President Donald Trump projects an image of possible diplomacy with Iran, suggesting that a ceasefire remains within reach. However, deep within the Pentagon and the White House, his military commanders are preparing for a starkly different scenario.

Insiders from the Department of Defense have hinted at plans for a decisive strike—described as ‘the final blow’—which would involve a comprehensive air, sea, and land assault. The objective is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stabilize the global economy, and decisively quell Tehran’s defiance.

These plans are cloaked in secrecy, with the specifics and timing in constant flux. The one assurance is that any military action will be meticulously documented on camera, with the explosive footage crafted into succinct video highlights aimed at impressing the President.

While the gravity of war cannot be understated, it seems, for Trump, the high-stakes environment of campaign headquarters resembles a perpetual video game.

US Central Command is tasked not only with the intricacies of America’s expanding operations in the Middle East but also with maintaining a steady flow of dramatic content. According to informed sources, military leaders are compelled to deliver a daily dose of ‘stuff blowing up’ to satisfy their screen-fixated Commander-in-Chief.

Ever since Operation Epic Fury began one month ago with the first bombings of Iran, Trump’s workday routine has included regular sit-downs amid the oak panels and big screens of the newly renovated White House Situation Room alongside his close advisers.

There, in every session, the team is reportedly shown ‘strike montages’ which, lasting two or three minutes, feature satellite or aircraft footage of Iranian targets being pulverised into smoke and dust. Not all of them, of course. America’s warplanes and missiles have struck some 10,000 targets in the last four weeks, so there is not time to review every action. The videos are more of a highlights package.

There’s said to be a ‘written component’ to these briefings, but everybody knows that Trump is a visual creature.

According to high-level sources, the top brass must also, on a daily basis, feed screen-addicted US President Donald Trump a satisfying stream of ‘stuff blowing up’

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 17, 2026

The President also likes to talk. Before and after these regular screenings, he discusses the progress of Operation Epic Fury with everyone in the room – figures such as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan ‘Raizin’ Caine, and others. He demands feedback and advice on how best to proceed. Trump takes calls – often from reporters – in the course of these sessions. At times he puts his phone on loudspeaker to ‘workshop’ talking points with members of the war cabinet.

On Wednesday, amid suggestions that the President has been treating the Situation Room as a private cinema, the White House pushed back, attempting to deny the allegations.

Yet the claims have persisted – and with good reason, I am told even if the top secret presentations are more ‘sombre’ than the administration’s social media channels, which pump out ‘hype-videos’ combining bomb footage, memes, cartoons and pop songs. I understand there’s no musical accompaniment in the Situation Room.

Many in Washington are concerned that Trump and his team have become hooked on ‘destruction porn’ to the detriment of strategic wisdom. That all the ‘bomb-bomb-bang-bang’ footage has been warping Trump’s sense of how the war is playing out.

Some ask if the President has been shown a contrasting style of footage: the alarming evidence of Iranian missiles and drones hitting US bases across the Middle East. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejects the claim that the Commander-in-Chief is obsessed with war porn. ‘That’s an absolutely false assertion coming from someone who has not been present in the room,’ she said in a statement.

‘Anyone who has been present for conversations with President Trump knows he actively seeks and solicits the opinions of everyone in the room and expects full-throated honesty from all of his top advisers.’

But she did not deny that video briefings exist, which suggests the claims are almost certainly true.

The action, when it takes place, will be recorded on camera and the explosion-filled footage will be edited into short video compilations to play in the US Situation Room

US President Donald Trump pictured in the Situation Room of the White House on June 21, 2025

There is also a makeshift war room at the President’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, where he watched the first night of the strikes on Saturday, February 28. On weekdays, however, Trump conducts operations from Washington, making a special point to complain to anyone who will listen about negative portrayal of his war on national television. Why, he asks, does the ‘fake news’ media not show more of the magnificent carnage he’s just seen for himself?

Trump is not the first President to claim the media is failing to show America’s military success in its full patriotic splendour.

Lyndon Johnson berated Press and TV for negative coverage of the unfolding disaster in Vietnam. President George W Bush accused the media of focusing too much on car bombs in Iraq instead of his administration’s laudable efforts to rebuild the nation he’d just destroyed.

But no previous US administration has turned war into the art form promoted by Team Trump. The White House and Department of War media channels have been pumping out surreal propaganda including, for example, a video which blends real black and white scenes of targeted strikes with clips from a Nintendo Wii sports game.

One of the clips features rousing images of troops in action to the sound of Secretary Hegseth reading out a warrior prayer; another begins with him declaring ‘we negotiate with bombs’ as an ­ominous soundtrack kicks in.

TV comedians have lost no time sending up Hegseth but no satire can outdo the show on offer from The Pentagon.

At times, Trump seems confused as to what is real and what is not. Last week, speaking to a group of Kennedy Center board members, he explained he had phoned a senior military commander after watching a fake video of the USS Abraham Lincoln, the flagship aircraft carrier, in flames. ‘I called the general. I said, “General, what’s with the Abraham Lincoln, it looks like it’s burning down?’” The general apparently replied: ‘No bullet was ever fired at it, sir. They know ­better [than to do that].’

Trump particularly enjoys regaling audiences with presidential war stories. On January 2, 2020, he was watching as top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, was assassinated. Ever since, Trump has regaled guests at fundraising events with an account of the hit, saying: ‘He was saying bad things about our country… that was the last I heard from him.’

Having campaigned as the anti-war candidate, Trump has attacked Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Venezuela in his second term. Now he is now waging his biggest military campaign so far and appears to be enjoying it.

After the audacious raid on Caracas on January, when US forces seized Nicolas Maduro, Trump told anyone who’d listen that seeing the mission unfold was ‘literally like watching a TV show. If you would have seen the speed, the violence – we watched every aspect of it.’

He marvelled, again and again, at the brilliance of the soldiers taking down Venezuela’s dictator: ‘They had to go through steel doors… like it was like papier-mache… these guys blasted through every door… he got bum-rushed so fast.’

He has also taken to making ‘bing bing’ noises in Press conferences as he describes the action.

Even among Republicans, there is deep disquiet. Yesterday it was reported that senior figures had stormed out of a secret Iran briefing on Wednesday, claiming to have been ‘misled’ about the administration’s true objectives.

With the mid-term election ­campaigns grinding into action, the fear among growing numbers of his fellow Americans – including parts of his MAGA base – is that the 47th President has lost touch with reality.

And that, sitting in the comfort of the Situation Room with some of his close supporters, he might find the idea of watching US troops in action just a little too exciting to resist.

• Freddy Gray is deputy editor of The Spectator.

During Friday’s match between the Lakers and the Nets at Crypto.com Arena, fans noticed the absence of a familiar resonant voice.

The team announced that Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers’ veteran public address announcer, was not present as he is recuperating from a health issue.

In his stead, Jason Barquero took over the announcing duties.

“The entire Lakers family extends their best wishes to Lawrence for a swift recovery,” the Lakers stated, “and we eagerly anticipate his return.”

At 76, Tanter has been the voice of the Lakers since the 1982-83 season.

Lakers broadcast analyst Stu Lantz also wasn’t at Friday’s game because he was under the weather, with five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher filling in for Lantz.

A Chicago police officer, who also served as a security guard at a local school, has been placed on leave, according to official statements released on Friday.

In a communication to the families, the principal of Sullivan High School, located in Rogers Park, announced that the officer was removed from his position as a part-time security guard last month.

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The officer is under investigation for allegedly “engaging inappropriately with students,” as stated by school authorities. The investigation is being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General.

Families and students affected by these allegations have been informed about the situation.

The Chicago Police Department also verified on Friday that the officer had his police powers suspended last month, although the reason for this action has not been disclosed.

Chicago Public Schools issued a statement, saying “Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is committed to the safety and well-being of our students and takes seriously all allegations of employee misconduct. CPS investigates and addresses all complaints in accordance with District policies and procedures to foster safe and secure learning environments in all schools. In accordance with privacy laws, the District does not comment on ongoing investigations or personnel matters.”

No further information was available.

A driver in Northern California found himself under arrest on DUI charges after authorities discovered him unconscious behind the wheel of his self-driving vehicle, which was still navigating through bustling city streets.

The unsettling incident took place shortly after 11 a.m. on a Wednesday in Vacaville, a city located about 35 miles southwest of Sacramento. The Vacaville Police Department reported that a vigilant resident called 911 to alert them about a driver who seemed to be dozing off.

Compounding the issue, police noted that the car had not come to a stop.

According to authorities, the vehicle continued to move through traffic, posing a significant threat to other motorists. The caller remained on the line, offering continuous updates that enabled officers to locate the car and safely halt it near the intersection of Elmira Road and Shasta Drive.

Vacaville Police reported that a driver was found unconscious while his car proceeded through the streets. (Vacaville Police Department)

Photos shared by the Vacaville Police Department show the driver leaned back in the seat, apparently asleep, as the vehicle sat in traffic.

But it’s what officers found inside the car that quickly raised red flags.

Items found inside the vehicle — including an open box of wine, a bottle and takeout food — after Vacaville police stopped a suspected drunken driver. (Vacaville Police Department)

Images released by the department show an open box of wine, a partially consumed bottle and takeout food scattered across the passenger seat, along with other loose items inside the vehicle.

Investigators say they determined the driver was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Police also drew strong reactions on social media after sharing images from the incident.

Vacaville Police Department officers responded to a dangerous alleged DUI incident involving a driver found unconscious behind the wheel. (Vacaville Police Department)

“That time when his vehicle had more situational awareness than he did,” one commenter wrote.

Others praised both the caller and responding officers for preventing a potentially dangerous crash.

“Glad no one was hurt. Great job of getting this guy off the road,” another user added.

The Vacaville Police Department noted that while newer vehicles may include assistive driving features, those systems are no substitute for a sober, alert driver.

Police also credited the quick-thinking caller for helping prevent what could have turned into a serious crash.

“Your calls help make our streets safer,” the department said.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.