Good Wednesday evening. In this edition: Iran ceasefire remains shaky amid confusion over Lebanon and Strait of Hormuz.
Plus, special election, war powers and Bondi.
Iran War
The two-week ceasefire deal, struck at the 11th hour amid President Trump's threat to obliterate Iran's "whole civilization," appears to be on shaky ground, though U.S. officials are expressing guarded optimism that a longer-term agreement could emerge.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains stalled, Tehran has accused the U.S. of violating the agreement, Israel has carried out widespread attacks in Lebanon, and Iran has conducted retaliatory strikes on its neighbors in the Persian Gulf.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a critical role in securing the temporary truce, said such violations "undermine the spirit" of the peace process and urged leaders to show restraint.
"Violations of ceasefire have been reported at few places across the conflict zone which undermine the spirit of peace process," he said in a statement. "I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict."
Tehran claimed that a cessation of strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon was included in the deal, but the U.S. and Israel deny that was ever the case.
Vice President JD Vance — who is set to lead the U.S. in negotiations with Iran over the weekend — said the issue was a "legitimate misunderstanding" on Iran's part.
"I think that the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't. We never made that promise," he told reporters in Budapest. "What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran and the ceasefire would be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states."
The vice president said Israel had offered to "check themselves a little bit" in Lebanon to increase the likelihood of a successful negotiation.
"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart — in a conflict where they were getting hammered — over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," he said. "We think that would be dumb, but that's their choice."
President Trump conditioned the two-week respite on Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but so far traffic does not appear to be increasing, as shipowners and insurers remain wary of attacks.
Nevertheless, oil prices plunged and stocks soared as investors see an end to the conflict and the return of normal oil transit in sight.
Ms. Leavitt disputed reports that Iran had closed the strait but said any effort to stop maritime traffic would be "completely unacceptable."
"I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely," she told reporters. "That has been his expectation, and it has been relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place and that these reports publicly are false."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethdeclared the U.S. military operation a "historic battlefield victory" and said the U.S. would be "hanging around" to ensure Iran complies with the agreement and reopens the strait.
"We're not going anywhere. We're going to make sure Iran complies with this ceasefire and then ultimately comes to the table and makes a deal," he told reporters at the Pentagon.
"Our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice, with whatever target package would be needed in order to ensure that Iran complies."
Vice President Vance — who will be joined in the Islamabad negotiations by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — said much of the fragility of the ceasefire comes from internal divisions within Iran.
"You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we've already struck," he said.
The vice president expressed cautious optimism about the upcoming negotiations and cautioned that the U.S. still has military and economic leverage over the Islamic Republic.
"If the Iranians are willing in good faith to work with us, I think we can make an agreement," he said. "If they're going to lie, if they're going to cheat, if they're going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we've set up from taking place, then they're not going to be happy."
Republican Clay Fullerwon Tuesday night's special election to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) in Georgia's 14th District. Still, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) were upbeat about the results, noting their candidate, Shawn Harris, lost by only 12 points — a significant overperformance compared to President Trump's 37-point victory in the district in 2024. Mr. Martin said the overperformance showed Americans' dissatisfaction with the GOP and President Trump and portend Democratic success in November's midterm elections. Democrats also overperformed in Wisconsin, where Chris Taylor beat Republican Maria Lazar by more than 20 points for a seat on the state's supreme court.
House Democrats are planning to ask for unanimous consent to pass Rep. Gregory Meeks's (D-NY) war powers resolution barring hostilities in Iran during Thursday's pro forma session. Rep. Jeffries (D-NY) announced the plan in a letter to colleagues. The resolution is widely expected to fail. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Senate Democrats will make a similar attempt when their chamber returns for legislative business next week.
The Justice Departmentsaid former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not testify on the Epstein files before the House Oversight Committee next week, saying she is no longer required to do so because she was subpoenaed in her capacity as attorney general. Ms. Bondi had been scheduled to take part in a transcribed deposition on April 14. However, committee members from both parties have called on the panel's chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), to bring Ms. Bondi in nonetheless to explain inconsistencies in the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files under her leadership.
For your radar…
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks Thursday at the Reagan Institute's Center for Peace Through Strength in Washington, DC. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN 11am ET.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks Thursday at the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN2 at 3:20pm ET.
