{"id":2600356,"date":"2026-05-08T12:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-one-week-away-from-peace-in-iran-again\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T12:07:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:07:23","slug":"white-house-report-card-one-week-away-from-peace-in-iran-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-one-week-away-from-peace-in-iran-again\/","title":{"rendered":"White House report card: One week away from peace in Iran, again"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhite-house-report-card-one-week-away-from-peace-in-iran-again%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2600356&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Friday\u2019s *Washington Secrets* reviews Trump\u2019s week, arguing that Democrats and Republicans would judge his actions differently. while Trump nears a high-profile summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing, much of the week\u2019s focus stays on escalating tensions and diplomacy involving Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The piece highlights Trump\u2019s simultaneous emphasis on personal interests and political priorities-golf, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-shocked-gina-carano-fought-back-as-her-movie-deal-with-daily-wire-goes-viral\/\" title=\"Media Shocked Gina Carano Fought Back As Her Movie Deal With Daily Wire Goes Viral\">mixed martial arts<\/a> promotions, and revenge against <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >opponents-alongside major foreign-policy moves<\/a>.It notes his \u201cProject Freedom\u201d plan related to escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz,later disrupted or adjusted as attacks in the region continued. Engagements at the end of the week included exchanges of fire in the Strait of Hormuz and accusations among regional players (Iran, the UAE, and others), even as officials on both sides discuss the possibility of a ceasefire framework.<\/p>\n<p>It then presents reactions from two strategists\/journalists: John Zogby gives the week an \u201cF,\u201d criticizing the disconnect between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-taps-controversial-ex-senator-to-be-nasa-administrator\/\" title=\"Biden Taps Controversial Ex-Senator to Be NASA Administrator\">public messaging<\/a> toward peace and ongoing hostilities, and pointing to domestic costs (especially fuel prices) and political revenge narratives. Jed babbin gives a \u201cB+,\u201d describing the situation as confusing but pointing to regional shifts-oil\/cartel decisions, alliances, and changes in military plans-and also lingering uncertainty about whether the blockade and attacks are truly over.<\/p>\n<p>The email ends with recommended links for further reading focused on China\u2019s concerns about U.S. weapons deployment and commentary tied to Trump-era politics and religion.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><strong><em>Welcome to Friday\u2019s edition of <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>. As usual, our strategists run the rule over Trump\u2019s week to see if he\u2019s winning or losing. (Spoiler alert: The Democrat comes to a different conclusion to the Republican.) <\/em>Secrets<em> is taking a break next week, so will be missing from your inbox on Monday and Tuesday, but will be back down to business on Wednesday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> is a matter of days from meeting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xi-jinping\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"233\">Xi Jinping<\/a> in Beijing. But the summit has barely entered the headlines, with all attention still focused on the war with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a>. None of that has stopped the president from focusing on his passions: seeking revenge over his opponents, mixed martial arts, and golf.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556936\/trump-china-dilemma-deal-no-deal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump\u2019s big China dilemma: Deal or no deal (he may not have much of a choice)<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556786\/rubio-white-house-press-corps-harsh-reality-iran\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rubio schools White House press corps, then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-francisco-reparations-office-has-brutal-encounter-with-reality-entire-department-defunded\/\" title=\"San Francisco Reparations Office Faces Harsh Reality - Funding Cut\">faces harsh reality<\/a> of Iran messaging<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556314\/marco-rubio-schools-white-house-press-corps\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Marco Rubio schools misbehaving White House press corps with master class in wit<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>On Sunday, Trump announced that \u201cProject Freedom\u201d would soon begin guiding stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the latest twist in rival blockades of the region. The president was at his Doral Club, where he was later spotted on the Golf Channel watching the Cadillac Championship with son Eric.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>He was back at the White House for an event on Monday with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cuomo-to-partially-reopen-indoor-dining-in-nyc-for-valentines-day-if-positivity-rates-hold\/\" title=\"Cuomo To Partially Reopen Indoor Dining In NYC For Valentine\u2019s Day, \u2018If Positivity Rates Hold\u2019\">small business owners<\/a>. He played down worries about the rising cost of energy, and said he saw it \u201cgoing down very substantially\u201d soon.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4557669\/trump-beats-lame-duck-indianna-romp\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4557669\/trump-beats-lame-duck-indianna-romp\/\">Who says Trump is a lame duck?<\/a> Tuesday\u2019s elections brought retribution in Indiana, where Trump-backed challengers brought down state senators who opposed his redistricting push. But after  Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent the day explaining Project Freedom to reporters, the president pulled the plug on the plan, saying that progress was being made with Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The spectacle of a president waging war with one hand while simultaneously indulging his passions continued on Wednesday. He hosted UFC fighters in the Oval Office to promote a June 14 fight at the White House, while on the same day threatening Iran with an intensification of bombing if they do not agree to peace terms.<\/p>\n<p>By Thursday, the ceasefire was unraveling. The United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials accused the United Arab Emirates of launching strikes in the south of the country.\u00a0The UAE said Iran had struck its Fujairah port.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, American officials have suggested peace is inching closer. Iranian officials say they are still studying a one-page memorandum of understanding. <\/p>\n<p>So what do our strategists make of it all?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-john-zogby-grade-f\">John Zogby: Grade F<\/h2>\n<p>With the end of the semester, I am resorting to a PowerPoint presentation for the president\u2019s week.<\/p>\n<p>Slide 1: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4557579\/fuel-prices-summer-travel-trump-administration\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4557579\/fuel-prices-summer-travel-trump-administration\/\">Gas prices<\/a> are up by more than half since before the war in Iran started, and half of Americans expect them to continue to go up.<\/p>\n<p>Slide 2: Sixty-one percent say that it was a mistake to go to war.<\/p>\n<p>Slide 3: While allegedly studying a memorandum of understanding to forge a ceasefire, Iran and the U.S. are engaged in attacks on each other. The memo, at best, brings the two countries back to the status quo.<\/p>\n<p>Slide 4: CBS News\u2019 leading foreign correspondent reports from Tel Aviv, saying that \u201cnone of us has any idea what is going on here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Slide 5: Forty-two percent say that they are engaged in belt-tightening. There will be fewer vacations this summer because gas prices are high, airfares are up 20%, and flight and hotel bookings are down.<\/p>\n<p>Slide 6: Spirit Airlines is out of business. <\/p>\n<p>Slide 7: The Justice Department is engaged in another revenge investigation of the Democrat who led the redistricting effort in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>Slide 8: The Republicans in Congress want $1 billion to complete the new East Wing Ballroom in the White House.<\/p>\n<p><em>John Zogby<strong> <\/strong>is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/\">John Zogby Strategies.<\/a> His latest book is <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beyond-Horse-Race-Polls-Should\/dp\/1538197146\">Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should<\/a><em>. His podcast with son, managing partner, and pollster Jeremy Zogby, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/the-zogby-report\/\">can be heard here.<\/a> Follow him on X <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zogbystrategies\">@ZogbyStrategies<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jed-babbin-grade-b\">Jed Babbin: Grade B+<\/h2>\n<p>It seems confusion is the main theme this week in the Iran war. The stock market, despite oil price fluctuations, seems irrepressibly high, maintaining its Dow Jones averages above 49,000. Sadly, we have no Democrat inanities to report this week, but there won\u2019t be a long wait.<\/p>\n<p>The Saudis reportedly caused Trump to delay (or cancel) his Project Freedom plan to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Iranian and American ships traded fire around the strait. No significant damage resulted though several Iranian fast boats were sunk or damaged badly. Meanwhile, the UAE and Israel have signed a strategic alliance. The UAE also broke off from the OPEC oil cartel, seeking wider markets. The latter is very good news as it will probably bring the cost of gasoline down in the U.S. I paid $4.09 per gallon last week.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio did what he could to calm things down with the Pope and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The pope should be fine, but Meloni, with other NATO leaders, should not. They are facing up to 100,000 U.S. troops being pulled out of their countries, and they can\u2019t be happy both for the reduced U.S. interest in protecting them and for the smallish blows to their economies. Trump is entirely serious about abandoning NATO.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio also announced the end of Operation Epic Fury, the all-out attack on Iran. But is it over? Trump\u2019s threats suggest it\u2019s still on. The blockade is still on. We\u2019ll see. Trump keeps saying that we are about a week away from a deal with Iran, but one week stacks on another.<\/p>\n<p><em>Jed Babbin\u00a0is a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jedbabbin\">@jedbabbin<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lunchtime-reading\">Lunchtime reading<\/h2>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/08\/world\/asia\/trump-xi-china-us-iran-munitions.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/08\/world\/asia\/trump-xi-china-us-iran-munitions.html\"><strong>China sees a \u2018Giant with a limp\u2019 as U.S. drains weapons on Iran war<\/strong><\/a>: Want something else to worry about? The <em>New York Times<\/em> has you covered. Chinese analysts are apparently questioning whether Washington can protect Taiwan as it uses up its missiles.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/8e32df23-fd49-4705-9666-ed0f66646988?syn-25a6b1a6=1\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/8e32df23-fd49-4705-9666-ed0f66646988?syn-25a6b1a6=1\"><strong>Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cI\u2019m starting a fight\u201d: A Lunch with the FT from the ages. On why Trump\u2019s Jesus image should be printed on velvet cushions and why the president is a good kind of toxic, like chemo.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>You are reading <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#f083959382958483b087918398999e97849f9e9588919d999e9582de939f9d\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"582b3d3b2a3d2c2b182f392b3031363f2c37363d20393531363d2a763b3735\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a> with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you\u2019d like to sign up, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&#038;b=01%2F21%2F2026&#038;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&#038;d=25812206&#038;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Friday\u2019s Washington Secrets. Our strategists assess Trump\u2019s week-spoiler: Democrats and Republicans disagree<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2600359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26125674797231.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3823,38128,32127],"class_list":["post-2600356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-iran","tag-peace-talks","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26125674797231.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2600356"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2600361,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600356\/revisions\/2600361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2600359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2600356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2600356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2600356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}