June 18, 2026

The last time a U.S. president signed a treaty at Versailles, it was Woodrow Wilson (also a racist, BTW), who signed the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, ending World War I. The conditions the treaty imposed on Germany were so harsh and so humiliating to the German people that the treaty fostered the rise of the Nazi party and ultimately led to World War II. A rational person of course would appreciate the symbolism of that odious treaty and would strenuously avoid being forced into signing any similar documents at Versailles. So naturally, ~~~

~~~ Deepa Shivaram of NPR: Donald "Trump said Wednesday night he had formally signed the framework agreement to end the war with Iran during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles. The Trump administration shared the details of the agreement earlier on Wednesday, as President Trump took questions from reporters in Evian, France, at a press conference that capped off his visit to the G7 summit." MB: The signing previously had been scheduled for Friday. ~~~

AP: “Senior U.S. officials on Wednesday read the memorandum of understanding with Iran to journalists after days of secrecy over what is in the document. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.... Iranian state TV later released text that largely tracked what the U.S. put out.... Here is what is in the deal[.]” The article cites for full text. MB: But don't you worry. As Trump put it, he can still “go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head.” (Story linked below.)

Andrew Roth & Patrick Wintour of the Guardian: “Donald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a 'major win' for the United States – even as it made significant political and financial concessions to Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz and prevent a 'worldwide depression'. In extraordinary remarks on Wednesday, Donald Trump went from threatening Iran with a new wave of attacks to suggesting the country had basic rights to enrich uranium for civilian use, that he would not pressure Tehran to abandon its ballistic missiles programme and the US was 'going to have to give back' billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. Those remarks, as well as the full text of the agreement – which was hailed by the Hezbollah chief, Naim Qassem, as a 'great victory' – are likely to fuel anger in Israel and among hardliners in the Republican party who had urged Trump not to make a deal with Tehran.... Trump said that 'the alternative would be a worldwide depression, arguing that if he had not struck a deal, 'the strait [of Hormuz] would never have been opened....'” 

Yeganeh Torbati of the New York Times: “An initial agreement by the United States and Iran to halt their war grants Iran major economic benefits while delaying, for now, the thorniest areas of disagreement between the two countries and the toughest concessions Iran would have to eventually make on its nuclear program. The agreement lifts the U.S.-imposed naval blockade of Iranian ports and, most crucially, grants Iran waivers to begin exporting its oil even before the negotiation of a final agreement on its nuclear program. That will give Iran a critical economic lifeline.... The one major step to be taken by Iran is reopening the Strait of Hormuz to free passage for the next 60 days, though the agreement seems to leave open the possibility of charging fees after that period.... '...  judged solely on the memorandum itself, the immediate and concrete benefits accrue disproportionately to Iran,' [French professor of international relations Nicole] Grajewski said.”

David Sanger of the New York Times: “It was less than 15 weeks ago when ... [Donald] Trump ... declared 'there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.' When the text of the deal intended to wind down the conflict was finally released on Wednesday, read aloud paragraph by paragraph by a senior administration official who stopped to defend each section, it read nothing like a surrender document. Instead, the Iranians emerged from a confrontation with the world’s most powerful military having not only survived, but with much to celebrate.... The wording of the 'Memorandum of Understanding' ... suggests that, over time, Iran may negotiate some permanent way to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

“That seems in contradiction to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declarations just a few weeks ago that anything other than the kind of free passage through the strait that the world knew before the war was 'not acceptable' and 'cannot happen.' And the memorandum, signed on Wednesday evening by Iran’s president and Mr. Trump, describes a pathway in which Iran could begin receiving billions of dollars in assets that have been frozen for years. But it is essentially the same concession that Barack Obama made 11 years ago, and that Mr. Trump has savaged ever since.” Read on. Sanger savages Trump -- in a polite, Grey Lady manner. The link is a gift link.

Trump (with host) in the Hall of Mirrors dreaming of a Louis XIV Revival in the U.S.*
*Is Trump looking wistfully at a palace he can't buy, OR
Is he lost and confused about where he is? Hard to tell.
The mirrors of course don't pick up Trump's reflection.

Donald Trump is an uncouth, volatile bully who does not know how to behave in polite society. Then he wonders why people don't like him. ~~~

~~~ Mark Landler of the New York Times: The G-7 summit “had been going so well.... Then, on Wednesday, hours before the leaders were scheduled to disperse, Mr. Trump ... warned that if he was dissatisfied with the final Iran deal, he could rip it up and restart the bombardment of the country. If the Iranians did not behave properly, he said, 'we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head.'... His outburst over Iran sowed fresh doubts about the deal’s durability, even as Mr. Trump continued to insist it was very strong. And it punctured any illusions — such as those that still exist about Mr. Trump — that European leaders could corral the president with a mixture of pomp, charm and gifts.” ~~~

~~~ Erica Green, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Wednesday issued a fiery defense of his deal with Iran, lashing out at critics who have said the agreement achieves even less than the one President Barack Obama negotiated, and threatening to bomb Iran again if it doesn’t adhere to the agreement.... But the $300 billion fund it outlines could provide Iran with much more money than the deal Mr. Obama negotiated.... Mr. Trump has railed against Mr. Obama for providing $1.7 billion in cash to Iran after the 2015 nuclear agreement was signed.... The [$300MM] fund would be a conduit for private investment, not a reconstruction or reparations program, [a] diplomat said.  

“Mistakes Are Made.” Max Bearak & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Wednesday brushed aside questions about who was responsible for U.S. strikes that hit an Iranian school on the first day of the war, telling reporters at the Group of 7 summit in France: 'Mistakes are made. War is nasty.' The answer was perhaps the closest Mr. Trump has come to acknowledging U.S. responsibility for the strikes, which Iranian officials say killed at least 175 people, most of them children. 'Nobody did that on purpose,' the president added.... Privately, U.S. military officials have acknowledged American forces carried out the strikes and cast them as an intelligence failure.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Nava Freiberg & Jacob Magid of the Times of Israel (June 16): Trump also expressed admiration for the new Iranian leaders. While these people are known for their hard-line brutality, Trump said, “And we’re dealing with people that I think are very rational people. They were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people. I think actually they’re smarter than the first and second group, but they’re not radicalized and they’re, you know, looking to help their country.” Just more evidence of Trump's preference for ruthless dictators over advocates for democracy (like President Obama). 

Ah, But. All Is Well in the U.S.A. Kailyn Rhone of the New York Times: “The average price of U.S. gasoline fell below $4 a gallon on Thursday for the first time in months, after Iran and the United States signed a preliminary agreement to cease hostilities for 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell to a fraction of a penny below $4, down from $4.03 the day before, according to the AAA motor club. Still, gas prices hovered just below $3 a gallon before the first U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. They spiked to around $4.50 a gallon in May.... Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which helped mediate the deal, said in a post on X that the memorandum of understanding had been signed electronically by the U.S. and Iranian presidents. As a result, the agreement to begin reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. naval blockade would 'enter into force with immediate effect,' he wrote.”

David French of the New York Times: “In their arrogance, Trump and Netanyahu defied their predecessors in all the worst ways, and now they court a profound defeat when, not long ago, a meaningful victory, however partial, was well within their grasp.”

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: “Mr. Trump blindsided his supposed allies in the Senate on Wednesday with a rocket of a social media post from across the Atlantic, tying together a host of his pet peeves about the Senate while yanking his new nominee for national intelligence director from his confirmation hearing just hours before it was to occur. It was an extraordinary move from a president whose own party controls the chamber, but just the latest sign of a major rupture between Mr. Trump and G.O.P. senators as the midterm elections approach.... [Majority Leader John] Thune had been moving expeditiously to confirm Jay Clayton for the post [of DNI] to avoid an ugly confrontation over the temporary installation of [Trump loyalist Bill] Pulte, who is [unqualified for the position and is] opposed by members of both parties.... [Mr. Trump also] demanded that Senate Republicans attach stalled legislation on voting restrictions to a critical surveillance bill, and insisted that he would not move forward with Mr. Clayton until his replacement as the U.S. attorney was confirmed — a process that would take weeks at a minimum and would face Democratic resistance.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jordain Carney of Politico: “... Donald Trump is making life almost impossible for Senate Republicans — and these days fewer of them are willing to just let it slide. Some lawmakers that were once happy to brush off impulsive and disruptive behavior by saying they hadn’t seen the president’s social media posts or that it was just 'Trump being Trump' are increasingly willing to speak out against what they view as bad decisions that undermine their ability to deliver legislative wins as the midterms approach. The latest irritation was the early-morning Truth Social post Wednesday that upended GOP hopes of quickly confirming a new director of national intelligence and reviving a surveillance bill that Trump already derailed earlier this month.” ~~~

      ~~~ Marie: I read through the quotes Carney was able to get, and none of them was a knockout. Not only that, Carney makes clear that the senators' "frustration" is not about their inability to legislate for the good of the nation but rather about how they need a few legislative wins to get themselves re-elected.  

In a corner sat a slightly-built, ashen man wearing a gray gabardine suit and tan visor cap. The cap left bare the sheen of the man's bald head, a dusty pink dome deflecting the harsh glow of the newly-gilded ceiling of the Cabinet room. The green plastic shade beneath the visor's bill hid the malevolent glare of the man's dull, gray eyes. No one surveying the room full of loud-mouthed politicos clambering for the President*s attention would have guessed the dull little man hunched against the wall was the most powerful person in the room. But he was. he was Russell Vought. And he controlled the money. ~~~

~~~ OMB Robs Secret Service to Pay for Ballroom. Jonathan O'Connell, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration’s budget office has redirected $352 million that was intended in part for Secret Service training and recruitment to what it described as security measures at the White House, a government database shows. The White House and the Office of Management and Budget did not specify the purpose of the unusually large shift in response to questions on Wednesday. But a person familiar with the Secret Service budget, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told The Washington Post the funding was to help pay for a new White House East Wing that includes a large ballroom.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), among others, is concerned.™

Earthcam photos.

~~~ Notes from the Pond Scum Chronicles. Meg Kelly & Maura Judkis of the Washington Post: “Days after the completion this month of a $14 million renovation, the shallow water in the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool had more algae in it than at any recorded point in the month of June for at least five years, according to a specialized analysis of satellite data.... Some social media users said they suspected 'bureaucrats' had seeded the algae bloom in an act of sabotage, while others claimed photos showing the reappearance of the algae were taken during the Biden years. Trump administration officials said the algae was caused by residual material in supply lines that had been dormant for weeks. Regardless, there was a lot of it.” MB: Yes, yes, exactly what I thought: "deep-state" saboteurs planted toxic algae to undermine the Dear Leader's patriotic efforts to beautify the nation's capital. AND while he was toiling away at Versailles researching glorious improvements to the People's House itself! Shame on them.

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: “Even as the world is racing to contain the deadly Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Trump administration is moving ahead with a plan that could decimate support for programs that detect and snuff out exactly such outbreaks. The new plan, proposed by the State Department, aims to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on a landmark global H.I.V. program that also helps countries manage surveillance for emerging diseases, strengthen laboratory networks and support childhood immunizations. If the plan goes into effect on Oct. 1 as scheduled, it would effectively shut the agency out of overseeing many global health programs and shift control over the bulk of funds and decisions to the State Department.

“The changes may sideline the country’s premier experts on global health and could lead to the closure of about a third of its 60 country offices within the next three years.... The proposal is intended to diminish the agency’s authority in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, a program credited with saving 26 million lives since it was created by the administration of President George W. Bush in 2003.... The changes may jeopardize the health of the more than 12 million people on H.I.V. treatment supported by C.D.C. funds, said Dr. Michele Montandon....”

     ~~~  Marie: More than a decade ago, I noticed that there was something wrong with Marco Rubio. Like many on the right, he is adept at "justifying" what amount to crimes against humanity. In Marco's case, that is because he has a screw loose. As Secretary of State, he is a more prominent public figure than he was when he was a U.S. Senator, even though he had become a fairly prominent Senator. So now we are better able to hear that screw ratting around in Marco's head, urging him to do the wrong thing again and again.

Your Tax Dollars, Blowin' in the Wind. Brad Plumer of the New York Times: “The Interior Department said on Wednesday that it would pay the energy developer Invenergy hundreds of millions of dollars to abandon plans to build wind farms in the Atlantic and Pacific, in the third such deal struck by the Trump administration to cancel offshore wind leases. Under the agreement Invenergy will voluntarily surrender four leases in federal waters for wind farms that would have been located in the New York Bight, off the Central Coast of California and in the Gulf of Maine. All of those projects were in the early stages of development and had little chance of moving forward under the Trump administration, which has halted all federal permitting for offshore wind. The government will then reimburse Invenergy $765 million, or somewhat less than what the company had paid for the leases under the Biden administration.”

Colby Smith of the New York Times: “The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and officials readied for higher borrowing costs, as inflation fears dominated Kevin M. Warsh’s first meeting as chairman of the central bank. The decision on Wednesday to maintain rates at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent for a fourth-straight meeting was supported by all 12 members of the Federal Open Market Committee. It was the first policy vote since June of last year that did not feature some form of opposition. But ... Mr. Warsh finds himself in a very challenging position.... Mr. Warsh was handpicked for the job by ... [Donald] Trump, who has waged a relentless pressure campaign on the central bank in a bid for lower borrowing costs.Delivering that has become all but impossible because of the war with Iran and the inflation surge that it has unleashed.”

Senate Threatens to Ground Drunk Pete. Tara Copp & Noah Robertson of the Washington Post: “Frustrated senators are threatening to withhold 75 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless the Pentagon provides Congress with answers about an apparent U.S. strike on a girls’ school in Iran and the military’s ongoing attacks targeting alleged drug smuggling boats in Latin America. The proposal is tucked into an early version of the Senate’s 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sprawling, must-pass legislation that sets Defense Department priorities. It reflects the growing bipartisan frustration over the Pentagon’s refusal to comply with congressional requests.”

~~~~~~~~~~ 

California. Soumya Karlamangla of the New York Times: “A proposal to tax the wealth of billionaires in California has officially gathered enough signatures to appear on the November ballot, state officials announced on Wednesday. It isn’t yet certain that the tax initiative will actually be voted on, however. Several prominent Californians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have vowed to defeat the measure, and they could strike a last-minute deal to remove it from voter consideration. Proponents have until June 25 to decide if they want to proceed with placing it on the ballot.”

Georgia Redistricting. The Power of the People. Rick Rojas, et al., of the New York Times: “Republican leaders in the Georgia State Legislature said on Wednesday they would not take up redistricting during a special session that was hours away [from] starting — and that had been called expressly to erase U.S. House seats in majority-Black districts. Gov. Brian Kemp called the session to draw legislative maps before the 2028 election with the aim of creating boundaries more favorable to Republicans. Georgia was to be the latest Southern state to consider redistricting after a recent Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections for Black representation. But civil rights activists and protesters assembled in Atlanta, considered the cradle of the civil rights movement, determined to fight against the kind of aggressive legislative action they had seen play out across the South in recent weeks. Marches and demonstrations greeted lawmakers as they assembled for the special session. Then, less than an hour before the legislative session was gaveled in, top Republican lawmakers stood under the capitol dome and announced redistricting was off, at least for now.” (Also linked yesterday.)  

Indiana. Vimal Patel of the New York Times: “An Indiana University instructor who showed a graphic in class that listed the 'Make America Great Again' slogan as covert white supremacy has lost her job. Administrators suspended the instructor, Jessica Adams, in October from teaching the course, 'Diversity, Human Rights and Social Justice,' after Senator Jim Banks, an ally of ... [Donald] Trump, contacted the campus about the lecture. In May, the university said it would not reappoint Ms. Adams, a lecturer who did not have tenure, 'after a careful review' of her work. Her employment will end this month, according to a May 22 letter from Latha Ramchand, the university’s executive vice president.... Ms. Adams was investigated under a controversial law passed in Indiana meant to ... prevent students from being subjected to political views unrelated to the course.”

New York. Corey Kilgannon of the New York Times: “Rex Heuermann, 62, the serial killer on Long Island who admitted in April to murdering eight women in the so-called Gilgo Beach killings, was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison, bringing an end to a case that took investigators more than a decade to solve. State Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei’s voice cracked with rage as he sentenced him to multiple terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, under the conditions of the plea deal Mr. Heuermann agreed to in April. Mr. Heuermann stood briefly and in a hushed voice said he was responsible for his crimes, but added that 'my words have no meaning,' in a courtroom packed with relatives of Mr. Heuermann’s victims.”

Oklahoma House Race. Trump-Endorsed Candidate Drops Out After Being Caught Sexting. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: “Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma Republican congressional candidate endorsed by ... Donald Trump, has suspended his campaign one day after advancing to a runoff, saying he did not want to be a 'distraction' amid questions about the nature of his relationship with a former staffer. Lahmeyer, a megachurch pastor who is married with five children, has been mired in scandal since the Daily Mail published text messages, days before the primary, between him and a woman who formerly served as his campaign fundraiser that suggested an inappropriate relationship.... Last month..., Donald Trump endorsed Lahmeyer from a crowded field of nearly a dozen candidates hoping to succeed Rep. Kevin Hern (R), who is running for Senate. 'HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!' Trump said then. On Wednesday, the president appeared to rescind that endorsement, posting that, though he appreciated Lahmeyer’s 'hard work under difficult circumstances,' he would now be supporting [Mark Tedford], who received the most votes in Tuesday's primary election]....”