TOUGHER TERMS: Trump has reportedly toughened U.S. demands for a proposed agreement with Iran to end the war, after expressing optimism last week that a deal was almost done.
Multiple outlets reported over the weekend that Trump asked for the changes during a meeting in the Situation Room on Friday. Two U.S. officials told Axios that Trump is looking to strengthen several points, including on Iran’s nuclear material.
The current deal on the table reached by U.S. and Iranian negotiators would establish a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran would pledge not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but specific commitments on its nuclear program and stockpile of enriched uranium would be negotiated later.
Axios reported Trump wants “more specifics” on how the U.S. obtains Iran’s nuclear material and the timing of the handover, citing a U.S. official. Another source told the outlet Trump wants to amend some language concerning the reopening of the strait.
The U.S. official said Trump was told getting a response back from Iran would take about three days.
Another contentious point has been providing financial relief to Iran, potentially by unfreezing billions of funds in foreign banks. Trump has been wary of any agreement that could be portrayed as similar to the “pallets of cash” he slammed as part of former President Obama’s 2015 deal with Iran.
▪ The Hill: Trump’s Iran deal pits Republican vs. Republican.
▪ Bloomberg: Wall Street risk rally powers past war stalemate.
DAMAGE CONTROL: Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner reportedly exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women since he got married in 2023.
On Saturday, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, told a former campaign staffer last spring about messages she found on his phone early in their marriage. Gertner reportedly warned this could be a political liability.
Gertner defended her husband in a statement provided by Platner’s campaign, accusing the former staffer of spreading “malicious gossip” about their marriage. Gertner said she and Platner have addressed issues in their marriage through counseling and came out stronger as a couple.
The news is the latest turmoil for Platner’s campaign, as the oyster farmer has faced several controversies since launching his campaign in August 2025. That includes offensive Reddit posts and revelations that he had a chest tattoo that critics said resembled the Totenkopf, a Nazi-linked symbol.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) said he believes the tattoo should be disqualifying, but most other Democrats have avoided condemning him.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told ABC News that Platner has “questions to answer,” while Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” that Platner has made mistakes and “has admitted that,” but that he expects a “clear contrast in Maine” between him and Sen. Susan Collins (R).
▪ NBC News: Gertner ‘angry’ that disclosure was made public.
▪ Portland Press Herald: Platner outraising, outspending Collins.
BACK AT IT: Congress is returning to Washington this week as Trump’s deadline for a key immigration funding bill passes Monday with significant hurdles remaining for the legislation to reach his desk.
Senate Republicans had hoped to pass a reconciliation bill funding immigration enforcement agencies through fiscal 2029 late last month, but talks failed amid backlash to the White House’s announcement of an “anti-weaponization” fund for alleged victims of political prosecutions.
Democrats are now positioned to force Republicans to take painful votes on the fund before the reconciliation bill could advance. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) revealed Monday that Democrats would launch a “coordinated effort to kill” the fund this week.
The $1.776 billion fund was created as part of a settlement to end Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS for the leaking of his tax returns during his first term. A federal judge on Friday agreed to reopen the case for review following scrutiny of the settlement.
▪ The Hill: This week on the Hill.
▪ The Hill: Republicans in familiar territory as they return.
STRESS TEST: Former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell championed public servants who resist political pressure Sunday as he received an award recognizing his efforts to promote the independence of the Fed.
Powell received this year's John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in Boston, making one of his first public appearances since Kevin Warsh succeeded him as chair. Powell is still serving as a member of the Fed's board of governors.
The former chair called universities, courts, Congress and the Fed the "foundation and the embodiment of our democracy" that must be protected. He didn't mention Trump by name but alluded to the intense political pressure he faced as chair.
“Like many other institutions, the Fed has been undergoing a stress test,” he said. “Congress wisely chose to insulate monetary policy decisions from political pressure.”
