The Week: Virginia’s Gerrymandering War

• Frankly, we’re not sure there are any very fine people at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

• President Donald Trump’s messages regarding the war against Iran flip back and forth between two settings. Sometimes we get bold declarations that the Iranians have made dramatic concessions. On April 17, Trump boasted that the Strait of Hormuz was “FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE.” The Iranians almost always immediately insist otherwise. Two days after his declaration, the president fumed, “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” If only someone had warned the president that the Iranian regime is not trustworthy. On April 21, Trump extended the cease-fire, but it appears to be unilateral, as the Iranians are still firing on cargo ships. When the president isn’t boasting of some unverified Iranian concession, he’s threatening to hit Iran even harder than it has been hit so far. He wrote on Truth Social: “I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation.” One would hope that mine-laying boats were already a target! There may not be hesitation in U.S. policy, but there isn’t much clarity, either.

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• Frankly, we’re not sure there are any very fine people at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

• President Donald Trump’s messages regarding the war against Iran flip back and forth between two settings. Sometimes we get bold declarations that the Iranians have made dramatic concessions. On April 17, Trump boasted that the Strait of Hormuz was “FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE.” The Iranians almost always immediately insist otherwise. Two days after his declaration, the president fumed, “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” If only someone had warned the president that the Iranian regime is not trustworthy. On April 21, Trump extended the cease-fire, but it appears to be unilateral, as the Iranians are still firing on cargo ships. When the president isn’t boasting of some unverified Iranian concession, he’s threatening to hit Iran even harder than it has been hit so far. He wrote on Truth Social: “I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation.” One would hope that mine-laying boats were already a target! There may not be hesitation in U.S. policy, but there isn’t much clarity, either.