A Real Deal?

Today’s notice: A real deal with Iran. Does Trump care about Republicans in Congress? What tribal government taught one candidate in Arizona. Epstein hearings will commence on “Day 1” of a Democratic House. Gambling companies go all-in on D.C. Plus: The zombie bill that Republicans wish would die already.

THE LATEST

The president says a ceasefire deal with Iran is “complete.” But what’s in it? The Strait of Hormuz will reopen as early as Friday following an official signing ceremony in Switzerland, Donald Trump announced yesterday. He added that a U.S. blockade against Iran would also be lifted, but other details were scant.

It appears to be real: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed that both sides had settled on a memorandum of understanding Sunday evening. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said mediators will facilitate a series of “technical talks” throughout the week to iron out the final details.

A White House source familiar with the negotiations told NOTUS’ Jenna Monnin that a framework shared yesterday with American news outlets by an Iranian official, which included the unfreezing of $25 billion in assets to Iran, “isn’t accurate.” They did not provide further details.

The cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel is a key plank in the agreement, representatives for both Iran and Pakistan said. Israel’s renewed strikes on Beirut appear to have complicated things over the weekend, much to the ire of Trump, who called on Israel yesterday to “not blow it” on Truth Social. The president used much more colorful language in a phone call with Axios, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “no fucking judgment.”

The prospective deal gives Trump a feather in his cap ahead of the G7 summit in France this week. Four member countries already signaled their support for the deal, calling it a “diplomatic breakthrough” in a joint statement.

“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” the president wrote in a triumphant post on Truth Social.

Trump may or may not have secured lasting peace with Iran for his 80th birthday, but the UFC Freedom 250 fight at the White House proved to be quite the show. A rainy forecast failed to stop the proceedings, which featured a healthy dose of military pageantry and plenty of rah-rah rhetoric.

Trumpcoins.com fielded an ad on the broadcast. AI, Prediction market and cryptocurrency companies were ubiquitous. And Mark Zuckerberg and David Ellison — on whose network the fights were being shown — were both spotted in the front row near the president, who did not address the crowd before departing for Europe.

Open tabs: Trump tells Putin he is ready to help end Ukraine conflict (Reuters); 84-Year-Old Mitch McConnell Hospitalized With Mystery Ailment (NOTUS); In Georgia, Senate hopeful Mike Collins celebrates being Trump’s latest ‘MAGA’ pick in GOP primaries (AP); Kennedy Center exterior remains covered after Trump’s name is removed (CNN)

From the campaign trail

Republicans are worried Trump does not care about them. NOTUS’ Kadia Goba spoke with more than a dozen former and current GOP lawmakers and officials in recent days, some who love the president and some who decidedly do not. Most had the same conclusion: “He doesn’t give a shit,” as one GOP operative put it.

The legacy building is literal with this president. That means new D.C. buildings with his signature flourishes or his name actually on them, these Republicans said. He’s done little to fortify the party for a post-Trump future, Kadia writes.

When asked about the comments, Olivia Wales, a White House spokesperson, said Trump is the “unequivocal leader and best messenger for the Republican Party.”

Bonus example: When one former ambassador asked Trump to endorse their congressional bid, the president said he wouldn’t because, in his mind, the person would be called “honorable” for the rest of their life. “I literally changed your name,’” Trump told the candidate in a conversation relayed to NOTUS by a person familiar with what was said.

The only congressional candidate with elected experience in tribal government is trying to apply that leadership to Washington. Jonathan Nez told NOTUS’ Adora Brown that spending four years as president of the Navajo Nation makes him uniquely qualified to represent Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District in one of the most competitive House races this year. He’s no stranger to Capitol Hill and has testified multiple times before Congress.

“I might even go as far as to say I sat in front of committees more, time-wise, than my opponent has ever done,” Nez said, referring to Rep. Eli Crane (R-Arizona), who currently occupies the seat.

From the Hill

House Democrats vow ‘day one’ public Epstein hearings if they win. “It’s a huge investigation the American public is interested in,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, told NOTUS’ Stephen Neukam of his plans for a future if he becomes the chair of the panel. Top Trump administration officials including former Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche should expect to be subpoenaed for televised Epstein hearings in a Democratic House, Garcia said.

NOTUS METRO

Local news. iGaming’s D.C. moment. Major gambling companies are spending big on a push to legalize online casinos, online poker and live dealer games through D.C. Council legislation, NOTUS’ Martin Austermuhle reports. If they succeed, D.C. would join a small group of places in the country — eight states so far — that have made what the industry calls iGaming legal and taxed.

Sports desk. How does Finals MVP Jalen Brunson stack up against the NBA’s all-time lefties? The Knicks superstar is actually right-handed by birth and left-handed on the court by training, NOTUS’ Dave Sheinin writes. Which makes it all the more incredible that Dave rates Brunson the 10th-best left-handed player of all time. Bill Russell is No. 1.

Sign up for our new local newsletter. NOTUS has added some of the best reporters covering D.C.-area news, sports and culture. Sign up for the NOTUS Metro Newsletter now!

NEW ON NOTUS

The SAVE America Act’s next act. “It’s like the ‘Night of the Living Dead,’” a frustrated Senate Republican told NOTUS’ Al Weaver of the president’s insistence that his signature elections law is actually live legislation when it is, in fact, very much dead. The votes are not there to pass it, even in reconciliation, yet Trump and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) continue to flame fellow Republicans over the bill, leading to growing consternation. Trump tried to resurrect the measure again over the weekend when he declared that he’s against reauthorizing the now-lapsed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, unless it comes with the bill attached.

“I just can’t put a gun to my colleagues’ head and make them vote for it,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), broadly a SAVE supporter.

More: Janeese Lewis George’s Mayoral Campaign Hit With Last-Minute Accusations, by Martin Austermuhle

DNI Tulsi Gabbard Ends Her Tenure Spreading a Bioweapons Conspiracy, by Margaret Manto

NOT US

• The New Right Has a Blueprint for Building a Christian America, by Ian Ward for Politico
  
• Trump at 80: A President ‘Really Uncomfortable’ With Aging, by Katie Rogers for The New York Times
  
• How a great historian influenced the Supreme Court, by Jason Willick for The Washington Post

WEEK AHEAD

Today

• Trump participates in the three-day G7 summit hosted in Évian, France. Try the water!

Tuesday

• Primary Election Day in D.C. and Oklahoma.
  
• Primary runoff in Georgia and Alabama.
  
• Special primary for the district vacated by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-California).
  
• JD Vance is scheduled to appear on “The View.”

Wednesday

• The Federal Reserve announces interest rate changes (if any), and the first press conference by Chair Kevin Warsh is expected.

Thursday

• Possible Supreme Court opinion announcement day.
  
• Opening ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

Friday

• Juneteenth

BE SOCIAL

Just a joke between two old friends.

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