Trump reveals Iran decision timeline, says negotiations may still be possible

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision on the U.S. becoming involved in Israel’s conflict with Iran within the next two weeks. 

“I have a message directly from the president, and I quote, ‘based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,'” Leavitt said at a White House briefing quoting Trump.

“He’s been very clear,” she added. “Iran went for 60 days when he gave them that 60-day warning without coming to the table. On day 61, Israel took action against Iran. And as I just told you from the president directly, he will make a decision within two weeks in.”

MAJOR OIL PRICE SHOCK LOOMING AS ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT THREATENS 

Leavitt said that there have been six rounds of direct and indirect negotiations with Iran. She said that talks continue but declined to provide details.

Asked if Trump would strike Iran if negotiations fail, Leavitt repeatedly said the president would make a decision “whether or not to go” within the next two weeks.

When pressed about the reliability of that timeline, given previous delays on other global matters, Leavitt insisted that the conflicts are different. 

“President Trump inherited global instability from the last administration. He is always interested in diplomacy but not afraid to use strength,” Leavitt said. 

WATCH: Karoline Leavitt pressed on ramifications of Trump’s Middle East foreign policy

Leavitt said that Iran cannot attain a nuclear bomb because it would pose a threat to the United States and Israel. She said Iran is weeks away from achieving such a weapon.

“Iran has never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said.

“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that,” Leavitt told reporters. “And it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would, of course, pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.”

She said the president’s top priorities are ensuring that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and providing peace and stability in the Middle East. 

“Nobody should be surprised by the president’s position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. He has been unequivocally clear about this for decades, not just as president, not just as a presidential candidate, but also as a private citizen.”

She also called on the public to trust the president’s instincts amid some dissenting voices among his base.

“Trust in President Trump. President Trump has incredible instincts and President Trump kept America and the world safe in his first term implementing a peace through strength foreign policy agenda,” Leavitt said. 

ISRAEL VOWS VENGEANCE AFTER IRAN TARGETS HOSPITAL WITH BALLISTIC MISSILE THURSDAY

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday, Trump declined to say if he had made a decision on the U.S. joining Israel’s military campaign. 

“I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said. Trump also said this week that Iran must “make a deal now – or face even more brutal military action.”

Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear facilities and taking out some of the country’s top military generals. Iran has been responding by hitting Tel Aviv and other locations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

An Iranian missile barrage hit the Soroka Hospital on Thursday morning, injuring more than 70 people, Israel said.

Israeli Foreign Minster Gideon Sa’ar said that the Iranian attack amounts to a war crime, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the strike.

Jewish GOP congressman stands defiant after threats from Palestinian flag-waving driver

Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio says he was nearly attacked Thursday by an “unhinged, deranged man” who had a Palestinian flag.

“The deranged hatred in this country has gotten out of control. Today I was run off the road in Rocky River, and the life of me and my family was threatened by a person who proceeded to show a Palestinian flag before taking off,” Miller, who is Jewish, wrote in a social media post.

Miller, who served as a reservist in the U.S. Marines and worked as a White House aide in President Donald Trump’s first administration before first winning election to Congress in northeastern Ohio in 2022, said he filed a report with the U.S. Capitol Police and local police.

Rocky River Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital the incident was reported, adding it has launched an investigation but could not offer more details.

RISING ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE, TERROR ATTACKS IN US SPUR HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE HEARING

“We know who this person is and he will face justice,” Miller said. “As a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant antisemitic violence.”

JEWISH REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER TALKS ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA AFTER DEADLY DC SHOOTING

Miller, in a video posted to social media, added, “I will continue to fight against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hate.”

And speaking directly to the person he said tried to run him off the road, Miller added that if “you have an issue, take it to our office. You want to run me off the road, that’s a different story.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cases of antisemitism and hate crimes toward Jewish Americans have surged in recent years, particularly since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, according to a survey last year by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL is an international non-governmental organization founded to combat antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.

Juror No. 4 reveals why Karen Read walked free in her boyfriend’s death

One of the 12 jurors who cleared Karen Read of murder charges in the death of Boston cop boyfriend John O’Keefe explained the panel’s reasoning Thursday, a day after her second trial came to a close. 

The juror also explained brief confusion Wednesday afternoon that arose out of a verdict that jurors later retracted before it was read in court.

Judge Beverly Cannone sealed that one. Within minutes, jurors handed down a verdict for real.

“Everything on that initial slip was the same as the slip that was presented,” Juror No. 4, identified only as “Jason,” told TMZ Live. He said they pulled the first slip back over the OUI charge – operating under the influence of liquor, of which jurors found her guilty.

KAREN READ MURDER CASE VERDICT REACHED AFTER DEADLOCKED FIRST TRIAL

WATCH: Juror No. 4’s interview

“In our deliberations, we had decided there was enough evidence and proof that she was driving under the influence,” he said.

Jurors found Read not guilty of murder, manslaughter and fleeing a deadly accident in a trial that stretched on for more than 30 days of testimony and four days of deliberations. The lesser included charge of OUI is the Massachusetts term for drunken driving.

“I don’t know what happened to John,” Jason said. “I was only presented a limited scope of what happened at the night, and I can only base my opinion off of the evidence that was shown in the courtroom. So, I don’t really know if there was a cover-up or not.

“I know that’s the big conspiracy around it, but I don’t really know. All I know is there was a lot of holes in the investigation. Whether they were deliberate holes or not deliberate holes, it’s kinda hard for me sitting back to know that — you know, what actually happened.”

He said the defense claim that O’Keefe could have been killed by someone in the house — in an attack that involved a dog — was an “example of reasonable doubt.”

“We were tasked with finding … with deciding this person’s fate based on the proof in the evidence that the commonwealth was able to present, and there was a lot of holes,” he said.

He said another important factor for the jury was video that showed Read’s taillight.

“We could see from the car, after the alleged incident happened, when we could see the taillight it was lit up red, where it shouldn’t just have been red,” he said. “I don’t believe that the SUV collided with John O’Keefe.”

Still, he added, there was no way for jurors to know whether claims of a “corrupt” police investigation were true.

“I don’t know that there was any corruption going on,” he said. “But do I know that there wasn’t enough proof or evidence secured by the police to convict Karen Read? Absolutely.”

Also Thursday, Massachusetts State Police brass broke their silence on the years-long case marred by investigative missteps and the firing of a state trooper who played a central role in the case.

Read was accused — and acquitted — of killing her boyfriend by slamming an SUV into him and leaving him to die on the ground during a blizzard after a drunken argument. Jurors found her guilty only of drunken driving, for which she received a sentence of one year probation and outpatient treatment.

Col. Geoffrey Noble, the state police commissioner, said the entire department sends its condolences to O’Keefe’s family.

“The events of the last three years have challenged our department to thoroughly review our actions and take concrete steps to deliver advanced investigative training, ensure appropriate oversight and enhance accountability,” Noble said in a statement. “Under my direction as colonel, the state police has, and will continue to, improve in these regards.”

He said the goal is to deliver “excellent” service and maintain public trust.

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

Jurors did not appear to trust the investigation after four days of deliberation, when they rejected the prosecution’s case almost entirely.

MASSACHUSETTS TROOPER MICHAEL PROCTOR ‘TERMINATED’ FROM STATE POLICE

The lead investigator on the case, former State Trooper Michael Proctor, lost his job in March after an internal investigation concluded he shared confidential and sensitive law enforcement information with civilians in a group text, the contents of which were also lewd in nature and mocked Read’s health issues.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

It was Noble who announced the firing, days before Read’s second trial began. Her first trial ended with a deadlocked jury last year after the texts were read in court and Read’s defense exposed other glaring flaws in the investigation. 

“It is incumbent upon me, as well as every member of this department, to hold one another accountable when any member compromises our mission by failing to uphold our values,” he said at the time.

SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

Noble and the department were also sued by true crime reporters and some of Read’s supporters over the enforcement of a “buffer zone” around the Dedham courthouse that their lawyers called unconstitutional.

Separately, local police in Canton, Massachusetts, were subjected to an external audit that recommended increased training and oversight while dispelling claims of a conspiracy to frame Read for O’Keefe’s death.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

A federal investigation into the case ended without charges against members of either law enforcement agency.

White House has suggestion for Jasmine Crockett after Dem calls Trump supporters ‘sick’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clapped back against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, after she accused President Donald Trump supporters of being “sick” and mentally ill.

Speaking with reporters in the White House briefing room on Thursday, Leavitt said, “It’s incredibly derogatory to accuse nearly 80 million Americans of mental illness.”

“The last time I checked, Jasmine Crockett couldn’t dream of winning such a majority of the public as President Trump did,” she said.

“The America first movement, which President Trump has built, is filled with hardworking patriots. The forgotten men and women, business owners, law enforcement officers, nurses and teachers and Middle America, as we all know from where you all grew up outside of this Beltway. That’s who makes up this president’s movement,” said Leavitt. “And Jasmine Crockett should go to a Trump rally sometime, and she can see it for herself.”

KAROLINE LEAVITT PRESSED ON RAMIFICATIONS OF TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST FOREIGN POLICY

Leavitt also quipped that she hopes Crockett will continue to be a “rising star” in the Democratic Party, “for the Republican Party, at least.”

During a recent interview with Katie Couric, Crockett, one of the leading Democratic voices in the Trump resistance movement, explained Trump’s reelection as being made possible by a national mental health crisis.

“We’ve got a mental health crisis in this country because everyone, no matter how you affiliate yourself, should be against Trump, period. This is not partisan for me,” said Crockett.

The congresswoman also went on to claim that former Vice President Kamala Harris was more qualified to be president than Trump and that he was elected simply on the basis that he is an “old white man.”

LEAVITT BALKS AT REPORTERS’ LA RIOT COVERAGE, ‘DISINGENUOUS ATTACK’ IN BRIEFING: ‘WHAT A STUPID QUESTION’

She also said her “heart breaks for service members” in the military under Trump because “the very thing that they signed up to fight against is now their commander-in-chief.”

“It is really sick and anybody that supports it is also sick,” said Crockett.

During the same interview, Crockett also defended former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity, claiming that she “never saw anything” from Biden that would have made her wonder about his mental sharpness, and argued that his mental acuity was “supreme” to President Donald Trump’s.

WHITE HOUSE RIPS ‘SHAMEFUL’ LA RIOTS AS TRUMP STEPS IN WHERE NEWSOM, BASS FAILED, LEAVITT SAYS

“We all slow down. But I will tell you that I will take a broken — or however they want to describe Joe Biden — over Donald Trump any given day, because, number one, I know Joe Biden’s heart,” Crockett said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Crockett has also recently taken heavy criticism for other comments against Republican leaders, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whom she mocked as “governor hot wheels.” This comment garnered her wide condemnation given the fact that Abbott is a paraplegic who uses a wheelchair to move about.

Girl’s afternoon swim turns into nightmare encounter beneath water’s surface

A North Carolina girl was injured last weekend after coming in contact with an alligator while she and a group of other children were swimming in Lake Waccamaw, located about an hour west of Wilmington.

The Lake Waccamaw Police Department announced the incident on Friday, June 13, saying multiple children were playing in about four feet of water when the 12-year-old victim yelled, “Something bit me!”

The children were “rushed out of the water,” at which point an alligator surfaced in the shallow water, police said.

“The injuries sustained were serious but not life-threatening in any way,” the police department said. “It is also unclear as to if the injuries were caused by a bite or a claw. But they were definitely caused by the alligator.”

RATTLESNAKE BITES TEEN ON SOUTHERN STATE FISHING TRIP

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) also responded to the incident and told Fox News Digital in a statement that the 12-foot male alligator made contact with the victim, “resulting in a laceration and scratches on her legs.”

“The evidence suggests this was not a predatory attack. Regardless, this alligator’s contact with a human resulted in an injury requiring medical attention,” the NCWRC said. 

FLORIDA MOTORCYCLISTS INJURED AFTER HITTING SIX-FOOT ALLIGATOR ON HIGHWAY

The commission continued, “In the process of investigating the incident residents suggested that alligators are being observed more frequently in the lake during daylight hours. As such, the NCWRC asked to be notified of large alligators that are spending time around a pier or in the lake in daylight hours. Also, any alligator that regularly approaches people or is exhibiting a general lack of fear or aggressive behavior.”

Police said the alligator involved in the incident was euthanized. The NCWRC’s protocol is to euthanize an alligator any time it makes contact with a person.

FLORIDA MAN SHOT BY DEPUTIES AFTER ALLIGATOR ATTACK, CHARGING OFFICERS WITH GARDEN SHEARS

“We remind our residents and visitors to remain ever vigilant and aware of their surroundings. In this particular case, the gator was never seen till after the incident occurred, and multiple adults were present,” the police department said. “Please respect the water and understand these animals are not tame or pets. If you see one, maintain a safe distance at all times. And exit the water if you are in it.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The NCWRC noted that incidents involving contact between people and alligators are “extremely rare” in the Tar Heel State and described the alligator’s behavior in the Lake Waccamaw incident as “unusual” but “not predatory in nature.”

OpenAI CEO accuses Meta of offering $100 million bonuses to poach employees

Meta has allegedly tried to recruit employees from competitor OpenAI by offering bonuses as high as $100 million, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claimed on a podcast that aired Tuesday.

“[Meta] started making giant offers to a lot of people on our team,” Altman said on the Uncapped podcast, which is hosted by his brother. “You know, like $100 million signing bonuses, more than that [in] compensation per year.”

META’S ZUCKERBERG AIMING TO DOMINATE AI RACE WITH RECRUITING PUSH FOR NEW ‘SUPERINTELLIGENCE’ TEAM: REPORT

Meta’s alleged attempts to recruit OpenAI workers come as the tech giant works to advance its artificial intelligence strategy and build a superintelligence unit that can meet or exceed human capabilities, according to Reuters.

None of OpenAI’s “best people” have so far accepted Meta’s alleged offers, Altman said.

META SIGNS 20-YEAR NUCLEAR POWER DEAL WITH CONSTELLATION

Competition to recruit artificial intelligence workers has reached an all-time high, with some believing that individual workers can heavily influence the trajectory of a company’s success, Reuters reported.

“I’ve heard that Meta thinks of us as their biggest competitor,” the OpenAI CEO said.

OPENAI SAYS THIS STATE WILL PLAY CENTRAL ROLE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT

Altman’s claims follow reports earlier this month that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is working on building a superintelligence team from a group of artificial intelligence researchers and engineers. The Facebook owner plans to hire about 50 people for the team and will personally recruit most of the members, Bloomberg News reported.

Earlier this year, Zuckerberg announced Meta is investing $65 billion into AI in 2025, including the construction of a massive data center.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Meta did not immediately respond to Fox Business’ request for comment.

Nudist murdered and dismembered neighbors over $1 hot dog, informant claims

A California nudist is accused of killing his neighbors, chopping them up and drowning their Shih Tzu after they allegedly mocked him with a $1 hot dog, according to authorities and local reporting.

Redlands Police announced the arrest of Michael Sparks, 62, last August – five days after his neighbors went missing.

They found the suspect at his home in Olive Dell Ranch, billed as a “family friendly” RV park and a reputed Southern California nudist resort. A cadaver dog alerted police to a bunker underneath the home, where they recovered two bodies, dismembered, mutilated and stored in plastic bags.

The victims were Daniel Menard, 79, who suffered from dementia, and his 73-year-old wife, Stephanie.

HUMAN REMAINS FOUND AT CALIFORNIA NUDIST RESORT AFTER COUPLE VANISHES

Investigators had to evacuate the scene because they feared it might cave in. They returned with heavy equipment to excavate and collect more evidence.

Redlands Police Chief Rachel Tolber told reporters last year that Sparks tried to shoot himself before his capture, but the gun misfired.

The dog, Cuddles, remains unaccounted for.

At Sparks’ preliminary hearing this week, Redlands Detective Thomas Williams testified that he shared details about the slayings with a jailhouse snitch, who alerted authorities, according to the Press Telegram.

“He said Mr. Sparks told him the incident started over a hot dog that Daniel Menard had purchased for him,” Williams told the court, according to the paper. “He said Mr. Sparks felt that the hot dog was a jab at him, making him feel like he was worth only a dollar hot dog, and that’s what set him off that day.”

MENENDEZ BROTHERS’ AUNT HOSPITALIZED AFTER DA SHARES GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN COURT: ‘THERE WAS NO WARNING’

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Sparks is accused of using a rake, a garden hoe and a hammer to beat his neighbors to death before dismembering them and hiding the bodies in plastic bags in his bunker. The informant also claimed he admitted to drowning Cuddles and leaving her remains for coyotes to eat.

Eleven witnesses testified at the hearing, according to court documents, and evidence included crime scene photos as well as texts between Sparks and three witnesses.

In one photo, photographed in court by the Press Telegram, Sparks allegedly wrote to a friend, “Chopped up my neighbors. Didn’t know I had it in me. SNAPPED.”

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

During a standoff before Sparks’ arrest, responding officers asked him where the Menards were and if they needed help, according to the paper.

“He replied back that they were in pieces,” Detective Williams testified.

Other witnesses said that Sparks did not get along with the Menards.

They had alleged disputes over a noisy backup generator, tree trimming and the hot dog.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sparks faces two counts of murder and an animal cruelty charge. He pleaded not guilty at an earlier proceeding and is being held without bail.

Judge Alexander Martinez denied a defense motion to keep cameras out of the courtroom. Sparks is due back in court on June 27 for an arraignment.

Carly Simon calls Sabrina Carpenter’s controversial album cover ‘tame’ as fans rage

Carly Simon is coming to Sabrina Carpenter’s defense. 

During a recent interview, Simon reacted to Carpenter’s album cover that caused quite a stir. 

Carpenter’s album artwork for “Man’s Best Friend” showed a photo of the singer on her hands and knees, as a man appeared to be grabbing her by the hair. The “Busy Woman” singer wore a black mini dress and matching heels in the photo.

DISNEY ALUM SABRINA CARPENTER’S SEXY ACT SHOCKS AS SHE DITCHES FAMILY-FRIENDLY IDENTITY

Simon argued the current outrage surrounding Carpenter’s album is relatively mild, compared to past examples of bold artistic expression in the music industry. 

“She’s not doing anything outrageous,” the “You’re So Vain” singer said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “It seems tame.”

“There have been far flashier covers than hers,” Simon said. “One of the most startling covers I’ve ever seen was [The Rolling Stones’] “Sticky Fingers That was out there in terms of sexual attitude. So I don’t know why she’s getting such flak.”

Once Carpenter shared her latest album cover of “Man’s Best Friend,” fans were quick to comment.

DOLLY PARTON WARNS SABRINA CARPENTER SHE DOESN’T ‘MAKE FUN OF JESUS,’ USE SWEAR WORDS AHEAD OF COLLABORATION

“This cover makes me uncomfortable…” one person wrote.

Another comment read, “That’s disgusting!!”

Other fans enjoyed Carpenter’s album and wrote, “Sue her she wants to be iconic.”

While Simon is no stranger to pushing the envelope herself, the singer reacted to the similar criticism she received for her famous 1975 “Playing Possum” album. 

“Everybody looked at it, and people definitely had a reaction to it,” Simon told Rolling Stone of her own cover at the time. “But they wouldn’t have told me what they really thought.”

The “You Belong To Me” singer famously posed in a lacy black dress with matching leather boots. Simon’s face wasn’t shown, but she was photographed on her knees for the album cover. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

That photo was shot by Norman Seeff, who still remembers the stir it caused. 

“Suddenly, I’m getting calls from ‘Time’ and ‘Newsweek,’ saying, ‘This is one of the sexiest covers that has ever [been] known,’” Seeff recalled. 

“There’s this whole controversy around what did it represent? It felt very much like that energy in a woman, but I just thought of it as a beautiful shot.”

Meanwhile, the former Disney star has been known for her racy performances and turning heads.  

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

In March, Carpenter shocked fans with her explicit dance moves at her concert in Paris. 

During every show on her “Short n’ Sweet” world tour, the singer simulates a different sexual position while performing her hit “Juno.” Carpenter shows off each move when she sings the lyrics, “Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?”

At her Paris performance, Carpenter paid tribute to the City of Lights when she and two male backup dancers simulated a three-way sex act, known as the Eiffel Tower.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

In a photo from the performance that the account Buzzing Pop posted on X, Carpenter, who donned a sparkly green and silver halter top with a matching miniskirt, was seen bending over between the two dancers who leaned into her and held hands above her. The position is meant to emulate the structure of Paris’ famed historical landmark. 

The post divided fans when it went viral on social media, with some fans slamming Carpenter’s performance as too inappropriate for the younger members of her fan base, while others contended that she had the right to evolve as an artist after transitioning to adulthood.