President Donald Trump has raised hopes, again, that the United States and Iran are moving closer to an initial agreement to end the war, amid reports of another U.S. proposal that he has not detailed. And "if they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” Trump posted on social media Wednesday.
According to reporting by Axios, the U.S. has sent for Iran's review a one-page memorandum to end the war, with provisions including a moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, a lifting of U.S. sanctions, the distribution of frozen Iranian funds and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The White House did not respond to questions about the possible agreement, and Trump wrote that it was “perhaps a big assumption” that Iran would agree.
Also Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is appearing before a House committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as lawmakers seek answers for Lutnick’s contact with him in the years after 2008. Lutnick has given contradictory statements about his relationship with Epstein but says he has done nothing wrong and welcomes the closed-door interview with lawmakers.
And elections in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan on Tuesday reinforced a picture that’s becoming increasingly clear — while Trump still dominates the Republican Party, ousting lawmakers who Democrats seem to have the momentum ahead of November’s midterm elections. In Indiana, five of the president’s candidates won with the help of an avalanche of cash.
And Trump has renewed his criticism of Pope Leo XIV, potentially complicating a fence-mending visit that Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to make this week to the Vatican. In an interview, Trump said the first American-born pontiff is helping Iran and also making the world less safe with his comments about the importance of not treating immigrants with disrespect.
Trump’s commerce secretary arrives for interview in congressional Epstein investigation
Howard Lutnick is answering questions from House lawmakers today about his relationship with his former neighbor, Jeffrey Epstein.
The commerce secretary is the highest-ranking official in the Trump administration, besides Trump himself, to appear in the Epstein case files.
Lutnick has said he barely knew Epstein and has welcomed the interview with the House Oversight Committee, but his story on his interactions with Epstein has changed. He met with Epstein a couple times and exchanged emails with the financier, even after Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.
French navy moving to support shipping through the strait
Source: WPLG
