Here are your Tuesday, June 24, 2025, headline updates:

Israel-Iran War

• President Trump helped announce a phased ceasefire after weeks of nonstop fighting earlier today.
• Israel is supposed to cool its jets at noon and Iran at midnight ET.
• No one seems to be paying attention to the clock. Iran already fired missiles toward Beersheba, and Israeli jets countered by hitting Tehran and a U.S. base in Qatar.
• Tehran claims there was never an agreement, insisting it will not stop firing rockets first.
• Rising civilian casualties are spooking the world. Senator Durbin says the U.S. is on the brink of a wider war and warns Congress has not signed off.

Democrats & Sanctuary States

• Trump’s White House is preparing mass deportation operations in big blue cities.
• New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston are already on edge.
• Minnesota Governor Walz pushes back, saying his state’s sanctuary rules follow federal law even as the White House threatens raids.

1,200 Iranian Illegal Migrants

• Between 2021 and early 2024, about 729 Iranian nationals were released inside the United States, and officials think around 1,200 more may be here illegally.
• AG Pam Bondi says the DOJ is on “high alert” while they track them down.

Real Estate & Mortgage Market

• Mortgage money for a typical 30-year loan costs about 6.8 percent today, giving buyers some breathing room compared to the highs of a few weeks ago.
• Available homes now top 959,000, roughly the most the market has seen in five years.
• Sellers outnumber interested buyers by a hefty 34 percent.
• The median sale price has slipped roughly 5 percent since late 2022, so houses aren’t as pricey as they once seemed, even though many still feel out of reach.
• Monthly payments still sting because mortgage rates are high, real wages only increase, and most experts say affordability remains deeply pinched.
• Average U.S. households now bring in between $75,000 and $80,000 annually.
• Yet, a hefty slice of that paycheck still vanishes into rent or mortgage checks.

Business & Economy

• Prices on everyday goods are inching down, yet the Federal Reserve keeps its benchmark rate on hold, and insiders like FHFAs Bill Pulte blame that for the thin supply of homes.
• Economists expect the central bank to trim rates- no more than two 25-basis-point cuts, probably in 2025- which may nudge future mortgages down to the 6.4 to 6.5 range.

Trump’s Tax Proposals & IRS Plans

• Donald Trump is considering scrapping the federal income tax for anyone earning less than $150,000 and even winding down the IRS.
• However, nobody has spelled out how the government would pick up the tab.
• Lots of lawyers keep saying the IRS isn’t going anywhere.
• Former President Trump talks big, yet he never promises to cut payroll taxes or shrink government spending.
• That makes a true agency repeal pretty far-fetched.

Movement to Abolish Property Taxes

• Fresh GOP pushes are popping up from Wyoming to North Dakota.
• Lawmakers in states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan now want voters to scrap property taxes and lean on sales or other levies.
• Skeptics point out the math. Ohio, for instance, could lose $13 billion a year, and school districts, fire departments, and local roads would start to feel the pinch immediately.

Kash Patel, Dan Bongino & Pam Bondi

• A campaign group linked to Trump is blasting FBI boss Kash Patel and Deputy Director Bongino, calling them slow on alleged deep-state cover-ups.
• Bongino, however, keeps waving good news.
• The Bureau snatched 449 sex predators and rescued 224 kids just in the first quarter.
• Meanwhile, Pam Bondi, who used to be attorney general, is grilling witnesses about Iranian migrants at oversight hearings.
• Some online critics nickname the trio the Three Stooges.
• Fans say they’re the only ones pushing hard on Epstein, QAnon, and the rest.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

• Senator Durbin blasted Trump for nearly starting a wider war with Iran, saying the strikes bypassed Congress and smelled of reckless brinkmanship.
• He later criticized the president’s tariff ideas, calling them a recipe for higher prices and urging lawmakers to curb executive power before it gets out of hand.

Gold, Silver, and Precious Metals Market

• Precious metals are seeing some volatility.
• Gold prices dropped to approximately $3,303 per ounce, down nearly 2% from Monday.
• Silver also declined, now priced at around $35.64 per ounce.
• Analysts attribute the dip to a temporary return of risk appetite in the stock markets and expectations that interest rates may fall later this year.
• Platinum rose slightly to about $1,299 per ounce, while palladium fell to $1,060.
• Many investors view precious metals as a hedge against economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability, especially given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Iran Dilemma

During President Biden’s time in office, U.S. immigration authorities quietly freed 729 Iranian nationals. Critics of the move say releasing those individuals raises alarms about possible terrorism on American soil.

Mortgage Rates Overview

Freddie Mac’s weekly update shows average mortgage rates inching back toward 8 percent. For homebuyers, the monthly payment calculator suddenly feels like it has a higher gear.

Buying Now? Compass Thinks So

In a fresh report, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin urges first-time buyers to jump into the housing market today. He cites steady demand, stubbornly low inventory, and the belief that home values won’t dip much longer.

Middle East Ceasefire

Former President Donald Trump has just announced a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Eased military tension in the region could cool off oil prices.

Fed Rate-Cut Frustration

Trump-loyal officials like his one-time housing chief, Mark Calabria, are blasting the Federal Reserve for its slow pace on interest rate cuts. They argue that hesitation keeps too many homes unsold and prices out of reach.

No Income Tax Pitch

Trump is waving a bold tax banner: Americans earning under $150,000 would pay no income tax. The proposal is just as other politicians fret over an inflation-raised tax bracket.

Property Tax Votes Ahead

Ballots in several U.S. states will let voters trim or axe their local property tax bills this fall. Homeowners are already dreaming of what a small tax break could mean for next year’s back-to-school budget.

Legislative Tax Backlash

Illinois lawmakers have begun promoting the idea of scrapping property taxes altogether, claiming the legislature itself clogged up the funding system. The debate feels more like a family quarrel than a public policy session.

FBI Fallout

Inside the GOP, former Trump aides are now taking swipes at FBI officials like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, and trust has leaked out of the room.

Child Predator Crackdown

Bongino himself has just touted an FBI operation that nabbed 449 child predators and saved over 220 missing kids in three months. Such numbers are hard to argue with, even from a partisan distance.

DOJ Iran Watch

The Justice Department is on high alert for Iranian nationals who may have overstayed visas or crossed borders illegally. Officials say each unaccounted-for individual represents a potential headache.

Tariff Buzz

Senator Dick Durbin is warning that any new tariffs Trump hints at could slam consumers with higher prices on basic goods. Import taxes have a funny way of landing first in checkout aisles.

Tightening Gold and Silver

Gold is still flirting with the $3,300 mark, while silver stubbornly hovers around $36 per ounce. Traders link the bug-in-a-bottle precious metals with inflation fears and geopolitical anxiety rather than sticker-shock jewelry purchases.

Market Commons

Graphs from Trading Economics and Kitco show precious metal prices drifting in a narrow channel, neither falling off nor erupting higher. Analysts read that as a sign of jittery investors standing pat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OGuSnScQTM