says Trump’s policies help people who already have money. His approval sits at thirty-nine percent, down seven points from a year ago, and just thirty-seven percent are satisfied with the country’s direction. More than half say his immigration crackdown has gone too far. These aren’t numbers from some liberal outfit. They’re from Fox. Working people are telling pollsters what they feel at the grocery store, and the powerful aren’t listening.
Why Scientists are Calling Trump’s Research Rule Fascism
Scientists are fighting back, and they’re not mincing words. A four hundred page proposal from Russ Vought’s budget office would let political appointees, not scientists, sign off on federal research grants before any money goes out. Critics say that hands politicians veto power over work that already passed peer review. The rule would also ban research on diversity and gender and choke off international collaboration. The founder of Stand Up for Science says it would dismantle the entire American science ecosystem. One historian who studies the Soviet Union compared it to late Stalinism. Another scientist said the purpose of the rule “is fascism.” Researchers are already fleeing to Canada, Europe, and China. When a government decides which truths get funded, it isn’t protecting taxpayers. It’s deciding what reality you’re allowed to know.
What Do The Dying See In Their Final Days?
And now for your Geeky Science Alert. Researchers are taking a serious look at deathbed visions, and the numbers are striking. Somewhere between half and sixty percent of hospice patients report seeing or hearing deceased loved ones in their final days. A parent, a spouse, sometimes a beloved pet, standing quietly at the foot of the bed. These visions turn up across cultures and across centuries, and they tend to calm the dying rather than frighten them. Science still can’t say whether it’s brain chemistry or something we don’t yet understand. But the people who study it agree on one thing. These moments are real, common, and they bring people peace. Maybe that’s the most human science there is, and worth far more study than fear or silence.
And that’s the way it is, Today Friday, June 19, 2026. I’m Thom Hartmann.
