In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

President Donald Trump went to war with lofty and unrealistic expectations about unseating the terrorist regime in Iran. Once those expectations failed to materialize quickly enough, and the political costs of war grew, the president decided he wanted out. Trump handed the negotiations to his isolationist vice president, JD Vance, who cut a kind of a deal that not only props up the terrorist regime but erodes U.S. standing and deterrence.