HEADING HOME: Vice President Vance returned to the U.S. after spending the past couple of days in Switzerland for the start of talks to achieve a permanent end to the Iran war.
Vance heralded what he said was significant progress made on the first day of talks, calling it a “very good foundation.”
“Yesterday was a very, very good day. We made a lot of good progress. We did exactly what we wanted to do,” he said Monday.
The vice president led the talks along with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Vance pointed to four major accomplishments he said were reached during the talks, including the creation of mechanisms to demine the Strait of Hormuz and the establishment of a process for technical talks that will follow.
He also touted that Iran agreed to permit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency back into the country, a system that was in place during the duration of former President Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Tehran hasn’t confirmed that it has agreed to this.
Vance said the inspectors are expected to restart their work as soon as this week.
“Letting in the inspectors is a big deal — but again, we're going to see what they actually let the inspectors do once they're in the country. That's going to continually be part of our negotiation,” Vance told reporters before departing Switzerland.
The launch of the talks kicked off the 60-day window for negotiators to reach a final deal to end the conflict and achieve a resolution on Iran’s nuclear program. Vance signaled efforts to reach a deal will continue in his absence.
“I’m about to go back home to the United States, but the technical teams are going to be working with proper oversight to make sure that we’re accomplishing the objectives that matter for everybody,” he said.
While Vance has largely been in the spotlight during the negotiations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit multiple Gulf allies during a multi-day trip this week, planning to make stops in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Vance’s role in leading the talks continues to get deep scrutiny given its 2028 implications. The vice president is the clear frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, with Rubio as a potential rival.
Chris Stirewalt, the politics editor of The Hill and host of The Hill Sunday, writes Tuesday about the potential for a “JD vs. AOC” battle in 2028. Both Vance and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) would face challenges in becoming the standard-bearer for their parties, but both could also make compelling cases.
He also points out the obvious risks for Vance in being the face of the Iran talks.
“He keeps getting served up unappetizing fare,” Stirewalt writes. “Right now, the menu consists of negotiating a peace deal with Iran that is guaranteed, at least in the short term, to be unpopular. Whatever Iran gets, hawks will say it is too much. Whatever the United States gets, doves will say it is less than we would have had if Vance’s boss had never started the war. Or he may get nothing and please no one.”
Vance is also the subject of The New York Times lead story online on Tuesday, which focused on how Trump is creating disruptions in his path as he leads the Iran talks.
▪ The Hill: Mixed messages on status of Strait of Hormuz.
▪ The Hill: Iran-U.S. deal faces various threats.
OUT THE WINDOW: A federal judge has thrown out subpoenas from the Department of Justice (DOJ) aimed at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) and other state and local officials.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, wrote in his decision that he has “no doubt” that the DOJ’s subpoenas were designed to “harass” the president’s political opponents into cooperating with federal immigration enforcement priorities.
The DOJ issued the subpoenas to Walz and Frey in January, accusing them of obstructing a federal law enforcement investigation. They were issued as Walz and Frey led backlash to the federal government’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis following the shooting of Renée Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed in another incident by federal officers days later, reigniting protests across the city.
Subpoenas were also issued for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), the office of St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Hennepin County. The officials all derided the subpoenas as politically motivated.
“On the one hand, the evidence that the challenged subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons is overwhelming,” Schiltz wrote. “On the other hand, the Department has struggled-without success-to identify a single plausible investigatory justification for the subpoenas.”
▪ Politico: Judge blocks database of Social Security numbers, citizenship status.
▪ The New York Times: ICE spent millions on warehouses it wants to vacate.
BIPARTISAN BREAKTHROUGH: Both houses of Congress notched relatively rare bipartisan agreements Monday as lawmakers look to pass some major legislation before they turn their attention to campaigning ahead of the midterms.
The Senate passed a major bipartisan housing package Monday in an 85-5 vote, sending it back to the House for consideration. The lower chamber previously approved the legislation but must vote again because the Senate amended the bill. The House is expected to vote on the bill later this week.
The legislation’s pending success is the result of bipartisan cooperation in both chambers. The package would roll back some permitting regulations, limit corporations from buying up single-family homes, and provide grants and loans for people to rebuild aging homes, among other provisions.
Meanwhile, House lawmakers announced a bipartisan deal on a package to protect children online after negotiations on an online safety package previously fell apart. Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) said they found “common ground on policies to significantly improve the digital environment for kids” after months of working together.
The Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act seeks to hold social media companies accountable for alleged harms that their platforms have had on minors. But major hurdles remain, as senators have signaled the package will be dead in the upper chamber, as a Senate version of the bill is significantly different.
▪ The Hill: Pete Hegseth giving GOP briefing on military funding goals.
▪ The Hill: House Intelligence Dems warn Bill Pulte.
MAKING AN APPEARANCE: Defense attorney Alan Dershowitz will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next month as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Two sources familiar with the planning told The Hill’s Sudiksha Kochi that Dershowitz, who previously represented the disgraced financier, will sit for a transcribed interview on July 20. Dershowitz secured a controversial plea deal for Epstein in 2008 in which he agreed to plead guilty to prostitution charges in exchange for immunity from sex-trafficking charges.
Dershowitz has faced scrutiny over the agreement, but he has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes. He previously told NewsNation that he wants “complete transparency” and is prepared to testify about “everything.”
▪ The New York Times: Searching for clues in Epstein’s boyhood.
TAKING A DIP: Global markets dropped Tuesday fueled by a sell-off of tech companies’ stocks that started in the U.S. and spread worldwide.
Some of the largest U.S. companies experienced drops, including Amazon, the Google owner Alphabet and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Futures for Nasdaq and S&P 500 both fell early Tuesday morning, suggesting more drops are expected to come once the market opens, The New York Times reported.
