And what about those unreleased Epstein files?
You can stop ducking and covering for now. Politico’s landing page this morning announces “World exhales — a little — as US, Iran agree to ceasefire.” It’s a two-week ceasefire in the illegal war Donald Trump threatened on Sunday to turn into civilizational genocide. Two weeks? That’s enough time to roll out the “terrific,” “phenomenal” and “fantastic” new health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act he’s been promising in two weeks since taking office in January 2017.
It’s also enough time for Trump’s accelerating mental decline to worsen. Or for him to attack Cuba.
The New York Times summarizes the latest:
The United States and Iran announced a two-week cease-fire and plans to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday evening, hours before a deadline set by President Trump, who had threatened to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” unless it allowed free transit through the vital waterway.
The agreement, brokered by Pakistan, was hailed as a victory by both sides. Mr. Trump said a 10-point plan from Iran was a “workable basis on which to negotiate” a lasting end to the war, after demanding Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” for weeks. Iranian officials were triumphant, with Mohammad Reza Aref, the country’s first vice president, saying on social media that “the era of Iran” had begun after Trump failed to destroy the Islamic Republic’s government. Iran also said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open while negotiations took place.
As for Europeans giving the United States of Trump serious side-eye, Politico quotes an unnamed official who referenced Trump Always Chickens Out:
“Better TACO Tuesday than World War III,” said one European official, nodding to Trump backing off his threats to wipe out Iran’s civilization if it didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, hoped the pause could allow for an eventual negotiated end to the war.
It’s a carnival of chaos this morning, and too much to summarize.
Secretary of WAR! Pete Hegseth just completed a press conference focused heavily on how many bombs the U.S. dropped and on a partial list of targets hit with no clearer definition of U.S. strategic aims:
“You’re trying to define victory by how many people you killed,” said Vali Nasr, an Iranian expert at Johns Hopkins University. “Its [sic] like a doctor who says, ‘I have a really sharp scalpel.’”
Why are we bombing Iran exactly? We still don’t know. But “Hegseth just called President Trump ‘a president of peace.’”
The question remains: What will Trump do when in the interim demands renew for a full release of the Epstein files? He’ll need another flashy distraction.
Also, “Gas prices could take months to fall significantly,” reports The Washington Post. So plan now for that $5/gallon staycation.