Davis Rowan

Politics and college basketball take it or leave it

[Andrew Desiderio @AndrewDesiderio]

SCOOP: The State Dept told Congress *yesterday* that Iran’s oil exports are a primary revenue source for terrorism financing—just hours after U.S. & Iran signed MOU that includes oil sanctions relief, and as Trump is downplaying Iran’s illicit behavior

https://t.co/vpUmBqKKmK

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Iran really ate the Trump administration up with this one

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: The US has released the full text of its 14-point "Memorandum of Understanding" with Iran.

Key terms include:

1. The US, Iran, and their allies agree to immediately and permanently end military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon

2. The US and Iran agree to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and not interfere in each other's internal affairs

3. The US and Iran commit to negotiating and reaching a final deal within 60 days, unless mutually extended

4. The US will begin removing its naval blockade immediately and fully end the blockade within 30 days

5. Iran will use its best efforts to ensure safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days with no charge

6. The US and regional partners will develop a mutually agreed plan of at least $300 billion for Iran's reconstruction and economic development

7. The US will work toward terminating all types of sanctions against Iran, including UN, IAEA, primary, and secondary sanctions

8. Iran reaffirms that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons and agrees to address its enriched material stockpile under IAEA supervision

9. Until a final deal is reached, Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, while the US will impose no new sanctions and deploy no additional forces

10. The US Treasury will issue waivers for Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, derivatives, and associated banking, insurance, and transportation services

11. The US will make frozen or restricted Iranian funds and assets fully available for use

12. The US and Iran will establish an executive mechanism to monitor implementation of the MOU and future compliance with the final deal

13. After signing the MOU and implementing key ceasefire, blockade, shipping, oil waiver, and asset-release provisions, the US and Iran will begin final deal negotiations

14. The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution

The memorandum will trigger a 60-day window to negotiate a final deal.

[Gregory Brew @gbrew24]

Putting aside the spin, here's what happened:

The US launched a war of choice against Iran. The purpose was to duplicate the recent success in Venezuela--decapitate the regime, empower new leaders who were willing to cut a deal, leave Iran weaker and more compliant.

Very quickly, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. Iran's leadership had planned for war, the mosaic defense allowed for rapid and resilient response, the regime quickly rallied around a hard core of IRGC/security leadership. A quick victory faded.

Instead, the war became attritional, which played to Iran's strengths. Iran closed the strait, attacked regional infrastructure, imposed costs and waited for the US to de-escalate and accept a negotiated settlement favorable to Iran. That was always the plan.

The US resisted. The goal shifted: military and economic pressure became a lever to force Iran into making concessions on its nuclear program. The administration considered high-risk operations, like seizing Kharg Island or raiding Isfahan to take Iran's HEU stockpile. In the end, the risks were never manageable. The US offered a ceasefire. Iran accepted.

There followed two months of negotiating and posturing. Both sides thought they had leverage. Both tried pressure via "dueling blockades." But Iran always had the advantage: it had already resisted the core US demands while under bombardment, the idea that it would yield under pressure and threats was never especially credible.

Iran had a simple task: resist and extract concessions for reopening the strait. The US lift was heavier: it was demanding major concessions, but lacked the tangible success in war to attain them. The US negotiating position had weakened relative to where it was before the war. Iran's had strengthened.

The deal both sides are moving toward reflects that dynamic. It is not a US surrender--the US is still the stronger power and it can absorb this war with relative ease, thanks to its vast resources--but it is far less than what the US had hoped to achieve.

Iran is not really walking away a winner--its losses since June 2025 are immense, albeit recoverable in time--but it has succeeded in resisting capitulation, and imposed enough costs to extract concessions in return.

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Cc @RealCandaceO

[Caolan @CaolanReports]

I cannot believe what I’m witnessing in Kyiv tonight. Priests at the Kyiv Lavra one of the holiest Christian sites in Europe are rushing to save crucifixes, icons and sacred artefacts while Russia attacks the city.

This is what Moscow’s “Christian values” look like.

[Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 @PollTracker2024]

NYT: Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right

Secret memos show that the White House debated last year, to a greater degree than previously known, whether to limit habeas corpus rights for undocumented immigrants.

https://t.co/RJRCbcmROX

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Nancy babes you’re embarrassing yourself

[Nancy Mace @NancyMace]

Clearly I aimed too high. The fast track to an endorsement these days is a Nazi tattoo, a habit of hitting women, or a staffer half your age. Rookie mistake.

[James Talarico @jamestalarico]

For decades, Dan Patrick has sold out the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable to enrich his donors.

Love feels like blasphemy when you worship power.

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Oh the irony

[Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 @PollTracker2024]

President Trump weighs in on Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine

“He’s a thug, and they’re trying to make excuses for him. He’s worse than any human being that’s ever run for office, probably.”

[Chaz Nuttycombe @ChazNuttycombe]

The only question about #VASEN is whether Mark Warner beats Abigail Spanberger's margin of victory or not.

[Joe @electionsjoe]

Nancy Mace really sold her soul for only 11% of the vote lmao

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Close Nancy!

[Jamie Dupree @jamiedupree]

Rep. Nancy Mace R-SC not even making the top three in the GOP Governor's race in her home county

[Sarah McBride @SarahEMcBride]

thoughts and prayers

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

1 less sleaze in Congress. Truly one of the biggest disappointments in modern political history. I hope she seek help

[Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 @PollTracker2024]

Nancy Mace (R) concedes defeat in the South Carolina governors race and endorses AG Alan Wilson for South Carolina governor

[Reese Gorman @reesejgorman]

Nancy Mace on Alan Wilson last year: “Women who come forward in your system are treated like criminals under your leadership, in your system and on your watch, Attorney General Alan Wilson."

Nancy Mace on Alan Wilson today: Endorses him for governor of South Carolina.

[Haley Britzky @halbritz]

New: On April 1, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George requested an in-person meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — an effort to calm months of tension between Hegseth and senior Army leaders, three officials said.

The meeting never came. The next day, he was fired in the middle of a meeting with Army staff.

“The staff proceeded to, one by one, either go and give him a handshake or a hug,” a Pentagon official recalled. By the next morning, George’s office had been emptied.

Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon, where distrust and suspicions of loyalty are rampant
https://t.co/8scA1rAERd

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Trump and co attack voting by mail since 2020 loss.
R candidate in LA does best with in person voting on Election Day because Rs have been told not to trust mail ballot process
Trump and co wonder why mail ballots are leaning heavily Democratic
It’s really very simple

[Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 @PollTracker2024]

Huff Post: Vice President JD Vance joined the chorus of Republican voices pushing the baseless idea that the Los Angeles mayoral primary election is rigged, suggesting Monday evening that Spencer Pratt’s loss is “pretty shady.”

“How is it that you had Karen Bass was in first place, Spencer Pratt was in second place, and then this other woman was in third place?” Vance began.

https://t.co/Jri6KkraiR

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

Steve Hilton is literally going to advance to the general election this is maybe the stupidest person to ever exist

[Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 @PollTracker2024]

President Trump posts on Truth Social that Spencer Pratt and Steve Hilton are having their races stolen from them in California.

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

🤞he’s dead before then

[Polymarket @Polymarket]

JUST IN: Putin declines to answer whether he will stay in power until 2036.

[Davis Rowan @davisrowan22]

https://t.co/L4kdGWroBs https://t.co/L4kdGWroBs

[Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 @PollTracker2024]

Politico: Trump says he never promised “no new wars”

“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” Trump said. “I built our military. I inherited a terrible military. We had no equipment. We had nothing. I built a tremendous military. When you say I promised, I didn’t promise anything.”

https://t.co/0RGYsUNUi6

[Toby MG @TobyMGData]

This.

We shouldn’t let the stupid fraud conspiracies push us into defending what is an indefensibly slow process.

There is zero indication of fraud, and I like accepting the ballots that were postmarked by Election Day getting accepted, but the votes in on Election Day should