THE STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ satellite image (Shutterstock).

The effort by the U.S. to guide stranded vehicles out of the Straight of Hormuz will be paused, said President Donald Trump on Tuesday, in an effort to strike a deal to end the Iran war.

According to the Associated Press, the president made his announcement in a social media post. However, the American blockade of Iranian ports will remain.

The change, stated Trump, came “on the request of Pakistan and other countries.” Further details were not forthcoming, but the AP reports that the negotiations with Iran have stalled.

In related news, the United Arab Emirates reported that it has been hit by attacks by drones and missiles fired by Iran.

Preceding the announcement by the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the key goal on the road to peace would be Iran agreeing to abandon its nuclear development program and to re-open the Straight of Hormuz, a vital path for the shipping of oil products.

$1 billion for White House security

Republicans in the U.S. Senate added $1 billion in security enhancements for the White House on Tuesday.

THE WHITE HOUSE (Wikipedia).

According to The New York Times, the additional funding was connected to a bill to pay for immigration enforcement. It doesn’t appear to have a relationship with President Donald Trump’s plans to replace the demolished East Wing of the White House with a lavish ballroom.

The president has said that he expects that the new ballroom would be paid for with private donations.

According to The Times, the entire project would total $70 billion and would boost the Custom Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies.

Smith College investigated by DOJ

Smith College, a small women’s college in Massachusetts, is being investigated because it admits transgender women.

According to United Press International, the Department of Education will have its Office of Civil Rights determine whether the college broke the law ”by allowing biological males into women’s intimate spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms and athletic teams.”

At issue is 1972 Title IX of the Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans sex discrimination at schools and colleges that receive federal funds.

Smith began admitting transgender women – those born as males who have been medically altered – in 2015 to “represent the diversity of women’s lived experiences.”

Weather: A bit warmer …

Spring will edge toward some summer-like days in our West Orange County cities for a while. We will have partly-cloudy conditions with a gentle climb in daytime temps. Wednesday is forecast for a daytime high of 73 with an overnight low of 57. Thursday rises a bit to 76 (59); Friday is about the same. Saturday is expected to warm to 79 (59).

Great Thoughts

“Heaven is a place where all the dogs you’ve loved come to greet you.”
– Oliver Gaspirtz

“The day of one’s birth is a good day for the believer, but the day of death is the greatest day that a Christian can ever experience in this world because that is the day he goes home, the day he walks across the threshold, the day he enters the Father’s house.”
― R.C. Sproul

“Other than the promise of life after death, nothing consoles the poor better than the fact that rich people are also subject to death.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana