Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1894, Milward Kennedy, English journalist and civil servant (died 1968) was born. In 1940, World War II: Italy begins an unsuccessful invasion of France. In 1942, World War II: Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces; 33,000 Allied troops are taken prisoner. In 1942, World War II: A Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, firing 17 shells at Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by Japan against the United States mainland. In 1942, Togo D. West Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (died 2018) was born. In 1954, Mark Kimmitt, American general and politician, 16th Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs was born. In 1958, Gennady Padalka, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut was born. In 1983, Edward Snowden, American activist and academic was born. In 2003, Leon Uris, American soldier and author (born 1924) passed away. In 2004, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.

Senior official makes astonishing claim on 'doomed' war: 'We went in with no real mission'

Raw Story

Raw Story

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June 21, 2026

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Senior official makes astonishing claim on 'doomed' war: 'We went in with no real mission'

A senior Trump administration official made a stunning claim Sunday regarding the U.S. war against Iran, telling Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng that the conflict not only began without “real” direction, but that it may very well come back to bite the administration later this year.“It was doomed from the very start,” the senior Trump official told Zeteo, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “We went in with no real mission and we all knew that. Now we have to spend the next five months hoping voters don’t b----slap us for it.”Launched in late February, Trump’s war against Iran began with a number of different objectives. Trump explicitly called for regime change just moments after launching his surprise attack on Iran. He’s also claimed the top war objective has been to ensure Iran does not have the capability to create a nuclear weapon.And yet, despite Trump’s list of war objectives, his top officials – at least, according to the senior Trump official who spoke with Zeteo – were largely directionless in the early days of the war. Another U.S. official told Zeteo that they and their colleagues knew almost immediately that the war would end in failure.“It made me say: We lost. That’s it. And the war had only just begun,” the official told Zeteo, also speaking on the condition of anonymity. “I don’t care if you were for or against this thing, if you’re the commander-in-chief, if you go to war, you can’t start thinking about cutting and running that early.”

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This article was published by Raw Story, a source frequently categorized with a left bias based in United States of America. Our narrative intelligence engine continuously monitors coverage from this outlet to track framing, bias, and rhetorical patterns. Our initial algorithmic scan of this specific piece did not flag high-confidence rhetorical techniques, suggesting a generally straightforward reporting style or neutral framing. By understanding the editorial perspective of Raw Story, readers can better contextualize the information presented and compare it across our broader media matrix to find the real narrative.

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