President Trump calls-in to Fox Morning to discuss the passing of his friend Senator Lindsey Graham and other events of importance.    The discussion about Graham is the first 8 minutes.

The interview is prompted to [8:04] the segment where President Trump is discussing the current status of insufferable negotiations with a duplicitous Iranian negotiating team.  Obviously, President Trump is done with the word games and efforts of the Iran regime to “tap along” the negotiations while never intending to uphold their word or promises.

Previously the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain) urged President Trump to ignore the statements and promises from Iran as they could not be trusted.  However, the GCC -which is ironic considering Qatar intermediaries- then tried to directly negotiate with Iran using Pakistan.

Collectively the GCC, Trump and now NATO are all in the same frame of thinking that Iran is simply just playing games.  As a consequence, U.S. and allied military action is now taking place against Iran on multiple fronts.  WATCH:

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CNN Narrative Engineer Dana Bash clutches her pearls in worry about a potentially weakened position for Israel against the backdrop of President Trump visiting Turkey and structuring diplomatic relations with Recep Erdogan.

It seems quite odd to see CNN have great concerns about the well-being of Israel given their leading role as critics against the actions of Israel.  Then again, CNN has the art of pretending down pat.  The transparency is laughable.  WATCH:

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PRESS RELEASE – […] Today, the Governments of Israel and Lebanon made a bold decision to agree to a framework that builds a realistic path out of endless conflict. This agreement establishes a clear and structured process to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hizballah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and enable Israel to return to its borders once that threat to its citizens is removed. It also creates a trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L), facilitated by the United States, allowing the two sides to implement this Framework. For Lebanon, this Framework provides a genuine pathway out of a long crisis. For Israel, it creates a verifiable path to removing the persistent threat on its northern border.

The United States commends the courage of the two sovereign governments for taking this step to break the cycle of violence once and for all. The United States will remain fully engaged and commit significant resources, including an immediate $100 million in humanitarian assistance in coordination with the U.N.

[Speech Transcript Here]

“The United States also reaffirms its intent to improve the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to more effectively establish sovereignty throughout Lebanese territory. To that end, the Department of War is prepared to reimburse the LAF with more than $30 million under existing authorities and appropriations to support the President’s vision for an enduring peace in Lebanon.

We intend to work closely with our regional partners to implement this Framework and deliver a brighter, more secure future for Israel, Lebanon, and the whole Middle East.” (read more)

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a post-meeting media briefing in Bahrain following talks with Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers. Secretary Rubio begins with an outline of the U.S. crisis response to the requests from the Venezuela government, the Iran peace process, regional security, U.S.-Italy relations involving Giorgia Meloni, questions regarding JD Vance, and broader diplomatic priorities shaping Washington’s foreign policy agenda. WATCH:

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives an impromptu press availability and answers questions from members of media in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Rubio visit comes as the U.S. is working with Gulf Arab partners (GCC) to construct the second phase of an agreement with Iran.  The current terms cover a ‘ceasefire’ and the Gulf Cooperation Council play a major role in the regional decisions as partners to the United States.

“We know what [Iran] agreed to do. Now they’ll either do it or they won’t and if they do the process moves forward and if they don’t the president will have some decisions to make.”…

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Vice President JD Vance delivers an update today (Mon) from Switzerland, following ceasefire negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reducing fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The talks, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, began Sunday and stretched into the early hours of Monday. While the high-level discussions have concluded, technical negotiations are expected to continue in Switzerland this week. Vance said the talks did not produce a final peace agreement but did establish diplomatic, deconfliction, security and nuclear-monitoring frameworks needed to pursue a broader and more permanent regional settlement.  WATCH:

Questions from the media begin at 3:20 of the video below.

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As VP Vance departs Switzerland, he also gave some brief remarks to the traveling press pool (below).

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Perhaps one of the most consequential voices in all of the Middle-East is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.  Egypt is the intellectual hub of modern Islam, and a very pragmatic President Sisi has been the major opposition to radical Islam for the past decade.

President Sisi walks a careful position balancing his opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood with pragmatic perspective toward Israel and the friction therein.  Egypt has been stable under the leadership of Sisi, but extremist elements have continued to use the Siani region to create instability.  President Trump and President Sisi are in alignment on the cause for peace and stability.  WATCH:

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President Trump holds a bilateral discussion with the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.  During the media questions President Trump noted he would like to read the negotiated memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S, Gulf State Allies and Iran.

President Trump was then asked about DC politicians who are requesting that congress be involved in approving the Iran deal.  The reason congress, Mark Levin and Laura Loomer are demanding legislative input is because the American Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) has paid congressional representatives for influence.  Israel is hoping to block or change the agreement by leveraging their purchased allies in congress.  President Trump notes he did not think about taking the deal to congress, but he likes the idea.  WATCH:

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President Trump announces the deal with Iran is completed:

[SOURCE]

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appears on CBS Face the Nation as Margaret Brennan recovers from Kirsten Welker stealing all her glory in last week Trump’s interview.

Determined to put herself back in the running for Best Dramatic Acting in a Live Recorded Political Event, Mrs. Brennan takes pearl clutching to new levels and reaches deep into her narrative pretending skills to make today the penultimate end of the world media day for the future of all mankind.

Yes America, it’s a serious challenge to the teeth bearing Welker approach last weekend; however, but Brennan takes a deep breath, tries to ignore concerns about soccer games distracting her audience, and rises to the moment.  Video and Transcript Below:

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: This morning, the Israeli Defense Force conducted strikes in Lebanon on Beirut’s southern suburbs to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah leadership. The IDF called it retaliation for strikes on Israel. CBS has learned the potential US-Iran truce includes a vague reference to ending the fighting in Lebanon, which may not be enough for Iran’s leaders. And Iran’s failure to cut off support for its proxy force, Hezbollah, may not be enough for America’s partner, Israel. For the latest, we begin this morning with Secretary of Defense Hegseth, who joins us from Tennessee. Mr. Secretary, welcome to Face the Nation.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: Good morning, Margaret. Thank you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, did the Hezbollah Israel strikes disrupt any of the plans to have this memorandum signed today. Are we on track for a Sunday signing?

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