It’s Tuesday, June 16. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Where does all the stolen art go? Elliot Cohen on School of War. What Spencer Pratt got right. Plus: Mr. President, publish the details of your Iran agreement. All that and much more.

But first: ICYMI, Douglas Murray is (re)joining The Free Press. Check out the details, including his note to subscribers, here.

Now to the news, starting with what both sides are getting wrong about America’s 250th.

On Monday morning, evidently still fired up after a raucous 80th birthday spent watching UFC fights on the White House lawn, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would be celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.”

It is the latest example of the split-screen visions of the republic as it approaches the semiquincentennial. On one side, there is a Trumpian spectacle that often conflates celebration of the United States with celebration of the man in the White House. On the other side are those who find celebration of the country close to impossible given who is in the White House. The New Yorker summed up this sentiment in a recent story with the headline “How Problematic Is Patriotism?”

In our editorial today, we say both sides have it wrong. You can ignore the self-aggrandizement and self-flagellation. Read the full column to find out how:

As for Sunday’s UFC fight that was part of the president’s Freedom 250 celebrations? We sent River Page to take in the spectacle. Among the fans he spoke to was Antonio Sanchez, who mused: “This is like, the Founding Fathers’ house and they’ve got a fuckin’ Monster-sponsored octagon in the middle of the lawn. That is retarded. But also, it’s cool. People are gonna remember this fucking shit.”

Very true, Antonio. Read River’s full dispatch:

—Oliver Wiseman

What Have We Actually Agreed to with Iran?

From the pageantry of power to the substance of governing: Before Sunday’s fight, President Trump announced a new agreement with Iran that would end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, Washington was abuzz with debate over the merits of the memorandum of understanding that officials said had been signed electronically by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. When Republicans complained that the deal looked like capitulation, officials vented about what they say is misinformation about the agreement. In our second editorial (what can we say, the editors ate their Wheaties yesterday), we propose a simple solution: Publish the deal.

And for more analysis of the war, the deal, and what’s next, tune in to the latest episode of School of War. Today, Aaron McLean sits down with Eliot Cohen, co-host of the Shield of the Republic podcast, to answer the most pressing questions about the conflict.

Watch

Auditing the Iran War, with Eliot Cohen

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The Art World Has a Theft Problem

Matthew Campbell

The art world has a problem: There has been an increase in the number of art thieves. In the midst of the Sudanese civil war, troops began looting the country’s most precious museums. Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Ethiopia also are places where war and breakdowns in civil order created opportunities for thieves. What props up this underground economy, and how do we stop the seizure of history’s greatest artifacts? Matthew Campbell went deep into the world of art thievery to find out. Read full story

Don’t Dismiss Spencer Pratt’s Loss

Sam Quinones

For a few months, Spencer Pratt was inescapable. From his grassroots support to his viral campaign ads, it seemed like the former reality TV star had a real shot at becoming Los Angeles’s next mayor. That dream came crashing down when he finished third in the nonpartisan primary earlier this month. But don’t dismiss his campaign as a flash in the pan, writes Sam Quinones. Sam has reported exhaustively on LA’s twin crises of addiction and homelessness. He gives Pratt credit for daring to expose the tragic truth behind LA’s homeless problem, and says his blunt talk may still help the city for years to come. Read full story

America Can’t Build for War Anymore

Arthur Herman

The U.S. war with Iran seems to be over, at l