In today’s mid-afternoon report, Mitch breaks down two stories that expose the widening gap between what the Trump administration claims and what’s actually happening on the ground — and in its own intelligence reports.
First, Trump took to Truth Social to demand that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries be charged with inciting violence, posting a misleading juxtaposition of images to suggest a connection that doesn’t exist. Jeffries, for his part, responded with characteristic composure and sharp wit — pointing to rising gas prices, surging grocery bills, and the Knicks being up 2-0. Meanwhile, the DOJ’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over a seashell photo is treated here for what it is: a transparently political exercise that will go nowhere.
The meatier story is the CIA’s own assessment of the Iran situation — one that directly contradicts months of triumphalist rhetoric from Trump and Pete Hegseth. According to reporting from the Washington Post, Iran has retained approximately 75% of its pre-war munitions and mobile launchers, 70% of its missile stockpile, and has repaired most of its underground storage facilities. The CIA’s estimate is that Iran can sustain its current posture for three to four months — and that’s before accounting for land supply routes now open through Pakistan, as well as quiet negotiations by Japan and potentially others to move ships through the Strait of Hormuz directly with Tehran.
With gas already averaging $4.50 a gallon and 20% of the world’s oil flowing through a contested strait, the economic clock is ticking — and it may not be ticking in Washington’s favor.
