Beltway Insider: US, Iran Allege Peace Deal Again, Minnesota Gunman, A Nation Divided, ICE/World Cup

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Saturday, 13 June 2026 16:32

Written by Janet Walker

Multiple major media outlets have circled around an expected peace deal between the United States and Iran, with the probability of signage within 48 hours, even as the White House has issued similar statements in recent weeks.

The President's job approval rating, according to The New York Times for the period ending June 13, 2026, of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President remained consistent at 38% and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president has decreased by 1% to 58%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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US Iranian Peace Deal

President Trump, who has walked back, almost daily, each peace deal statement issued over the last, has once again announced through unattributed senior White House officials, that a peace deal with Iran was nearing completion.

The main mediator in the Iranian peace talks, Pakistan, has also indicated this round of talks appear to be the closest both sides have been to agreeing to terms.

"United States President Donald Trump says a deal with Iran will be signed on Sunday, and the Strait of Hormuz will be "open to all" immediately after the signing. Trump's comments appear to contradict Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, who earlier said the document will not be signed on Sunday but could be in the "coming days,"' reported AlJazeera.com.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated the probability of the peace deal being signed on Sunday are low, although both parties have agreed an initial electronic signature will initiate the process, with the remainder of the negotiations occurring after the fact.

As recently as Wednesday, The United States and Iranian have exchanged gunfire, with Iran firing drones upon ships attempting to maneuver the Hormuz Strait, each time the U.S. shot down the drones, with casualty or injury.

With President Trump's behavior unpredictable, securing a signed peace deal may be a wise decision for Iran and the people of Iran who have felt the impact of Trump's alliance with Israel and engagement with Iran.

Over the past week which vacillated between the president issuing an all-out annihilation ultimatum, and swinging back to now a peace deal, what appears as instability in decisive action is apparently a negotiation tactic meant to disarm the enemy who has no certainty has to which way the pendulum will swing tomorrow.

Stateside, the Iran war has become a millstone around the president's administration, and the recent elections have proven he is unable to wield the power he once had in key races, as the American people often vote based on kitchen table economics. With gasoline prices continuing to rise, and the cost of consumer products skyrocketing, the war in Iran will cost Trump more in November, unless he ends it now, than he initially expected.

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Today Peace, Tomorrow is Uncertain

President Trump's previous statements on the war in Iran, and more the alliance with Israel, which could translate into peace with Iran today, and war with Lebanon tomorrow stated recently. "Vietnam lasted 19 years. Korea lasted eight years. Afghanistan lasted many years," Trump said when asked about the time frame for ending the war," The Washington Post reported.

The United States' alliance with Israel who remains dedicated to a complete dismantling and destruction of Hezbollah and Hamas, and who is now daily exchanging airstrikes with Lebanon, may in fact be next on the president's list for engagement.

This White House enjoys the optics of war, and aligning themselves with the goals of Israel, allows the president to remain an active participant in the war in the Middle East.

Israel Remains Dedicated to the Security of its Nation Through War

The dismantling of Hezbollah and Hams is critical to the region's stability, as the recent destruction of Gaza has slowly waned with Israel's efforts focused on surrounding nations, the overkill in Gaza did little to squash Hamas and Hezbollah's determination to find new and more diabolical methods to destroy Israel.

As a ground war in Iran seems to be no longer a consideration, sending troops to Beirut or to bases in the nations of other regional partners is still too high a risk for American soldiers.  On October 23, 1983, two devastating truck bombs struck buildings housing U.S. and French military personnel in Beirut, Lebanon. Carried out by Hezbollah and backed by Iran, the attack killed 307 people, including 241 U.S. service members, 58 French paratroopers, six civilians, and the two suicide bombers.

Signing a peace deal with Iran is beneficial to secure the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the dismantling of its nuclear capabilities. However, even with an undisclosed financial reparations included in the deal, turning the alliance of Iran will never be part of the deal. Iran's loyalty remains the destruction of Israel. Throwing money at the problem will only increase its opportunity to be more resourceful in funding regional terrorism.

Even so, "Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told state media that he was "hopeful" about the prospects of a deal and that Iran's National Security Council was expected to arrive at a final decision by consensus within a few days. Some of the terms he described, however, differed from those put forward by U.S. officials — including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping chokepoint that has emerged as a key piece of Iranian economic leverage in more than three months of conflict," The Washington Post reported.

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Minnesota State Representative's Killer Sentenced

The man accused of murdering Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted murder of State Senator John A. Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, in June of 2025 agreed to a plea deal, after the prosecutor removed the death penalty from consideration.

"Vance Boelter, 58, of Green Isle, Minnesota, told a federal judge he fatally shot state Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark, during an early-morning rampage last June in which he disguised himself as a police officer and sought to target other lawmakers. Boelter also admitted to shooting state Sen. John A. Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, during the attacks. They survived, but suffered critical injuries, and watched Thursday's hearing from the courtroom gallery," The Washington Post reported.

Boelter, who arrived at the Hortman home in a modified police vehicle, was also dressed in a silicone bullet proof vest, and when Mark Hortman answered the door and demanded to see a badge or other identification, he opened fire on him at point blank range, and subsequently fired repeated rounds in Melissa Hortman also.

He proceeded to the Hoffman home, and attempted the same ruse, but police had been notified of shots fired and arrived on the scene. Boelter was forced to flee on foot, leaving his vehicle with a manifesto and list of potential targets.

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A Nation Divided

The killing of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, her husband, the wounding of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, are clear evidence of a nation divided. Over the course, of one year, Americans have witnessed an increase in violent politically motivated crime, from the assassination of Charlie Kirk to the attempted mass casualty murders at the White House correspondents dinner.

As America approaches it 250th anniversary of this great experiment in democracy, remembering the words of President Abraham Lincoln, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," and while this statement was to a young nation refusing to modernize and allow every man freedom, desperate to remain half-slave-half free, today, Americans face a similar challenge as party affiliation have driven a wedge so deeply within the fabric of our nation that the edges are now raveling and blurring the limits of the Constitutional freedom so that what was once absolute are now greyed with time.

Even as the words of the Statue of Liberty continue to echo through time, 'Give me Your tired your poor, your huddles masses yearning to be free," America is a nation that has limits on immigration, and while those words were directed at the great wave of European immigration. Americans, of every color and nationality, and those from foreign shores who have adopted this nation as their home, should seek to only preserve its vitality and the freedoms that have made American a great nation.

Those who have stretched the boundaries of the law to atone for their own mangling of the Constitutional freedoms should be held accountable and those who have entered this nation illegally should be sent home.

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Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from each new variants.

For the 14 days ending June 13, 2026, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 6,745 to 779,227, 800. The total worldwide death toll did not increase over the past seven days increased by 128 to 7,115,214 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated May24, 2026, from the World Health Organization).

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Trump Vows No ICE Raids of FIFA Games

The Trump Administration has vowed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency will not perform any surprise raids during the World Cup games, hoping to reassure those whose status as U.S. residents may be in question.

However, the Trump Administration has not proven itself to be trustworthy, and "the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdowns over the past year — including in some of the 11 U.S. host cities — have left people on edge anyway. Concerns intensified this week after reports of increased scrutiny for fans and participants at U.S. entry points, including a Somali soccer referee who was denied permission to enter," The New York Times reported.

Eleven regions throughout the United States, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle, will serve as host cities, and many of these cities are home to a substantial number of undocumented immigrants, many of whom may be able to secure tickets at the games.

The hard tactics of the Trump Administrations crackdown on immigration raids over the last six months, have remained in the forefront of the public especially the murders of Renee Goode, 37,who was shot four times, and Alex Pretti, 37, who sustained multiple gunshots, both of whom were murdered in the streets of Minneapolis in January.

Canada and the United States are co-host nations for the World Cup soccer games.

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.