John Maggio

Documentary Director. A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks, The Newspaperman, Panic, Mr. Saturday Night, @HBOdocs #AChoiceOfWeapons #ThePerfectWeapon

[Antony Blinken @ABlinken]

Thoughts on the “Ceasefire” with Iran:

President Trump should share the ceasefire agreement with the American people.  They deserve to see it and draw their own conclusions about the results of the president’s war. Just as they should have been informed before he launched it.

From what’s been reported, it’s a bad deal to end a misguided war of President Trump’s choosing. The only thing worse would be to continue the war that has proven so costly in lives lost — including U.S. service members — and taxpayer dollars spent without making the American people safer or their lives better.

By President Trump’s own terms, the war is a failure.

The Iranian regime is intact and its military wing more empowered, while the Iranian people are more impoverished, repressed and desperate.

Iran apparently retains a significant supply of missiles and drones and the productive capacity to make more. It has renewed links to lethal proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere. The ceasefire agreement seems to be silent about these issues

The attempt to “re-obliterate” Iran’s nuclear program — which President Trump claimed to have wiped out last year — failed. Iran still has the highly enriched uranium it had produced before the war started, along with centrifuges to spin the uranium into weapons-grade material. Maybe that will be addressed in the negotiations that are supposed to start this week. But at what price in terms of sanctions relief and assets unfrozen? At best, we’ll get back to something that looks like the JCPOA — the nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama without going to war that put Iran’s nuclear program in a box. President Trump tore up the JCPOA in 2018 and then failed to replace it. There’s reason to doubt we will come away with anything as strong as the JCPOA — which took two years to negotiate in partnership with all the major powers — in 60 days, playing a far weaker hand. And by the way, if the president tries to claim credit for Iran renouncing nuclear weapons as part of any agreement, look no further than the very first paragraph of the JCPOA, which contains the same pledge.

The only “achievement” of the ceasefire is the likely re-opening the Strait of Hormuz — which was open before the war started. And we will apparently pay Iran to do so, in the form of waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil. Iran has now demonstrated the capacity to stop or slow the passage of oil, natural gas, fertilizer and other critical products upon which so much of the world depend. Going forward, it will almost certainly find ways to collect “fees” for safe passage that will help entrench the regime.

Don’t expect a return to normal any time soon, if at all. Crude oil prices will drop from the record highs they reached — but they’re unlikely to fall to pre-war levels. We will all pay for a sustained inflationary effect. It will take time to restart oil and gas production, repair infrastructure, refill dangerously depleted stockpiles, clear mines, and restore confidence. Just as it will take a lot of time to replenish our own supply of offensive and defensive missiles, to the detriment of our deterrent in other parts of the world.

Maybe the only positive development is the world’s renewed focus on renewable energy as a way to break the stranglehold of the Strait. But China will be the big winner as the world’s leader in wind, solar, EV’s and batteries — further expanding its influence — while the Trump administration is paying wind farms to shut down and gutting incentives to make us more competitive in EVs. (I just returned from Norway, where more than 90 percent of the new cars sold last year were full EV’s. Norway may be ahead of the curve, but we’re driving right off the road).

Meanwhile, the administration achieved a terrible trifecta of alienating our partners in Europe (insulted and threatened for two years, not consulted on the war and then lambasted for not helping bail us out), Asia (which bore the greatest impact of high energy prices and rising scarcity) and the Middle East (the primary target of Iranian retaliation), while diminishing our standing and credibility everywhere.

Most of all, President Trump’s war of choice has failed the ultimate foreign policy test: it has failed to make the American people better off. At a time when more and more American families are struggling to make ends meet, this war has made filling everything from the gas tank to the grocery cart to medical prescriptions harder and more expensive.

We should all be glad the war is over — for now. No doubt President Trump will claim credit for ending it. But that’s like an arsonist boasting about putting out a fire he started after half the house has been burnt down.

[Sam Stein @samstein]

The algae infested reflecting pool is a metaphor

[Jim Acosta @Acosta]

The reflecting pool on the National Mall is full of algae and turning a bright green color, like the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day, one DC tourist told me.

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

original iran nuclear deal:
“under no circumstances will iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapon.”

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

Game 5 in the ballroom? #KnicksFans @nyknicks

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

@HunterBiden @QualityLearing_ I would really like to document this moment in your life. Lemme know.

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

@Milajoy That doesn’t look scorching hot at all.

[Alerta Mundial @AlertaMundoNews]

🇺🇸 Donald Trump parece quedarse dormido “al estilo Biden” en su silla durante un anuncio en la Oficina Oval.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Trump is now sitting back in his chair and dozing off

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

@Shteyngart Tiro A Segno. I had that same experience, but with a bishop in the catholic church and some ziti.

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

@kvpi Be careful!

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

@unclegrambo @rockmarooned Congrats!

[Tyler McBrien @TylerMcBrien]

BLANCHE: "The United States...is hereby FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED from prosecuting or pursuing...examinations or similar or related reviews" against Trump "or related or affiliated individuals," including family members or related companies and trusts.

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

@BillSimmons I wholeheartedly support this sentiment.

[David Young @EffectivePublic]

@RealGlenMacnow The HBO Paul Anka doc was really fascinating

[Chris Fralic @chrisfralic]

“People have to understand the reward value of being in this business the right way - it’s like nothing else”

Paul Anka - His Way (HBO) is excellent

https://t.co/CkiUzoY9sU

[Chris Tina @LisasTurtle]

@ronsterd89 Umm, everyone🤷🏾‍♀️
Watch the Paul Anka doc on HBO for perspective. That man worked with everyone. It's really good!

[John Maggio @jpmaggio70]

Sooooo. Is the war with Iran over?

[Paul Graham @paulg]

This is who's running the government.

[Acyn @Acyn]

Clip 1: RFK JR cites a study.
Clip 2: RFK JR cites another study.
Clip 3: Cassidy finds the first study and suggests the study contradicts RFK JR’s claim.
Clip 4: Cassidy finds the second study and points out the study was published before the vaccine came out.