More Struggles with Iran; And My Fateful Meeting with Alan Greenspan – “The Sunday Political Brunch” 6/28/26

Despite claims of progress, there is still no definitive peace deal with the U.S. and Iran. And more states held primaries this week, with some interesting results as we head towards November. Let’s “brunch” on all of that and more.

“Peace with Iran?” – While both sides in the U.S. Iran war have signed a tentative peace agreement, there is a lot that can still go off the rails. The memorandum of understanding now provides a 60-day negotiation period to work out the fine print of the deal. One of the stumbling blocks could center on the specifics of Iran ending its ambitions for a nuclear weapon. One of the U.S. demands is the complete opening of the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said, “As long as they respect us, I don’t want to use the word fear because that’s an inappropriate word, but as long as they respect us, we’re not going to have any trouble.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended his nation’s right to protect itself, saying, “If it was not for Iran’s missile capabilities, our country would have been plundered and destroyed.” Pezeshkian added we would “never compromise or negotiate our missile capabilities.” Late Friday, Israel and Lebanon signed their own tentative peace deal. But the U.S. struck Iran with missiles after Iranian drones fired and hit a British cargo ship. This peace is very fragile.

“Senate War Powers Vote” – By a vote of 50 to 48, the Senate approved a resolution to invoke the War Powers Act, instructing President Trump to end the war with Iran. But a resolution is symbolic and does not have the force of law. The House approved the measure weeks ago. In the Senate, it came with bipartisan approval. Four Republicans joined most Democrats in passing the War Powers Act resolution, with only one Democrat voting against it. At the very least, the resolution could force the president to consult with Congress before taking further military action, but that first might need a win in federal court. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) New York said, “Trump’s historic blunder in Iran. It’ll go down in the history books as one of the worst foreign policy forays America has ever made.” But Vice President JD Vance was in Switzerland negotiating with Iranian leaders, and said they’ve made progress with a “good foundation for a successful final deal.”

“Internal Republican Turmoil” – Well, as baseball great Yogi Berra often said, “It’s not over until it’s over.” And nowhere was that truer than in the U.S. Senate late Wednesday night when Republicans suddenly revoked the War Powers Act Resolution, approved just the day before. This all happened after Trump met with GOP senators for a private meeting on Wednesday. While no press was allowed in, Senators told reporters in the hall afterward about the verbal bloodbath that took place. Trump was incensed that four Republican senators joined with all but one Democrat in invoking the War Powers Act. In the meeting, Trump often referred to Republicans who voted against him as “losers” and, in particular, called Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) Louisiana, a “lunatic.” Trump and Cassidy engaged in a loud shouting match. Cassidy later told reporters, “I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on.’ This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.” Cassidy insisted on a private White House briefing and was given one with Vice President JD Vance and Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff. That led Cassidy to change his vote, and the War Powers Act was rescinded. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for all of this.

“New York Primary Results” – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is suddenly emerging as a power to be reckoned with in the Democratic Party. The self-described socialist and progressive endorsed three fellow progressives for U.S. House seats in New York. They all won and, in the process, defeated two incumbents. So, the influence President Trump has on the MAGA right wing of the Republican Party is now being matched by Mamdani on the far left of the Democratic Party. The mayor says his goal is to “put working people back at the heart of politics.” Given concerns about inflation at the gas pump and in grocery stores, it’s probably not a bad strategy.

“New York Rejects a Kennedy” – In a real stunner, Jack Kennedy Schlossberg, the only grandson of late President John F. Kennedy, lost his primary for Congress. Schlossberg, a renowned political commentator and social media writer, actually came in third in a five-candidate race, garnering only 11 percent of the vote. But he’s only 33, and was up against two seasoned former political aides who also serve in the state assembly. Schlossberg has the classic Kennedy looks, charm, and smarts to win public office someday, so I predict he’ll try again.

“Trump Doubles-Down in South Carolina” – Trump picked the winner of the South Carolina Republican runoff for governor. Well, sort of. Initially, the president endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) South Carolina. She won the primary, but failed to get 50 percent of the vote and was forced into a runoff election against four-term Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) South Carolina. So, what did Trump do? He decided to endorse them both in the runoff. Trump said on his Truth Social site, “I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing (sic) the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse (sic), for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!” This came after Trump-backed candidates for governor lost three races in the past few weeks.

“A Mixed Bag of Trump Court Wins and Losses” – President Trump won a couple of victories on immigration issues. The U.S. Supreme Court says his executive order to deny immigration hearings to large numbers of Haitian and Syrian migrants could stand. The high court also said Trump’s executive order to limit the number of daily asylum seekers at the border could also stand. On the other hand, a federal court judge in Boston has issued a permanent injunction against a Trump executive order that would have required people to show proof of U.S. citizenship before registering to vote. In her ruling, U.S. Judge Denise Casper said the Constitution “does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.” Instead, she said the Constitution put Congress and the states in charge of running elections, and Trump’s order violated the separation of powers clause. In another win for Trump, the Supreme Court overturned a Hawaii law that limited where people could legally carry guns in stores and hotels. The Supreme Court usually ends its term on the last day of June, so we could have a wave of big decisions, especially on the legality of birthright citizenship.

“Also, From the Courts” – Fomer National Security Advisor John Bolton pled guilty to one count of possessing classified documents, though he was originally charged with 18 counts. Prosecutors are requesting no jail time for Bolton and a $2.25 million fine. His sentencing is in October, and the judge is not bound by those recommendations, and can exceed them.

“Alligator Alcatraz Gets Chomped” – Speaking of immigration issues, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Florida has ordered the closure of the immigration detention center off of Miami, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” DeSantis said, “There is no question this mission has made the state of Florida safer,” and he pointed out that 21,000 people were deported through the facility. Opponents called the conditions there inhumane. In making his decision to close the Trump-supported facility, Gov. DeSantis said the location would be too dangerous for detainees and staff in the busy hurricane season which is now underway.

“The Night I Knocked Down Alan Greenspan” – This is a TRUE story!!! I spent six years as a reporter in Washington, DC covering the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. One of the perks of that was being invited to the annual White House Press Picnic every summer. I made a quick visit to the party in 1996, but had to get home to help my wife with our 11-month-old son. I was walking fast to the nearest DC Metro station to catch the subway. A friend of mine was well behind me, yelling to me, so I turned around and started shouting while still walking fast. I was on the sidewalk between the White House and the Treasury Department, and suddenly I felt a large thud. I turned around and saw two people lying on the ground. They were Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and his wife, Andrea Mitchell, the longtime NBC News correspondent. I helped them get up and dusted off, but they were really mad. I apologized profusely, but they demanded my name, which I did not give. I kept saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Are you injured?” They were startled but not hurt. Then, in one of the most bizarre moments of my life, I looked at Greenspan and said, “I am really, really sorry, but please don’t raise interest rates over this!” They groaned and said something to the effect of, “Next time, be more careful.” I turned and hastily headed to the subway. Greenspan, who served as Fed Chair from 1987 to 2006, died this week at 100. Rest in peace, Mister Chairman.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a South Florida-based political writer and analyst who has covered news and politics nationwide for the past 49 years. He is a multiple award winner, including two prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards. Most recently, he served as the Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations, covering West Virginia and its five neighboring states, as well as the Washington, DC media market. Curtis is a former Congressional Fellow who worked in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Over the years, he has been a contributing writer and analyst at Patch.com and other outlets, including GoLocalProv.com. His commentary and analysis can be heard every Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET on the 22-station West Virginia Metro News Radio Network. www.WVMetroNews.com.

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