The Ceasefire Is Here. Iran Celebrated by Firing Missiles.
Plus: Iran's 10-point "peace plan" is unhinged, eight scientists are dead or missing and no one's connecting the dots, and Artemis II just broke an Apollo-era record.
Happy Wednesday!
Congratulations, we made it through another day without any civilization being totally annihilated. If we don’t laugh, we cry.
As for what's on the schedule today — the President is at the White House with no travel planned, meeting with the Secretary of Agriculture, sitting for an interview, and then hosting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at 3:30 — because managing a ceasefire that may or may not be holding wasn't enough for one week.
Karoline Leavitt briefs the press at 1:00, which should be fun. Meanwhile, VP Vance is in Budapest, wrapping up a two-day visit with Viktor Orbán — bilateral meetings, remarks on the U.S.-Hungary partnership, and a very visible show of support four days before Hungary's election. The man went from possibly heading to Pakistan for nuclear talks to rallying with Europe's most controversial conservative. Full plate all around.
Waking up this morning, trying to decode what is going on with this “ceasefire” has my head spinning and chugging my third cup of coffee.
In today’s Brief:
Iran accepted a two-week ceasefire — then launched missiles at Israel minutes later. Everyone’s telling a different story about what was agreed to.
Iran’s 10-point “peace plan” demands we accept their nuclear program, pay them war damages, and leave the region. Sure.
The Strait of Hormuz is “open” — if you pay Iran $2 million per ship in yuan or crypto. That’s not freedom of navigation, it’s a toll booth.
Eight U.S. scientists tied to NASA, the Air Force, and Los Alamos are dead or missing, and nobody’s connecting the cases
Artemis II broke the Apollo 13 distance record and named a crater after a commander’s late wife
Georgia chose MTG’s replacement — and the margin tells you something about where voters stand on the war
Let’s get into the news!
The Ceasefire Happened. Then Iran Kept Firing. So What Exactly Did We Agree To?
Here’s the problem with this story: every player involved is telling a different version of what happened, what was agreed to, and who won. So let’s walk through it.
Trump set an 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline. Two hours before it hit, he announced a “double-sided ceasefire” brokered by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — whose army chief was on the phone all night with Vance, Witkoff, and Iran’s Foreign Minister. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed acceptance. Talks begin in Islamabad on April 10. Markets rallied. The S&P 500 swung from a 1.2% loss to a slight gain.
And then — minutes after Trump posted on Truth Social — Iran launched another barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel. Sirens across Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar all activated air defenses. Meanwhile, Israel said it was continuing strikes inside Iran despite the announcement. So. That’s the “ceasefire.”
Now here’s where it gets interesting — and messy. Trump posted a statement from Iran’s Foreign Minister confirming acceptance and promising “safe passage” through the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran’s Supreme National Security Council released a very different statement — bombastic, defiant, claiming this “does not signify the termination of the war” and that “our hands remain upon the trigger.” And here’s the kicker: Iran is now claiming the U.S. accepted their 10-point plan as the basis for negotiations. Pakistan reportedly communicated this to Tehran.
Let’s talk about what’s in that 10-point plan, because it reads like a wishlist drafted by someone who thinks they won this war. Iran’s demands include: a U.S. commitment to no further aggression, continued Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of Iran’s nuclear enrichment rights, lifting of all U.S. primary and secondary sanctions, termination of all UN Security Council and IAEA resolutions targeting Iran, payment of war damages to Iran, withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, and cessation of hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon.
I’m sorry — we’re paying them damages? They want us to accept their nuclear program and leave? There is zero chance the U.S. agreed to this in principle. But the fact that Iran is selling that narrative to their people — and to the world — we’re negotiating with people who lie as a strategy.
Now, let’s talk about the Strait “opening.” Yes, the Strait of Hormuz will technically be open during the ceasefire. But Iran and Oman are charging a toll — an estimated $2 million per vessel, payable in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency, with passage coordinated by Iran’s armed forces. At that rate, Iran could pull in $600–800 million a month — during a ceasefire — while the world’s oil supply runs through their toll booth. So everyone else pays more for oil, Iran collects a fortune, and they get a two-week break to resupply. Not a bad deal — for them. (Reports indicate Oman has been named in the arrangement, though Oman’s posture on accepting its share of the revenue remains unclear.)
Who exactly is negotiating? Vance will lead the U.S. delegation in Islamabad. Iran’s delegation will be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. But here’s the question that keeps hanging over everything: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — who’d been reported unconscious and in a coma — suddenly gained consciousness and issued a written order for the ceasefire via runners passing handwritten notes. State TV read out his declaration. Reports also indicate China applied significant pressure, with Wang Yi personally making 26 phone calls to parties in the region. No surprise since China gets a significant amount of oil from the Strait. So the Supreme Leader rose from the dead — or at least from a coma — just in time. How convenient.
Now the part I want to keep in front of you. Before the ceasefire, the left and the podcast genius class — Tucker, Candace, Dave Smith, Greenwald, etc. — were screaming that Trump was an unhinged maniac about to destroy civilization. The moment he agreed to talk, the left pivoted to “he chickened out.” You cannot have it both ways. Anyone who was panicking last night needs to take a breath. The U.S. had already struck roughly 50 military targets on Kharg Island — bunkers, radar, ammunition storage — while deliberately sparing the oil loading docks. Kharg handles 90–96% of Iran’s crude exports. You don’t bomb what you might want to seize or use as a bargaining chip. That leverage is now formally on the table in Islamabad.
But am I confident this is over? No. I’m not sure we’re in a better negotiating position than we were before, because the Iranian regime are professional liars — and they’re already spinning this as a victory. Two weeks is a long time for a regime that fires missiles during a ceasefire.
“Our hands remain upon the trigger.” They told you who they are.
Eight Scientists. Three Agencies. No Arrests. No Answers. And No One’s Asking Why.
Eight researchers connected to the most sensitive programs in American defense and space are dead or missing. Fox News’ Will Cain spotlighted the cases, and it’s weird.
The short version: Monica Reza (NASA/JPL rocket scientist) — vanished hiking in California, no trace. Gen. William McCasland (Air Force Research Lab, professional connection to Reza) — missing since February. Melissa Casias and Anthony Chavez (both Los Alamos) — disappeared separately, both left behind phones, wallets, keys. Carl Grillmair (Caltech/NASA astrophysicist) — shot dead on his porch, suspect charged, no motive, they didn’t know each other. Frank Maiwald (NASA/JPL) — died July 2024, cause of death never disclosed, no autopsy.
Authorities have not connected these cases. The Bernalillo County Sheriff told Newsweek they’re “looking into” possible connections. Congressman Burlison has requested FBI involvement. Some will dismiss this as a conspiracy theory. But there is a pattern — NASA, Air Force Research, Los Alamos — and the question is why nobody with a badge seems to be asking.
Artemis II Is Coming Home — and Someone Watched a Solar Eclipse From the Moon
In a week of wall-to-wall dread, here’s something good. The Artemis II crew broke the Apollo 13 distance record, the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen are heading home after a lunar flyby that produced the first-ever “Earthset” photo and a 54-minute solar eclipse visible only from their position, never seen by a human before.
NASA released the photos on Tuesday, and they are stunning. The “Earthset” — Earth dipping behind the moon with Australia visible — was captured at 6:41 p.m. ET Monday. The lunar surface shots show ridged craters and long shadows along the boundary between day and night. Victor Glover said the sun’s corona created “a halo almost around the entire moon” and that “humans probably have not evolved to see what we’re seeing.” He’s not wrong.
The crew named two craters. Integrity, after their spacecraft. And Carroll, after Commander Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll Taylor Wiseman, who passed in 2020. Splashdown is Friday near San Diego. Trump called the crew “modern-day pioneers.” For one moment this week, the country felt something together that wasn’t fear.
Georgia Picked MTG’s Replacement — and the Margin Matters
Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller defeated Democrat Shawn Harris 56% to 43% to claim MTG’s old GA-14 seat. Fuller was always favored — this district went for Trump by 37 points in 2024. But Harris outraised Fuller nearly 5-to-1 ($6.5M to $1.3M), ran hard against the Iran war calling it “a war of choice,” and still lost by 13. Fuller’s message — “our country is safer” — held. A 37-point Trump district producing a 13-point margin in a special election isn’t a red alarm. But it’s a yellow light heading into midterms.
For Fun:
Quick Rundown
Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah released American journalist Shelly Kittleson after a week in captivity in Baghdad. She was kidnapped March 31, appeared in a video reading from a script praising her captors, and was released Tuesday. The militia said this “initiative will not be repeated in future.” Chilling phrasing.
Federal authorities warn pro-Iran hackers breached U.S. infrastructure. FBI, NSA, and CISA issued a joint warning Tuesday: hackers allied with Iran exploited vulnerabilities in industrial control systems. Ports and water plants flagged as potential targets.
Upper middle class is now the largest income group in America — 31% of U.S. households, up from ~10% in 1979, according to AEI. The middle class is shrinking upward, not downward. Good news that no one will report because it doesn’t fit the narrative.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom is making Gavin’s 2028 problem worse. Scolded reporters at a press conference, went on Instagram calling Bondi and Noem’s exits proof of a “war on women.” Gavin now polls behind Kamala in a 2028 primary. Miranda Devine: “Gavin’s first partner is a ‘New’sance.”
The Post Millennial@TPostMillennialCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer, slams the Trump "patriarchy" for ousting Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem: "I need to call out that it's no surprise to me that the first two prominent people pushed out of this administration were women."4:15 PM · Apr 4, 2026 · 5.15K Views45 Replies · 9 Reposts · 25 LikesNew Nancy Guthrie ransom notes sent to TMZ — sender claims to know where her body is, demands half a bitcoin. The second note says she was last seen in Sonora, Mexico. Savannah returned to the Today show the same day without mentioning her mother.
TMZ@TMZTMZ received yet another ransom note from a repeat sender this morning concerning the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, as viewers watched Savannah make her return to the "Today" show anchor desk.6:51 PM · Apr 6, 2026 · 5.29M Views540 Replies · 409 Reposts · 4.72K Likes
Let’s Talk About It
Be honest, do you trust this ceasefire? Iran fired missiles during the announcement and is already claiming we agreed to their terms. What’s your read?
On something lighter: what do you name a crater on the Moon? Wiseman named one after his late wife, and I’m not over it. Wrong answers welcome.
Drop your takes in the comments. I’ll see you Friday.
The Brief publishes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Forward to someone who needs to understand what’s actually happening.
I am so glad we sent Artemis. In this time of upheaval, seeing space and the work of God’s hands is so beautiful.
Jennifer Newsom talking about how she killed her older sister accidentally when she ran over her with a golf cart (she was 6 and sister was 8), and relating it to prisoners in jail for murder at San Quentin was one of her more insane moments.