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There has been a year of news this week. But the story that has held our attention — and apparently yours — is Artemis II.
Online the comments have been joyful. The social engagement has been off the charts. And we can’t stop reading about it either. There’s something about four astronauts hurtling to the Moon that cuts through the noise in a way that a tariff announcement simply cannot.
Here’s our theory on why: We are starved for evidence that humans can still do big important things together. The Artemis crew speaks with seriousness and dignity — about science, about service, about values that have felt increasingly theoretical lately. They are the best of us. And in a moment when escaping this planet has crossed more than a few minds, watching actual people attempt something close to it hits different.
Splashdown happened at 8:07pm EDT. NASA called it “perfect.”
In today’s newsletter: Trump says Iran has no leverage. Drivers beg to differ. JD Vance heads to Iran talks, warns Tehran not to “play us.” Pope Leo issues his sharpest rejection yet of “Holy War” politics. What — or who — drove Melania Trump’s unexpected Epstein statement? A bombshell sexual assault report upends the California governor’s race. The latest economic snapshot. The CDC hid a report about Covid vaccines. Guess what it found? And Artemis II is home at last.
Bombshell Allegations:Four women have accused Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) of sexual misconduct and one of them, a former staffer, alleges rape. In anexclusive CNN reportthe former staffer alleges Swalwell sexually assaulted her while she was drunk, twice. The other women say Swallwell sent them unsolicited sexual images and touched them inappropriately without consent. Rep. Swalwell, who isrunning for California governor, forcefully denies the charges. He told CNN, “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor.… I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action.” He has reportedly served some of the women with cease and desist letters. Multiple labor unions and officials who backed his gubernatorial campaign havewithdrawn their support. Some, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) have𝕏called for him to bow outof the race. You can read morehere.Poor Fit: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MA) hasrequested the White House physician“conduct acomprehensive cognitive assessment” of Trump. Raskin𝕏cited the factthat Trump’s public statements have become “increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening.” He also noted that senior Republican lawmakers made much of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities, includingsubpoenaing the White House physicianand declaring a president who isn’t cognitively fit “isn’t fit for office.” The White House𝕏insisted that Trump’s“sharpness” and “unmatched energy … stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the past four years.”
Make or Break: US negotiators, led by Vice President JD Vance, flew to Pakistan, where they will hold direct peace talks with Iranian counterparts Saturday. A former Pentagon officialtold News Not Noisethis marks the start of the “most dangerous period of time” since the war began. Pakistan’s prime ministeron Friday called the talksa “make-or-break moment.” Each side maintains seemingly irreconcilable positions. Iran’s speaker of parliament and lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf,insists that two preconditions“must be fulfilled before negotiations begin: There must be a ceasefire in Lebanon, and the US must release blocked Iranian assets.”That’s not promising because it’s unlikely both those terms will be met. Trumpsaid Iran must no longerenrich uranium. Iranargues it has a right to do so. Trump on Thursdayaccused Iran of violating the ceasefireby keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed andsaid they“better stop” extracting tolls from tankers passing through. Iranwants to maintain controlof the Strait, including chargingtolls in crypto. Neither side has shown much, if any, willingness to back down from these mutually exclusive demands.Tough Talk: On Saturday JD Vance will become thehighest ranking US official to hold direct talkswith Iran in over a decade. On Friday, hewarned Irannot to “try and play us,” explaining that Trump gave the US team “some pretty clear guidelines,” but didn’t elaborate. Trumpon Friday continued his posturing, insisting Iran has “no cards, other than a short term extortion of the world” by throttling traffic in the Strait. He warned that the US is treating this break as a “reset,” is “loading up the ships with … the best weapons ever made,” and is prepared to resume attacks,**Iran’s Cards:**US gas prices increased 21.2% in March, thelargest monthly increasesince 1967. Average gas prices areup more thana dollar per gallon since the war began.Lebanon Talks: The office of Lebanon’s presidentconfirmed to CNNthat Lebanon and Israel agreed to𝕏begin peace negotiationsat the US State Department next week. Leaders of the two nations spoke by phone today. This is despite US and Israeli insistence that Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire deal. (This sure suggests Iran has some leverage.) Hezbollah’s chief says it𝕏will keep fightingregardless of any agreement. Israel and Hezbollah on Fridaycontinued to trade strikes. Israel’s massive,surprise strikes on Lebanonthis week, launched after the ceasefire with Iran was announced,killed hundreds. Thedeath toll in Lebanonis now close to 2,000 people. Trump on Thursdaysaid Netanyahu agreedto “low-key it.… We have to be sort of a little more low-key.”Timing: Netanyahu on Fridayrequested he be allowed to postponegiving testimony in his corruption trial. The ceasefire with Iran and subsequent lifting of Israel’s state of emergencymeant the trial would resumeon Sunday.
Holy War: Pope Leo on Friday issued his latest and most explicit rebuke of war — and the Trump administration’srepeated invocations of Godtojustify its warwith Iran. “God does not bless any conflict,” the𝕏Pope wrote.Unprecedented: According to the Free Press, the Pentagon summoned a Vatican envoy — something that does not normally happen — andreportedly threatened himover the Pope’s opposition to the war in Iran and Trump administration policy. The outlet reports that in the January 22 meeting, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby allegedly told the Pope’s envoy that “the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.” An official at the meetingallegedly invokedthe Avignon Papacy, when the French monarchyorchestrated the death of the Popeand brought the Papacy under its control. The Pentagondenied all this, calling the meeting “respectful and reasonable.” And the Vatican reportedlysaid the meeting was“frank but very cordial.” The Pope laterdeclined an invitationto come to the US for America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Cost Lives: Survivors of Iran’s deadliest attack on US forces during the war have publicly disputed the Pentagon’s account. US troopswho spoke to CBS Newssaid that they were moved from a major base in Kuwait to a smaller and “older” military outpost that was “closer to Iran” and in “a deeply unsafe area that was a known target.” The base’s protections were “about as weak as one gets” withessentially no anti-drone defensecapabilities. Shortly before the attack, an all-clear sounded, and troops returned to work — in “a bunch of little tin buildings,” which were destroyed when Iran’s drone struck. “It’s something like what you see in the movies,” one survivor said. “Head wounds, heavy bleeding … shrapnel all over.” Six US service members died and more than 20 were injured, making this the deadliest attack on US troops in years. “One of the hardest things for me,” one survivor said, “is that I know we didn’t get everybody out … there are still soldiers inside there that still haven’t been identified and evacuated.” “I want people to know,” one injured troop said, “the unit … was unprepared to provide any defense for itself.”
Strange Timing: Melania Trump on Thursday madean unexpected public statementin which she insistedshe is not one of “Epstein’s victims” and denied knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. This is thefirst time she’s publicly addressedthe issue; her choice to do so nowsparked widespread confusionand speculation. President Trumpon Friday saidhe was unaware of what his wife planned to say, but he said she “had a right to talk about it.” In the statement, the First Lady𝕏insisted she“never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, [Ghislaine] Maxwell.” Thephoto of the Trumpswith Epstein and Maxwell? “Overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach,”Melania explained. What about theemail Melania sent Maxwell, in which she praises a “nice story” of Epstein published in New York Magazine and asks Maxwell to “give me a call,” or Maxwell’s later email calling Melania her “Sweet Pea?” Nothing more than “casual correspondence,”Melania claimed. “A trivial note.” (In that NY Mag story, Donald Trump calls Epstein a “terrific guy” who “likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”) Melania also called for a “public hearing specifically centered around the survivors” of Epstein’s abuse. Lawmakers from both partiesbacked Melania’s callfor a hearing. But at least 15 survivorsslammed Melania’s comments, arguing they are “shifting the burden onto survivors” from those in power, including Pam Bondi and the DOJ, which they claim “has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.” Multiple Democratscalled on Melaniato testify. “She has relevant information,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)said. “If she didn’t … how could she say that Epstein was not acting alone?”Meet Cute: Wondering what prompted that statement? Attention is now on Paolo Zampolli, a[longtime business associate](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/fashion/donald-trump-melan…
