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After a marathon negotiation session, a deal to end the war in Iran could not be reached over the weekend. Vice President JD Vance spent 21 hours on the ground in Pakistan, which included a 16-hour, closed-door meeting with representatives from Iran.

The New York Times’ Tyler Pager wrote, “(Vance) did not address whether the two-week cease-fire with Iran would hold or what would happen to the Strait of Hormuz or if President Trump would now follow through with his threat to wipe Iranian civilization off the map. It was a remarkable conclusion to a high-stakes diplomatic trip for Mr. Vance, who made his opposition known to a full-scale war in Iran. America’s allies and adversaries alike were pinning their hopes on Mr. Vance to find a way out of a conflict that has upended the global economy, frayed alliances and expanded to the wider region.”

So much remains unknown, but here is something that is known: The war is increasingly more unpopular among Americans, according to a new poll from CBS News.

In a poll published Sunday, respondents in large numbers said they felt worried (68%), stressed (57%) and angry (54%) about the war, as compared to safe (32%), confident (32%) and proud (29%) about the war. Overall, 64% disapprove of the war.

The poll also showed the U.S. has failed to meet any of the objectives they set to accomplish in the war and that 62% believe President Donald Trump has no clear plan for ending the war, compared to the 38% who think he does have a plan.

Only 41% believe the war is going very or somewhat well compared to 59% who think the war is going very or somewhat badly.

The poll came up during a “Face the Nation” interview with Ohio Republican Congressman Mike Turner, who has been supportive of the president on Iran.

Moderator Margaret Brennan said to Turner, “Our polling shows the American people aren’t persuaded in the same way you are.”

Brennan then went through a series of things Trump has flip-flopped on since the war began. But Turner just repeated, “A conflict is going to be fluid.”

To which Brennan said, “Yesterday, he said that CENTCOM announced they’re sending two ships to set the conditions for clearing mines. This morning, he said the Navy is going to start blockading the strait and interdict ships. Is that the final answer? I mean, can you see here why the public doesn’t think the president has a clear strategy?”

At times, Brennan raised her voice — not angrily but incredulously —  and seemed genuinely astonished by Turner trying to defend Trump’s handling of this war.

Then came this exchange, in which Brennan pointed out just how absurd things can be.

Brennan asked, “Did they mine the Strait of Hormuz? Because in that tweet today, the president also said they might not have.”

Turner said, “No, I think you’ll have to ask the president. It’s his tweet.”

To which Brennan made the obvious follow-up by saying, “But that’s the point that Congress has not been briefed on that. As a member, Oversight and Armed Services, do you feel like this has actually been adequately explained to you? Because the American public does not.”

Turner said, “The president just tweeted this this morning, so you’ll have to ask the president.”

Brennan then said, “We would love to ask the president or the secretary of state or the secretary of defense, but members of Congress from his party are the only ones sitting here today, and we do appreciate you answering questions on it.”

That’s how you handle a Sunday morning interview.

Notable coverage of the war in Iran

• The New York Times editorial board wrote a strongly worded opposition to Trump’s war in “Four Ways Trump’s War Is Weakening America.” After laying out Trump’s recklessness and lack of foresight, the board wrote, “The best hope now may sound naïve, but it remains true. Mr. Trump should at long last recognize the ineptitude of his impulsive, go-it-alone approach. He should involve Congress and seek help from America’s allies to minimize the damage from his war.”
• The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood with “Iran Could Speedrun the Vietnamese Path.”
• Politico with a roundtable of its writers: “The War With Iran Offers a Snapshot of Trump World. It’s Not a Pretty Picture.”

Yep

President Donald Trump called into Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” and renewed gripes about former President Joe Biden. He then told host Maria Bartiromo, “Look, the election was rigged. You know that? I know that. Everybody knows that now.”

Bartiromo not only didn’t stop the president, but she appeared to mouth “Yep.”

Trump then added, “And it’s all come out, and it’s coming out.”

As Mediaite’s Joe DePaolo noted Sunday, “Bartiromo has previously come under fire for pushing debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Her on-air commentary was cited heavily in Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which the network settled for $787 million.”

Trump was just rambling and didn’t offer any specifics — probably because his claims are unproven.

“But nonetheless,’ DePaolo wrote, “he put Bartiromo in an awkward spot by making the broad, debunked claim that the election was rigged against him. And Bartiromo’s reply was brief, but affirmative.”

Oh, Trump did talk to Bartiromo about gas prices, indicating they probably won’t be down by the time of the midterm elections in November. Trump said, “It could be the same or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same.”

Controversy at The Athletic

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, shown here coaching in the Super Bowl in February. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The sports media world is abuzz with a controversy involving a high-profile reporter for The Athletic and an NFL coach whom she regularly covers.

Last week, The New York Post’s Page Six column posted photos of Dianna Russini, an NFL reporter for The Athletic, and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. They were spotted at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona. The photos, Page Six said, were from late March. Both attended the NFL owners meetings in nearby Phoenix around that time.

In the photos obtained by Page Six, Russini and Vrabel are seen interlocking hands and hugging at the resort. Another photo shows them sitting next to one another in a hot tub.

Page Six wrote, “Both Russini and Vrabel insist they were there with friends and say they simply weren’t visible in the pictures. A source close to Russini says she was staying at the hotel during a hiking trip with two female pals. One of Vrabel’s friends told Page Six that they and the coach drove up to Sedona for the day with another pal and that they all drove back to their own hotel, some two hours away, after hanging out with Russini and her gang.”

“But,” Page Six continued, “three other eyewitnesses told us that they did not see anyone else with Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43.”

Vrabel said in a statement, “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

Russini, who joined The Athletic in a highly publicized move in 2023 after eight years at ESPN, said in a statement, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”

Then came this:

Almost immediately after the story became public, The Athletic’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, put out a strong — and what appears to be an unnecessarily premature — statement saying, “These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL, and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”

What now makes Ginsberg’s statement questionable is that Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel broke the news that The Athletic is now looking into the matter. While they do, Russini will not be reporting for The Athletic.

Status’ Natalie Korach wrote, “The timeline has raised uncomfortable questions for leadership at The Athletic, starting with a basic one: if the matter was serious enough to warrant an immediate internal review — and sideline a top reporter — why did Ginsberg rush out such an aggressive public defense before all the facts had been fully established?”

Both Russini and Vrabel are married to other people. That’s personal stuff. But this ordeal has raised questions about the relationships between sports journalists and those that they cover. It’s not uncommon for sports journalists to have a coffee or a beer or even dinner with coaches and athletes on occasion. In fact, it’s not unusual for any kind of journalist to meet with sources in social-type situations.

This incident, however, because of the setting and interactions, looked different, which is why questions are being raised and, possibly, why The Athletic is looking into the matter.

Some have argued that, if the interactions between Russini and Vrabel are innocent, then Russini is being held to a double standard — that male reporters could hang out with coaches and athletes in social settings and no one would think anything of it.

However, as The New York Times’ Katie Robertson reported, “The Athletic’s editorial guidelines require that their journalists avoid any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, so as not to call into question their credibility.”

The Athletic is owned by The New York Times. Robertson also reported that The Athletic is looking into not only Russini’s relationship with Vrabel, but her past coverage of him.

The photos alone cannot positively establish that Russini broke The Athletic’s guidelines. Although let’s be honest, they look bad — particularly the ones of them hanging out in a hot tub.

Awful Announcing’s Sean Keeley wrote, “The optics were not good. A reporter for a New York Times-owned outlet seen getting overly comfortable with the head coach of an NFL team, a prime subject of their reporting, would send up alarm bells in any newspaper room. That Vrabel and Russini are both married to other people adds a potential other layer.”

Interestingly, the Patriots are scheduled to have a press conference today ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft. Last year, Vrabel answered questions at the press conference. But, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that Vrabel will not be at today’s press conference and won’t address the media until the draft later this month.

Media tidbits

• CNN’s Steve Contorno with a good story on the fractured relationships inside the MAGA media world because of the war in Iran: “The week that supercharged MAGA media feuds over the Iran war.”
• Despite losing two court cases about limiting press access, the Pentagon has asked a federal judge to continue requiring escorts whenever journalists enter the Pentagon. In a court filing on Friday, the Pentagon wrote, “Allowing members of the public unfettered access to the Pentagon poses unique and acute dangers.” The New York Times’ Erik Wemple has the details.
• The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr with “Trump to break bread with journalists at annual dinner amid threats to jail them.”
• USA Today’s Patrick Ryan writes about Savannah Guthrie’s first week back on the “Today” show following the disappearance of her mother: “Savannah Guthrie shows grace, determination on ‘Today.’”
• The Associated Press’ David Bauder with “Talk back: Tech deal promotes conversations between journalists and those who follow their stories.”

Hot type

• The Wall Street Journal’s Julie Jargon with “Over 4,732 Messages, He Fell In Love With an AI Chatbot. Now He’s Dead.”
• For The New York Times, Amy Chozick with a profile on the wife of Jeff Bezos in “Someone Has to Be Happy. Why Not Lauren Sánchez Bezos?”
• Another must-read in The New York Times. For “The Interview” series, David Marchese talks with the writer, actor, director and producer in “Lena Dunham Is Still Trying to Figure Out Why People Hated Her So Much.”

More resources for journalists

• Reporters and editors with ambition to do investigative journalism: Get guidance from ProPublica’s Alexandra Zayas in this five-week, hands-on seminar starting April 23. Enroll today.
• Learn how to cover ICE enforcement and its impact on children and families. Webinar: April 28 – Enroll now
• Master trauma-informed reporting to cover mental health with accuracy, empathy and impact. Webinar: June 9 – Enroll now.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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