Trump's "Interesting" Beliefs About Diet Sodas

Hi readers, happy Thursday! Today we’re covering developments in U.S.-Iran peace talks, Trump’s interesting ideas about diet soda, the first Israel-Lebanon negotiations in decades, two school shootings in Turkey, Jerome Powell under fire, a big day at the S&P500, and a wild wolf chase in Korea.

“We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.” ― Malcolm X

Drawing The Curtain On Iran…?

Diplomats from Pakistan are putting in work at the moment, shuttling messages back and forth between the U.S. and Iran as the two countries engage in indirect peace talks. It appears that all that effort is likely to pay off soon, as U.S. and Iranian diplomats seem poised to converge on Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad for another round of negotiations aimed at bringing the ongoing war to a close.

Yesterday, rumors swirled that the two combatants were looking to work out an extension to the current two-week ceasefire deal. The White House’s press secretary stated that the U.S. had not “formally” asked to extend the pause, but noted that it was “very much engaged in these negotiations.” She added that more negotiations are “very likely” to be held in Islamabad in the near future, and that Washington feels “good about the prospects of a deal.”

While diplomats on both sides seem to have their sights set on simply prolonging the two-week ceasefire, President Trump appears to think that the next round of Islamabad talks could bring an end to the war. “I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” he told an ABC News correspondent, saying that the U.S. could pull out of the Middle East entirely after inflicting more damage on Iran’s military, or it could also work out a deal with Tehran. “It could end either way, but I think a deal is preferable because then they can rebuild,” he said. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that China’s purchases of Iranian oil is likely to “pause” in the near future. The U.S. has threatened to sanction two of the country’s major banks if they continue to process Iranian money – “The Iranians should know that this is going to be the financial equivalent of what we saw in the kinetic activities,” he said, referring to the mass bombing campaign that the U.S. and Israel have carried out across Iran.

Trump’s Take On Diet Sodas

President Donald Trump apparently believes that diet sodas prevent cancer. The revelation was recently made public by Dr. Oz (the guy from TV who now heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) in an interview with Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s eldest son.

“Your dad argues that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass – if poured on grass – so, therefore, it must kill cancer cells inside the body,” Oz told Don Jr., adding, “You know, we were on Air Force One the other day, and I walk in there because he wants to talk about something, and he’s got an orange soft drink on his desk. He’s got a Fanta on the desk. And I say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So he starts to, like, sheepishly grin. He says, ‘You know, this stuff’s good for me – it kills cancer cells.’” Oz also noted that the president thinks that diet Fanta can’t be unhealthy for you because it contains “fresh squeezed” orange juice. The soda is made from orange juice concentrate.

Interestingly, scientific evidence suggests that there’s actually a link between consuming aspartame (which is used to sweeten diet sodas) and a higher risk of cancer. A study of over 100,000 people in France indicated that aspartame consumption was linked to a 15% higher risk of cancer, but the results (and others like it) don’t necessarily mean that consuming aspartame directly causes cancer. 

Negotiating For More Negotiations

• On Tuesday, diplomats from Israel and Lebanon met in Washington for their first face-to-face negotiations in decades. The two countries are looking to work out an end to their ongoing border conflict, which re-emerged soon after the U.S.-Israel-Iran war began. After the diplomats left the building, the State Department released a statement saying that they’d had “productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations” but didn’t come close to reaching a ceasefire. The department specified that “all sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.”

• Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., said that Lebanon’s government had committed to making sure that it will no longer be “occupied” by Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militia group that’s been locked in conflict with Israel for years at this point. Lebanon’s own representative – ambassador Nada Moawad – didn’t comment on Hezbollah at all, but said she’d pushed a ceasefire and for Israel to allow people living in southern Lebanon to return to their homes.

Two Tragedies In Turkey

• Turkey just experienced two school shootings in two days. Yesterday, a 14-year-old student shot and killed nine people, wounding 13 others, at a school in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province. Just the day before, another teenager opened fire at a school in nearby Sanliurfa province, wounding at least 16 people before killing himself. “This was solely a personal attack carried out by one of our ​students, it is not a terror incident,” said Turkey's Interior Minister.

• According to local education unions, violence at schools in Turkey has been on the rise for a while at this point; just last month, a student stabbed a teacher at a school in Istanbul, injuring two others. Teachers and educators are calling on the government to increase safety precautions at schools while also providing more resources for troubled students, with some even calling for a teachers’ strike.

Additional World News

• Oil prices may be starting to come down for a worrisome reason (NBC)

• What the Iran War Means for the “Axis of Resistance” (Foreign Affairs)

• Scoop: US suggests Cuba complicit in helping Russia fight Ukraine (Axios) 

• New EU rules spark hourslong airport delays (Semafor)

• Israeli triple-tap strike kills three paramedics in Lebanon, officials say (BBC)

• Catholicism Thrives in Africa, but Pope’s Cameroon Visit Highlights a Divide (NYT, $)  

Trump’s “You’re Fired” Finger Is Itchy

• Donald Trump’s extended campaign against Fed chair Jerome Powell continued yesterday, as the president threatened to fire Powell if he doesn’t step down in May. Why is he going after Powell again? It’s actually because of a spat with another Republican, who’s putting up a rare show of resistance against the president.

• Thom Tillis is a Republican senator with a key seat on the committee that oversees nominations for the Fed chair. Tillis has threatened to block Trump’s pick to replace Powell, Kevin Warsh, from being confirmed by the Senate unless the president drops a criminal investigation into Powell’s handling of the Federal Reserve building renovation.

• If Warsh isn’t confirmed by May 15 – the date Powell’s term is supposed to end – Powell has stated that he’ll remain in the post until his successor is officially confirmed by the Senate. When asked about that, Trump told Fox News, “Then I'll have to fire him. I've held back firing him. I've wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial.”

The Line Only Goes Up

• Despite the ongoing war and global fuel crunch, the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high yesterday, closing at $7,022.95. That number marks a 0.8% increase from its previous peak of $7,002.28 (which it hit on January 28), and caps off a massive rally over the past two weeks – the index sat at just $6,316.91 on March 30.

• “As far as the stock market is concerned, the war is over until further notice,” said one analyst. “It has also been another momentum-led rebound, similar to last year’s explosive rally that started on April 9, when President Donald Trump postponed his Liberation Day tariffs.”

• The S&P has recovered off the backs of the “Magnificent 7” tech companies (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla). Those tech giants alone saw growth of 18% over the two weeks since March 30, while the rest of the S&P grew just 8% over that same period. 

Additional USA News

• As Arrests at Anti-ICE Protests Piled Up, Prosecutions Crumbled (ProPublica)

• Trump administration moves to erase Jan. 6 riot convictions for seditious conspiracy (NPR)

• Republicans worry White House ‘nonsense’ is hurting midterm prospects (Politico) 

• Jury Finds Live Nation Acts as a Monopoly in a Victory for States (NYT, $)

• Gavin Newsom faces growing pressure to intervene in a scrambled California governor’s race (CNN)

• Democrats file articles of impeachment against Hegseth for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ (Guardian) 

The Trendiest Thing In Korea Is A Wolf

• The entire country of South Korea has been captivated by a manhunt – err, wolfhunt – since last week. Last Wednesday, a two-year-old wolf named Neukgu somehow managed to dig himself out of his enclosure at Daejeon O-World, a zoo and theme park located in the city of Daejeon. His breakout grabbed headlines nationwide, and over 300 firefighters, police officers, and military troops have been deployed to track him down.

• The day after he made his great escape, Neukgu appeared on thermal imaging cameras near O-World, but officials lost track of him thanks to an untimely battery change. On Monday, cameras picked him up again on a mountain 2 kilometers away from O-World – authorities rushed over to the site, but couldn’t find him there, either. 

• Eight years ago, a puma escaped from the same zoo as Neukgu. Officials were eventually able to track it down, but were forced to shoot it to protect human lives. The president of Korea apparently hopes that this time, things will go better: “I hope no human casualties occur and I pray that Neukgu also returns home safely,” wrote President Lee Jae Myung in a tweet. Others, though, hope that Neukgu remains free – a group of people who quickly made a meme coin based on the wolf say that he’s a “symbol of independence” and a “wolf that wouldn't stay caged,” which seems to have struck a chord with some people.

Additional Reads

• How YouTuber Jon Prosser broke Liquid Glass — and what happened in the fallout. (Verge)

• The cure for body dissatisfaction that doesn’t involve the body (Psyche) 

• Quit a GLP-1? Plan to start again? It's not recommended, but plenty of people do it (NPR) 

• ChatGPT’s latest stylistic quirk is sinister, infuriating – and absolutely everywhere (Guardian) 

• Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures (NYT, $) 

• Google, Microsoft, Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out, According to an Independent Audit (404 Media)

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