The Keystone Take

where policy, politics, and common sense intersect, with a dash of Philly atty-tood. I used to blog. Substack @islandofhope.

[The Keystone Take @KeystoneTake]

I thought there was a chance of guilt by association with Trump-Epstein before 3 weeks ago. Now I am convinced that either Trump is a pedo or he at the very least has no problem with pedos/sex traffickers.

[The Keystone Take @KeystoneTake]

"I never agreed to all that. But the strait is open...."

[Craig Shapiro @ces921]

If this deal is a great deal for the US, Trump will be out front signing it himself.

The fact that he's signaling he can't go and sending Vance in his place is really all you need to know

[Craig Shapiro @ces921]

If this deal is a great deal for the US, Trump will be out front signing it himself.

The fact that he's signaling he can't go and sending Vance in his place is really all you need to know

[The Keystone Take @KeystoneTake]

Yeah, the US and Israel won't agree to this. And Iran won't agree to any deal where Israel can still indiscriminately bomb them and Lebanon. And Israel doesn't want a deal, so it will continue bombing. Hence, where we are.

[Martin Kelly @_MartinKelly_]

State-owned Mehr News Agency:

"New details of a 14-point draft memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States have been released by a source close to the Iranian negotiating team. The details of this draft are as follows:

1. Immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.

2. A commitment by the United States not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs and to respect the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

3. Complete lifting of the maritime blockade within 30 days.

4. A commitment by the United States to withdraw its forces from around Iran.

5. Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian arrangements.

6. Suspension of sanctions on oil and petrochemical product sales, and full Iranian access to its financial resources.

7. The necessity for the United States and its allies to present reconstruction plans for Iran totaling at least $300 billion.

8. 60 days of negotiations to reach a final agreement based on nuclear issues and the complete lifting of primary and secondary sanctions imposed by the US, UN Security Council resolutions, and IAEA Board of Governors resolutions.

9. Reiteration of Iran's commitment under the NPT not to produce nuclear weapons.

10. During the negotiation period, the United States has committed not to increase its forces in the region and not to impose new sanctions.

11. Release of $24 billion of Iran's blocked funds during the 60-day final negotiation period. Half of this amount must be made available to Iran before the start of negotiations.

12. Establishment of an oversight mechanism for the implementation of the agreement.

13. The final agreement will be affirmed by a UN Security Council resolution.

14. Final negotiations will not commence before the release of half of Iran's blocked funds ($24 billion), the suspension of Iranian oil sanctions, and the lifting of the maritime blockade.

The final agreement will exclusively address the fate of enriched materials and enrichment, sanction relief, and a plan for Iran's economic reconstruction.

Discussions regarding Iran's missile program and support for resistance groups have been definitively removed from the agenda."

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Trump has actually stopped 153 wars if you count all the times Axios reported he's close to a deal

[Jesse Ferguson @JesseFFerguson]

🚨🚨🚨The Trump administration is secretly setting it up so SICK PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE OUT LOANS FROM THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES in order to afford the rising costs of health care.

[The Keystone Take @KeystoneTake]

Anyone who has ever been to Maine knows this is bullshit.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Trump lies that before he came around, "you had go to Japan to get a Maine lobster"

[Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski]

Incredible. Scotland puts a wind turbine near Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen 20 years ago. He sues and loses. Then his resulting hatred of wind turbines now ends up with the US Secretaries of Defense & Interior fabricating absurd lies to justify killing wind energy in the US.

[The Keystone Take @KeystoneTake]

I refi'd in Nov 2020. What great timing.

[Ben Carlson @awealthofcs]

I still don't think ppl realize what an amazing deal locking in a 3% mortgage in 2020 has been for homeowners

Inflation has averaged 3.9% this decade

It's now back above 4%

You're basically borrowing for free

This was the deal of a lifetime

[Jesse Lee @JesseCharlesLee]

Florida voters unequivocally banned gerrymandering for partisan gain in their Constitution, which nobody denies is exactly what was done here, but GOP judges are GOP operatives and therefore “so what.”

[GOP Ls @GOP__Ls]

🚨 NEW: 97 pardoned Jan. 6 rioters have already been returned to prison for new crimes.

[Brian Beutler @brianbeutler]

Yes. It’s not slow counting that organically spawns conspiracy theories. It’s Republican lying, full stop. And the people who pretend otherwise—anti-anti Trumpers and mainstream media figures trying to burnish their cred—are useful patsies to enemies of democracy.

[The AZ - abc15 - Data Guru @Garrett_Archer]

There are observers in the room when ballots are being counted.

A hand count audit is compared to the machine totals.

Voter registration data is public record.

They're not just telling you. They're showing you the coin.

[Tim Miller @Timodc]

Who is for dropping a quarter billion in bombs on Iran right now? For what purpose?

Susan Collins is chair of the appropriations committee is she awake?

[The Keystone Take @KeystoneTake]

@groth_tom @MikeLevin The same reason Garland didn't release the damaging grand jury testimony from his indictments for J6, the documents case, etc. It's against protocol.

[Mike Levin @MikeLevin]

Some thoughts on the new Epstein Files revelations:

I’ve now read everything that’s come out from the new Haberman and Swan book, and the thing I keep coming back to is the Situation Room. They held multiple meetings in the Situation Room about the Epstein files. That room is for war. It’s for national security emergencies. It is not for figuring out how to spin a scandal you’re telling the country is a hoax.

While the President was deflecting or calling this old news, his own Vice President and Chief of Staff were huddled in the most leak-proof room in America because they knew how bad it really was.

You don’t take a nothingburger to the Situation Room.

And I have to be honest, reading all this brings back a lot of frustration about what happened in the House of Representatives. I sat there and watched Mike Johnson send the House home early to dodge a vote on releasing these files. I watched him refuse to swear in a duly elected colleague for months just to stall the discharge petition. Month after month of excuses, arm twisting, and procedural games, all to keep this information from the public. We only got the files because survivors, families, and a handful of members in both parties simply refused to let it go.

So when people ask me why I talk so much about transparency and accountability, this is why. The truth eventually comes out. It always does.

The only question is whether your leaders helped reveal it or helped bury it.

Everyone who voted to keep these files hidden should have to answer for that.

Finally, notice what’s missing from all of this is any sign that Trump’s DOJ will actually investigate the powerful men named in these files.

Draw your own conclusions about why a Justice Department run by the President’s former defense lawyers might not be eager to pull that thread.

[Justin Wolfers @JustinWolfers]

The President just said we're on the cusp of a deal with Iran.

Today's post explores two fun facts:
1. It's the fiftieth time he's said this. (I counted!)
2. Even so, stocks rose on the news.
https://t.co/PD9aPN7aaN

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Trump: "The strait is open. But the straits have been open for a number of months already and you just didn't know about it."

[Acyn @Acyn]

Burgum on wind turbines: We have a report from Hegseth that it’s a national security threat. You could launch an attack on the US in with a bunch of drones coming through a wind tower field, it would undetectable until it was came through because the radar interference

[Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1]

BREAKING:

House Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia says he plans to formally ask Chairman Comer to bring JD Vance, Susie Wiles, and Kash Patel before the Committee in light of the new NYT Epstein reporting.

"They're having meetings in the Situation Room about covering up the Epstein files and protecting Donald Trump, and so this is to us a huge smoking gun."