The price of jet fuel is falling, but don't expect airfares to follow any time soon

Gas Prices Plummeting After Trump Signs Iran Deal

Vance ‘not at all’ concerned Trump will make him the fall guy on Iran

Vice President JD Vance said he was “not at all concerned” that President Trump will make him the fall guy if the Iran deal fails. “No, not at all,” Vance told reporters in the White House press briefing, when asked if he was worried Trump would make him the fall guy.  “I think the president…

JD Vance Is the Fall Guy for Trump’s Terrible Iran Deal

It seems that Vice President JD Vance has been chosen to carry the can for Donald Trump’s nascent peace deal with Iran. What could go wrong? As the lead negotiator with Iran—who also happens to be running a rocky press tour for his new book—Vance has become the face for the controversial deal, which critics are already calling a complete surrender.Republicans too afraid to challenge Trump directly have been pointing the finger at Vance, while some Republicans who don’t hate the deal view this as a golden opportunity for Vance to play peacemaker.“Without question, the biggest potential political liability Vance had was the unpopularity of the war in Iran,” one person close to the White House who supports the deal told Politico Wednesday. “So it’s fascinating to watch his biggest enemies in the GOP unwittingly inoculate him from that liability by branding him as responsible for the peace deal.”“He now gets to do a media tour defending the president—a.k.a. the kingmaker of our party—from their idiotic criticism of the deal,” the person said. “While even his critics would acknowledge that the vice president is a smart guy, sometimes what really matters in politics is how stupid your enemies are.”But is Vance washing away his sins or getting himself dirty?Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another likely contender for a 2028 presidential run, has remained eerily quiet throughout the process of launching the deal. As the president’s national security adviser, he reportedly opposed the deal behind closed doors.Iran has agreed to return to its prewar position of allowing the free movement of trade through the Strait of Hormuz and pledging not to produce or acquire a nuclear weapon. In return, they’ve won a range of exciting cash prizes: a $300 billion investment fund, sanctions relief, and the potential to implement tolls in the strait after just 60 days.Trump’s deal is at the very least an off-ramp from an expensive and unpopular war—but it’s clear that for now, the United States is walking away with nothing. Vance will bear the brunt of whatever comes from the continued negotiations, and given the administration’s proven ineptitude for striking deals, that could last well into midterm season.Speaking at the G7 Summit Wednesday, Trump joked: “If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD. You better be careful, JD!”

Why the Supreme Court avoided dealing with this Trump case — 15 times

Georgetown Law School Professor Steve Vladeck has some assumptions about why the U.S. Supreme Court may have put off President Donald Trump's appeal of the E. Jean Carroll settlement a whopping 15 times. Writing for his Substack, Vladeck recalled that Trump filed a "cert petition" last November. A cert petition is when a defendant asks a higher court to review a lower court's decision. This week, the Supreme Court decided to "reschedule" its conference over the matter for the 15th time and refused to explain why they did it. "As I explained in a previous issue, there’s an important but elusive difference between what it means when the Court 'reschedules' a petition and what it means when it 'relists' one," wrote Vladeck. “'Relisting' is more common, and is usually a sign that a case has been discussed, and that we’re just waiting for the Court’s disposition (whether because the justices are confirming that there are no obstacles to granting certiorari, or because someone is preparing an opinion respecting a denial of certiorari)."He noted that rescheduling is less common. In this case, Vladeck said, "a case can be “rescheduled” at the request of a single justice, and is usually rescheduled for reasons external to the case — but that may affect it (e.g., additional proceedings in related cases; pending legislation; etc.)."In one case, Jones v. Oklahoma, the case was rescheduled 24 times, which is the current record. There are two defamation cases from Carroll that are key to the argument. Both were filed by Carroll in a New York court against Trump for defamation. Trump lost, and the jury awarded Carroll $5 million in one case and $83.3 million in the other. Carroll alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her inside of a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman in 1996. To decide whether Trump defamed Carroll it first had to decide whether it believed Carroll or Trump's story about what happened. They ruled that Carroll was "sexually abused" by Trump and then found in favor of Carroll in both defamation cases. Justices are likely waiting for the second Trump case to be submitted for appeal. It is on its way, said former Trump lawyer Justin Smith in a filing. "I write to advise the Court that President Donald J. Trump intends to file a petition for a writ of certiorari in Carroll v. Trump, No. 24-644 (2d Cir.) (Carroll I), within the next month. Because Carroll I involves the same parties and overlaps with the President’s pending petition for a writ of certiorari in Carroll II, the Court may wish to consider the petitions together," he wrote. He pointed out that Smith's filing has "no explanation for how the questions presented in Carroll II are actually affected by the questions that will be presented in Carroll I — which is what we’d normally expect in a request like this."In the background of this, the Justice Department has targeted Carroll, alleging she lied under oath when she said no one was funding her legal fees. Vladeck followed with a disclaimer that "it is really difficult to believe that the Court would show anywhere near the same kind of procedural deference to any litigant other than Trump."

Average gas price falls below $4 for first time in months

Gas prices in the U.S. on Thursday dipped below $4 for the first time in months, after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that calls for the reopening of the critical Strait of Hormuz. The national average price of a gallon of regular gas is about $3.99, according to the American…

Vance to brief the press following Iran MOU signing

Vice President Vance will brief reporters in the White House briefing room on Thursday following the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran.  The briefing will mark Vance’s second time at the briefing podium since press secretary Karoline Leavitt went on maternity leave earlier this year.  The vice president will…

Trump’s Ballroom Price Soars to $600 Million — Half of Which Taxpayers Will Fund

Recent polling indicates that Americans oppose the White House ballroom project by a 2 to 1 margin.

Average U.S. Gasoline Price Falls Below $4 for First Time in Months

Drivers are enjoying some relief at the pump after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.