See you tomorrow? You’re on the preview plan, so you won’t get tomorrow’s newsletter. Members get all 6 days, including exclusive deep dives and our America 250 Sunday essays. Unlock full access here →

🇮🇷 US makes concessions to Iran in peace memorandum. President Trump has signed the 14-point memorandum of understanding in France, which included significant changes from earlier drafts, including that Iran will only "use its best efforts" for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran will also have access to a $300B fund for “reconstruction and economic development,” and won't destroy its enriched uranium but instead degrade it on Iranian soil under IAEA supervision.

😡 Thune admits GOP hates Trump too much to pass SAVE Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) reportedly acknowledged at a closed-door lunch that some Republicans will never support the election-integrity bill, regardless of its merits. The admission sparked a heated exchange with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has pushed for the legislation to be debated until passage.

🕵️ Epstein obsessed with taking down Trump before death. Newly revealed jailhouse scribblings show Jeffrey Epstein spent his final days desperately trying, and ultimately failing, to dig up dirt on President Trump in hopes of cutting a deal with prosecutors. His legal pads were filled with disjointed attacks like "Trump is a total con artist" and "Never had money."

💸 Out-of-state dark money fueled anti-ICE riots. Of at least 12 agitators arrested in the New Jersey anti-ICE riots, only three were from New Jersey. Protesters traveled from Seattle, Phoenix, and Chicago to assault federal agents and smash vehicles. At least two have ties to the Sunrise Movement, a Soros-funded nonprofit that has been organizing on the ground for weeks and supplying protesters with military gear.

Behind the paywall: A G7 declaration on illegal migration, and a migrant crime movie being banned.

A New York Times guest essay blames recent unrest in Belfast and Southampton entirely on the "far right” …

Behind the paywall: Hilary Clinton makes a surprising criticism, and archeologists discover Revolutionary War remnants. Plus, yesterday’s most clicked story.

Part 2 of our exclusive series on Islam in America. This time, we’re looking at how Islamists and Marxists are teaming up to overthrow the American system. This essay is a must-read.

Read Now →

_WHAT’S HAPPENING_

British MP Rupert Lowe released a 219-page report alleging that at least 250,000 British girls have been raped, trafficked, or sexually exploited by grooming gangs in recent decades…

_IN THIS ARTICLE, WE COVER:_

It’s been a rough few months. Trump did something no administration had the nerve to do: he stopped kicking the can on Iran, after decades of the regime inching toward a bomb.

I wrote at the beginning that this fight should be easy. I was wrong. We avoided major losses — but Iran hit back where it hurts, hammering global oil markets. Trump flinched at the price at the pump. Iran had leverage, and America never moved to fully take it away.

Yesterday, the deal was made public. Here’s what it actually is: we’re paying Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In exchange, we lift the blockade, waive sanctions on their oil, and unfreeze billions in Iranian assets, which would be a massive cash windfall straight into the pockets of the Revolutionary Guard.

Everything this war was supposed to be about—killing the nuclear program, gutting their missiles, cutting off their proxies—will be kicked down the road to “future talks.” Down the line, there’s even a $300 billion “reconstruction fund” on the table, which is just a fancy name for handing Iran a fortune.

It’s a bad deal. We’ve bribed Iran before. We’ve negotiated before. Neither worked. So while today looks like Iran’s win, my guess is this saga’s far from over.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👍 Not serious (21)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤷‍♂️ Somewhat concerning (85)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ❗️ Serious (1,075)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🚨 Crisis level (755)

Have a question you want somebody on the team to answer? Submit it here.

Most of the news out there is designed to overwhelm you… to keep you angry, anxious, and clicking, while the stories that actually matter slip by unnoticed. We're trying to do the exact opposite: give you what's important, told straight, in a few minutes, so you stay informed without losing your mind over it.

We do it because we believe an informed public is what America needs now more than ever. That’s why our members get the full daily brief, with every section unlocked, and the facts and context to share what's really going on with the people they love.

Start with 14 days on us, cancel anytime.

Thanks for joining us today. We're fully reader-supported, with no corporate owners, no billionaires deciding what you see, just members who keep this independent. — Ariel David and Brandon Goldman