IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER Ali Khamenei at a reading of the Koran (Wikipedia)/

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, testifying before Congress, has said that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said, “I don’t care what she said,” adding that Iran was “very close” to having an atomic bomb, according to The Associated Press.

Gabbard claimed the news media has misconstrued her remarks. But in March she told Congress, that U.S. intelligence “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to Iran’s nuclear potential and that is a motivating factor in Israel’s attacks on Iran.

Gabbard was expected to testify Tuesday in a closed session, the AP reports.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump urged Iran’s top leader to submit to “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” and added, “He is an easy target, but is safe there now – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least, not for now.”

CBO: ‘Big Bill’ add $3.4 trillion to debt

WILL THE “BIG BILL” be too costly? (Pexels photo).

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is estimating that the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the House of Representatives would – if passed by the U.S. Senate – add about $3.4 trillion to the national debt, according to The New York Times.

The CBO report said that the combination of tax cuts and new spending would add $2.8 trillion to the debt, and be $3.4 trillion if the costs of borrowing are added.

Should the level of public debt continue at this rate, the report added, it would amount to about 124 percent of the U.S. economic output by 2035.

According to President Donald Trump, the CBO estimates in the past have been inaccurate and politically influenced.

Cryptocurrency bill passes the Senate

By a vote of 68-30, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to regulate cryptocurrency, according to USA Today.

Called the GENIUS Act, the bill – if passed by the House of Representatives – would create “guardrails” for the industry such as requiring that such companies have a reserve of assets for that “stablecoin” could get their money back out, as you can withdraw from a bank.

Cryptocurrency is not “real money,” but a “digital or virtual currency secured by cryptography (codes) making it difficult to counterfeit or use twice.

The Trump family is heavily invested in cryptocurrency and Donald Trump earned about $57 million from it in 2024, according to CNBC.

Weather: Roller coaster ride

The thermometer has risen for a week, bringing temperatures in the 80s for our West Orange County cities. But what goes up … The forecast for Wednesday is 85 with an overnight low of 63. But on Thursday, it drops to 79 (63), then on Friday to 79 (63), and then on Saturday to 75 (62). June gloom will be with you through Friday, but sunshine will appear on Saturday.

Great Thoughts

“All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people and all people should have equal rights upon it.”
– Chief Joseph.

“We need to be courageous and stand for but values, even when it is difficult.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”
– Steve Jobs