THE STRUGGLE ISRAEL

Donald Trump unveiled his plan to bring “eternal peace” to the Middle East. Even he doesn’t seem very optimistic about its success.

• People around the world watched closely as President Donald Trump swaggered up to the White House podium this afternoon — more than an hour late — for a highly-anticipated press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On the agenda: Trump’s latest master plan to bring Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip to a close after nearly two years.

• Ears perked up. Eyeballs hardly blinked. Recorders clicked. “This is a big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the great days ever in civilization,” Trump proclaimed, in ever-Trumpian fashion.

• Within minutes, however, the electricity in the room flickered out. Anticipation gave way to a spiritless melancholy. Trump rambled for half an hour — about his recent mishap with a teleprompter at the United Nations General Assembly, the pronunciation of the name “Abraham,” and, naturally, former President Joe Biden. When he eventually returned to the subject of his so-called peace plan, Trump didn’t sound optimistic that it would even work.

• “There shouldn’t be a shot fired now,” Trump said. “There shouldn’t have to be a shot fired, maybe for eternity. Wouldn’t that be nice?” he added, apparently still trying to boost his chances of getting into heaven, or win that elusive Nobel Peace Prize. “What the future holds for the Palestinians? No one really knows.”

• The trippy, improvisational vibe of this presser almost resembled one of those long, rambling, unstructured, psychedelic percussion jams in the middle of a Grateful Dead concert, affectionately known among Deadheads as “Drums/Space.” Is that what Trump’s nonsensical ramblings sound like to MAGA? Or do they always hear him playing “Freebird”? Those poor souls.

What I mean is that the details of Trump’s pitch are… vague, to say the least.

• The plan largely resembles previous (failed) peace proposals, which called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages held by Hamas, and the influx of humanitarian aid into the territory. Notably, this plan would allow Palestinians to remain in Gaza — Trump once floated the idea of expelling them, which is ethnic cleansing — and the development of the territory to “create jobs, opportunity, and hope.”

• “This is it, peace is here!” Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, sarcastically gushed to What A Day. While several parts of the concept are laudable, he added, the plan “contains numerous opportunities for Netanyahu to spoil the process and renege on his commitments, as he has repeatedly done in the past.”

• Hamas would have to agree to end the war within three days, according to the fine print. Israel would have to stop attacking (though its forces pushed further into Gaza City today). If Hamas doesn’t agree, Trump told Netanyahu that “you would have our full backing to do what you have to do.”

• “It’s clearly the same old play to pretend that Netanyahu accepts everything and that Hamas is the problem,” Duss said. “We know that has not been the case. We know that Netanyahu has, from the very beginning, resisted and torpedoed efforts to achieve a ceasefire.”

The situation remains unpredictable, and it’s not impossible that this proposal might produce a breakthrough. But it would take a lot for me to agree with Trump that we all just witnessed “one of the great days ever in civilization.”

WHAT ELSE?

Democratic lawmakers are holding the line on healthcare demands as the government stumbles toward a shutdown. “Enough with the games that Republicans have been playing connected to the healthcare of the American people,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said today. Tomorrow night is the deadline for Democrats and Republicans to strike a deal to avoid a shutdown… but that’s not looking too likely.

Does Trump know what his own Department of Justice is up to? The president said he “would think” the DOJ is investigating former FBI Director Chris Wray for “inappropriate” behavior, a week after targeting fellow former FBI Director James Comey. “I would imagine. I would certainly imagine,” Trump said, acting totally stupid as he tries to take down his political enemies.

Trump posted (and later deleted) an AI-generated conspiracy video on social media about mythical high-tech hospital beds that can supposedly heal any disease — and even make people younger. So cool to have the president sharing videos online like a drunk uncle!

Oregon and the city of Portland are suing to stop Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the state, describing the move as unconstitutional. Over the weekend, Trump said the city has been ravaged by “domestic terrorists.” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the deployment of troops “un-American.”

There will soon be a “Trump Plaza” in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, thanks to a $1 billion deal between the Trump Organization and a London real estate developer. That follows the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah last year. I know this is a cliche, but can you imagine what the GOP would have said about putting up a “Biden Plaza” in Saudi Arabia?

New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended his doomed re-election bid on Sunday, marking the moment with Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” If you mean being accused of bribery, wire fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations, then sure! Meanwhile, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani still likes his chances at winning.

The Energy Department banned its renewable energy office from using the words “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization” — all terms core to its mission. It’s the latest attempt by Trump officials to dispute climate science, roll back progress, and threaten the future of coral reefs and Arctic ice.

Light at the End of the Email…

The NFL chose Puerto Rican pop star popstar Bad Bunny as this year’s Super Bowl half-time performer… and MAGAworld is freaking out. “Massive Trump hater, Anti-ICE activist, No songs in English,” right-wing YouTube hack Benny Johnson tweeted. Meanwhile, Mr. Bunny is handling the situation with grace: “This is for my people, my culture, and our history,” he said in a statement after being chosen. His announcement post is pretty lit.

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the New York City premiere of a movie about his life, delivering a speech bashing the Trump administration: “For a lot of folks out there, [America] continues to be a land of hope and dreams, not of fear, or divisiveness, or government censorship, or hatred. That America’s worth fighting for.”

Two other American icons are teaming up to push back against Trump’s agenda: Arnold Schwarzenegger will attend the “Raising Hope for Climate Justice” conference, which is being led by Pope Leo, in Italy later this week.

It’s possible for older people to make big improvements to their health, even after significant setbacks and over the age of 60, by tending to their mental health, not smoking, eating well, exercising and other classic ways to stay healthy, according to new research. “Old age does not necessarily result in poor physical health, nor is a decline in well-being inevitable,” the researchers wrote.