Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

When we last recorded Saturday night, the U.S. had just announced its strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The U.S. had entered the war. The restrainers had seemingly lost.

In the following hours, President Donald Trump said the mission was a “spectacular military success.” And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the program “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites. 

But there’s much more to that story than meets the eye. As Jay Solomon wrote in our pages: Before the U.S. struck, 16 cargo trucks entered the fortified mountain complex and moved unidentified equipment to another location. Are the sites destroyed or merely damaged? Was enriched uranium smuggled out? It all remains unclear.

Now the war is heating up. Israel has expanded its bombing campaign beyond nuclear facilities to hit regime targets. Qatar has closed its airspace. And just as we write this, Iran has reportedly fired toward Qatar and Iraq.

It all begs the question: Was the strike on Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant the end of this war—or just the beginning? And what comes next?

To understand the state of the nuclear facilities and the state of the war, we’ve brought together three of the most well-read experts: Michael Oren, Jay Solomon, and Matti Friedman.

Oren is the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. He served from 2009 to 2013. He is also a former Knesset member. He is the author of many books, including Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide.

Solomon is an investigative journalist who has covered Iran and the region for decades. He just published an explosive piece for The Free Press titled “Did Iran Just Sneak Out Critical Nuclear Material from Fordow?”

And, Friedman is our Jerusalem-based columnist, and the author of four books, including his latest, Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai. He just wrote  “After the Bombs: American B-2s Just Changed the Middle East. Now It’s Time to Return the Region to the Humans Who Live Here” for our pages.

We’ll note we recorded this Monday morning, starting around 11 a.m. ET, as a Free Press Live event. To join these, you just need to do one thing—and that’s become a Free Press subscriber.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's new Commission on Religious Liberty met last week for the first time.

When Trump signed the executive order in May establishing the group, he marked the occasion by saying, "We're bringing religion back to our country, and it's a big deal."

But isn't the separation of church and state guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution? Can the president just "forget about it" even once?

We discuss the complicated answer.

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• Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' with Eric Edelman
  
  
• Sam's interview with Rep. Jim Himes about the Iran strikes
  
  
• Landscaper being punched by masked officers in So Cal
  
  
• 
  gifted:
  
  
• Bob Kagan on the threat to American democracy from a Trump war on Iran
  
  
• The Post on the transgender troops who want to keep serving 
  
  

With strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, President Donald Trump has brought the United States into Israel's war with Iran.

Israel began its campaign against Iran 10 days ago with what it called a "preemptive strike." Now, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned on social media that Iran "reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."

Iran has so far retaliated only on Israeli sites. Some 40,000 American troops on the ground across the Middle East are on alert.

We discuss the latest and look ahead to what could happen next.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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In an address to the nation on Saturday night, President Trump confirmed that the U.S. military had carried out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It was a move that he had been threatening for days, and that previous U.S. presidents had avoided for decades.

David E. Sanger, the White House and international security correspondent for The Times, discusses whether the strike actually ended Iran’s nuclear program — or if America just entered a new period of conflict in the Middle East.

Guest: David E. Sanger, the White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Shifting views and misdirection: How Mr. Trump decided to strike Iran.
• With a military strike his predecessors avoided, Mr. Trump took a huge gamble.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Sanctuary is an ancient idea of a place of refuge or freedom from harm. It has deep roots in the history, literature and myths of many cultures. Marina Warner’s new book Sanctuary explores travelling tales and concepts of hospitality and home - suggesting that myths, stories and works of art can be places of sanctuary too.

The story of leprosy is a story of isolation and exclusion over thousands of years. In his book, Outcast, Oliver Basciano has written about his journey across the hinterlands of the world to demystify the lives of those who have been ostracised. He argues that the image we still hold onto of medieval leprosy is a nineteenth-century myth invented to justify the gross mistreatment of patients in the name of colonial, religious and economic exploitation.

Churches are a spiritual home for some 200 million Christians worldwide, but they often hold a fascination and interest for the most committed atheist. A church is a place of sanctuary, but also a place where the drama of life is played out. Fergus Butler-Gallie is an Anglican priest and his new book Twelve Churches explores the history of Christianity through the places worshippers have built.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ruth Watts

Project Marvel has been talked about for months—a plan for a downtown sports and entertainment district, which includes a new home court for the Spurs. Now city officials will be explaining their plans to local residents with community workshops— and on The Source. It’s your chance to ask questions, give feedback and get clarity about the plans, benefits and costs of Project Marvel.