Trump's Counterterrorism Chief Quits Over Iran Strikes

0:00From the Daily News Now Network, this is Sydney News Today. President Donald Trump is dealing with a resignation from his top counterterrorism official amid the ongoing Middle East War. Joe Ken, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, quit on Tuesday. He said he could not support the U.S. strikes on Iran in good conscience, claiming Iran posed no imminent threat and at the conflict stem from, outside pressures. President Trump quickly dismissed Ken, calling him weak on security and saying anyone who disagrees on the Iran threat has no place in his administration. The White House stressed that Trump acted on strong evidence Iran planned to attack the United States first. Kent brings a strong military background to the role. A former Green Beret with 11 combat deployments, he later worked for the CIA. He lost his first wife, a Navy cryptologist, to a suicide bomber in Syria in 2019, which turned him against endless foreign interventions. Trump appointed him in 2024, despite past links to far-right groups.

1:00This move highlights a deepening split among Republicans over U.S. involvement in Iran. Trump built his movement on promises of no new wars and focusing on America first, but now faces pushback from isolation as voices in his own party. Meanwhile, the political fallout is growing. Trump's approval ratings have slipped into negative territory, with even less support for the military action than in past conflicts. Republicans back in more than Democrats, but war fears could drive up fuel and grocery prices right before the midterms. The Daily News Now is grateful to our sponsor for today's episode. Comfort, you can hear, sound you can relax into, S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com.