Presumptuous Politics

Monday, June 29, 2026

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US, Iran Halt Strikes Ahead of Tuesday Talks

The United States and Iran have agreed to halt military attacks as they prepare for talks Tuesday in Qatar aimed at resolving their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported Sunday, citing a senior U.S. official.

"We decided to stop all the kinetic activity," the official said, using the military term for strikes and other attacks.

The talks were originally expected to take place Tuesday in Switzerland and focus on Iran's nuclear program, but the recent escalation shifted the meeting to Qatar and refocused it on the Strait of Hormuz.

Nick Stewart, who heads the U.S. technical team, is expected to take part in the talks.

The diplomatic push came after Iran skipped technical talks with the United States scheduled for Sunday, citing recent attacks on Iranian targets and what Tehran described as unfulfilled terms of its memorandum of understanding with Washington, Reuters reported.

Mehdi Fazaeli, a member of the Office of Preservation and Publication of the Works of Iran's Supreme Leader, told Iranian state TV that Iran did not participate because it was still reviewing whether the U.S. had met its obligations under the MOU.

"For example one of the reasons is checking if we have access to the unfrozen funds, if there is no access then this condition has not been fulfilled," Fazaeli said.

A senior U.S. official offered a different account, telling The New York Times that technical talks on implementing the MOU are still expected in the coming days.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing diplomacy, said no talks had been canceled and that the two sides continued to exchange messages through deconfliction channels despite recent U.S. and Iranian strikes.

The conflicting accounts underscored the fragile state of the interim agreement, which was intended to create a 60-day window for Washington and Tehran to work toward a broader deal while reducing military tensions.

Iran has accused the United States of failing to meet conditions tied to the release of frozen assets, while Washington has blamed Tehran for continued attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Forget Obama and Biden - What Dems Want Now Is Much Worse

What a mess Democrats have got themselves into!

A galaxy of events, lousy leadership, election losses, dumb decisions, clumsy conclusions, and changing demographics have combined to put the ancient party of Andrew Jackson in a deep, deep hole.

The good news for Republicans is the Dems are still digging.

The bad news is the extremists in that party are on the ascendancy for the moment. Three socialist candidates in New York City,

in effect, were elected to Congress as Democrats last week after being endorsed by New York City’s socialist Muslim mayor.

The Lincoln Speech Every American Should Read Before America 250

In the lead-up to the nation's semiquincentennial, there's been a renewed focus on the Founding Fathers. That's to be expected as we reflect on how our nation came to be. Somehow, as they declared, then battled for and won independence, they had the wisdom and foresight to design and build a remarkable foundation — one that has not only endured for a quarter-millennium, but grown and thrived in a way I expect none of them could have imagined.

Not without its struggles, to be sure. America is still a toddler in some respects — or perhaps an adolescent. It has had its fair share of growing pains, even descending into civil war less than a century after its founding. He was not, of course, a "Founding Father," but Abraham Lincoln's role in guiding the nation through its most fraught years and out the other side of the hell that was the Civil War places him shoulder to shoulder with the founders, so it seems fitting to honor him as we honor them.

An Early Appreciation

I don't recall a time when I didn't have at least some understanding of the significance of his presidency. The fact that his tomb, home, and other Lincoln sites are located next door in Illinois made learning about him all the more appealing and accessible. While I confess I don't recall all that much about it, I do recall a Girl Scout trip to Springfield, Illinois, in the spring of 1980 to visit the tomb and museum and the home where he and Mary Todd lived.

At Lincoln's Tomb

(Apologies for the quality of the photo — cameras weren't quite so advanced in those days.)

'I Still Have a Dream' – MLK Jr.'s Niece Rejects SPLC's Hate-Mongering in Powerhouse Testimony

The Lincoln Lawyer

As an adult, my own legal career helped foster an abiding affinity for the self-taught trial lawyer. In the winter of 2014, I found myself following in his footsteps, so to speak, as I argued before the Illinois Court of Appeals in Mt. Vernon. Lincoln himself appeared there some 155 years earlier (before the Illinois Supreme Court, which was housed there at the time) and successfully argued a major tax case on behalf of the Illinois Central Railroad. My case involved a railroad as well — only as the opposition — and, like Lincoln, I won that one.

Lincoln Statue at Mt. Vernon Courthouse

The Second Inaugural Address

But for all my familiarity with Lincoln, I hadn't looked closely at his second inaugural address until just recently. While its closing paragraph begins with the familiar "With malice toward none with charity for all...," the paragraphs preceding it were new to me. And as I read them now, in this moment in our history, they land differently than I suspect they would have even a decade ago.

Fellow countrymen: at this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends is as well known to the public as to myself and it is I trust reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

The address was delivered on March 4, 1865, just 41 days before Lincoln would be felled by an assassin's bullet. Despite its brevity — roughly 700 words — the address somehow managed to wrap its arms around the tragedy of the previous four years while speaking to the future with hope.

Perhaps it's my editor's brain, but what jumped out to me there was this: "...is as well known to the public as to myself..." This was long before social media. News in 1865 traveled in analog fashion. And yet, Lincoln was confident that the American populace was fairly well up-to-speed on the status of the conflict. With far less access to information, they were nevertheless well-informed.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it ~ all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place devoted altogether to saving the Union without war insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war ~ seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.

While Lincoln remained hopeful for the future of the nation, he wasn't interested in glossing over how it had been fractured, nor did he shy away from calling out those whose aim was a house divided. I read this: "Both parties deprecated war but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish," and cannot help but see its overlay on the divisions we face today.

One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves not distributed generally over the union but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen perpetuate and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered ~ that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. 'Woe unto the world because of offenses for it must needs be that offenses come but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.' If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which in the providence of God must needs come but which having continued through His appointed time He now wills to remove and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him. Fondly do we hope ~ fervently do we pray ~ that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.'

This, of course, was my "Whoa!" moment — or moments, I should say. There's so much packed into this paragraph. First, that he marched straight on into the fire — there's no sugarcoating here; no delicate dance around the gaping wound at the heart of it all. He names slavery and shames it, recognizing that it "constituted a peculiar and powerful interest" and was the cause of the war. Yes, I think it's fair to say there were other issues, but Lincoln drills right down to the core here.

He acknowledges that neither side fully appreciated the magnitude of taking up arms against their fellow countrymen — the nightmare it would unleash. But isn't that the way of history? And of the human condition? Even when we know, on some level, we're headed down a dangerous path, we all too often forge ahead.

And then, the words that pierce the heart: "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other." One sentence. Nineteen words. And yet, so much said. Now, we might look at this through 2026 eyes and think the reading the same Bible and praying to the same God premise no longer holds — at least not for many. But I would submit that even those who have rejected God and His Word remain subject to it. And believer or no, when you're praying for the destruction of your fellow countrymen, something's gone terribly awry.

Of course I can't "hear" Lincoln's voice, but something I've come to understand through my years of editing is that each writer has a distinct voice, and my inner ear "hears" more than just the words on the screen when I read them. When he speaks of slavery as an offense — a sin — while recognizing "this mighty scourge of war" as the wages of it, I hear both anguish and true faith in a sovereign God — an Almighty who loves us enough to call us to account.

And when Lincoln puts it like this, we're hit with the enormity of it:

Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.'

I'm not into numerology, but his reference to 250 years of unrequited toil leaped out at me in light of the current moment. And through it all, Lincoln weaves the recognition of a righteous God.

With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Moral Clarity and an Enduring Legacy

Though it may be less familiar than the Gettysburg Address or his first inaugural, his second inaugural may contain Lincoln’s most enduring lesson: A nation can tell the truth about its wounds without surrendering its hope, and it can seek justice without giving itself over to vengeance.

And that he's able to simultaneously acknowledge our imperfect understanding while exhorting the nation to come together and bind its wounds, I believe, sums up why Abraham Lincoln can rightly be seen as a Founding Father and celebrated right alongside the others as we mark this monumental occasion.

Somehow, despite the deep divisions that threatened to tear the nation asunder — despite all the havoc wreaked and all the blood spilled — Lincoln managed to keep the nation from coming completely apart, thus ensuring that we survived to see America 250.

Schumer Was Booed at NYC's Pride Parade? He Truly Has No Friends Anymore

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) isn’t running for another term, is he? He isn’t up until 2028, but with the Empire State engulfed by a socialist insurgency that hates Israel and Jewish people, I think it might be time for him to consider retirement. I can’t believe I’m saying this, as politically I can’t stand Schumer or his penchant for putting cheese on raw burgers, but if there must be a Democrat from that blue bastion, I’d rather see a Schumer-like candidate win than someone like Darializa Avila Chevalier. Schumer is wrong. Chevalier is wrong and crazy.

I'm bringing this up because Schumer was booed at New York City’s Pride parade. Not even the gays like this guy. The man truly has no friends left, and maybe some of the heckling was because of his support for Israel

Love is love, but Chuck isn’t getting any.
Viral video shows New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer being mercilessly booed while walking in the NYC Pride March on Sunday.
The US Senate Minority Leader was marching at the event while waving a pride flag and talking into a bullhorn.
“Happy Pride!” Schumer told the crowd.
But the longtime New York political animal’s goodwill was mercilessly drowned out by a chorus of boos.
Chuck haters could be seen in the crowd giving the senator two thumbs down and frowning as he walked by, too.
The hissing and jeering went on for nearly 20 seconds in at least one spot.
The booing continued even as Schumer attempted to establish his long record supporting gay rights.
“So I was the first senator to ever march in this parade, 1999. And I haven’t missed one yet!” the senator said to an uncaring crowd before continuing the parade path.

Oh, of course, they booed this man because he’s a Jewish liberal who supports Israel. Just look at what happened in the city last Tuesday. It’s not enough to be anti-Trump, pro-gay rights, and a hardcore liberal on everything else. Now, you also must hate Israel, and that’s going to cause trouble for many Democrats. We could see a very nasty civil war break out.

NBC News Was Forced to Admit This Detail About Trump's The Great American State Fair

It’s no surprise this happened, but it’s America’s 250^th birthday, and these states chose not to take part in the Great American State Fair, which kicked off last week. It will run until July 10, but some states have labeled it a MAGA event, even though that’s not true. It’s a state fair, folks. When a comedian like Bill Maher says, " Get a grip and just celebrate our nation’s birthday, you know the Left has once again lost its mind.

A dozen states have rejected sending a delegation, and to the shock of no one, they’re mostly all blue states:

Even NBC News had to admit that this event isn’t political:

The fair features food and culture booths from all 56 states and territories, as well as displays from federal government agencies, in temporary halls lining several blocks of the Mall that kept people dry while it drizzled at some points Saturday morning. In the middle, a massive Ferris wheel extends into the sky, just beyond a scaled-down replica of the arch Trump hopes to build permanently in the capital.
[…]
The state fair has been promoted by Trump and members of his administration, who have been accused of injecting partisanship into a nonpartisan anniversary.
But over a dozen attendees Saturday — on both sides of the political aisle — told NBC News that they didn’t feel the atmosphere at the fair had any kind of political tint even as Trump has tried to redesign Washington in his image and as musical acts dropped out of the event.
“It’s kind of neat, because here it’s just been all about America, and I haven’t seen the political things,” Pamela L., 59, who was visiting the capital from Virginia Beach, Virginia, for her husband’s annual birthday trip, told NBC News. “People are just being people [and] enjoying, you know, they’re being kind, opening the doors, holding them for each other, and it’s just kind of neat to see.”
[…]
Nicole Briggs, 52, and Heather Hatter, 48, who also traveled from Virginia to see the fair with their children, said that they didn’t feel any particular political views were being imparted.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event for our generation,” Briggs said, adding later: “I think it’s a great atmosphere. The vibe is great.”
[…]
Daniela Guerrero, 25, lives here and came to the state fair expecting to see Republican-tinged programming.
“I think we heard a lot, like in our communities, that it was gonna be like a MAGA rally,” she said. Her friend Grace Guber, 27, echoed, “100%.”
“It, I think, has been very much nonpartisan,” Guerrero added. “The people showing up have been a mix of tourists just trying to, like, celebrate freedom.”
Lloyd and Melinda Paris traveled from Georgia with their grandchildren on their way back from one of their grandson’s baseball games in New York.
Lloyd Paris, 76, said that what Trump has done in Washington is “amazing” but that “I didn’t come here because I’m a certain political persuasion.”

Happy Fourth to all who celebrate, aka the normal people.

Trump says he won't let D.C. 'be destroyed by a Communist'

President Donald Trump harshly criticized Democrat mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George, saying that though he would be willing to meet with her, he would not let the city “be destroyed by a communist,” if she was elected mayor of Washington, D.C.

Lewis George, who describes herself as a Democratic Socialist, won the Democrat primary on June 19^th and is likely to become the mayor of the deeply blue district after the November general election.

“Janeese Lewis George, the Communist who is almost certainly going to be elected Mayor of Washington, D.C., has stated that she wants to empty the prisons, make D.C. a Sanctuary City, oppose ICE, welcome Criminal Illegal Aliens back into our beloved Capital, resist Anti-Crime Crackdowns, Defund the Police, continue and expand Cashless Bail, and so many other Capital destroying ‘things,’” the president posted to Truth Social on Sunday.

“In the end, it will never work out, nor will I let it even have a chance because I have worked too hard to make Washington, D.C., the Envy of the World, with almost No Crime, and a Beautification process that has been second to none. I will meet with Janeese Lewis George, but must forewarn everyone that Washington, D.C., is again a Safe and Prestigious Community. Many people, including myself, have worked long and hard to get it there, and we will not let it be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to, MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN!” he continued.

Lewis George’s platform includes seeking to lower housing and childcare costs as well as other social initiatives. She also plans to bar police officers from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if she is elected, according to her campaign website.

“DC is under attack and we need leaders that stand up and fight back, not shrink in the face of injustice,” her campaign website stated.

If elected, a priority of her office would be to work “with grassroots organizations and leaders in DC and across the country to build a movement for Statehood rooted in racial and economic justice,” her campaign said.

Tragedy in Nashville: 12-Year-Old Shot During Courtyard Brawl

A downtown courtyard brawl in Nashville turned into a nightmare for one family when 12-year-old Damarion Morehead was shot and later died from a gunshot wound to the head after an altercation on the evening of June 21, 2026. Authorities say the fight broke out near Representative John Lewis Way and Deaderick Street, right by the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and paramedics rushed the boy to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. The Metro Nashville Police Department has been publicly clear about the basic facts as their homicide unit continues to investigate this heartbreaking loss.

Detectives arrested 24-year-old Devin Orr the next day and charged him with criminal homicide after reviewing surveillance video that shows a scuffle involving six to seven people, including the victim. Police allege Orr reached into his waistband, fired two shots as others fled, and later admitted to hiding the handgun in a sewer where officers recovered it. These are not the kind of details families want to hear, and they demand swift answers and thorough prosecution from law enforcement.

There will be debate about motive and self-defense, and legal advocates have already noted a defense argument could be made if a grown man was being beaten by a group that included juveniles, but that does not erase the fact a child is dead. News accounts reporting the surveillance footage and arrest affidavit make clear this was a chaotic scene that spiraled into lethal violence, and the law must sort responsibility out in court. Whatever legal defenses are raised, the community deserves transparency and a prosecution that seeks justice for Damarion.

For those waiting for national activist organizations to flood the streets with outrage, don’t hold your breath; the politics of selective attention has consequences and families shouldn’t be reduced to talking points. This tragedy isn’t a prop for partisan theater — it’s a child’s life snatched away, and the hard truth is that communities and leaders of every stripe must stop allowing youth violence and lawlessness to become normalized. Americans who care about safety should demand that outrage translate into real solutions, not performative press conferences.

Make no mistake: adults and institutions share responsibility. Parents, local leaders, and law enforcement must all take a harder line on preventing gatherings that turn into brawls, on keeping weapons off our streets, and on instilling personal accountability in a generation that too often sees consequence-free chaos. If we want fewer headlines about dead children, we need tougher enforcement, clearer community standards, and a culture that refuses to excuse violent behavior.

Damarion Morehead deserved better than to die over a playground-level dispute in an adult world where guns and cowardice meet. The city of Nashville and prosecutors must pursue this case with the seriousness it demands, and citizens should push their leaders to protect children rather than excuse violence. Pray for the family, demand justice, and insist that this country put safety and personal responsibility back at the center of our communities.

Trump's Bold Move Forces GOP to Confront Election Security Now

President Trump pulled off a strategic masterstroke this week by refusing to let routine bill signings move forward until the Senate acts on the SAVE America Act, forcing the hand of complacent Republicans and exposing the cowardice of so-called Senate leadership. He even paused a planned housing bill signing — a clear signal that Washington cannot be allowed to shuffle business as usual while our elections remain unsecured.

The SAVE America Act is not vague wishful thinking; it is a concrete package of election reforms that would insist on voter identification and proof of citizenship to restore confidence in our voting system. Conservatives who care about one person, one vote understand that restoring trust in elections is the foundation of a free republic, not an optional policy preference.

Senate Republicans have at times talked tough but have fallen short when it mattered, only managing a procedural vote to begin debate while admitting the 60 votes needed remain elusive. The reality is that the open debate was a start, but it’s been used as a cover by some GOP senators to avoid producing results ahead of the midterms.

This is precisely why President Trump’s hardball is necessary: polite pleas and chairside chats with leadership haven’t moved the needle. Conservatives must cheer a commander-in-chief who treats election security like a national priority rather than another line-item to be traded away in backroom deals.

If Senate leaders want to keep hiding behind filibuster reverence and procedural excuses, they should expect a reckoning from the base. Republican voters are done with half-measures and safe, careerist compromises that leave the border open and elections disputed; the GOP needs fighters, not fence-sitters.

Now is the time for activists, precinct captains, and everyday Americans to turn up the heat — call your senators, show up at town halls, and demand they either pass the SAVE America Act or explain why they chose the status quo over securing our democracy. Weakness in Congress has consequences; strength wins elections and protects liberty, and that is the direction conservatives must push this country.