Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Stay tuned: “After a week of strikes between Iran and U.S. forces, President Donald Trump said the two countries are finalizing an agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He said that a possible deal could be signed ‘maybe over the weekend in Europe.’”
* In related news: “On a background call with reporters, a senior administration official placed their confidence about a deal being reached at ‘80%, 85%’ and added that leaders ‘expect to be signing this agreement over the next few days.’”
* This ruling extends a related court order from two weeks ago: “A federal judge in Virginia on Friday extended her block on the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion compensation fund for individuals who believe they were victims of an alleged ‘weaponized’ federal government.”
* At the Kennedy Center: “A federal judge on Friday struck down a last-ditch attempt by the Kennedy Center’s board to keep President Donald Trump’s name on the building.”
* The White House was no doubt far more satisfied with these proceedings: “A federal judge refused to halt the UFC Freedom 250 cage fights set for this weekend at the White House, despite a lawsuit that called the event a ‘volcano of corruption’ that will mark ‘the first private, for-profit sporting event ever held on White House grounds.’”
* The administration continues to find new ways to make Vladimir Putin happy: “The United States plans to significantly reduce the aircraft and warships that it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, according to two senior European officials, accelerating America’s effort to scale down the protection it has offered to European allies for eight decades.”
* Remember when Trump pretended to express sympathy for Iranian dissidents and activists? “The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States, according to lawyers and a government official. The flight, which is also expected to include migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, would mark the first such deportation to the Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country that has been plagued by conflict.”