Beltway Insider: Trump/Iran War, Journalist Released, Artemis II, Consumer Prices, Gilgo Beach Killer

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 11 April 2026 16:39

Written by Janet Walker

President Trump has sent Vice-President Vance to Islamabad to negotiate a fifteen point peace plan, along with his son in law Jared Kushner and Stephen Wycoff, both of whom were instrumental in securing the Israeli-Palestine cease fire.

The President's job approval rating, according to the CNN poll featured in The New York Times for the period ending April 11, 2026, of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President decreased by four percentage points to 31% and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president increased by one percentage point to 65%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

Beltway Insider: Trump/Addresses Nation, Iran War, MIA Aviator, Bondi Out, Gas Prices, Olympics Ruling

Two Week Cease Fire Holds, Barely

President Trump took action in the Middle East and even knowing the response would be to block the Strait of Hormuz, he acted with regard for the citizen.

President Trump has sent his Vice-President JD Vance, along with Special Envoy to the Middle East Stephen Wycoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to negotiate a continued cease-fire, and more importantly secure a guarantee that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and shipping traffic could travel without the threat of violence, through the critical waterway.

The Iranians, who agreed to the cease fire, after the President posted to Truth Social, his personal micro messaging platform his intent to annihilate the entire civilization, presented the envoy with a ten point peace plan, that included many of the 15 points, except part of Iran's demand include the continuation of their nuclear program, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and withdrawal of all U.S. forces in the region.

While it is possible the Iranian's may secure control of the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will never allow Iran to continue the development of its nuclear program, nor will the U.S. agree to the withdrawal of all military forces from the region.

The list of the ten points, which can be seen here, come from a starting place and can only be seriously considered as a starting position. While a tenuous cease-fire could hold for some time, an iron clad agreement will only be reached after serious, long term, negotiations. The U.S. has offered reparation for nuclear concessions, and the two sides have yet to agree on other issues.

Delusional of Omnipotence

Pope Leo XIV explained in his message the "delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive," he said. "Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death," Politico reported.

As the President and members of his cabinet continue to issue intensified threats of destruction, they each invoke Christian beliefs as the foundation for their warfare. Bullying a nation into submission does not equate to negotiating in good faith to a secure and honored end, it simply equates to an agreed upon end.

While many agree some military action was needed in Iran, especially after the widespread human rights abuses, the treatment of women, the morality police, and the slaughter of citizens in the street, in addition to the enhancements of its nuclear program, the prolonged war initiated by Israel, has made the West, and by association the American citizen war weary.

As Israel continues to dismantle Hamas, and Hezbollah, the United States involvement should simply be one of assistance and support and not the leader in an all-out attack on Israel enemy. The United States should provide limited strikes, intelligence, training, and logistics support and should honor the rules of engagement.

The failure by the United States to honor the rules of engagement can result in a war crime tribunal, and with the democrats already circling around the 25th Amendment, even if it is only symbolic, the larger world court at The Hauge may determine charges could be brought against members of the President's cabinet or even the president. 

"House Democratic leadership issued a joint statement describing Trump as "completely unhinged" and pressed Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene the House, which is not scheduled to return until April 14. "The House must come back into session immediately and vote to end this reckless war of choice in the Middle East before Donald Trump plunges our country into World War III," the leaders said, adding that Republicans had for years "enabled and excused" the President's "deeply dangerous and extreme behavior," Time Magazine reported.

World News: NATO Loses Influence Over US-Iran War

Shelly Kittleson release in Prisoner Swap

American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad, Iraq and her whereabouts had been unknown. Earlier this week, Iraqi authorities secured her release in a prisoner swap with the Iranian government.

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Kittleson's release late Tuesday and thanked the Iraqi government for its cooperation. "This resolution reflects the Trump Administration's steadfast commitment to the safety and security of American citizens, no matter where they are in the world," Rubio wrote in a statement posted to X." The Washington Post reported.

Artemis II Returns to Earth

NASA's Artimus II Orion spacecraft returned to earth this week, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, on Friday, after an historic mission that took the spacecraft to the dark side of the moon, further than any astronauts have traveled.

The images released by NASA present never before seen details of the moon's surface and images of space. Throughout the mission the team captured awe-inspiring pictures of man's first moon landing on July 20, 1969, as the lunar lander, footprints and the American flag were visible from the spacecraft's window.

"Artemis II was the first crewed mission to utilize NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew module — demonstrating that the agency's equipment can propel people out of Earth's orbit and bring them safely home," The Washington Post reported.

The historic crew included Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, along with the support ground team at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston and personnel at Kennedy Space Center provided overall mission support, with specialized engineers on-site in San Diego for the recovery.

World News: From Saigon to Tehran

Inflation Rises as Gasoline Prices Continue to Rise

Weekly increases in gasoline prices over the last month, brought on by President Trump's intentional attack on Iran, has also fueled consumer inflation over the past month.

"While gas prices — now $4.16 per gallon — have been the most visible impact of the conflict, energy prices are also sending jet fuel prices skyrocketing, leading airlines to find ways to make up those costs. Plus, the agricultural sector is under pressure from higher transportation fees and fertilizer prices," reported The Washington Post.

The average consumer has already begun to feel the squeeze as the cost per gallon has jumped, rising $1.00 on average, and higher in larger metropolitan areas. The recent report by the Labor Department indicated that consumer prices rose 3.3% in March.

Consumer pricing is much more than simply gasoline prices, it covers the entire range of consumer goods, which are primarily delivered to local stores via some form of transportation, either shipping, which is then distributed through trucks, trains, or air, all of which depend on fuel to reach local destinations, meaning the increase in cost will be passed on to the consumer, who are now forced with stretching home budgets, as paychecks will not be increasing, to cover the higher costs of consumer products.

Moreover, the rising cost of consumer products will continue to effect the cost of produce, as the cycle of transportation effects every area of the consumers life and add to that any of the Trump tariff's, and that can result in dramatic nutritional changes, less fresh fruit and vegetables, for a family of four.

"Roughly two-thirds of Americans say Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions in the US, up 10 points since January. Just 27% say they approve of Trump's handling of inflation, down from 44% one year ago," CNN reported.

World News: Iranian War Highlights Defense Department Weaknesses

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 7 days ending April 11, 2026, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 3,500 to 779,177,817. The total worldwide death toll increased by 480 to 7,113,407 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated March 15, 2026, from the World Health Organization).

Medical Science: Understanding the Psychology and Neurology of Abusive Behavior

Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Sentenced

Rex Heuermann, 62, a former successful Manhattan architect, appeared in court this week and and agreed to switch his plea to guilty in the murder of eight women he solicited for sex and then murdered, dismembering the bodies and scattering the remains on the marshy shores of Long island.

"Raymond A. Tierney, the Suffolk County district attorney, said at a news conference that the plea agreement called for Mr. Heuermann to be interviewed by the F.B.I.'s Behavioral Analysis Units about "his motivation, his background," The New York Times reported.

Rex Heuermann, who was considered the father next door, was arrested in 2023, outside his office on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, after DNA secured through a discarded pizza crust and an empty water bottle matched those of the victims, subsequent evidence secured through warrant of the serial killer's home, found burlap fibers matching those found on the victims.

During the search of his Massapequa Park, NY, home, authorities also found a journal which detailed explicitly his methods for killing and dismembering the women. Rex Heuermann followed his methodology for murder with precision, dissecting his victims, removing any identifiable markers, and placing the remains in several burlap bags, scattering the parts across multiple locations. In one case the skull of victim Karen Vergata, 34, was not found for 15 years after the initial discovery of some of her remains in 1996.

Medical Science: Unveiling the Mysteries of the Human Mind

The women Heuermann has admitted to killing are Sandra Costilla, 28, Valerie Mack, 24, Jessica Taylor, 20, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Maureen Brainard‑Barnes, 25, Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Lynn Costello, 27, and Karen Vergata, 34. The possibility remains that he may have killed others.

Heuermann's arrest, more than three decades after the first body was found, had less to do with a diabolical criminal mastermind, and more with internal issues within the Suffolk County Police Department, and former Commissioner James Burke, who repeatedly denied the FBI's request to join the investigation. Burke was later indicated for civil rights violations, and conspiracy.

Gilgo Beach, a marshy sandy strip of Long Island's Suffolk County coastline, situation on either side by water, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Great South Bay, which continually reshape the topography through beach erosion and high intense storm surge, making it the perfect dumping ground due to the high possibility that the natural course of nature, high winds, beach erosion, and frequent storm surge could wash the remains out to sea.

The murders of high risk victims are often left unsolved as the victim is considered culpable in their own demise, and the prosecution of a Manhattan professional is a surprise, as Manhattan professionals are considered covered by the unwritten but oft used special privileges law, which precludes the prosecution for any crime of a sexual nature, including rape, sexual assault, or pedophile crimes, against any Manhattan professional.

While it is possible that Heuermann killed his victims so to ensure he would not be caught, which may be the case, it is clear he found a pre-mortem sadistic pseudo-deity complex pleasure as the ultimate holder of life, and post mortem, as the one who erased them from existence, removing tattoos, and scattering the remains in multiple locations.

"The goal of the F.B.I. interviews will be to learn directly from Mr. Heuermann as much as possible about what drove him to kill and to kill in the way he did, Mr. McCrary said. Information from one serial killer, he added, could be critical in catching another. And there will be another one," he said. "I can almost guarantee you that,'" The New York Times reported.

Crime: The History of DNA and Its Introduction in Crime Solving

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.