President Donald Trump has announced he has canceled strikes against Iran just hours after promising a “very hard night” for the country.

Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday afternoon to say he canceled “scheduled strikes and bombings” set for this evening against Iran.

He wrote:

Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening. Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

In a Fox News interview on Thursday morning, Trump expressed interest in invading Iran’s Kharg Island, one of the country’s key energy infrastructure sites, though he admitted Americans may not have the “stomach” to take the current conflict as far as he would.

Iran has been struck multiple times this week following an Apache helicopter being brought down near the Strait of Hormuz. The pilots were later rescued.

Trump announced on Thursday morning that Iran was going to be hit “VERY HARD TONIGHT” before he signaled progress towards a deal in his latest Truth Social post.

“The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” the president wrote in his morning message. “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.”

This is a breaking news story and it has been updated. 

Watch above via CNN.

The post BREAKING: Trump Cancels Planned Strikes Against Iran first appeared on Mediaite.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche shut down questions about the upcoming UFC event at the White House and whether a federal judge will attempt to block it from happening.

Blanche held a press conference on Thursday morning with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other officials, where they announced the indictment of three illegal immigrants from Guatemala who are accused of smuggling dozens of children into the U.S.

“More than 475,000 unaccompanied children entered the United States during the Biden administration,” Blanche told reporters. “The way this happened was typically because the criminals calling themselves ‘sponsors’ trafficked these children to the border, usually committing fraud to do so, and oftentimes the children were abused, assaulted, and certainly exploited.”

The 40-minute press conference stayed on the topic of migrant children, mostly, except when Blanche was asked about the UFC fights taking place at the White House on June 14. It is part of a series of events to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday.

“I’m not gonna talk about the UFC fight,” Blance said immediately after hearing the topic. “We’re just here to talk about this.”

Blanche repeated the line after being asked about a potential federal order blocking the event from happening.

Two Virginia residents have sued to stop the UFC event from happening. The lawyer who filed the lawsuit called the upcoming event “fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain. And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”

An arena has already been constructed for the event on the White House South Lawn, and UFC head Dana White has already compared it to the Super Bowl. A total of 4,000 people will attend the fights in person.

“For UFC fans all over the world, this is a very unique experience for everybody; and, you know, we’re expecting Super Bowl-type numbers for this fight,” he said.

Watch above via MS NOW.

The post Trump AG Dodges Questions on White House UFC Event and Whether Judge Will Block It first appeared on Mediaite.

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If you've been holding off on buying a Nintendo Switch 2, now might be the time to pull the trigger. Right now, Woot is offering a one-time sale on the new console, and first-time customers can knock an extra $15 off the price by using the promo code NEW15 at checkout through June 19, with a limit of one per customer.

Nintendo Switch 2

$434.00 at Woot

$449.00 Save $15.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$434.00 at Woot

$449.00 Save $15.00

The timing of this deal is even more noteworthy, given that Nintendo recently announced that the price of the Switch 2 would increase in September. If buying the console has been on your mind, even if you didn’t plan on purchasing right away, grabbing one before the price increase takes effect can save you money in the long run. While the Woot deal runs through June 19, 2026, at 11:58 p.m. CT, the deal could end sooner if inventory sells out, and as is typical with Woot promotions, availability is limited, so there’s no guarantee that stock will last until the official end date.   

Compared to its predecessor, the Nintendo Switch 2 has improved performance and graphics as well as faster load times and enhanced multiplayer features, as noted in this PCMag review. If you’re shopping for games alongside the console, Amazon currently offers several Switch 2 bundles and launch titles, including the Mario Kart World Bundle and other first-party Nintendo releases. Picking up a bundle can give you an overall better value than buying the console and game separately. You can also opt for a Choose Your Game bundle on Amazon, choosing from Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia digital game download.

For anyone planning to get their hands on the Nintendo Switch 2 before the holidays (and the impending price hike), this Woot promotion may be the most affordable deal available before September’s price increase arrives. 

CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten told viewers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be out of office sooner rather than later, based on what the prediction markets and polls are showing.

“Bibi Netanyahu has pulled rabbits out of hats before, but his luck might have finally run out,” Enten said on Wednesday morning.

Enten reported that Netanyahu’s odds of remaining Israel’s leader have taken a big hit recently, with Kalshi giving him only a 33% chance of staying prime minister following the country’s 2026 election; that’s a big drop from just 50 days ago, when Netanyahu had a 51% shot at remaining PM, Enten showed.

“Netanyahu’s chances have been going down, down, down into the red sea,” Enten said.

The “political calculus” for Netanyahu largely hinges on how the Iran war wraps up, he continued explaining. Enten pointed to one Israeli poll that showed 58% of nation’s citizens don’t believe it would be in the country’s best security interests if the war ended now. Only 34% believe it would benefit Israel if it ended soon, the same poll showed.

Enten said that while ending the war ASAP would likely be “politically advantageous” for President Donald Trump, the same can’t be said for Netanyahu.

One other thing that isn’t working in Netanyahu’s favor: more Israelis now support term limits on their prime minister.

Enten said Netanyahu has been in power off-and-on since he was in elementary school, having served more than 18 years as prime minister since being first elected in 1996. He said the “biggest indictment” of Netanyahu could be that 61% of Israelis now support a two-term limit on prime ministers, once Netanyahu exits.

His data report comes a few days after Trump said Netanyahu will have “no choice” but to accept whatever deal he makes with Iran.

“I call the shots. I call all the shots,” Trump told FT. “[Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.”

The post CNN’s Data Guru Makes the Case Netanyahu May Finally Losing Power In Israel first appeared on Mediaite.

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Amazon Prime Day 2026 is taking place from Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26—a month earlier than last year—and as usual, we'll be keeping you updated on all the best deals leading up to and throughout the mega-sale. To truly take advantage of everything Prime Day has to offer, you'll need to be a Prime Member, as most of the bargains require it. But is the cost of that membership really going to be worth it for you?

Millions of Amazon Prime users currently pay $14.99 per month or $139 per year for their memberships, though other plans cost less if you qualify. For example, the Amazon Prime Student program allows young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 to get all of the Prime perks for half the cost—$7.49 per month or $69 annually.

For frequent Amazon shoppers, Prime can quickly pay for itself—mostly thanks to the free shipping perk. But how does the math shake out if you aren't regularly ordering from Amazon? If you’re on the fence about signing up for (or renewing) your Prime membership, here’s how to judge whether or not the benefits outweigh the $139 cost.

The benefits of Amazon Prime

Here are the main perks of Amazon Prime that make it worth the cost for so many users.

• Free two-day shipping on millions of items: This is the main draw of Prime. If you shop frequently on Amazon and want quick free delivery, the shipping perks alone may make Prime worthwhile. Prime members also get free same-day delivery on over 3 million items in eligible areas. The ultra-fast (and morally dubious) shipping usually costs $9.99 per order for non-members, though you can choose lower-cost or free shipping options if you're willing to place larger orders and wait longer to receive them.

• Access to Prime Video: Prime includes unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Originals. If you ask me, the content library isn’t as robust as Netflix or Hulu, but this is still an added value.

• Other Prime benefits: You also get Amazon Music for streaming songs, Prime Reading for ebooks, magazines, and audiobooks; Prime gaming, free photo storage, and occasional exclusive discounts/deals.

• Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card: Cardholders get 5% back on Amazon/Whole Foods purchases. So Prime members who use this card extensively can earn rewards that offset the annual fee.

• Number of users: Prime benefits can be shared with other members of your household. The more users, the more value per person.

Is an Amazon Prime account worth it?

Let's say you don't really care about Prime Video, Amazon Music, or free e-books, and just want to know if you'll save money you would otherwise be spending on shipping.

For non-Prime members, Amazon requires a minimum order of $35 to qualify for free shipping on eligible items. The average shipping costs for non-members aren't publicly listed, and can vary by item and shipping speed, typically ranging from $5 to $10.

For our purposes, I messed around on my non-shared, non-Prime Amazon account to find an average shipping cost of around $6 per order (assuming the order total fell below the $35 threshold, of course). Of course, shipping costs will vary depending on the item and how quickly you want it, but let’s compare the cost to the appeal of Prime’s two-day shipping option. So, we have the cost of individual online orders (around six bucks) compared to the free delivery that comes with an $139 annual fee. This means the costs you’d save on shipping alone make Prime worth the cost as long as you place more than two dozen orders in a year.

In other words: The $139 annual fee pays for itself as long as you order from Amazon Prime at least twice a month. Of course, this is strictly in terms of shipping costs. How it stacks up ethically is between you and the person in the mirror.

And then there's this important caveat: Again, you can still get free shipping from Amazon without a Prime membership, provided your order has $35 or more of eligible items. However, this won't grant you Prime shipping speed—your order will typically take five to eight days to be delivered. But you can place fewer, larger orders and wait a little longer and still never pay for shipping.

The Prime Day factor

Also worth considering is how much of that membership cost you'll be able to recoup via exclusive Prime Day offers. During the sale, some items will be heavily discounted only for Prime members—but whether the Prime Day price is really a "deal" will vary greatly based on the item you're buying. Some of those "big discounts" aren't any greater than what the item typically sells for. The Prime Day price can even be higher than other sale prices throughout the year. That's why it's important to make sure what you're ordering is something you planned to buy anyway—and that the sale price is actually a true bargain—before you order.

The bottom line

The cost of a Prime membership is a solid value for anyone using Amazon 23 times per year or more—especially if you're also watching shows on Prime Video or purchasing something that is deeply discounted for Prime Day. But if you only shop on Amazon a few times a year and don't take advantage of Prime Day offers or the other benefits, then that $139 annual fee isn't necessarily paying for itself.

Of course, if you are interested in Prime Day bargains, you can always sign up right before the start of the sale and then cancel your membership after Prime day is over—but Amazon doesn't always make it easy on you. For more information about deals and discounts, keep an eye on all of Lifehacker’s Amazon Prime Day coverage.

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Ever since the Fitbit app became the Google Health app, the app’s AI features are impossible to avoid for Premium users—or at least it may seem that way. There is a way to turn off the AI coach and return a little peace to your Today screen, without waiting for your Premium trial (or subscription) to expire. 

Google Fitbit Air - Obsidian

$99.99 at Amazon

Shop Now

Shop Now

$99.99 at Amazon

Why you may want to turn off the Google Health Coach

The AI-based Health Coach is the centerpiece of the Google Health app, at least if you have a premium subscription. You may have accepted a three-month free trial of Google Health Premium when you connected a new device, or you may pay for Google AI Pro or Ultra, which includes the Health Coach. 

When the Coach is enabled, it updates the main screen of the app with a few paragraphs of text several times a day. (You’ll also get a notification with each of these updates). The Coach will tell you how well you slept, or congratulate you on a hard workout, or suggest workouts for the day given how recovered you seem to be. 

But, as I wrote in my Fitbit Air review, the Coach hallucinates pretty often, misreporting your workout data or misunderstanding what you’ve told it are your goals. One user, returning to their normal routine after surgery, posted to Reddit that the Coach keeps trying to talk them out of doing workouts. They called it a “Demotivation Coach.” Others have pointed out that the Coach doesn’t seem to be reading its own data correctly. 

On a more personal note, the Coach uses a tone that I find insufferable: arrogant and excessively positive, except when it’s being unnecessarily negative. I’d prefer neutral, factual feedback or none at all. Fortunately, there’s a way to turn it off.

How to turn off the Google Health Coach

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

This is a bit tricky, since it’s not in the app’s settings, but in your Google account settings. Here’s how to disable the Coach: 

1. From the Google Health app, tap your profile picture in the upper right corner.

2. Tap Your data in Google Health

3. Tap Manage feature privacy controls

4. Tap the Google Health Coach, and you’ll see an option to turn it off. 

When you return to the Google Health app, you’ll still see the paragraphs of text that the Health Coach previously wrote, but you won’t get any new ones. There will be a card inviting you to re-enable the Health Coach, but you can tap “not now.” You can re-enable the Coach at any time by hitting the “Ask Coach” button in the corner (it does not go away) and following the prompts to turn it back on. 

Fox Business host Stuart Varney pressed Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on Tuesday about President Donald Trump’s attendance at the NBA final in New York City the night before.

“Last night the Knicks, as I’m sure you know, the Knicks lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals. President Trump was in attendance. It didn’t seem like the game united New Yorkers. Mr. Trump was booed. So it didn’t offer unity, did it? It was more like offering division at the game,” Varney noted.

“Listen, I’ve seen Kathy Hochul drop the puck at Rangers games and be booed mercilessly because everybody hates her. The fact is… sports have always been like this. People jeer, they cheer. It’s nothing new,” replied Lawler, adding:

And frankly, from my vantage point, President Trump’s a lifelong Knick fan. All of us in New York are excited that the Knicks are on the path to win the NBA championship for the first time in 52 years. So I’m focused on the game. I could care less who attends. If the president wants to go, the governor, the mayor, who cares? The focus is on the games.

“If the president of the United States wants to go to the game, he goes,” agreed Varney.

Trump’s attendance at the game led a bevy of coverage, focused on everything from whether or not Trump jinxed the home team and whether or not the president fell asleep

Watch the clip above via Fox Business.

The post Fox Host Confronts GOP Congressman on Trump Getting Booed at Knicks Game: ‘Didn’t Offer Unity, Did it?’ first appeared on Mediaite.