Overview

• CNN’s June 25 report relied on seven anonymous sources to cite an early U.S. intelligence assessment that Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iranian nuclear sites only delayed the program by a few months.
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard both rejected CNN’s findings, stating that U.S. missile strikes destroyed key facilities and accusing the network of political bias.
• On NewsNation’s Cuomo, Chris Cuomo defended the use of anonymous sources for sensitive reporting but criticized CNN for engaging in what he called a “propaganda game” to compete with podcasters.
• Bill O’Reilly argued there was no on-the-ground verification of the damage and condemned CNN’s reliance on unnamed sources as an attempt to undermine President Trump’s narrative.
• The FBI has opened an inquiry into the origin of the classified intelligence assessment after the White House warned that leaking top-secret material would be investigated.