Flotsam and Jetsam - Iran to Trump: Let's Make a Deal

But first, from Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, US Pounds Kharg Island Ahead of Trump's Deadline; Update: Fractures? just to get their attention. At Insty, VodkaPundit thinks MOST INDICATIONS ARE THAT TRUMP’S CEASEFIRE TALK ARE A SIDESHOW TO KEEP MARKETS CALM AND EUROWEENIES FROM YAPPING TOO MUCH: OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical, "Iran has cut off direct communications with the U.S. over Trump’s “civilization will die” threat this morning. -WSJ"

That didn't age well: Stacy McCain, Trump Declares Ceasefire in Iran. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, BREAKING: We Have a Ceasefire. Sarah Anderson at PJM, BREAKING: Trump Announces a Ceasefire. Sundance at CTH, President Trump Postpones “Civilization” Ending Attack on Iran Contingent Upon Hormuz Strait Opening. Althouse cites Trump "... a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East...." "Trump at Truth Social, an hour ago: Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP." And, "There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made." "Trump at Truth Social: A big day for World Peace! Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else! The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just “hangin’ around” in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will. Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP" We’ll be just “hangin’ around”... ready to bomb you back to the Stone Age if you don't pick up on this lots-of-positive-action vibe. Don't you want big money? The builder wants to build. On top of all of that demolition." Ace, Trump Accepts Deal for Two Week Ceasefire, Saying Sides Are Very Close to a Permanent Deal.

Democrat, progressives and the media reacted about the way you'd expect. Scott Pinsker at PJM has Bad News, Guys: The New York Times Says We Lost the War — and Iran Is Now a ‘Major World Power’. Matt Margolis at PJM, Democrats Called Trump Crazy — Then He Got a Ceasefire with Iran. Bill Kristol @BillKristol, "The Mother of all TACOs." Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "You literally thought he was going to commit genocide this morning... ...and now you're mad he didn't Cannot make this up, Leftists are seriously the stupidest humans on the face of the earth Did you spend 20 years cheering the Iraq War?" Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "Earlier today Ro Khanna was claiming that Trump is a genocidal maniac akin to Hitler. Now he is claiming that Trump is a cheese eating surrender monkey akin to France. How do Democrats reconcile such irreconcilable thoughts inside their heads? There are only two possible explanations: 1. They have zero qualms about lying. 2. They have fully abandoned logic and reason in favor of emotion. Sometimes I feel like Spock gawking at Doctor McCoy." Quote Ro Khanna @RoKhanna, "Trump backed down. No credit to Congress, which barely made a whimper. Credit to the American people—progressive activists & anti-war conservative." Dave Rubin @RubinReport, "Which Panican wants to hand me my “I told you so” award? Trump has been running the same negotiation playbook forever. Pressure, escalation, chaos… then leverage a deal. We’ve watched it happen again and again. This wasn’t complicated. It was basic pattern recognition. While some people were panicking, others were paying attention..." Rusty Weiss at RedState, Trump Calls Out CNN's ‘Fraud’ Fake Iranian 'Victory' Statement — Says Criminal Investigation Underway.

So, we may have a ceasefire. I'm not sure the Iranians will honor it, but if they don't, Trump has plenty of assets to bring to bear as quickly as he wants. FWIW, Marine Traffic doesn't yet show a lot of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a few bulk carriers; I don't see any oil tankers taking the trip. Maybe they're all waiting for someone else to be first.

Mark Penn@Mark_Penn, "War crimes? Senator Merkley from Oregon said that taking out mixed use infrastructure like bridges and power plants would be war crimes and suggested as well that soldiers in the US Army need not follow orders such as that. The Iranians have sent hundreds of missiles targeted at civilian centers in Tel Aviv and throughout Israel as well as towards hotels, plants and airports of UAE and other countries. The civilians are not collateral damage — they are the primary target of hundreds and missiles and drones. And they massacred tens of thousands of their own people — just machine gunned them down. By rulers who have no legitimacy whatsoever..." Douglas Bulloch @douglasbulloch, "Destroying a bridge? Isn’t that a war crime?" Quote Daily Mail @DailyMail, "Ukrainian forces 'used British drones to destroy Russian-held bridge' in first-of-its-kind operation https://trib.al/WzLKJO4." Ari Fleischer @AriFleischer, "Great point. Next time Senator Kelly (D-AZ) does an interview, a reporter should ask him if he ever committed a war crime by taking out a bridge or a power plant." Quote Andrew Kolvet @AndrewKolvet "CONTEXT: Retired fighter pilot Wiz Buckley points out that Mark Kelly targeted civilian infrastructure as a pilot. He targeted power plants, TV stations, and roads in the opening hours of that war, while up until now, President Trump has avoided hitting civilian." Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "Ro Khanna supports Hasan Piker, who not only said America deserve 9/11 but applauded the rapes of Israeli women at the hands of Hamas. Those rapes, by the way, are actual war crimes." Quote Ro Khanna @RoKhanna, "We need to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump. Threatening war crimes is a blatant violation of our constitution and the Geneva Conventions." Joel Pollak @joelpollak, "You never lost a wink of sleep over what Iran was doing to its own people, to American soldiers, to Israeli civilians." Quote Aaron Rupar @atrupar "I feel sick to my stomach waiting around today to see what atrocity Trump has in mind for the people of Iran this evening. It's hard to fathom that our other elected leaders aren't able to check him in any meaningful way. It's really an indictment not just of the electorate but..." Duane Patterson at Hat Hair, Enter B-52 Sandman.

ToI, Iran hangs another young man as regime steps up executions of protesters under cover of war. "Ali Fahim, 23, is hanged for alleged attack on Basij base during January protests, in what is said to be the regime’s 10th execution of political prisoners in 8 days." Decado @ItsDecado, "I am bleeding my pockets dry paying astronomical prices for a half broken internet connection just to read what the outside world is saying. And let me be honest, it is absolutely infuriating to see how completely disconnected so many of you are from the actual mood of the people inside Iran. Do not lose your nerve. Do not be afraid. The narrative you are seeing right now is a complete illusion. The voices currently being amplified online are fake, manipulated, and engineered by the cyber army of this cannibalistic regime..." Ace, Iran Media Celebrates the Great Islamic Victory in Rescue of F-15 WSO; Joe Kent Spreads Iran Propaganda Lie That US Was Attempting to Kill the Weapons Officer Rather Than Rescue Him "Who put forward Joe Kent's name? Whoever did should be fired. I'm guessing it was Tulsi Gabbard but I don't know that." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks The Complete Rewriting of History, Backed By Pravda Media, Is a Wonder to Behold. At Twitchy, Scott Jennings HUMILIATES an ENTIRE CNN Panel Hemming and Hawing Over the Poor 'Iranian Butchers' (WATCH). Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "One of the more entertaining things to witness regarding the Iran conflict is to watch the "credentialed" class of milbloggers twist themselves into pretzels to laud the skill and courage of America's fighting men and women in accomplishing all of their assigned missions so spectacularly, while at the exact same time carefully avoiding giving any credit to President Trump, SecWar Hegseth or Gen Caine. Pure hilarity..." Driscoll at Insty, OCEANIA HAS NEVER BEEN AT WAR WITH THE GREAT SATAN: Reddit Lies @reddit_lies, "Iran trying to retcon "Death to America" after 47 years is actually hilarious." Quote Iran Embassy SA @IraninSA "‘Down with the USA’ or ‘Death to the USA’ is not directed at American citizens, but at the policies of the U.S. government."

Hat Hair's John Sexton hears a rumor, Iranian Supreme Leader is Unconscious, Unable to Make Decisions. Cam at BA wonders Did Trump Really Send Guns to the Iranian People, and Where'd They End Up? The Kurds are more interested in their own independence than the Persian's. Roger Simon says Mr. President, Keep the Oil! "Use it wisely." Edward Luttwak at Unherd says Europe should secure the Strait America’s war will soon be over. They should, but they lack the will and the means. We should charge them for any oil out of the Strait. Dave Strom sees Trump's and Israel's Iran Strategy in One Picture. Killing the IRGC leadership while leaving the regular military hierarchy intact. 

Possum Reviews @ReviewsPossum, "Obama prosecuted more leakers and whistleblowers than all previous presidents combined. This was pointed out by CNN's Jake Tapper, confirmed by PolitiFact, and the ACLU criticized Obama for it. Spare us your performative outrage." Quote Symone D. Sanders Townsend @SymoneDSanders, "Also Trump just casually threatened to jail a reporter if they didn’t give up their source. Not normal, not okay…very authoritarian."

Quotulatiousness examines NATO’s sudden-onset existential crisis and has Advice for foreign leaders trying to deal with Donald Trump. Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "God, I am having way too much fun with this shit." Quote Rasmussen Reports @Rasmussen_Poll, "Trump job approval is up despite a huge Iranian bombing campaign and a massive global spike in energy prices. So what do critics do? Call literally for a palace coup by JD Vance of Donald Trump." PJM's Stephen Kruiser explains why Marco Rubio Is the Reason I Gave up on Political Purity Tests. Rubio/Vance or Vance/Rubio? From Sundance, Vice President JD Vance Holds Press Conference With Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer Discusses USMCA Review and Two Different “Protocols.”   Cathy Salgado at PJM, Trump Ends Obama Climate Regulations and Finalizes Massive Deregulation. WaPoo admits Overdose deaths are plummeting. Here’s what worked. "Efforts to disrupt the supply of fentanyl are paying off. We cannot back down." While giving most of the credit to Biden.

InteractivePolls @IAPolls2022, "Clay Fuller (R) defeats Shawn Harris (D) in Georgia's 14th Congressional District special election - DDHQ projects GOP HOLD — Seat remains Republican after Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation." Matt Margolis, Here’s How Bad the Midterms Situation for the Democrats Really Is. Ace, Schmoll: In 2006, Democrats Led in Net Favorability by 18 Points. In 2018, by 12. And Now? Republicans Lead by Five. "Video of CNN informing its audience that Democrats are not doing that well below."

George MF Washington @GMFWashington, "California voters paying $19 million to polish the state’s reputation so their Governor can run for President is peak Blue State." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Gavin Newsom to spend $19M in taxpayer funds on New York PR firm to polish California's image." At PJM VodkaPundit explains why Jennifer Siebel Newsom Is the Crazy Rich White Lady Your Mother Warned You About. MAZE @mazemoore, "Gavin Newsom's wife recalls telling prisoners at San Quentin about running over and killing her sister with a golf cart. She said that she wasn't punished because it was an accident but that the prisoners are doing life even though theirs was "probably an accident too." From Breitbart, Newsom’s Wife Wants Legislation to Stop Boys from Becoming Right-Wing. Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "Remember: Jennifer Siebel Newsom is running for president in 2028. Gavin is just the front man." Quote Steve Guest @SteveGuest, "Gavin Newsom's wife: We're working on legislation so that kids "don't go down this rabbit hole of very, very dangerous and limiting narratives around ultimately what it means to be a girl and what it means to be a boy." Uubzu v4 @uubzu, "Gavin Newsom: I euthanized my mom and had an affair with my best friend’s wife. I despair of finding a woman who can match my history of familial homicide and extreme sexual impropriety Matchmaker: you’re not gonna believe this..." At Da Signal, The California Exodus Grows as Affordability Crisis Pushes Residents Out. WUWT, The California Refinery Crisis is a national security risk for America. From NYPo, Shocking fraud racket uncovered in California — with tentacles stretching to Nigeria.

At Am Great Nice Deb has a Report: Eric Swalwell About to Be Hit With ‘Shocking’ Number of Sexual Harassment Allegations. Ace, Chinese Spy Humper and Treasonous Russia Hoaxer Eric Swalwell Accused of Sexual Harassment and Misusing Funds, "Wow, a Democrat who uses his office to enrich himself and predate* upon underlings. I shan't believe it. I simply shannot. But believe all women amitire. MD Kittle at The Federalist:" MAZE @mazemoore, "2018. Eric Swalwell says that if Brett Kavanaugh is innocent of sexual assault, he should bring into his hearing all the people who have accused him so they can speak freely. Swalwell also said that multiple accusers means Kavanaugh is most likely guilty. Hey Swalwell, are you going to keep up this same energy when your accusers start coming forward? Are you going to release the women from their NDAs so they can speak freely about you? It will "prove your innocence" right?" John Sexton hears Swalwell Campaign Denies Harassment Allegations. I want to know if this is a Republican op, or whether it's Katie Porter attempting to clear the field.

Stacy McCain, It Would Be Wrong to Say Democrats Are Going Completely Crazy Today … ". . . because obviously they’ve been crazy for many years." Kevin Downey at PJM, Despotic, Neurotic, and Likely Psychotic: Liberals Have Become the Insane Clown Stasi. okoy @Y0K0S0N, "So a group of zero white people held a press conference to tell you that white people will be systemically discriminated against." Quote Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "NYC 'Chief Equity Officer' announces “preliminary citywide racial equity plan." “This plan was born from when New Yorkers were in the streets calling for justice." x.com/WesternLensman…" The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "Schrodinger’s lib: Trump is shredding the Constitution but America is on stolen land." That's Schrödinger, but what's an umlaut between friends. Driscoll at Insty sees the THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: David Frum @davidfrum, "One of the more remarkable trends of the past 4 years has been the almost total disappearance of environmentalism from left-wing consciousness, and its replacement by various forms of anti-Judaism as the defining test of who is "progressive" and who is not."At Twitchy, Political ‘Expert’ Flips OUT, REFUSES to Believe Abigail Spanberger Is Already SO Unpopular and LOL -Vid. At his Blade of Perseus, the Great Victor Davis Hanson  sees The Left Is Baffled—but Still Repulsed—by the White Working Class. 

Sundance hosts Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Holds a Press Conference. At Hat Hair VIP, John Sexton happily reports Judge Dugan's Attempt to Overturn Verdict Gets Rejected. Beege Welborn notes The War in Iran Is Safer for Americans Than a Month on the Streets in Chicago.

Joe Chalfant at TownHall says These 20 Republicans Are Pushing For an Amnesty. Is Your Congressman on the List?  Brian Allen @allenanalysis, "BREAKING: 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats just co-sponsored the Dignity Act — the first serious bipartisan immigration bill in decades. What it actually does: No amnesty. No citizenship. No handouts. A pathway to legal work status for long-term undocumented immigrants who meet strict requirements — fully funded by restitution payments from immigrants themselves, requiring zero taxpayer dollars. Mike Lawler’s own words: “This is not amnesty. It’s accountability, it’s fairness, it is dignity.” Shawn Farash @Shawn_Farash, "Rep. Maria Salazar admitted The "Dignity Act" is the first step towards giving them citizenship. This is an amnesty bill. Full stop." It looks like amnesty to me.

SA McCarthy at the Wash Stand sees the Trump Admin. Shifts into Next Phase of Deportation Strategy. Mark Simon @MarkSimonHK, "With H1B’s and OPT’s continuing free run in the system, it’s going to be amazing to watch in a few months how. @GOP & @realDonaldTrump team @SusieWiles & @ChrisLaCivita discover H1B’s are the new “southern border”." Quote CNN @CNN "US job growth has slowed sharply over the past year, making it especially difficult for young Americans not just to land their first jobs out of college but even to land internships, often the foundational step in an early career. https://cnn.it/4mcdvLH." PJM's Cathy Salgado reports ICE Boston Arrests 5 Illegal Alien Murderers With Interpol Notices and Biden Admin Protected Illegal Alien Who Bludgeoned Florida Woman to Death.

At Hat Hair Mark Judge is being Re-Traumatized by the Stasi Media. At Pirate Wires, Thank You, Garbage Dump "pirate wires #158 // it isn’t clear the cost of freedom must always be an endless stream of garbage, but that’s certainly the cost of elon’s twitter, and it’s better than authoritarianism."

Isabel Brown @theisabelb, "Teenagers are sharing photos of their AP U.S. Government textbooks, and the sheer amount of indoctrination is wildly disturbing. Apparently, Barack Obama is ideologically a right wing authoritarian. Hillary Clinton and George W Bush are entirely indistinguishable politically. Donald Trump is of course virtually the same as Hitler. @tedcruz is apparently more radically authoritarian than Fidel Castro AND Joseph Stalin..??!!?? @Linda_McMahon — can we expedite some major changes to American public education?" From the College Fix, AAUP-backed toolkit urges students to ‘create a crisis’ on campus over ICE tie.

John Rain @johnthenoticer, "Manufacturing white criminals: Depictions of criminality and violence on Law & Order "Results suggest whites are disproportionately portrayed as criminals five to eight times more often on police dramas compared to actual crime statistics for the city of New York, and exposure to police dramas leads to elevated perceptions of white criminality among non-whites."

At Lifezette, Chelsea Handler Says Marriage is ‘Outdated,’ Says She Prioritizes Freedom Over Commitment 

John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad, "The DEI police chief who arrested Australia’s most decorated soldier for ‘war crimes’ has twice as many medals as Australia’s most decorated soldier. Think about that for a moment."

And still more at the Wombat's In the Mailbox: 04.07.2026.