WAR OF WORDS: The US and Iran are already arguing over the terms of ceasefire, which Iran says have been violated in the first day. Iran claims it’s part of the agreement that Israel will stop attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel says, “No, it’s not.”

  Vice President JD Vance told reporters, “No ceasefire ever goes without a little bit of choppiness.” 

  Donald Trump threatened on his social media that if the peace doesn’t hold “then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.” Always with the superlatives.

  Iran publicly released its 10-point framework for peace talks that appear to be in serious conflict with Trump’s goals. Trump writes instead about a 15-point proposal, and that many “have already been been agreed to.” (That’s his repeated use of “been.”)

  Iran wants the removal of all US troops in the Persian Gulf region, military control of the Strait of Hormuz, and the right to continue with nuclear enrichment.

  Their proposal also includes reparations for all war damages, a likely nonstarter.

  The first day of the ceasefire settled into a diplomatic and military fog. Iran kept firing missiles at Israel. The White house said shipping had begun to pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz yet other reports said it was still closed.

  At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was beating his chest telling reporters, “Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital ‘V’ military victory.”

  Hegseth also called on Iran to turn over its stockpile of 970 pounds of highly enriched uranium, threatening that if they don’t President Trump could still order special forces to go in there and take it.

  What remains to be seen is whether the US has forced real regime change, stopped Iran’s nuclear ambitions, or dismantled its ballistic missile program.

  And finally, Trump and Hegseth have yet to learn whether bombing can eradicate an ideology.

MURDER MOST FOUL: The Long Island architect who was accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer pleaded guilty yesterday to the murders of seven young women plus an eighth for whose murder he has yet to be charged.

  Rex Heuermann, 62, kept a conversational demeanor before the judge as he admitted hiring women as prostitutes killing them, wrapping their bodies in burlap, and leaving them along Ocean Parkway. The hearing took just 20 minutes.

  As part of his deal Heuermann agreed to speak with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to help them understand the minds of serial killers. (Watch the Netflix series “Mindhunter” on this subject.)

  The investigation began in 2010 with the discovery of four bodies in and around Gilgo Beach on the South Shore of Long Island. Police eventually found the remains of 16 people, including one woman who had been killed as far back as the 1990s.

  Heuermann is married with two adult children. His lawyer said his client had decided to spare his family and the families of victims the spectacle of an ugly trial. Heuermann is certain to be sent away for life in prison.

THE MOON AND BACK: The crew of the Orion spacecraft are sleeping this morning, 158,000 miles from Earth. Wakeup is at about 11:30 am EST.

INFINITE SCROLL:

— President Trump on his social media feed accused news outlets of inventing Iran’s 10-poiunt peace plan, writing, “The Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN each reported a totally FAKE TEN POINT PLAN on the Iran negotiations which was meant to discredit the people involved in the peace process. All ten points were a made up HOAX – EVIL LOSERS!!!”

— The Justice Department said that Pam Bondi will not appear as subpoenaed before the House Oversight Committee as part of its inquiry into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because she is no longer the attorney general. Bondi, who came to previous congressional hearings armed with fiery comebacks and insults, was always expected to dodge questions about her handling of files on Epstein.

— President Trump has procured the donation of tens of millions of dollars’ worth of steel for his ballroom project from ArcelorMittal, a European steel maker. 

THE SPIN RACK: Jasveen Sangha, 42, the so-called “Ketamine Queen” who sold the fatal doses to “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, was sentenced yesterday in California to 15 years in prison. Sangha is one of five people, including two doctors, who pleaded guilty in the case. — Anesthesiologist Gerhardt Konig in Hawaii was found guilty of attempted manslaughter for trying to push his wife off a cliff and bashing her head with a rock. Gerhardt called his son immediately after the attack and said he had “tried to kill” his wife, Arielle. —  The California Supreme Court ordered Riverside Couty Sheriff Chad Bianco to halt his investigation into the 2025 election in which he ordered the seizure of more than 650,000 ballots. — Ariana Bindman reports for SFGATE, the San Francisco news outlet, that, “The San Francisco tech world’s most boring shoe is finally dead.” Evidently the Allbirds wool sporty shoes are falling out of style with the customers Bindman derides as “optimistic startup employees gleefully lining up for brunch in the Mission and $13 truffle fries at industrial burger restaurants.” 

BELOW THE FOLD: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth yesterday in his press conference coined a new word in the Orwellian lexicon saying, “As the president ‘truthed’ this morning,” referring to a post Donald Trump put up on his Truth Social feed.

  Hegseth put “truthed” in the company of “tweeted” or even just plain “said,” stamping a claim of veracity on the contents of Trump’s pronouncements which are often not true at all, even if they were “truthed” on his “Truth Social” media feed.