“The open tensions are an almost complete reversal from a year ago when Senate Republicans worked closely with Trump on a complicated effort to push through his massive package of spending and tax cuts.”

— James Carville, on NewsNation.

“The U.S., on the other hand, only secured the reopening of a waterway — the Strait of Hormuz — that was operating normally before the war, and got concessions on Iran’s nuclear program that Tehran has made before.”

Los Angeles Times: Long list of U.S. concessions to Iran raises specter of a “lost war.”

“The strikes on Moscow left part of the city’s biggest oil refinery in flames. An immense blast sent the top of a fuel storage vessel soaring into the air — and blew the roof off the idea that Russia could continue to shield Muscovites from the war.”

Bloomberg: Ukraine’s biggest strike on Moscow brings fears of fuel shortage.

Semafor: US warns Israel against disrupting deal with Iran.

Said Obama: “We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off.”

New York Times: The costs of the Iran war: thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Think you were paying attention this week? Put your political knowledge to the test with our Weekly News Quiz.

From the biggest headlines to the details that slipped past everyone else, it’s a quick way to see how closely you followed the week’s events.

“In essence, Hegseth was telling the Europeans things they already know.”

“The list included their hike in defense spending, investment in industry to boost the production of military equipment, best use of lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, and the need to buy or develop drones, air defense systems and long-range weapons.”

CNBC: Hegseth warns NATO allies that some nations will ‘fail’ U.S. defense review.

“Almost every end of empire has been accompanied by a particular kind of wishful thinking — call it self-deception, call it willful misdirection — to process the new reality.”

The Guardian: A president’s wishful thinking gives way to uncomfortable realities.

“A slew of White House hopefuls are already auditioning to again lead the party out of the wild, with several parallels to the post-Bush era that produced a Democratic breakout star.”

“Just as Obama followed two dry establishment nominees — Al Gore and John Kerry — Democrats are now again looking for something bolder after Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris came across as creatures of the status quo.”

Said Trump: “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her.”

He added: “She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for ‌her.”

CNN: Italian foreign minister cancels trip to US over Trump’s comments about Meloni.

“The report, produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, concludes that voting ‌machines could be further safeguarded by, for example, updating their software, the sources said. It does not say the vulnerabilities have led to votes flipping, but examines security gaps in how the machines are used during U.S. elections.”

“Vessels that cross the Strait of Hormuz will need a mandatory insurance policy that is currently free but could have a cost in the future, the country’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a document on its website.”

“Even as Mr. Trump tries to wind down the conflict, he and his administration are pressing Republicans to steer around Democratic opposition and push through $350 billion in military spending using a special budget bill that could not be filibustered. That would cover only a fraction of the $1.5 trillion military budget he has requested for next year.”

“But some Republicans have taken exception to the idea, openly saying that they do not think their party will be able to muster the near-unanimous support that would be needed to muscle through the measure.”

Politico: Senate Republicans in no hurry to deliver Trump’s next reconciliation bill.

“Nearly 200 drones were reportedly used in the attack, marking Ukraine’s biggest-ever air raid on Russia’s capital.”

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has become an almost too-perfect metaphor for Donald Trump’s presidency.

He promised a quick, cheap fix.