Extra, Extra
Prince Charming King? “In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government, the people familiar with the conversations said. Prince Mohammed, the people familiar with the discussions said, has argued that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf that can only be eliminated by getting rid of the government.” NYT (Gift Article): Saudi Leader Is Said to Push Trump to Continue Iran War in Recent Calls. Meanwhile, “Pakistan’s military leadership has been attempting to broker negotiations between the US and Iran, after the White House confirmed that Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, had a call with Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss the conflict.” JD Vance is being floated as a lead negotiator. Here’s the latest from The Guardian.
+ Mullin Mulled Over: Markwayne Mullin confirmed as the next secretary of Homeland Security. (On the plus side, he’s almost certain not to be the worst person ever to hold that job.)
+ Moonstruck: “NASA plans to invest $20 billion over the next seven years to develop a base on the surface of the moon, the latest major strategy shakeup aimed at enabling humans to live on the lunar surface long-term.” (That sounds like too much money to spend, unless we all get to decide who to send there first.)
+ Cheet Sheet: Can an entire political movement be summed up in one headline? Probably not, but we can try. Trump, Who Calls Mail-in Voting ‘Cheating,’ Just Voted by Mail.
+ Betrayed: “Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, who was known to his family and friends as Nazeer, served alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Paktika province – one of the most dangerous in Afghanistan – starting in 2005 … He and his family were evacuated when the pro-U.S. government in Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021.” How an Afghan man who aided U.S. military forces died in ICE custody in Texas. And from Pro Publica: Trump Has Detained the Parents of More Than 11,000 U.S. Citizen Kids. (Feel safer?)
+ Foul Wind: “French energy company TotalEnergies has agreed to abandon two Atlantic offshore wind projects after the Trump administration offered to buy out its federal leases for close to $1 billion, with the money to be redirected into fossil fuel development.”
+ Cold Reception: “Americans have learned to live with ads on smartphones and other devices as a necessary trade-off of connectivity. They’ve also gotten used to growing intrusions in the physical world, where everything from bathroom stalls to taxicab seats have become fair game for marketers. But the kitchen remained largely off-limits.” Until now. Ads Are Popping Up on the Fridge and It Isn’t Going Over Well.
