12PM ET 06/24/2025 Newscast

Summary

Fox News Hourly Update: 12PM ET | June 24, 2025

The latest episode of the Fox News Hourly Update delivered comprehensive coverage of critical international developments, U.S. political dynamics, economic insights, and local news. Hosted by Jack Callaghan, the update provided listeners with in-depth analysis and notable commentary on pressing issues of the day.

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1. Middle East Ceasefire and U.S. Airstrikes on Iran

Ceasefire between Israel and Iran

The episode opens with a significant development in the Middle East, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been established after initial turbulence.

• Jack Callaghan reports at [00:02] that Israel has agreed to withdraw its warplanes from Iranian airspace following a pivotal phone conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

• Iran's President has declared that the nation will adhere to the ceasefire unless Israel does the same, highlighting ongoing tensions and the precarious nature of the agreement.

U.S. Classified Briefing on Airstrikes

The discussion transitions to a classified briefing regarding recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran.

• General Dan Kaine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, alongside DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, are set to brief Congress on the details of these strikes and their implications for Iran's nuclear capabilities [00:25].

• The episode delves into concerns about Iran's nuclear program, specifically the potential movement of 60% highly enriched uranium, which could be converted into weapons-grade material. Satellite imagery reveals suspicious activities, such as "at least 16 cargo trucks outside Fordo two days before the US B2 bombing strike," suggesting possible preparations for nuclear advancement [00:45].

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2. President Trump's NATO Summit Agenda

NATO Submarine Summit in the Netherlands

President Trump is en route to the NATO submarine summit in The Hague, Netherlands, with a focused agenda aimed at strengthening the alliance.

• Peter Ducey reports at [00:59] that Trump intends to push NATO countries to revitalize their supply chains to ensure the uninterrupted production of weapons, emphasizing the importance of self-sufficiency within the alliance [01:05].

• Additionally, Trump is advocating for a significant increase in defense spending, proposing to elevate the contribution from the current 2% of GDP to 5% [01:14]. This move underscores his administration's commitment to bolstering NATO's collective defense capabilities.

• The host highlights potential changes to Article 5 of the NATO charter, suggesting that non-contributing countries may lose their mutual defense guarantees unless they meet the new defense spending requirements [01:24].

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3. Federal Reserve and Economic Update

Federal Reserve's Stance on Interest Rates

Shifting focus to the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell addressed a congressional hearing regarding the nation's financial trajectory.

• Powell stated at [01:24] that despite external pressures from the White House, the Federal Reserve will continue to "wait and watch the economy before considering interest rate cuts."

• He emphasized the current economic stability, noting, "the U.S. Economy is currently in a solid position. No worries on Wall Street at midday," with the Dow up by 452 points, Nasdaq ahead by 267, and the S&P 500 increasing by 58 points [01:30].

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4. Congressional Investigation into President Biden's Mental State

House Oversight Committee Interviews

A contentious political issue is unfolding as Neera Tanden, an adviser to President Biden, faces questioning in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill.

• At [02:29], Jack Callaghan reports that Tanden is being interrogated by the House Oversight Committee regarding President Biden's mental condition and allegations of a White House cover-up.

• Neera Tanden declined to answer specific questions about whether Biden officials attempted to shield the president, prompting Committee Chairman James Comer to assert at [02:53], "I think the American people want to know. I think there's a huge level of curiosity in the press corps with respect to who was actually calling the shots in the Biden administration."

• The investigation is expanding, with former aides Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams, and Annie Tomasini slated for future interviews. Democrats critique the probe as "a waste of time," arguing it lacks substantive basis [03:03].

• Rich Edson reports that the White House counsel has informed Tanden she cannot invoke executive privilege to bypass the committee's inquiries [03:14].

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5. New York City Mayoral Race

Democratic Primary Heats Up Amidst Controversy

New York City's Democratic mayoral primary is intensifying under extreme summer heat, with voters deliberating among 11 candidates [03:14].

• Andrew Cuomo, a former New York Governor seeking a political comeback, is emerging as a frontrunner. Positioned as the "moderate Democratic Choice," Cuomo aims to "restore normalcy and protect Jewish people in New York" after his resignation in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal [03:37].

• Challenging him is Zoran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist. Mamdani, who would make history as the city's first Muslim mayor, faces allegations of anti-Semitism, adding a layer of complexity to the race [03:37].

• Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is also in the race, running for re-election in November as an independent, potentially splitting the vote and influencing the election's outcome [04:13].

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6. Weather Update and Tropical Storm Andrea

Extreme Heat Across the East Coast and Midwest

Severe weather conditions are affecting large portions of the United States:

• Extended heat warnings are in place for much of the East Coast and parts of the Midwest, with cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Boston projected to experience temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit [03:14].

• New York City faces a slight relief with a forecast high of 99 degrees, amid the busy mayoral primary season [03:25].

Tropical Storm Andrea

The first named tropical storm of the season, Andrea, has formed in the Atlantic. However, current forecasts indicate that Andrea is not expected to make landfall, mitigating potential impacts on coastal regions [04:13].

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Conclusion

The Fox News Hourly Update provided a thorough overview of global tensions in the Middle East, strategic military and economic moves by the U.S. administration, ongoing political investigations, local election dynamics in New York City, and significant weather events. Notable quotes and expert insights offered listeners a nuanced understanding of each topic, ensuring they remain informed on critical national and international issues.

Transcript

[Jack Callaghan]

Still holding. I'm Jack Callaghan. Fox News. The ceasefire between Israel and Iran after a rocky start. Israel agreeing to withdraw its warplanes from Iranian airspace after a phone call from President Trump to Prime Minister Netanyahu. Iran's president says they will not break the ceasefire unless Israel does. Congress today gets a classified briefing on the U.S. airstrikes on Iran.

[General Dan Kaine]

That briefing will be by General Dan Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. After those U.S. strikes this weekend and the state of Iran's nuclear program, the bomb damage assessment is not complete. Questions remain about whether the Iranians move the 60% highly enriched uranium that could be easily converted to weapons grade material. Satellite images show at least 16 cargo trucks outside Fordo two days before the US B2 bombing strike. 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium could fit in about 10 trucks, we're told.

[Jack Callaghan]

Fox's Jennifer Griffin at the Pentagon. The president is on his way to the NATO submarine summit in the Netherlands.

[Peter Ducey]

Senior administration official tells us to expect two big things out of this short trip to the Hague. The president is going to push other NATO countries to revitalize supply chains to make sure there's never an issue making weapons. And he's going to push them to more than double defense spending from 2% GDP to 5% GDP.

[Jack Callaghan]

Fox's Peter Ducey reports the president may seek a change to Article 5 of the NATO charter to deny mutual defense to countries which aren't contributing enough to the alliance. Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell has told a congressional hearing today that despite pressure from the White House, the feds will continue to wait and watch the economy before considering interest rate cuts. He did say the US Economy is currently in a solid position. No worries on Wall street at midday, the dow is up 452 points. Nasdaq ahead 267. The S&P 500 up 58. America is listening to FOX News.

[Experian]

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[Jack Callaghan]

Adviser to President Biden being questioned in a closed door meeting on Capitol Hill today about her former boss's mental state.

[Neera Tanden]

The House Oversight Committee is interviewing Neera Tanden about President Biden's condition and whether these allegations of a cover up by White House officials are accurate. She refused to answer our questions about whether Biden officials tried shielding the president. Committee chairman James Comer says his staff is putting a lot of time into this investigation.

[James Comer]

I think the American people want to know. I think there's a huge level of curiosity in the press corps with respect to who was actually calling the shots in the Biden administration.

[Neera Tanden]

Tanden is the first of several voluntary interviews before this committee. Former aides Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Annie Tomasini are also scheduled to appear. Democrats say this investigation is just a waste of time.

[Jack Callaghan]

Fox's Rich Edson, the White House counsel's office has told Tandon she cannot invoke executive privilege to avoid answering questions. Much of the east coast, parts of the Midwest still under an extreme heat warning. Washington, D.C. philadelphia, Boston, all four cast to exceed 100 degrees today. 99 forecast for new York City where voters are picking between 11 candidates in the city's Democratic mayoral primary.

[Andrew Cuomo]

Many see this race as coming down to two candidates of the 11 and those two are former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He's seen as the moderate Democratic Choice. And then 33 year old state assemblyman Zoran Mamdani is a self described democratic socialist. Now for Cuomo, of course this would be a big time political comeback after he resigned as governor in New York in 2021 during a sexual harass scandal. Cuomo says he's the candidate to restore normalcy and protect Jewish people in New York. His 33 year old challenger, Mamdani, who would become the first Muslim New York City mayor, faces accusations of anti Semitism.

[Jack Callaghan]

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is running for re election in November as an independent. The first named tropical storm of the season has formed in the Atlantic, but Andrea not forecast to make landfall on Jack Callahan.

[James Patterson]

This is FOX News Audio presents Unsolved with James Patterson. Every crime tells a story, but some stories are left unfold finished. Somebody knows real cases, real people listen and follow [e-mail].