Iran Diplomacy. Guess Who’s Donald Trump’s New Congressperson? Jaw-dropping Response to Sheridan Gorman’s Death. Advice to Delta: Cut Another Perk. More
“The Fog of Diplomacy in Iran” is a Wall Street Journal editorial headline that perfectly captures the current moment. The editors write:
Diplomacy has reared its head in the Iran war, and both sides have their reasons. As the U.S. weighs taking the time and risk to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, the Iranian regime must weigh whether it can risk losing that trump card—and bearing attacks for however long the Hormuz action extends the war.
Mr. Trump’s incentive is to calm markets with news of diplomatic progress. The regime’s incentive is to deny, deny, deny and keep markets roiled. In that sense Mr. Trump won this bout, driving a steep decline in the price of oil on Monday. This is what he does—offer relief as the trading week begins and bring the pain as it ends. The new deadline to ward off escalation is Friday, when some 2,200 Marines are due to arrive in the region. …
But we trust [President Trump] knows that giving in to the regime now would leave an Iranian gun to the world’s head, a proven veto on energy flows. The world—read: China and Russia—might conclude he couldn’t tolerate the political pressure at home from high oil prices.
Who’s left alive to negotiate for Iran? Seems to be Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Or is it parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, described as a “wannabe strongman”? Guess who’s “balking” at President Trump’s peace overtures to Iran? Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., proving that it’s never a good idea to bomb your neighbors at the precise moment you need friends. Both are said to be “edging” towards joining the war against Iran.
It’s not just diplomacy that’s foggy. There is talk of “boots on the ground” to seize Kharg Island, while Army paratroopers are ordered to the Middle East. Oil prices were down and the market up early this morning—that can always change—as Iran signaled that “non-hostile” ships can pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Writing at The Free Press, Niall Ferguson was bracing for a recession yesterday because of Iran’s choking global energy supplies. Writing at the D.C. Examiner, David Harsani addresses the off-ramp we’ve been hearing so much about:
A popular talking point among left-wing punditry maintains that Trump is seeking an off-ramp for his allegedly unpopular and failed war that looks exactly like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the deal Obama struck with the mullahs years ago, which the president ripped up in 2018. That’s clearly untrue. …
The Obama deal, however, was worse than nothing because it gave the regime protection from Israeli strikes. The clerics could act with impunity, benefitting from sanctions relief — not to mention, more ransom payments from Democratic presidents — all the while funding their destabilizing proxy armies, building a ballistic shield, and shrinking the breakout time for large-scale enrichment and nuke weaponization to months or weeks.
Meanwhile, Ms. Must wonders if New York Times columnist Bret Stephens is being shunned at the watercooler for a column headlined “The War Is Going Better Than You Think.”
Politics are foggy, too. “Are Republicans Trying to Lose the Midterms?” Daniel McCarthy asked yesterday at the London Spectator, and today a big story is that Democrats have flipped a Republican House seat in a special election in Florida—and yep, the district includes Mar-a-Lago:
Democrat Emily Gregory won the special election to represent a Florida state House district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on Tuesday, according to Associated Press projections, a stunning upset that signals Democratic momentum ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Gregory, a first-time candidate and fitness business owner, defeated Jon Maples, a Republican endorsed by Trump and aligned with his policies. Mike Caruso, the Republican who vacated the seat to become Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller, won the district by 19 percentage points in 2024.
Gregory’s campaign focused more on local issues, such as education and the cost of living in Florida, than on the national political climate, despite running to represent the president’s home district.
President Trump and the RNC are eyeing Dallas as the site of an unusual midterm convention. The President is a genius at this sort of thing, but it’s hard to think that the war and price of groceries won’t be much more crucial than branding. The administration’s DEI wins might be extremely significant.
Speaking of DEI … UCLA was forced to cancel a debate among California’s gubernatorial candidates only 24 hours before it was set to start. Thank Heavens they had a good reason! Matt Vespa of Townhall reports:
You read the headline and expect a series of shocking news. I mean, a gubernatorial debate in California at the University of Southern California was canceled less than 24 hours before it was scheduled. Was it a bomb threat? We are under increased threat of terror attacks because of Operation Epic Fury. Were there any electrical problems? Nope. It was shut down for the most California reason ever: there were too many white people (via NYT).
James Freeman refers to the debate cancelation as “California’s Democratic Crack-Up.”
In protest of the partial government shutdown that is leaving TSA agents without paychecks, Delta Air Lines has suspended special perks for members of Congress. Reading the story, however, I don’t think Delta rescinded the main perk—that of avoiding getting in line with us plebs. Advice to Delta: that’s the one to halt.
But there’s an even more radical proposal than congresspersons standing in line that is being put forward in an editorial at the New York Post. “How to Stop Politicians from Hijacking Americans’ Air Travel” is the very pleasing headline on a very pleasing suggestion:
America doesn’t have to suffer whenever Democrats — or Republicans — decide to hold airline passengers hostage with a government shutdown that inevitably leads to hours-long TSA lines.
One easy fix is to privatize airport security, as it already is at multiple hubs.
If agents aren’t federal employees, they’ll still get paid during a government shutdown, so won’t skip shifts and produce those monster lines as much as five hours long.
“In Sanctuary Cities, American Lives Don’t Matter” is the headline on a piece by Brian Longergan in Chronicles. The article featured a picture of Sheridan Gorman, a Chicago student who was allegedly murdered by an illegal alien, and whose death was dismissed by a Chicago politician as Sheridan’s having been “in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”
The New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming comments on “the left’s jaw-dropping” response to Sheridan’s death:
If ever there was someone in the wrong place, it was the alleged murderer, Jose Medina-Medina. According to DHS, he is an illegal alien from Venezuela who (shocker) came in under President Joe Biden’s open borders in May 2023. That same year, he was picked up for shoplifting at Macy’s but never showed up for his court date.
Watergate was the noontide for American journalism. What might be dubbed Watergate II, however, has been scarcely reported by the lethargic legacy media. So, it was good to read The Federalist’s Margo Cleveland’s congressional testimony on former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s “lawfare team” that took a very special interest in President Trump.
“Welcome Back, Christopher Columbus,” writes Rich Lowry in response to the return of a battered statue of the explorer (“What Columbus pulled off was the equivalent, in today’s terms, of traveling to Mars in a jerry-rigged spacecraft”) to a place of honor in front of the Old Executive Office Building.
Ms. Must has been very snobbish about the new FX opus, “Love Story,” about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. But “The Prince of New York,” at City Journal makes a good case for story, reminding us of a glam time in New York, which now seems like a lost age, and arguing that JFK Jr. left a legacy.
Inspiring Story of the Day: “Corgi Leads Canine ‘Great Escape from Chinese Butcher’s Van.’” Don’t miss video of the 10-mile journey home led by the short-legged hero Corgi.
