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A peek at the White House's Iran deal talking points

Plus: An update on Mitch McConnell. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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On Politics

Tue Jun 16 2026

 

Zachary Schermele Congressional Correspondent

@zachschermele

Hello readers and welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele  here, USA TODAY's congressional correspondent. It's Tuesday, and the mysterious Iran agreement is all the talk up here at the Capitol. Let's dive in.

What Congress does (and doesn't) know about the Iran plan

Last night, the White House sent Republican lawmakers a list of talking points about the emerging Iran agreement. But they didn't get much else.

As I was talking to GOP senators yesterday, it was clear many of them felt they'd been left in the dark. The Gang of Eight, the top members of Congress overseeing national security, still hadn't been briefed on the talks as of this morning.

"If it’s a secret deal, then how can I take it seriously?" Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, told reporters.

Back to those talking points: I obtained them. Here were the main five...

"Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."
"President Trump ended the fighting on every front, including Lebanon. No forever war."
"The Strait of Hormuz is open again, free of charge."
"Iran’s rewards come from its own unfrozen money, not from American taxpayers, and only after it performs."
"Obama never even got a signed document. President Trump did, from strength, after dismantling Iran’s program."

The bottom line, the White House told lawmakers to stress, was that "American families are safer and will feel relief at the pump. There is more work ahead to reach the final deal, but no President other than Trump could have brought us this far."

Usa Banks Debanking

The White House urged congressional Republicans on Monday to tout incoming relief at the gas pump and grocery store if the Iran deal goes through.

Alexander Drago, REUTERS

Both Republicans and Democrats weren't necessarily thrilled to be out of the loop – but then again, they've gotten used to it from this White House.

Enjoying On Politics? Subscribe here and stay ahead of the midterms with our daily politics newsletter.

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McConnell hospitalized but 'fully engaged'

Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was hospitalized over the weekend for unspecified reasons, is still "fully engaged with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters," according to spokesperson David Popp.

The Kentucky Republican and former longtime Senate leader "is very appreciative of the outstanding care he is receiving," Popp said in an update yesterday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, also told reporters yesterday he'd spoken to McConnell and was hopeful the 84-year-old could return to in-person work as soon as this week.

Primary elections today: Key races to watch in the South, West

My colleague Nicole Fallert has a helpful breakdown here of the races to watch today. They include:

Alabama: House, Senate runoffs
California: Special House election to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell
WashingtonDC: Mayoral primary
Georgia: House, Senate, governor runoffs
Oklahoma: House, Senate, governor primaries

Before you go...

💬We also want to hear from you! What questions do you have for our team as we get closer to November? Is there a race you’re watching closely? Let us know by  jumping in the comments on Reddit or responding to this newsletter. And you can find our answers here, including my explainer on each party's views on ICE funding.

Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent at USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

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USA TODAY
 

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