War, Then Peace at Hand? -- “The Sunday Political Brunch” -- June 14, 2026

It’s beginning to feel like a tennis match, with the ball bouncing back and forth between a state of war and a state of peace. And we are seeing clarity in some political races. Let’s “brunch” on that and more this week:

“Iran War Back On?” – Iran lobbed a number of missiles into Israel last week, and Israel returned fire on Iran. This has been perhaps the most serious breach of what had been a fragile ceasefire for two months. Iran then shot down a U.S. helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, but the crew on board was rescued. Iran also fired missiles into neighboring countries that are U.S. allies. How the U.S. responds will be critical. President Donald Trump said Iran would “pay the price” for failed peace talks that have been quieted by renewed fighting. Trump added, “We are going to hit them again hard today.” U.S. financial markets dropped sharply on the news. The per-barrel price of oil remains near $85, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down nearly 1,000 points on Wednesday. But by Thursday, with Trump saying peace may be near, the Dow Jones made up all of Wednesday’s losses. Trump said, "I have, as President of the United States of America, canceled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this (Thursday) evening."

“Weaponization Fund Flawed” – On Friday a federal judge issued a temporary ban on the Department of Justice using a $1.8 billion so-called “weaponization fund,” to compensate those responsible for the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots. Hundreds were convicted, but then were pardoned by President Trump. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress, the White House had no plans to use the fund for said purpose, but it still existed. I suspect we’ll see appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court on this one, but the idea of giving “reparations” to people who beat up police officers and vandalized the Capitol is just offensive to me.

“Inflation” – The Consumer Price Index came out on Wednesday, and it is not going to be good for incumbents. The inflation rate rose to 4.2 percent, the highest number in three years. This is a critical midterm election year, with the final vote less than five months away. There will only be four more CPI inflation reports between now and Election Day. This is especially treacherous for Republicans who have a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House and Senate. Here’s another statistic to watch. Fuel prices are surging for airlines. In the U.S., a gallon of jet fuel averages $4.11, up $1.81 from a year ago. That’s nearly double. Fuel represents 20 to 30 percent of an airline's costs, so passengers may soon see higher air fares. Again, it’s not something you want on voters’ minds when you are running for reelection.

“The ‘Maine’ Race to Watch” – Four states held primaries last Tuesday: North Dakota, Nevada, South Carolina, and Maine. In Maine, oyster farmer Graham Platner won the Democratic Primary to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R) Maine who is seeking a sixth term. While the progressive Platner has the backing of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren (D) Massachusetts, he is also battling a campaign that may be self-imploding. First, it was his Nazi tattoo (since covered up). Then, there were confirmed reports that he sent sexual text messages to women other than his wife. And finally, there were reports he physically roughed up a few ex-girlfriends. Despite all that, he won more than 70 percent of Democrats’ votes. It may be a competitive November race, but I predict the often Trump-foe Collins will win.

“South Carolina on My Mind” – President Trump is potentially looking at another big defeat. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) South Carolina came in first place in her primary for governor, with Trump’s endorsement. But she failed to get 50 percent of the vote and now must face popular South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) in a June 23rd runoff. In the District 6 U.S. House seat, longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn (D) South Carolina won his primary with 90 percent of the vote. Republicans tried, but failed, to redraw his district lines so a Republican could win. Clyburn, who is Black, is likely to go back to Washington in November for an 18th term. Sen. Lyndsey Graham (R) South Carolina easily won his primary and is likely to be reelected in November for a fifth term.

“California Screamin’” – We finally have clarity on the California governor’s primary race, which was held June 2nd. Former Congressman and U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) won the primary with 27.9 percent of the vote, while conservative commentator and businessman Steve Hilton finished with 25 percent, with backing from President Trump. Becerra and Hilton will face off in the November general election. Democrat Tom Steyer finished a close third with 23 percent. The top two vote getters, regardless of party affiliation, face off in the fall.

“Pentagon Religion List Uproar” – At the Direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon recently updated its list of religious denominations of service members. One of the goals is to better deploy chaplain resources, given the Pentagon's current shortage of chaplains. To the surprise of many, the new list no longer identified Mormons as Christians, even though the official name of their church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Sen. Mike Lee (R) Utah issued a blistering statement saying, “I find this offensive, not just because that happens to be my faith, and not just because that happens to be the faith of tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel.” Lee added, “Secretary Hegseth, tear down that wall! This is not cool! Get rid of it, get rid of it now!” By Monday, the Pentagon revised the new list to simply be in alphabetical order, and a statement said, “The Pentagon list included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed.”

“White House UFC Lawsuit” – There’s no doubt that President Trump likes to fight. He even wrestled against former WWE World Wrestling Chairman Vince McMahon. Because of his love for hand-to-hand combat, Trump promised to stage a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Challenge), fight card on the White House lawn on June 14. Now, an environmental group and a Vietnam veteran have filed a suit to stop the event, believing the U.S. Park Service and Congress should have been involved in the final decision to hold the South Lawn fights. Brendan Ballou from the Public Integrity Project said in the lawsuit, "We think that this is a profound misuse of our sacred national monuments for private gain.” He added, “And we think that needs to be stopped because it breaks the law." Justice Department lawyers representing President Trump fired back, saying, “No one is holding plaintiffs in a jiu-jitsu lock, forcing them to watch UFC Freedom 250 against their will. The public interest does not favor allowing them to exercise a heckler’s veto, particularly at this late date.” Late Friday a federal judge ruled Sunday’s fight card could go on. Also, Friday workers began taking Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center after a judge ruled that Congress should have been consulted on the renaming, but was bypassed

“It’s All in the Name” – Former Congressman David Jolly appears to have a lock on the Democratic nomination for Florida governor. His main opponent dropped out for health reasons, with the August 18 primary looming. In a bold move, Jolly selected former Rep. Gwen Graham (D) Florida, to be his running mate for lieutenant governor. She is the daughter of the late and beloved Senator and Governor Bob Graham (D) Florida. She and Jolly both served together in the U.S. House, back when he was still a Republican. The GOP also has a primary for governor, with Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R) Florida leading the pack. Both Jolly and Graham are viewed as moderate centrists, which may appeal to Florida’s large number of independent voters. The fact that this is a non-presidential election year could also help Democrats.

“Redistricting Smackdown” – Speaking of Florida politics, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the redrawing of Congressional district maps this week, which could give Republicans a potential four-seat gain in the U.S. House delegation. With new maps from Texas, California, and other states, all of this could determine which party is the majority in the House of Representatives in November.

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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