• President Donald Trump took a full-on victory lap this afternoon over news that no one was hurt by Iranian missile attacks on a U.S. base in Qatar, following the massive U.S. bombardments of three nuclear facilities over the weekend. Hours later, he announced (in a confusingly garbled message) that a temporary ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and Iran, and suggested the two countries’ war would soon be over. “CONGRATULATIONS, WORLD,” Trump posted on social media. “IT’S TIME FOR PEACE.”  

• Uh… maybe? It’s too soon for such happy talk, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) exclusively told What A Day. There are many ways Iran could ramp up tensions later, or that further fighting with Israel could send the region spiraling into fresh chaos. And the fate of its nuclear program looks far from settled. “We'll have to see,” Kaine said. “We hope we can settle it down.”

• Kaine and others in Congress are hoping to tie Trump’s hands from further attacks — despite a lack of support for their efforts from GOP leadership. Trump’s incredibly unpopular weekend strikes pissed off anti-war Democrats and even some of MAGA’s loopiest members. Later this week, lawmakers will vote on a bill introduced by Kaine, which would require Trump to seek approval from Congress before striking Iran. In the House, a similar bill, spearheaded by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — yes, a Republican! — is making its rounds.

• Kaine expects several Republicans to join his bill, especially after Trump’s musings about taking out Iran’s leader. Trump is “starting to talk about regime change, that will make some Republicans real nervous and might push some votes my way,” Kaine said. Only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), has already said he’ll oppose the bill.

• “Does it convince nations, ‘I guess we better not have a nuclear weapon?’ Or does it convince nations, ‘the only way we won't get invaded is if we have a nuclear weapon?’” Kaine said. He pointed to North Korea’s booming nuclear weapons program, which ramped up after the country watched Libya end its program — and then Western nations toppled the government and changed the regime. 

• “My fear is … it may harden their resolve and harden their intent,” Kaine said. “That could well inspire a nuclear arms race throughout the region, which would be very dangerous for the region and possibly for the United States.”

• Tensions are rising around the world. Over the weekend, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that several countries are lining up to provide Iran with nuclear warheads — a claim that experts doubt. But smart people’s opinions never stop Trump from reacting in his own face-palm-inducing way, who chided Medvedev for “casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!).” 

WHAT A SPONSOR

Iran has responded to Trump’s bombing of its nuclear facilities — and the world is on edge. On Pod Save the World, Tommy and Ben cut through the noise to explain what’s happening, what’s at stake, and how U.S. foreign policy got us here. If you’re trying to make sense of the latest U.S.-Iran escalation, tune into this week's Pod Save The World on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.