Peace Out

Former Presidents Biden, Obama, George W. Bush and Clinton (as well as former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton) were among attendees of the Grand Opening Ceremony at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago Thursday. Not invited: President Trump, Vanilla Ice.

•Our contributing pundits offer short takes on the US-Iran MOU in our Right and Left columns. Also do not miss Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s detailed analysis/commentary in The Gray Area.

JUNETEENTH 2026

UPDATE: Ceasefire in Lebanon -- Israeli Defense Force spokesman Brigadier Gen. Effie Defrin confirms in a statement that Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah are in a ceasefire (per BBC). "We are in a ceasefire," Defrin's statement says. "The IDF is prepared to continue fighting if called upon to do so."

Vance Grounded – Oil tankers have begun moving through the Strait of Hormuz, but potential fall-guy Vice President JD Vance has called off his Friday trip to Lucerne, Switzerland, to meet with Iran’s negotiators, The New York Times reports. Key issue for those talks during the 60-day ceasefire MOU signed by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities, often stated as the reason the Trump administration with Israel started the war in late-February.

“If it works out, I’m taking the credit,” Trump said to reporters about the since-delayed negotiations in Switzerland (per NPR’s Morning Edition). “If not, I’m blaming you, JD. You’d better watch out.”

Or Trump could blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said ahead of the signing that Israel would not withdraw from Lebanon, one of the key Iranian demands in negotiation of the MOU.

Friday Lebanon’s National News Agency reported at least 16 Lebanese were killed by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon (per The Guardian), while Hezbollah reported it sees intense fighting there and Netanyahu said Israeli Defense Forces will stay “for as long as necessary.” A four-soldier IDF tank crew, including a battalion chief, was killed by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, The Times of Israel reports.

Analysis by a Haaretz journalist called the MOU “an incredibly bad document” from an Israeli standpoint.

It might be an incredibly bad document from Vice President Vance’s point of view, as well.

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At Least the Strait is Open – Fuel prices continue to drop, with the national average for a gallon of unleaded regular at $3.973 Friday, the AAA reports. That’s 2.6 cents less than Thursday and just 99.8 cents higher than February 28. Diesel is down 3.4 cents to $5.095, up $1.28 from late February. – TL

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THURSDAY 6/18/26

Crux of the MOU – President Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the peace deal, or memorandum of understanding, or 60-day ceasefire, Wednesday. Trump signed at the Palace of Versailles where he enjoyed an elegant state dinner with French President Emmanual Macron, after the G7 summit. Pezeshkian presumably signed in Tehran.

Israel is delegated to one of the US’ allies in the opening paragraph of the memorandum of understanding triggering a 60-day (“permanent”?) ceasefire between the US and Iran.

“The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war by signing this MOU declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operations against each other, and to refrain [from] the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts including Lebanon, and other provisions of this paragraph.” [Via The New York Times.]

That unnamed ally, formerly known as the co-sponsor of the 15-week war on Iran with the United States, might not be on-board, according to The Times of Israel, which scoops Thursday that “Israel is not backing down on keeping troops in southern Lebanon …” Officials close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say Israel is holding “stubborn” talks with the US on the matter.

Is Netanyahu getting the US stuck in the sort of quagmire Trump promised to avoid?

6-7 … Paragraph six of the MOU develops “a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development” of Iran, to be finalized within 60 days, which sounds suspiciously like another attempt to develop luxury seaside resorts, as floated by the Trump administration in Israel’s war on Gaza last year, or the Jared Kushner/Ivanka Trump plan to develop an island off the coast of Albania.

Paragraph seven terminates “all types of sanctions against Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions and IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] Board of Governors resolutions and unilateral US sanctions.” (Hat tip to Military Times.)

Nukes in 8 … “Iran reaffirms that it shall not pursue or develop nuclear weapons” and the US and Iran “have agreed to resolve disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon” in paragraph seven.

The MOU “sidesteps” the reasons the Trump administration went into Iran, The Wall Street Journal reports in its analysis, and “makes no demands on Tehran over its militias or huge arsenal of missiles.”

Trump 45’s vice president, Mike Pence, says the deal “smacked of appeasement,” the BBC reports.

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No Appeasement Here – The Federal Open Market Committee under new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh voted to keep interest rates steady Wednesday, in the 3.5% to 3.75% range. Not what President Trump wanted from his hand-picked chairman, but perhaps what he was asking for with a jump in inflation to 4.2% thanks mostly to the war on Iran.

Unless that Consumer Price Index number comes down quickly, you can expect a likely rate hike or two in the second half of the year. Eight FOMC members anonymously project the Fed will hold that interest rate range, but nine see room for an increase while only one of the members sees room to cut, USA Today reports.

•••

Less Than $4 – With the signing of the US-Iran MOU/peace deal, the national average price of a gallon of unleaded regular has dropped to $3.999 Thursday, down 2.6 cents from Wednesday and up $1.024 from February 28. Diesel is down 3.3 cents to $5.129 per gallon, up $1.314 from late February. – Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 6/18/26

War Goes to ‘15’

More comments on the US-Israeli war on Iran in right and left columns, from contributing pundits to The Hustings. To add your voice, email editors@thehustings.news and please indicate whether you lean right or left in the subject line.

Eight-Week Timeline is Achievable -- The US and Israeli military are performing magnificently – “about a 15” on a scale of 10, according to President Trump. Secretary of War Hegseth’s eight-week timeline seems achievable, given the decisive strikes that have crippled Iran’s nuclear sites and proxy networks. This preemptive action wasn’t about regime change or bowing to Benjamin Netanyahu, but about preventing future threats from a regime bent on nuclear armament and exporting terror. As a result of Operation Epic Fury, the Iranian people themselves – along with those living under constant threat across the Middle East – will be far safer. A short campaign to restore deterrence, without endless entanglement, safeguards America ... and it was long overdue. –Rich Corbett

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CITIZEN PUNDITS -- You are invited to our first in the Debate & Donuts Series, Talking With, Not At: “Has the Trump economy made life more affordable for Americans?” at The Allen Theatre & Salamander Bookstore Café in Annville Township, Pennsylvania, next Wednesday, March 11. EMAIL us at editors@thehustings.news to confirm your attendance. It’s free and open to the public as audience members or participants in the debate. --Editors

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FRIDAY 3/6/26

One Year In Moscow Jail for Reporter Doing His Job

[March 29 marks one year since Evan Gershkovich, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and detained on allegations of espionage. Gershkovich, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny the charges.]

PASSOVER/EASTER 2024

Twenty-Five for SBF -- FTX cryptocurrency exchange king Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for stealing billions of dollars from customers (per The New York Times). The sentence was about half of the 40 to 50 years sought by federal prosecutors, but also far longer than the six-and-a-half years his defense attorneys sought. But it could have been worse: The fraud, conspiracy and money laundering charges for which SBF, 32, was found guilty carry a maximum penalty of 110 years.

SBF apologized before being sentenced, but Judge Lewis Kaplan, handing down the sentence in Federal District Court in Manhattan said; "He knew it was wrong. He knew it was criminal."

Lessons learned?: Er, no. Cryptocurrency values have skyrocketed in recent weeks. The political connection is that many proponents see cryptocurrency as a libertarian alternative to government currencies.

•••

Ban NBC News? -- The Republican National Committee may ban NBC News from the GOP convention in Milwaukee this summer over its decision to drop former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor, Politico reports. "We are taking a hard look at what this means for NBC's participation at the convention," RNC and Trump campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez said. Several prominent NBC News and MSNBC personalities objected to news last week that NBC had hired McDaniel as a paid pundit after Trump's party replaced her with Michael Whatley and Lara Trump.

•••

Joseph Lieberman – The moderate’s moderate who became the first Jewish candidate on a major-party presidential ticket, Joseph I. Lieberman, died Wednesday in Manhattan. He was 82. The cause was complications of a fall, according to a statement released by his family (per The New York Times).

Lieberman served the U.S. Senate for Connecticut from 1989 to 2013 and was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 presidential election, coming within a few hundred Florida ballot chads from becoming vice president. Lieberman had served his first three Senate terms as a Democrat but lost his party’s primary in 2006 and went on to win the general election as an independent.

In 2008, Lieberman endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain (AZ) over Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (IL) for the presidential election and was vetted as a potential running mate for McCain. Pushed by Republican leaders, McCain instead chose Sarah Palin, the hard-right governor of Alaska and harbinger for the Tea Party movement on Capitol Hill two years later. Lieberman endorsed no one in the 2012 presidential race and he did not run for a fifth Senate term, instead retiring in 2013, but he supported Democrats Hilary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.

•••

How to Apply for an RNC Job -- Imagine you're a recent college grad with a poli sci major, or even a grizzled veteran of political campaigns and you're looking for a new job. Say you're a Reagan Republican, or if you're one of those freshly minted college grads, maybe a Bush or Romney or McCain Republican.

Apply to the Republican National Committee -- a potential plumb in a presidential election year. You had better lie if you want the job.

That's the word from "people familiar" with RNC interviews following Donald J. Trump's ordered purge of Ronna McDaniel (who can't keep a new job herself -- see right column) with North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley and daughter-in-law Lara Trump, have told The Washington Post.

"Those seeking employment" by the RNC "have been asked in job interviews if they believe the 2020 election was stolen," the sources said, "making the false claim a litmus test, of sorts, for hiring."

RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez would not deny the WaPo report, according to a follow-up by The Guardian. "We want experienced staff with meaningful views on how elections are won and lost and real experience-based opinions about what happens in the trenches.

Be sure to update your CV.

•••

Mifepristone Appears Safe -- A majority of Supreme Court justices appeared ready to throw out a challenge to the FDA's expansion of the availability of mifepristone, a drug used in medicated abortions. Justices, including Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett challenged individual doctors and doctors' groups have "standing" in the case during about 90 minutes of oral arguments Tuesday, Amy Howe writes in SCOTUSblog. Elizabeth Prelogar, the U.S. solicitor general, argued that doctors must show they face "imminent harm" before their lawsuit could go forward. Beside potentially limiting access to mifepristone -- which the FDA expanded from 2016 to 2021 -- a finding for the plaintiffs would potentially limit the authority of such federal agencies as the FDA.

•••

Abortion Drug on Trial – The Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a case in which a group of doctors opposed to abortion are challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approval more than 25 years ago of mifepristone, a drug used in medicated abortions, per SCOTUSblog. As NPR’s Nina Totenburg put it in Morning Edition, “You might call this ‘daughter of Dobbs.’”

The case’s outcome could determine women’s access to the abortion drug, even in states in which abortion is still legal after SCOTUS’ decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago.

•••

Netanyahu Cancels – The Biden administration made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week it would abstain, rather than vote for, a United Nations’ resolution passed Monday that calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. A single vote by the U.S. would have automatically vetoed the resolution.

But Netanyahu immediately cancelled a high-level delegation’s trip to Washington the White House had specifically requested in a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu last week, according to The Washington Post.

The Biden administration wants Israel to call off a planned military operation in Rafah, a high-density city whose citizens already are reported to be suffering severe starvation.

The cancelled visit is “surprising and unfortunate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

--TL

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Big Day for DJT

MONDAY 3/25/24

UPDATE: Trump Wins One, Loses One -- On Monday, a five-judge appellate court gave Donald J. Trump 10 days to post $175 million in lieu of a $454 million bond heretofore due today while he appeals his civil fine in the New York state real estate fraud case, The New York Times reports. But Judge Juan Merchan refused to grant Trump a delay in his case involving hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels. That trial is scheduled to begin April 15. Still.

In Court – Donald J. Trump was to appear in a Manhattan courtroom Monday to try and put up yet another delay in yet another of his trials. This is the one in which Trump allegedly tried to cover up a sex scandal with porn star Stormy Daniels just prior to his 2016 Electoral College victory over Hilary Clinton with money funneled to her via his former fixer/personal attorney Michael Cohen. The Monday hearing is to finalize a trial date of April 15, The New York Times reports.

In Westchester County – The former president’s grace period to pay a $454 million fine for his New York state civil judgment in a fraud case over the valuation of Donald J. Trump’s properties ended Monday after his attorneys said posting a bond for that amount is “virtually impossible.” Attorney Gen. Letitia James has laid the groundwork for seizing assets, beginning with one of Trump’s properties in Westchester County, according to The Wall Street Journal. James also could go after Trump’s accounts at financial institutions, says the report.

•••

Putin Propaganda – The Kremlin has continued to try and shift blame for a terrorist attack on a concert venue last Friday that has left at least 137 dead and 180 injured to Ukraine, despite ISIS-K – the Islamic State in Khorasan – having claimed responsibility. Kyiv has adamantly denied any connection. Photos are circulating of the four suspects arrested displaying signs they have been tortured. According to the NYT, ISIS-K is active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, with sights set “on Europe and beyond.”

•••

Russian Hits on Ukraine -- With U.S. Congress continuing to put off renewed military aid to Ukraine in deference to the MAGA minorities in both chambers, Russian military dropped ballistic missiles on the Security Service (SBU), Ukraine’s main intelligence and security agency, the Kyiv Post reports. Overnight drone attacks hit two power substations in Ukraine’s southern region.

Empty Hill: The Senate is out until Monday, April 8, and the House doesn’t return until the next day, April 9.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news