This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 402

… The US has never looked smaller and weaker on the world stage, as JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Switzerland to begin talks with Iran. The Iran delegation made Vance wait, then when they arrived Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi refused to shake Vance’s hand, pose for a joint photo, or greet him in any way.

… UAE based Middle East expert Amjah Taha: “This was humiliation. No one in modern history has made America wait and beg for negotiations. This was the moment JD Vance should have returned to Washington. The Islamic regime did this on purpose. Trump, if you don’t understand politics, you should at least understand protocol:

• “The US delegation entered well before the Iranians. In diplomacy, the side with leverage doesn’t wait in the room. You claim to be leading and winning, yet you arrived first. First mistake.”

• “Ghalibaf did not enter while the press was inside. JD Vance did. Another mistake. It looked as though you didn’t just abandon allies, including Israel, you also diminished America’s image by ignoring basic diplomatic protocol.”

• “The Iranian FM entered last and refused to shake hands. We didn’t need photographs to tell us who looked confident and who looked desperate, but these images made it easy for the world to draw its own conclusions.”

Reuters / Nathan Howard

… Tasnim: “The Iranian delegation rejected a proposal by US officials and meeting organizers for a handshake and joint photo opportunity at the start of the multilateral talks in Switzerland. Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi and the negotiating team informed organizers that they would not participate in any joint photo session with the US delegation.”

… “Following Iran’s refusal, the live broadcast and photo ceremony proceeded without the Iranian delegation, which entered the venue only after the event concluded. The US delegation requested an additional 5 minutes before the talks began to allow journalists to leave the negotiation site.”

… The meeting abruptly ended after just two hours with the Iran delegation walking out in protest over Trump’s threatening posts on Truth Social shortly before talks began. Tasnim reported that Iran’s negotiating delegation specifically took issue with Trump’s vow to “hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder” if a deal wasn’t agreed to.

… The negotiations were scheduled to go on for two days. It is unclear whether they will continue past the brief initial meeting. An Iranian source told Reuters that the talks were “paused” based on the protest but not necessarily canceled. We will see if Trump can avoid threatening Iran with an invasion for a few hours so maybe things can continue.

… Sen. Lindsey Graham didn’t help matters with his interview this morning on CBS: “If the Iran MOU Deal fails, Trump will take over the strait and charge tolls: If this deal fails, Trump is going to take the strait over by force. The US will control the strait. We will charge a fee for those who go through to pay for the operation. If Iran contests control, we will obliterate them.”

… Amjah Taha: “During the negotiations, which have now concluded, Vance did not raise the Islamic regime in Iran’s nuclear program even once. Zero mention of the nuclear issue. Instead, Iran demanded that the US stop Israel from responding to Hezbollah terrorists, support statehood for the Yemen-based terrorists, and accept Iran’s control over the Strait, which it is already attempting to assert. This is not a nuclear deal. It is one of the most shameful and disastrous negotiations imaginable.”

… Fars: “Iran directly rejects Pakistan’s claim that Iran and the US have reached an agreement to lower Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, saying the nuclear file is not even on the agenda for this round of talks in Switzerland or any later round until the US implements all of its commitments, and none of the nuclear committee members are part of the Iranian delegation.”

… “Iran also says IAEA Director Grossi has no role in the negotiations, with nuclear talks only to be considered after the US implements clauses 1, 4, 10, and 11 of the MOU including the immediate end to military operations in Lebanon and Israeli withdrawal, removal of the naval blockade, oil sanctions waivers, and full release of frozen Iranian funds.”

… Israeli i24 News: “The Iranian delegation will not return to negotiations in Switzerland unless Trump apologizes for his threats and Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon, pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen reports. Iran’s state media confirms the Iranians have left the negotiation venue.”

… It was an early morning intervew with Fox war correspondent Trey Yingst that upset the Iranians and caused them to walk out. This is what he said right before talks began:

• “The US could become the Guardian Angel of the Strait of Hormuz and take 20% of the oil. We may take over the Strait, if we have to. I’ll blow the shit out of them. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls.”

• On Lebanon: “I am disappointed Israel cannot put Hezbollah away. They can’t do anything without knocking buildings down. I am close to giving this to Syria because he would do a more precise job.”

• Yingst: “Trump said he spoke with Iranian officials overnight and said, ‘You close the strait and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your fucking country. We’ll take over the rest of the country.’”

… Trump also posted this on Truth Social: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

… Iran’s Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf: “Don’t they think to themselves that if their threats had any result, they wouldn’t have reached today’s desperation? We do not take the Americans’ threats into account at all. It would be better for them to watch their statements carefully. Our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different way. No matter how much they talk, it is we who act.”

… Iran state media IRIB: “Contrary to some foreign media reports, NO negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program took place during the first 80-minute round of talks. The discussions focused on implementing the Islamabad agreement, with priority given to the issue of Lebanon.”

… Lindsey Graham on CBS: “You wrote 9 days ago, ‘The idea of a US plan with partners to create a fund of at least $300 billion is tone deaf. It’s akin to a Marshall plan with the Nazis still in charge.’ Why did you change your position? Graham: Before I thought the money was coming from the west. Q - You are okay if it doesn’t come from the US? Graham: Yeah. If the Arabs do it. Can you imagine if Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE invest $300 billion in Iran? That would tell me that Iran has changed.”

… Arab countries will NEVER pay Iran as part of this deal. The $300 billion from the Arabs is sheer nonsense and Trump propaganda.

… Margaret Brennan: “Our CBS news poll out this morning shows that more than three-quarters of Americans want to end the conflict now, with 69% saying the conflict with Iran was not worth the costs.”

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… After claiming for years that “windmills” caused avian holocausts, it appears that whatever Trump has been doing to the Reflecting Pool has claimed its first duckling. Journalist Rob Crilly: “At the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and I'm sorry to report that we have a dead duckling. Last week the tests suggested the algae was harmless but an expert tells me we could have signs of cyanobacteria.”

… Reuters then confirmed Crilly’s report that a dead duckling assassinated by Trump was floating in the Reflecting Pool. Photo by Aaron Schwartz.

… With photos of the murdered ducking going viral all over social media platforms, Trump made his THIRD post of the day on Truth Social about the Reflecting Pool: “Work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool. I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing? SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE! We will fix it?”

… I'm really surprised that Trump is refusing to accept responsibility for screwing up the Reflecting Pool while blaming others. So out of character for him.

… The Atlantic: “Trump has a new nemesis, with a name worthy of a supervillain: Scenedesmus. The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall has become the country’s most high-profile science experiment, with workers battling against nature. After a week of combat, they have essentially killed off one type of algae infesting the pool, only to create the conditions for a new type to take over. And Scenedesmus, a genus of green algae nicknamed ‘Skinny Dead Mouse’ by scientists, is now flourishing.”

… “With the lack of transparency from the govt and no clarity on what’s inside that murky water, I decided to dig—or dip—a little deeper myself. So I filled several water bottles from different areas of the pool. Some were fairly clear, while other samples were dark green. My samples were delivered to two different scientists by that evening.”

… “The treatments that NPS is now using to combat the bloom—hydrogen peroxide and nanobubble technology—are more effective at fighting blue-green algae. The green algae that are growing now, both Boyer and Paerl told me, are not likely to be discouraged by those methods, and so far they are proving to be resilient. The decision to paint the bottom a deep shade of blue, scientists have told me, raised the water temperature and accelerated the growth.”

… Boyer on the algae: “They are stressed, but they are definitely not dead. If I was going to design a facility to grow algae, I would probably design a facility that had a lot of surface area and was very shallow, so you have sunlight down to the bottom. And put a lot of nutrients in it. And that’s pretty much what the Reflecting Pool is. It’s just a perfect facility for growing algae.”

… But Trump is blaming Antifa: “The US Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Pool. Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair.”

… “Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool. What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly. We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible.”

… “What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass which was, by far, the least of it. They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete. They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool.”

… WaPo: “David Hearn had just finished a loop around Hains Point as part of a 52-mile bike ride when he swung by the Lincoln Memorial to see the refurbished Reflecting Pool for himself. Noticing a piece of the new ‘American flag blue’ liner that was partially detached from the pool bottom, Hearn said he reached into the water to see what it felt like. Moments later, US Park Police officers arrested him on a charge of destruction of govt property.”

… Hearn: “I didn’t vandalize anything. I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs. I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything.”

… Hearn is 67 years old and a 3-time Olympian who competed in the canoe slalom. He won two world championships in whitewater racing before retiring from active competition in 2002.

… DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Fox: “Anyone who is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize the reflecting pool will face the criminal justice system. There are several citations that have been handed out individuals, and these are cases that will be prosecuted to the full extent. If there are more serious products that are put into the reflecting pool to create more algae or a bigger problem, then we’ll consider more serious charges.”

… Meteorologist Chris Gloninger: “Nobody ‘peeled’ anything. An industrial coating has to fully cure before it goes back underwater, and this one was rushed into a flooded pool to hit a deadline. Submerge a film before it bonds to the substrate and water works underneath until it delaminates and lifts on its own. That isn’t sabotage, it’s chemistry. They’re now detaining people for touching material the job already failed to hold. Science.”

… DC reporter Amanda Moore: “Handful of detainments here by the reflecting pool. They are being done a variety of officers, including Monroe County Sheriff, OK City, OK State Police, US Marshals, a county in Texas I can’t make out, and a county in NY I can’t make out. I talked to the officers. They said they were deputized by the US Marshals and went through an orientation yesterday. They’re here for 30 days as part of the America 250 celebrations.”

… Moore also posted this photo:

… NYT: “First, the new paint job appeared uneven. Then, an algae bloom turned the water an acid green. Now, large chunks of coating are peeling off the basin, creating islands of ‘American flag blue’ alongside patches of pea green in a dark, murky soup.The Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial seems to be rejecting its makeover.”

… “Trump’s project to reseal and paint the concrete basin of the century-old pool that stretches between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial was finished nearly two weeks ago, in time for the country’s 250th birthday, as he demanded. But it has been nothing but a headache for the admin since.”

… “The Interior Dept said on social media this week that its workers had ‘killed the algae’ that had been hastened on by the heat and humidity. The water, it boasted, was now ‘crystal clear.’ But on Friday afternoon, the murky water was stained by loose clumps of algae even where National Park Service staff members had scrubbed away the bright green blooms along the bottom of the basin.”

… “The new coating was also missing at least two large sections - one gap was about the size of a park bench, with a sheet several inches long flapping in the waves. Underneath appeared to be the original concrete basin.”

… Trump continues to wreck our relationship with Italy with another post: “Italian PM Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France. She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the USA, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon.”

… “She wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact the US contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other ‘so-called’ NATO Allies. Now, after the US defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!”

… Meloni: “My response to Trump’s latest post about me. But I will not return to the topic, because I still believe in the unity of the West and I don’t think this is a spectacle up to our task. President Trump, these continuous and free attacks are meaningless.”

… “As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped me, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend the Italian national interest, and that’s exactly what I’ve always done.”

… “That’s what I did about the American military bases in Italy. Their use is regulated by agreements that we have always respected, and which cannot be violated as long as I am President of the Council. Italy is still a sovereign nation. In any case, my popularity is none of your business. I’d suggest you focus on yours.”

… Italian newspaper Libero’s headline: “Trump is an Asshole”.

… Guardian: “Scott Bessent advised Trump not to host Zelensky in the Oval Office, having called the Ukrainian president a ‘little fucker’, a ‘special-needs child’ and ‘Mr Bean on crack’. The suggestion that a US cabinet official described a world leader in such terms is included in Regime Change, by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.”

… “News of Bessent’s alleged remarks may embarrass the Trump admin, although the meeting that did take place on 28 Feb 2025 proved outright disastrous, as Trump and Vance blasted Zelensky for not being grateful for aid in his fight against Russian invaders, and for not wearing a suit. Bessent had strongly recommended to Trump that he not even allow Zelensky into the WH.”

… Prior to the Oval Office fiasco, Bessent visited Kyiv to press Zelensky to sign. It did not go well: “For 45 minutes, the men berated each other. Bessent had only been on the job for a few days, and already he had gotten into a shouting match with the leader of a country in the middle of a war. Finally he looked at Zelensky and said: ‘What the fuck do you want to do?’”

… Christopher Miller with Financial Times: “I first reported immediately after the Zelensky-Bessent meeting in Kyiv in Feb. 2025 that it had gone terribly and devolved into a shouting match – which I knew because I was on the other side of the door listening with Andriy Yermak. And Zelensky himself told me: “He arrived and said, ‘You must sign this now.’ I told him: ‘Stop tapping your finger on the document and let’s talk seriously.’”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Trump’s new Qatar Force One: “The plan is for this plane to be in service for two years and then Trump will take if for himself. No President has ever stolen an Air Force plane for himself. And you paid for it. The total cost could be $1 billion of your money for a new luxury jet for Trump and his family.”

… Former French Amb to US Gerard Araud on current US Amb to France Charles Kushner: “He has not stopped criticizing France since he has arrived in a country he doesn’t know, the language of which he doesn’t speak and the culture and the history of which he doesn’t care.”

… Politico: “A Republican-linked group was the sole funded of two pop-up super PACs that spent more than $4.3 million across a swath of Democratic congressional primaries to support candidates seen as less electable. Democrats had speculated that the two groups, Real Change PAC and Lead Left, were Republican meddling as they spent heavily across Democratic primary races in TX, PA, NJ, NE and ME in recent months.”

… “New filings submitted to the FEC show both groups got all of their money so far from Conservative Americans PAC, a super PAC founded in 2023 that this cycle has also sent money to the Senate Leadership Fund - and a host of other Republican groups.”

… “In ME’s 2nd District, state auditor Matt Dunlap - who benefited from a bit over $500,000 in spending from Real Change PAC boosting him and attacking one of his primary rivals - was declared the winner in recent days and will be Dems’ nominee in a light red seat they are hoping to keep in Nov. And in NE’s 2nd District, Lead Left spent $435,000 to oppose state Sen. John Cavanaugh, who lost to political activist Denise Powell.”

… Trump: “ICE has been abused by the Fake News Media at levels never seen before. The concept I have had for quite some time - A strong feeling that the name of these Patriots, ‘ICE,’ should be changed to, ‘NICE,’ in that it will totally discombobulate Crooked, Dishonest, and Unpatriotic Reporters and Journalists. For them to say, “We went to a NICE Facility today,” as opposed to ‘ICE’ or, ‘NICE Agents have deported a Violent Drug Dealer,’ they won’t be able to handle it, they will go totally crazy!”

… “All it means is adding an ‘N’ (National) to ‘ICE’ - A much more prestigious name. Everyone loves it, but I have been told by the legendary Tom Homan that the Agents do not love it as much as the other population. Who thinks that we should add an N to change the name of ICE to NICE?”

… The Independent: “Two websites have restricted or banned reviews of JD Vance’s new book following a stream of savage critiques. Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, published June 16 by HarperCollins, is Vance’s memoir detailing his conversion to Catholicism. Amazon restricted reviews of the book to verified purchasers only, leaving the tome with just 7 reviews.”

… On Goodreads, which is owned by Amazon, reviews were disabled entirely. A pop-up message informs viewers that “rating this book is temporarily unavailable.” No prior ratings for the book are visible.