Further rhetorical whiplash from President Trump on Iran: ‘The negotiation itself is going very well. It might not happen, who knows? But if it happens, it could happen over the weekend.’
Workers on the ‘Great American State Fair’ on the National Mall are now digging up the pavement to lay pipes/cables for the temporary structures. More of the stands have been covered in the neoclassical faux cladding with the side closest to the Capitol building now also closed off for work to begin.
At 10.44pm on a Friday, the White House released the results of President Trump’s physical earlier this week. The doctor found he has a cardiological age of someone 14 years younger than him. He also backed up the White House’s explanation for the consistent bruising on the back of POTUS’ hands which he frequently covers in concealer; ‘frequent handshaking’ compounded by his aspirin regimen.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson @IRIMFA_SPOX pours cold water on President Trump's statement that he'll make a final determination RE: a MoU between both countries. Baqaei says 'message exchanges between Iran and the U.S. continue, but no final agreement has been reached'. He adds that the discussions don't encompass 'the nuclear issue'.
Outbound Texas Senator John Cornyn in his feels today after his Trump-backed opponent Ken Paxton defeated him in the Texas Republican Senate primary. This is at least the second thinly-veiled message.
Construction of the Great American State Fair continues on the National Mall. Work crews are installing faux neoclassical frames over the plywood frames. Meanwhile the musical billing for the event continues to dwindle as Bret Michaels becomes the latest artist to drop out of the programme, saying the event has shifted from the non-partisan celebration of America that he initially agreed to.
NEW: President Trump says he’s weighing a final decision on a MoU with Iran. He seems to class Israel’s war with Hezbollah and Iran’s support for regional proxies as ‘other items, of far less importance […]’ but says they’ve been agreed to.
A day after Freedom 250 announced the line up for its summer concert series at 'The Great American State Fair', numerous acts involved say they.... won't be.
Milli Vanilli, Morris Day and Young MC have all said they won't be appearing, with Young MC saying he was looking forward to performing in D.C. 'in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.'
White House pooler confirms earlier Axios reporting that a tentative agreement has been reached with Iran. It is now pending President Trump's approval.
Further to this reporting by @washingtonpost, a person I spoke to behind the effort to spearhead this through Congress told me they would likely try to get it passed by slipping it in to a larger package so that it got approved more easily. When I asked how confident this person was that it would happen, they told me ‘Oh, we’ll get it done.’
Breaking news: Trump administration officials have pressed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring the president’s portrait, in what would be the first appearance of a living person on U.S. currency in more than 150 years. https://t.co/S8sqdKSB7i
Bruce Springsteen announces that he’ll be back in D.C. on October 3rd for a yet-to-be-announced festival called ‘Power To The People Fest’. He says it’s a day of ‘music and resistance’ that will feature performances from Springsteen himself as well as the Foo Fighters and more. The details he says will be officially announced tomorrow.
President Trump is yo-yoing from topic to topic during his opening remarks at this cabinet meeting. He mentions Iran, saying the Iranians thought they could out-wait the President because of the midterm elections, but Trump says 'I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms. People understand it.'
It basically sounds like no progress has been made to a few days ago. US still wants commitments on nuclear, Iran unwilling to give it. Earlier today Trump poured cold water on the idea that an agreement will be reached this weekend and now, a senior US official tells Axios it’ll take at least ‘several days’.
BREAKING: US believes Iran's supreme leader has approved the broad template for draft deal with Iran. Iran has agreed in principle that in exchange for the US lifting blockade, Iran will agree in principle to dispose of highly enriched uranium. This draft has to make its way through the leadership system. But US wants them to commit to dispose of HMU and commit to resolve other nuclear issues. @VP, Witkoff, Kushner involved in negotiations. US trying to involve every middle eastern ally. @CBSNews
President Trump appears to set expectations when it comes to the US signing an MoU with Iran. It suggests a preliminary agreement may still be some ways away.
NEW: Trump and Netanyahu spoke about Iran negotiations. Trump said he's insisting on dismantling the Iranian nuclear program and removing the enriched uranium from its territory, and that he won't sign a final agreement without these conditions. The prime minister said Israel will maintain freedom of action against all threats, including Lebanon, whether this draft agreement is signed or not. @CBSNews
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I am deeply concerned about what we are hearing about an Iran “deal,” being pushed by some voices in the administration.
President Trump’s decision to strike Iran was the most consequential decision of his second term. He was right to do so, and we achieved extraordinary military results—including destroying all of their missiles & drones and sinking their entire navy.
If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime—still run by Islamists who chant “death to America”—now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake.
The details are still coming out—and I pray the early reports are wrong—but the fact that Biden’s Rob Malley is praising the deal is not encouraging.
President Trump believes in peace through strength, and his strong leadership has already made America much safer. He should continue to hold the line, defend America & enforce the red lines he has repeatedly drawn.
The latest statement from @SecretService on the shooting a block from the White House. It now appears the suspect was shooting at uniformed agents inside the security checkpoint.
'Shortly after 6:00 p.m. Saturday, an individual approached a Secret Service checkpoint in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers.
Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. During the shooting, a bystander was also struck by gunfire. It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire.
No injuries were sustained by Secret Service personnel. The President was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted.
The incident remains under investigation.'
CNN also reports that this man was known to the Secret Service and may have been mentally disturbed. A source tells them he had had multiple run-ins with USSS. Anecdotally, there are often people outside the White House perimeter shouting at USSS agents.