An Unprecedented Meeting: US Hosts Representatives of Israel and Lebanon in Pursuit of Peace

Hosting and facilitating the meeting was our formidable Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Leaders of the two nations were on the same page, but it was too soon to “release the peace doves.” Still: This is the most productive conversation with the two nations for the entirety of Israel’s 78-year history. Times of Israel: The US, Israel and Lebanon issue a joint statement following their historic trilateral meeting earlier today in Washington, saying that they had held “productive discussions toward launching direct negotiations” between Beirut and Jerusalem…. As for Israel, the joint statement says Jerusalem during today’s meeting “expressed its support for disarming all non-state terror groups and [to] dismantle all terror infrastructure in Lebanon and expressed its commitment to working with the government of Lebanon to achieve that goal to ensure security for the people of both countries” (Times of Israel). Back to the peace doves. Amit Segal puts on spotlight on the one key obstacle to normalization of relations between the two nations: There is one problem preventing the flight of those doves—the actor that would inevitably attempt to shoot them down, and its continued ability to do so: Hezbollah. The threat the terror group poses was summarized well by a BBC headline this morning: “Lebanon seeks peace, but Hezbollah needs to be convinced first.” Almost a year and a half after Israel agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that Hezbollah disarm, and three months after the Lebanese Army declared “mission accomplished” in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah remains very much a threat. The Lebanese government still lives in the shadow of its civil wars, fearing that a confrontation with the Shiite terror group would fracture Lebanon’s delicate ethnic coalition (Segal).

France Conspicuously Absent in Negotiations Between Israel and Lebanon

And not one of the three nations—Lebanon, Israel or the U.S.—seemed to have missed them a bit. Briefly: Lebanon was under French Mandate after World War I. They achieved independence in 1946. But France, especially under a leader like Macron, continues to think they are more important and influential than anyone else does. Macron, looking to be consequential: Yesterday, I spoke with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, as well as with U.S. President Donald Trump. I urged the resumption of the negotiations suspended in Islamabad, the clearing up of misunderstandings, and the avoidance of any further escalation (Macron). Lebanese author Bechara Gerges: Today, Lebanon and Israel are sitting across from each other at the State Department in Washington, brokered by Marco Rubio and mediated by the American Ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, who is of Lebanese origin and remains a Lebanese. France was not just sidelined, it was rendered irrelevant by its own record of performing diplomacy without producing a single enforceable outcome. The bridge Macron wanted to claim credit for was built by others, and the cruelest part isn’t that France was excluded, it’s that nobody in Beirut objected (Gerges).

Israel Clearly Optimistic After Rubio-Moderated Discussions With Lebanon; ‘we’re on the same side of the equation’

Yechiel Leiter is the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. He addressed the press after the meeting. Leiter: We discovered today that we’re on the same side of the equation, and that’s the most positive thing we could have come away with. We are both united in liberating Lebanon from an occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah. Lebanon is under their occupation and we are suffering from their constant barrages of missiles and terror attacks trying to cross our border. We talked about a number of things, and most importantly, the vision, the long-term vision, where there’ll be a clearly delineated border between our countries and where the only reason we’ll need to cross each other’s territory will be in business suits to conduct business or in bathing suits to go on vacation. We made it very clear that the security of our civilians is not up for negotiation. That is understood by the government of Joseph Aun. And I must say, this was a victory for sanity, for responsibility, and for peace, because the head of Hezbollah warned the government of Lebanon yesterday not to participate in these talks. And the government of Joseph Allen bravely said no to Hezbollah. And this is the beginning of a very strong and fortified, consistent battle against Hezbollah. They are weakened as they’ve never been, and together will continue to rid the threat of this Iranian proxy, which is so maligned and so malignant in the region (i24).

Economic Pressures for Iranian Regime Mount; Inflation to Reach 180 Percent

The military action has—absolutely—had a large economic impact on Iran. But the economic stranglehold that the U.S. has on the Islamist regime should not be overlooked. Iran International: According to the assessment presented to the president, inflation could reach as high as 180% if shortages of industrial inputs persist. The same projections estimate that unemployment could rise by around two million people as factories, service providers and small businesses struggle to resume operations. According to sources familiar with the discussions, central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati has been urging Pezeshkian to take urgent steps to stabilize the economy, including restoring full internet access and pursuing an agreement with the United States…. Some officials fear that if the economic crisis worsens or the state faces financial collapse, powerful figures within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could seek to shift blame onto the president, they said (Iran International).

Iranian Economy on the Brink

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with a doubling down of economic sanctions has left the terror-supporting regime in an unsustainable position. Hugh Hewitt turned to Rich Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Goldberg: It would appear what the administration is doing right now combined with the blockade on the naval waters is going from Operation Epic Fury to Operation Economic Fury…. A letter apparently was sent just today to the UAE, to Oman, to Hong Kong and to China and all their banks saying, “We know that there’s shadow banking. We know you may be holding onto or processing some sort of Iranian funds. We are watching. We are now on warning. We are going to use the full maximum pressure of our sanctions and cut you off from the United States the minute we have evidence that you are handling their funds. Stop it right now, freeze them in place.” We’ll see if that has a big impact. That was a big warning letter just sent out in the last few hours (Hewitt). From our Treasury Department: Treasury is moving aggressively with Economic Fury, maintaining maximum pressure on Iran. Financial institutions should be on notice that the department is leveraging the full range of available tools and authorities and is prepared to deploy secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that continue to support Iran’s activities. The short-term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea is set to expire in a few days and will not be renewed (Bessent).

DC Circuit Issues Extraordinary Rebuke to Judge Boasberg

James Boasberg is the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court in D.C. He’s also the nakedly activist judge who tried to get planes with gang members to turn around as the administration was deporting them to El Salvador. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is tiring of Boasberg. Ed Morrissey at Hot Air: The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has had to rebuke him for a third time over the chief judge’s obstinacy in pursuing contempt charges against the Trump administration. And Judge Naomi Rao’s frustration has begun to seep through the legal lingo of her ruling. For at least the third time, the circuit court has called an end to Boasberg’s attempts to run the ICE and Border Patrol. Rao flat-out ruled that Boasberg has committed an ongoing “abuse of discretion” with his threats of criminal contempt citations (Hot Air). Washington Times: Circuit Judge Neomi Rao said Judge Boasberg has crossed too many lines, risking damage to the separation of powers between the president and the courts, and must end his pursuit of the president and his team. “As these shifting and expanding proceedings demonstrate, the district court has assumed an improper jurisdiction antagonistic to the Executive Branch,” Judge Rao, a Trump appointee, wrote in the majority opinion for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (Washington Times). More on the background: The dispute between Boasberg and the Trump administration stemmed from the removal of over 200 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). The judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to block the removal, but two planes were already in the air, headed for El Salvador (Newsweek).

78 Pro-Life Groups Press Trump Administration to Clamp Down on Mail Order Abortion Drugs

The Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision was an enormous victory for the pro-life movement as it overturned Roe v. Wade. In the wake of that decision, some 20-plus states have moved to either prohibit abortion or impose significant gestational limits. Sadly—and insidiously—much of the protection of human life at its most delicate state has been offset by the abortion drug that is mailed on demand, without regard to state law. Pro-life groups are working to raise the profile of this latest front in the fight for life. LifeNews: Led by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 78 pro-life groups sent a letter to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging the Department of Justice to stop siding with the abortion drug industry against pro-life states. Louisiana, Florida and Texas, and Missouri, Idaho and Kansas sued the FDA in three separate cases to protect their citizens from the harms of abortion drugs and to stop policies that undermine their state laws, and the DOJ previously moved to dismiss all three cases…. SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser commented: “The DOJ has the opportunity to stand with states seeking to uphold their laws and protect women and unborn children from the dangers of unregulated abortion drugs by mail. Instead, the DOJ is actively siding with the abortion industry and trying to wave away states’ valid claims – including the case brought by survivor Rosalie Markezich, whose ex-boyfriend ordered the drugs online from California and pushed her to take them against her will (LifeNews).

DOJ Issues Report on Weaponization of Government Under Biden Administration

Detailing the Biden Administration’s weaponization of the FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances). From the Justice Department: Based on a review of over 700,000 internal records, the report not only details specific ways the Biden Justice Department weaponized federal law, but also outlines the corrective action taken by the current Justice Department to make right the wrongs of the prior administration. “This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.” … “The behavior unearthed in this report is shameful,” said Assistant Attorney General Daniel Burrows, Office of Legal Policy. “Lawyers who should have known better withheld evidence, worked to keep committed religious people off juries, and generally allowed the Department of Justice to be used as the enforcement arm of pro-abortion special interests” (Justice). The full report, including exhibits: (Justice).

New Study Confirms: Pursuit of Gender ‘Transition’ Exacerbates Mental Health of Youth

The study out of Finland confirms the intuitions of those whose worldview is grounded in what was for millennia the undisputed biological truth: Humans are exactly two sexes. And: Nothing has changed with the biology. Washington Examiner: Adolescents struggling with gender dysphoria who sought gender transition medical treatment were found to have worse mental health symptoms in the long term compared to their peers, contradicting the belief that so-called “gender-affirming care” significantly improves outcomes. Youth patients with gender dysphoria who were referred to gender medicine clinics in Finland were upward of three times as likely to need psychiatric treatment following their referral compared to patients without a history of gender transition counseling or interventions…. The Finnish study is unique because of the size and scope of the dataset. Even among high-quality studies, collecting more than 25 years of data on a nationally representative sample of about 2,100 patients referred for gender identity services provided a unique opportunity to capture long-term findings that few other studies offer…. The need for further psychiatric treatment increased significantly during follow-up for patients who underwent medicalized gender transition, rising from roughly 10% to 61% for male-to-female transitioners and from 22% to 55% for female-to-male transitioners (Washington Examiner).

The Senate and the 2026 Midterms: Can the GOP Buck History and Hold the Majority?

The historical pattern would argue that the GOP would lose its majority—currently 53 members. The GOP could have a path to holding the upper chamber. They did so in 2018. CBS News: While Republicans are defending more seats, many of them are in states that President Trump won by comfortable margins in the last election. With few opportunities for pickups and a handful of open seats to defend, the 2026 cycle has posed an uphill battle for Democrats (CBS). Amy Curtis at Townhall: Republicans are zeroing in on a targeted strategy to win back swing voters and Trump voters who don’t typically turn out in off-year elections. Those voters will be critical to maintaining a Republican majority in the Senate next year. That message centers on the economy and cost of living, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) says new polling, exclusively provided to Townhall, shows a clear path to rebuilding a winning coalition after President Trump’s 2024 win…. Republicans are also using Tax Day to highlight their “Working Families Tax Cut” proposal, with polling showing strong responses to messaging that emphasizes that voters have an extra $250 per month (or $3,000 a year) in take-home pay. With the cost of living at the forefront of the midterms, the monthly framing resonates with those voters focused on everyday expenses like rent, groceries, utilities, and medications (Townhall). For Thune to retain the gavel, it will be an uphill slog. Roll Call: Republicans are defending more seats overall (22 to Democrats’ 13) and have more seats that Inside Elections currently rates competitive (seven, compared with Democrats’ four) (Roll Call).