The Dictatorship
‘Crossed a Rubicon’: Israel and Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by 45 days
Israel and Lebanon will extend their ceasefire by 45 days “to enable further progress” after two “highly-productive” days of peace talks held in Washington, a State Department spokesperson announced Friday.
“The two countries agreed upon a framework for negotiations to advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
The United States will reconvene Israeli and Lebanese political leaders for a fourth round of negotiations June 2-3 and establish a separate security track at the Pentagon on May 29 for military delegations from both countries.
“To that end, the parties have agreed to a 45-day extension of the April 16 cessation of hostilities agreement to allow the security track to meaningfully improve the communication and coordination between Israel and Lebanon, facilitated by the United States,” Pigott said.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter described this week’s discussions as “frank and constructive” and said he looks forward to the next steps.
“There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great,” Leiter wrote on X following the latest talks. “What will be paramount throughout negotiations is the security of our citizens and our soldiers.”
The third ambassador-level meeting between the countries, following earlier discussions in Washington on April 14 and April 23, took place at a critical time as the precarious ceasefire was set to expire Sunday.
During the cessation of hostilities, both the Israeli military and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah have made accusations of ceasefire violations, with the Israeli military announcing its own attacks against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
At least 657 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to the country’s health ministry.
Notably, Hezbollah is not a participant in the U.S.-led talks.
“The time has come to treat Lebanon as a sovereign state and to finally empower it to act like one, rather than letting an Iran-backed terrorist organization have a veto on its future or block peace,” a State Department official previously told MS NOW.
The momentum of the Israel-Lebanon peace negotiations stands in stark contrast to the stalled U.S.-Iran talks led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushnerwhere the Iranian regime’s support for terrorist proxy organizations, including Hezbollah, has been one of many points of contention.
A source familiar with the talks, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic negotiations, told MS NOW that all eyes are on Lebanon as Israel and the U.S. await more concrete actions from the Lebanese government to rid its country of Hezbollah’s power and influence.
That Lebanon sent Simon Karam, a powerful Lebanese diplomat appointed by President Joseph Aoun, is a sign of how seriously the country is taking its responsibility in these talks — but it still faces headwinds.
“These two states have crossed a Rubicon,” the source familiar with the talks told MS NOW, noting that an extension of the ceasefire will be critical in allowing Lebanon more time to take concrete actions needed to confront and disarm Hezbollah and address domestic concerns.
“The bottom line: Both parties are still engaged, both parties still see a reason to be engaged, both parties still agree on the same goals of disarming Hezbollah — but they’re not able to talk about how they get to the same goal,” the source told MS NOW. “The ball is in Lebanon’s court.”
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.
Over the course of June, Donald Trump spent nearly every day focusing attention on assorted construction and beautification projects, emphasizing the unavoidable conclusion that the president takes his renovation crusade very seriously.
His allies aren’t necessarily pleased. The Hill recently reported that Republican officials, worried about the midterm elections and maintaining partisan control, have been “thrown off-balance” by, among other things, Trump’s focus on “pet projects” instead of more meaningful national priorities.
The list of projects keeps growing nevertheless. It includes (but is by no means limited to) the ballroomthe Reflecting Poolthe “triumphal arch,” the fountainsthe horse statuesthe “Trump Promenade,” the “statue garden” and the dozen or so additional renovation projects he’s prioritized in and around the White House complex.
But let’s also not forget the helipad.
A couple of months ago, The Washington PostThe Wall Street Journal and The New York Times separately published similar reports about Trump hoping to build a permanent helicopter landing site on the White House grounds. Evidently, those plans have now advanced to the construction stage. The Post reported this week:
President Donald Trump has begun construction on a new White House helipad, his latest change to the historic grounds, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the project publicly.
Construction crews worked into the night Monday on the White House’s South Lawn, with the project blocked off by a large fence.
The report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, added that the project hasn’t yet been formally announced by the White House, even as construction is apparently underway.
It’s not yet clear how much the project will cost, who will pick the tab and whether this has joined the growing list of no-bid contracts.
Unlike some of the president’s other priorities, there is a legitimate issue here — the latest generation of helicopters really do damage the White House lawn — although this doesn’t answer the other lingering questions or explain why Team Trump hasn’t acknowledged the existence of the project.
What’s more, this almost certainly won’t be the last of the Republican’s projects.
Earlier this week, the president used his social media platform to promote an artificial intelligence-generated image of a gold eagle affixed to the White House exterior. Trump added in his online image, “A Golden Gift to the White House for its 250th Birthday Year!”
The text (which erroneously said the White House is celebrating its semiquincentennial) suggested the president intends to add this gaudy addition to his ambitious renovation agenda.
Recent polling has found two-thirds of Americans are convinced their unpopular president simply has the wrong priorities. Trump could take steps to change their mind, but he apparently doesn’t want to.
Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
The Dictatorship
Hegseth blasts protesters at ceremony for D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force: ‘Ingrates’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday derided protesters at an event in Washington, D.C., tied to the America 250 celebrationscalling the demonstrators “ingrates” who are “blinded by ideology.”
The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force event in Meridian Hill Park was set to begin at 9 a.m. ET but did not start until roughly 30 minutes later, as members of the National Guard waited for Hegseth’s arrival amid a brutal heat wave. Protesters shouted during his brief address, in which he said he was to blame for the delay and praised the troops for their service.
“In fact, this background noise this morning is perfect,” Hegseth said about the protesters, with White House adviser Stephen Miller and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche standing behind him.
“It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them,” Hegseth said. “That there’s nothing ideological about this group, there’s nothing political about this exercise.”
Some protesters could be heard shouting “Shame!” and “Guard, go home!”
Pete Hegseth: “This background noise is perfect. It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them.” pic.twitter.com/aWt5ciuRG3
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)”https://x.com/atrupar/status/2072679604184109222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>July 2, 2026
National Guard troops have been deployed to assist with America 250 celebrations in the capital, though some Democratic governors have warned against their guard members being utilized for a larger federal joint task force to tackle what the Trump administration has called“rampant crime” in Washington.
Many Washington residents are not thrilled with the National Guard’s presence. The controversial America 250 festivities have also sparked criticism from Democrats who accuse President Donald Trump of putting himself at the center of the celebrations.
At the Thursday ceremony, Hegseth suggested the protesters were not from Washington.
“These ingrates will fade away; they’ll go back to wherever they came from,” he said, before asserting that National Guard troops have brought the crime rate down in the capital — a claim that at least one study has found to be inaccurate.
“The crime rate here has dropped in staggering amounts, and the media won’t want to admit it because, of course, they’d have to give credit to President Trump, and then they’d have to give credit to the Department of War or to Stephen Miller,” Hegseth said. “But courageous men like President Trump and Stephen, who said enough is enough, are the reason why this city is a safe and beautiful place.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
Stephanie Ruhle said she was left “almost speechless” after the release of Donald Trump’s new financial disclosureswhich reported he raked in more than $2 billion since returning to the White House. “Man, it looks good to be president,” the “Money, Power, Politics” host said Wednesday.
According to the 927-page document released Tuesday, Trump’s income has only increased since retaking the White House. The president reported almost $575 million in real estate and golf-related income and another $68.6 million in royalties and licensing fees.
But, as Ruhle pointed out, $1.4 billion of Trump’s 2025 total comes directly from one industry: crypto.
Despite having called that industry a “scam” and a “disaster waiting to happen” in 2021, Trump has in recent years appeared to have a change of heart about digital currency.
“That was just five years ago, but now he is a major crypto industry operator and essentially its top policy maker,” the MS NOW host said. “Remember, he is the one who appointed regulators that changed the rules to hugely benefit the crypto industry, and since he came back to office, he has either completely dropped or settled a whole lot of cases with crypto companies.”
As Trump rakes in more cash, Ruhle said the American people are not experiencing the same kind of prosperity, in part because of the administration’s policies. “[They] are suffering, whether it’s because of tariffs, whether it’s because of inflation, whether it’s because of increased costs, because of the war in Iran,” she said.
While Ruhle noted the president has said he does not choose his investments and has said they are in a “blind account,” she said the American people should not ignore how much Trump has profited since returning to the White House.
“Here’s what you need to know: All of this would be a major conflict of interest — a huge scandal — if it were any other presidency,” she argued.
You can watch Ruhle’s full breakdown in the clip below.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”
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