This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 376.

… It appears that the latest imminent peace deal is not that imminent. Trump posted this afternoon on Truth Social: “I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it - TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

… Trump: “Iran has been playing games with the US, and the rest of the World, for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!). For 47 years the Iranians have been ‘tapping’ us along, keeping us waiting, killing our people with their roadside bombs, destroying protests, and recently wiping out 42,000 innocent, unarmed protestors, and laughing at our now GREAT AGAIN Country. They will be laughing no longer!”

… UN Ambassador Mike Waltz on ABC: Q - “50 days ago Trump posted a warning saying Iran had 48 hours to fully open, without threat, the strait. 50 days ago. Nothing happened, and the strait is still closed. Waltz: Well, I think we should take a step back. This has been 50 days to deal with a 50 year old problem.”

… Counterterrorism director Seb Gorka on NewsNation: Q - “We heard a much shorter timeframe at the beginning of this. How do we reconcile the original timeline with what we’re dealing with now? Gorka: There’s a very simple answer to your question - we’ve just been too effective. This is a regime in ultimate collapse, and that makes communicating and getting a final deal more complicated. But rest assured, it is coming imminently.”

… First they told us taking out leadership in Iran with the initial bombings was going to result in the regime being immediately overthrown by the people. 10 weeks later they are saying it is preventing them from reaching a peace deal.

… Q - “What do you say to critics who assert that this long conflict and its economic consequences represent an intelligence failure? Gorka: Utter complete hogwash. Garbage. Fake news of the highest degree. This action has been planned for decades by the president. Everything you see has been planned out to the last scintilla. Everything is happening exactly to plan.”

… Energy Secretary Chris Wright insisted on CBS that Trump TACO’d on escorting ships out of the Strait because Iran was about to make a deal: “We did stop Project Freedom at Iran’s request. They said, ‘Let’s make a deal.’ If it’s clear in the next few days that there’s not a good path to a negotiated settlement, we’ll go back to the military method to open the strait.”

… Smirking propagandist Kevin Hassett on Fox: Q - “In terms of the price of oil and gas and this spike, this has to mean higher costs for consumers. Hassett: Well, it does in the short run. It could take a month or two, but once the gusher opens then we expect oil prices could drop relatively quickly and certainly ahead of the election.”

… 60 Minutes has an extensive interview with Benjamin Netanyahu tonight, where he argued for further escalation of the war including ground troops from the US: Q - “Is the war over? Netanyahu: I think it accomplished a great deal but it’s not over because there’s still nuclear material - enriched uranium - that has to be taken out of Iran. There’s enrichment sites that need to be dismantled. There’s ballistic missile sites that remain.”

… Q - “How do you accomplished that? Netanyahu: You go in and take it out. Trump has said to me, ‘I want to go in there’. That’s the best way.”

… Jerusalem Post: “A commercial cargo vessel coming from Abu Dhabi was struck by a drone on Sunday morning off the coast of Doha, the Qatari Defense Ministry confirmed in an afternoon statement. The incident sparked a small fire, which was extinguished, the ministry said, noting that no injuries were reported. After the fire was put out, the ship continued its journey toward Mesaieed Port to dock.”

… “Shortly after the strike, Iranian Army Spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia told Iran’s Tasnim news that vessels from countries that comply with US sanctions against Iran would face difficulties crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian lawmakers have said they are drafting a bill to formalize Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz, with clauses including forbidding passage to vessels of ‘hostile states’.”

… NYT: “Russia is shipping drone components to Iran via the Caspian Sea, US officials say, helping Iran rebuild its offensive abilities after losing roughly 60% of its drone arsenal during recent fighting. Russia also provides goods that would typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz, now blockaded by the US Navy, as part of global trade.”

… “Iranian officials have said that efforts to open alternative trade routes are progressing rapidly, with 4 Iranian ports along the Caspian working around the clock to bring in wheat, corn, animal feed, sunflower oil and other supplies. Mohammad Reza Mortazavi of the Assn of Iran’s Food Industries, told the state broadcaster IRIB that Iran is actively rerouting essential food imports through the Caspian.”

… Kevin Hassett on Fox: Q - “What kind of GDP growth number would you expect this year? Hassett: I think we really could be looking at numbers north of 6% because there’s so much capital stock growth right now.”

… Economic analyst Jared Ryan Sears: “First quarter was 2%. That means it would require the next 3 quarters to all be 7.5% to get a 6% average for the year. That is a ridiculous expectation. The last time the US had a year with 6% or more was 1984. Even in 2021, with the rebound from the pandemic, it was only 5.7%, and we don’t have any of the conditions to repeat that. This guy isn’t even remotely realistic.”

… But Hassett said if the big GDP numbers don’t happen, it will be the fault of Democrats: “If we disappoint at all, it’ll be because of what happens to New York and California because of their misguided policies.”

… Hassett’s Fox appearance today was a perfect encapsulation of the Trump economic program:

• Pledge insanely unrealistic growth numbers that have no basis is reality.

• Then say if they fail to achieve those numbers it will somehow be the fault of Democrats.

… CNN: “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s new reality show, filmed with his family over the last 7 months, has sparked criticism amid high gas prices, in addition to raising ethics questions. Duffy said that costs for the 5-part series titled ‘The Great American Road Trip,’ were paid for by a nonprofit, the Great American Road Trip Inc. He said his family did not receive a salary or production royalties.”

… “The project’s sponsors, according to its website, include Boeing, Shell, Toyota, United Airlines and Royal Caribbean - all companies that intersect with the Dept of Transportation. This show brings Duffy and his wife, Fox host Rachel Campos-Duffy, back to their entertainment roots. The pair, who have 9 children together, met while filming the MTV reality show ‘Road Rules: All Stars’.”

… Donald Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: “As everyday Americans struggle with the price of gas and raise concerns about airline safety, the Secretary announces that he spent work time going on a road trip that appears to have been funded by the very industries his agency oversees.”

… Duffy: “The radical, miserable left has noticed our awesome Great American Road Trip trailer - and they hate it. It’s too wholesome. It’s too patriotic. It’s too joyful. They’re upset because they don’t want you to celebrate America! And they definitely don’t want you to teach your kids civics and patriotism. So they tell lies to undermine the mission.”

… Iowa Starting Line: Hours before JD Vance took the stage in Des Moines, an ethanol lobbyist offered money to people to attend the rally: “Jake Swanson here. I wanted to invite you to join me in seeing JD Vance this afternoon in Des Moines. I do some work for an ethanol company and so if you’re able to join, I will give you $100, and for anyone that you recruit, an additional $25. No limit on referrals, so if someone recruits a group of 20 to show up, that’s $500.”

… “The rally itself drew a crowd of several hundred to the Ex-Guard Industries warehouse floor. Paying people to attend a political event is unusual and potentially raises legal questions depending on how the money flowed. If the funds originated with a corporate or nonprofit client and were directed toward boosting attendance at an event headlined by a sitting VP, the arrangement could draw scrutiny under IA campaign finance law or federal election rules.”

… Guardian: “Travel experts say the demise of Spirit is just a harbinger of the chaos higher energy prices will bring this summer. From drivers to flyers, all travelers are expected to feel the squeeze. US oil prices have jumped more than 30% since the closing of the strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil and gas products typically pass through, at the start of the war. Prices at the pump have reached highs not seen since 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine war crippled the global supply of oil.”

… Economist Lindsay Owens: “Spirit is, in many ways, emblematic of what most Americans are feeling right now – which is a real gut punch around increasing energy costs and gas prices in particular. We’re all Spirit Airlines, when it comes to feeling really distressed and worried about high gas prices.”

… “The national average gas price is $4.56 a gallon. Though Trump keeps teasing peace deals with Iran, experts warn that it could take months or even years to fully restore the Gulf’s energy production even after the conflict ends. Airlines, which rely on heavy jet fuel, have been hit particularly hard. While other major carriers like United and Delta can cut routes and increase fees to offset rising costs, budget airlines operate on thin margins that are thrown off by higher fuel prices.”

I wrote a substack this morning on AOC’s recent comments about whether Democrats should align with people like Marge Greene on certain issues. Her remarks set off a somewhat heating debate amongst Democrats on social media and I gave my thoughts about it here.

We make the entire Weekend Bulletin available to everyone who are also able to participate in the comments section. About the first third of the daily Bulletins during the week are available to free subscribers. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work. If you missed the last Bulletin, that is here.

… Bloomberg: “The Trump family media group posted a net drop of $405.9 million in the first quarter, largely driven by unrealized losses in cryptocurrencies held by the company. The company’s investment in crypto at the peak of the market last summer drove hundreds of millions in losses this quarter. Close to $370 million of the company’s losses came from unrealized liabilities in digital assets and equities.”

… “Trump Media’s CEO, Devin Nunes, a former Republican congressman from CA, stepped down on April 22. The company’s stock has tumbled more than 90% since early 2022, when it rose as much as $97.54. The current stock price is $8.93.”

… Trump posted a photo on Truth Social depicting what the Reflecting Pool is going to look like when his paint job is done.

… Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) on CNN on Republicans redrawing his district to try and take him out: "I will be running on a record and a promise - my record, and America's promise. So I'm going to run irrespective of what the makeup of the district might be."

… Clyburn to Republicans: "Be very careful what you pray for, because what I do believe is that when they finish with the redistricting, there will be the possibility of at least 3 Democrats getting elected here in South Carolina to the US Congress."

… CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya on CNN: Q - Sources say that Trump has signed off on a plan to oust the current commissioner of the FDA, Marty Makary. Does he still have the confidence of the president? Bhattacharya: I don't know. I mean, you'll have to ask the president.”

… Texas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress on Marco Rubio’s meeting with Pope Leo: "I think it’s commendable that the Trump admin is meeting with the Pope and trying to work with the Pope. But the Pope is wrong when it comes to Iran. The role of govt is to protect citizens from evil doers, according to Romans 13.”

… “A few days before this conflict, I was in the Oval Office with Trump and he told us that Iran was just weeks away from a nuclear weapon so he had no choice to act. He has a God-given responsibility to protect our nation. The irony is that it looks like Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches than the Pope."

… Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) posted: “I am completely honored that so many people are asking me, floated me, or have said that I would be a great Speaker of the House. Truly, it is wonderful and I am flattered to have that type of support and trust. However, I do not know where the rumor started that I was considering a run, as I have never spoken to any member about it or considered even running for Speaker. For now, I feel that I am right where I need to be. At any rate, I love and appreciate all of you and will continue to fight for all of you in DC.”

… Yeah this never happened. She’s trying to float this herself because she sees herself as speaker someday and is putting this out there to make it appear there is a “Draft Luna for Speaker” movement out there.

… NYT: “About 352,000 Russian soldiers had died in the war against Ukraine through the end of 2025, according to a new estimate, underscoring the high cost that Vladimir Putin is willing to bear to pursue his battlefield aims. The Center for Strategic and Intl Studies estimated in January that as many as 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war as of the end of 2025.”

… “Russia has moved aggressively to conceal the number of soldiers who have died, at times deleting or hiding public data that researchers can use for insight into the figures. Ukraine has put out numbers, but they are far below the estimates of Ukrainian war dead released by C.S.I.S. and other groups.”

… Ukrainian analyst Anton Gerashchenko on Putin’s big parade: “Yesterday a turning point in the war took place. Perhaps we still do not fully grasp the significance of what happened. For the first time, Putin publicly showed his weakness and inability to independently protect his capital, his parade, and himself from our strikes. Because of this, a frightened Putin was forced to publicly humiliate himself and ask Trump, as a mediator, to help stop a strike on Moscow.”

… “Putin asked Trump to protect him from the Ukrainians. I consider Zelensky’s order a brilliant informational slap in the face and an additional public humiliation. It is obvious that before and during the parade, Putin was physically afraid - he felt vulnerable and threatened. Putin publicly appeared weak and humiliated, and in Russia’s ‘prison-style’ political culture, such things are not forgiven. A weak ‘tsar,’ mocked by everyone, cannot remain a tsar in Russia.”

… “These are very, very hard times for Ukraine. However, Ukraine is strong, resilient, and continues the fight. Slava Ukraini!”

… Geopolitical analyst Jim Carroll on Putin’s speech: “On one side of the Atlantic, you have a 79-year-old former game show host who believes windmills cause cancer, personally ended a war that hasn’t ended, and that crowd sizes at his inauguration defied the known laws of mathematics. On the other side, you have a 72-year-old ex-KGB man who has just accused Finland of secretly plotting to invade Russia.”

… “Finland. Famous for saunas, reindeer, and minding their own business since approximately the Bronze Age. Putin’s reasoning, delivered with the solemn authority of a man who hasn’t slept since 2003, was this: Finland joined NATO because they were waiting. Biding their time. Lurking. Ready to swoop in and grab Russian territory the moment Russia collapsed. ‘Swoop in and grab what they could,’ he said.”

… This is a man who sent 200,000 troops across an internationally recognized border, seized territory by force, and has spent 4 years reducing Ukrainian cities to rubble. Describing someone else as the type who swoops in and grabs what they can. The psychological term is projection. The clinical term is considerably less polite.”

… “Meanwhile, across the ocean, the other one is imposing tariffs on islands inhabited exclusively by penguins and receiving world leaders at a golf club in FL as though the WH is simply too far to drive. Two old men. Two fantasy worlds. Zero connection to observable reality. The Cold War at least had the decency to be frightening. This is just embarrassing.”

… “When your entire worldview runs on paranoia, grievance, and whatever the Kremlin version of Fox News feeds you at 3am, a fence looks like an invasion. A neighbour looks like a threat. And 5 million Finns quietly getting on with their lives looks like a geopolitical conspiracy.”

… Bangor Daily News: “Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner had his best fundraising week yet after his strongest primary challenger, Gov. Janet Mills, dropped out of the race last week. The candidate pulled in $1.5 million since Mills announced last Thursday that she was ending her campaign to take on 5-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.”

… The DownBallot: “VA Democrats are looking for a way to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the constitutional amendment temporarily adopting new congressional districts that a majority of voters ratified last month. They have a simple—and lawful—solution: Send the entire court into early retirement.”

… Article VI, Section 9, of the VA Constitution gives the legislature unlimited authority to set the retirement age for judges. It specifies, “The General Assembly may also provide for the mandatory retirement of justices and judges after they reach a prescribed age, beyond which they shall not serve, regardless of the term to which elected or appointed.”

… “Current law sets the mandatory retirement age at 73: ‘Any member who attains 73 years of age shall be retired 20 days after the convening of the next regular session of the General Assembly following his seventy-third birthday.’ This number is arbitrary. States around the country with similar laws mandate retirement across a wide range of ages. VA lawmakers can simply lower theirs.”

… Politico: “Republican donors have given massive sums of money to Trump’s operation. But they are in the dark about how he’s going to spend it in the midterms. There is mounting anxiety among party donors about when and how Trump will deploy his $300 million war chest, and concern that the WH is missing an opportunity to reinforce the party now when it is facing electoral threats on all sides.”

… Some Republicans fear Trump may ultimately opt to hold back some of the money from the midterms and direct it to other purposes, such as legacy-building projects or anointing a successor in 2028. One big GOP donor waiting for Trump to start spending his PAC money: “There is an expectation funds are coming soon. Mild panic will set in soon if it doesn’t by early summer.”

… A former Trump admin official: “No answer is causing concerns for donors. Is Trump really committed to the midterms because if he were, he would spend his money first. He’s going to spend some, but most donors would be shocked if he spent 10% of it.”

… Vivek Ramaswamy’s Republican primary opponent Casey Putsch surprisingly endorsed the Democratic nominee for OH Gov Amy Acton after losing the primary to Vivek last week: “She is garbage. But I’d rather have a pile of garbage than the hell that is Vivek.”

… CBS: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said that the Trump admin’s $1.5 trillion budget request for defense spending is “outrageous. They need to submit a defense budget that makes sense for the moment we’re in.” Last month, the admin released its fiscal year 2027 budget proposal. The proposal would mark a 42% increase in defense spending from 2026 levels.

… Kelly: “When I got to the Senate five and a half years ago, the defense budget was just over $700 billion. Now they’re asking for twice as much money - it’s nearly the amount that the rest of the world pays for its defense. There’s stuff in there, like Golden Dome. The physics on that stuff is really, really hard. I’m very confident we’re going to spend a lot of money, and we’re going to get a system that doesn’t work.”

… “Along with the budget request, the WH is expected to ask Congress for a supplemental spending package to cover the cost of the war with Iran. A Pentagon official said at a congressional hearings late last month that the cost of the war was about $25 billion. But US officials familiar with internal assessments suggested at the time that the Iran war’s price tag could be closer to $50 billion.”

… Daily Beast: “The sculptor behind a 22-foot golden statue of Trump unveiled at the president’s golf course this week says it was ‘chaos’ behind the scenes. Cottrill’s giant gold-leafed effigy was erected at the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami on Thursday and unveiled during an emotional ceremony led by Pastor Mark Burns, who is seen as the president’s informal spiritual adviser and was allegedly involved in the project.”

… “The artist revealed that the ‘crypto boys’ who financed the project used images of the sculpture to launch their token, which he said constituted copyright infringement. He alleged that they later stopped paying for the project, forcing him to store the statue—completed last year around Trump’s January inauguration—in an undisclosed location until payment was made.”

… “Cottrill increased the total cost of his creation from $300,000 to $450,000 after pitching the idea of adding a gold-leaf finish to the bronze statue for an additional $60,000, and charged $90,000 for the alleged copyright infringement.”