It's Not a TACO.  It's a Surrender.  —  Iran 1, Trump 0  —  William Kristol, Andrew Egger, and Jim Swift  —  Well, that was all pretty dumb, wasn't it?  Happy Wednesday.  —  Trump Surrenders  —  I'm old enough to remember when President Trump assured us, “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

Iran demands fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire  —  Country's oil exporters' union says toll to be paid in cryptocurrency and vessels monitored for weapons  —  Iran will demand that shipping companies pay tolls in cryptocurrency for oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz …

Hezbollah pauses attacks under US-Iran ceasefire, sources close to group say  —  Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, killing more than 250 people on Wednesday even as the Iran-aligned group paused its attacks under a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Pam Bondi Backs Out Of Deposition On Jeffrey Epstein  —  DOJ claims the former U.S. attorney general can just ignore a House committee's subpoena because she's not in the job anymore.  —  WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is backing out of a deposition scheduled for later …

‘A wow moment’: Democrats' election hot streak goes scorching … “It's a wow moment in Wisconsin politics,” said former Republican strategist Brandon Scholz, who left the party in 2021.  “Republicans ought to be sitting down tonight and going, 'Okay, we just screwed up another race.

After pager attack on Hezbollah, Hungary offered help to Iran  —  Revelations about a 2024 call offering aid raise questions about Hungary's ties to Iran as the Trump administration is supporting Prime Minister Viktor Orban for reelection.  —  Soon after the deadly Israeli attack …

Ignorance and Ignominy  —  So the world's greatest military power went to war with a poor, medievalist theocracy.  It was an incredibly uneven match.  Here's are the GDPs of Iran and the United States in 2024:  —  Yet Iran won.  The Iranian regime has emerged far stronger than it was before …

Stung by Voters, Republican Legislators Move to Curb Citizen Initiatives  —  After citizens in Republican states used ballot measures to protect abortion, expand Medicaid and raise the minimum wage, statehouses are moving to make such initiatives much harder.

Long Island architect Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to murdering 7 women and admits he killed another  —  A Long Island architect who led a secret life as a serial killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings.

Trump Just Fed America a Sh*t Sandwich  —  Understanding Trump's ceasefire/surrender—and what comes next.  —  ∙ Paid  —  1. Told You So  —  We have a bunch of contradictions to keep in our heads today and it's not going to be fun.  But first I want to underline the value proposition …

Crazed homeless man accused of slaughtering Iryna Zarutska on train found incompetent to stand trial  —  The deranged homeless man accused of savagely butchering Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte light rail train has been found “incapable to proceed” on state murder charges.

The Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo XIV's Ambassador With the Avignon Papacy  —  The Free Press has documented a closed-door Pentagon meeting in which a senior Trump official lectured Pope Leo XIV's ambassador on American military supremacy.  —  ∙ Paid … Make A One-Time Gift to Support My Work

Trump administration personnel agency is asking for federal workers' medical records  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families.

Trump appointee Ed Martin claims executive privilege in bid to evade misconduct charges  —  Ed Martin, the hardline MAGA Republican serving as President Donald Trump's pardon attorney, is attempting to claim executive privilege in a bid to evade misconduct charges from attorney ethics regulators in Washington, D.C.

Kremlin Hotline: How Hungary Coordinates With Russia Blocking Ukraine From the EU  — Budapest systematically weaponized the issue of Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine to stall EU accession negotiations.  — Péter Szijjártó offered Sergey Lavrov to send EU documents through the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow.

Trump Weighs Punishing Certain NATO Countries Over Lack of Iran War Support  —  U.S. troops could be shifted toward alliance members in president's good graces  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is considering a plan to punish some members of the NATO alliance that he believes …