WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration kept President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration closely apprised of its efforts to broker the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect early Wednesday, according to the outgoing Democratic administration.
Trump’s team, meanwhile, was quick to spike the football and claim credit for the rare spot of good news for a Democratic administration that's been dragged down by the grinding Mideast conflict.
“Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump,” Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice for his national security adviser, said in a post on X on Tuesday, shortly before the Israel Cabinet signed off on the agreement. “His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday confirmed he kept Waltz on the negotiations, but offered firm pushback on the idea that Trump deserved credit for the long-sought after deal finally coalescing.
“I would just point out that you know you’ve done a really good thing when other people take credit for it,” Sullivan told CNN on Wednesday.
The Biden administration's coordination with Trump's team on its efforts to forge the ceasefire in Lebanon is perhaps the highest-profile example of cooperation in what's been a sometimes choppy transition period.
Trump's transition team just Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House that will allow transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before Trump takes office on Jan. 20. There has been some coordination on high levels between the outgoing Biden and incoming Trump teams, including talks between Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Waltz.
Biden in Rose Garden remarks on Tuesday cheered the ceasefire agreement as a critical step that he hoped could be the catalyst for a broader peace in the Mideast, which has been shaken by nearly 14 months of war following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," Biden said. "What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed — I emphasize, will not be allowed — to threaten the security of Israel again.”
White House officials are now hopeful that a calm in Lebanon will reinvigorate a multi-country effort at finding an endgame to the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable.
Biden said the U.S., as well as Israel, will engage in talks in the coming days with officials from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey to try to get Gaza talks back on track.
But during Biden's moment of success in a conflict that has roiled his reputation at home and abroad, the specter of the incoming Trump administration loomed large.
Trump’s senior national security team was briefed by the Biden administration as negotiations unfolded and finally came to a conclusion on Tuesday, according to a senior Biden administration official. The official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity on a call organized by the White House, added that the incoming Trump administration officials were not directly involved in the talks, but that it was important that they knew “what we were negotiating and what the commitments were."
Trump's team and allies, meanwhile, said there was no doubt that the prospect of the Republican president returning to power pushed both sides to get the agreement done.
Waltz, in addition to giving Trump credit for the ceasefire deal coming together, added a warning to Iran, Hezbollah's chief financial backer.
“But let’s be clear: The Iran Regime is the root cause of the chaos & terror that has been unleashed across the region. We will not tolerate the status quo of their support for terrorism," Waltz said in his post.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, also gave a shoutout to the incoming administration, while giving a nod to Biden's team.
“I appreciate the hard work of the Biden Administration, supported by President Trump, to make this ceasefire a reality,” Graham said in a statement.
Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Washington group Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the moment magnifies that Iran — which he said would have needed to approve of Hezbollah agreeing to the ceasefire — is carefully weighing what may be ahead with Trump.
"There’s zero doubt that Iran is pulling back to regroup ahead of Trump coming into office," said Goldberg, a National Security Council official in Trump's first administration. “It’s a combination of Israeli military success and Trump’s election — the ayatollah has no clothes and he knows we know.”
The Biden White House is also holding on to a sliver of hope that the Lebanon ceasefire deal could help reinvigorate a long sought after Israel-Saudi normalization deal.
The official said a “lot of work has been done” to get such an agreement on track “but clearly where we are in Gaza is holding us back.”
Biden has said his administration was tantalizingly close to reaching a deal between the Middle East’s two most important powers shortly before the Hamas attack sent tremors throughout the region. He has speculated that the emerging normalization deal was part of Hamas’ motivation in carrying out its attack on Israel when it did.
Just weeks before the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat beside Biden on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly and marveled that a “historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia” seemed within reach — a diplomatic advance that the Israeli leader predicted could lead to lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The so-called normalization push, which began during Trump’s first administration and was branded the Abraham Accords, is an ambitious effort to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing.
The Biden White House plans to keep the incoming Trump administration looped in on its efforts and “anything that we will do on this ... we won’t do this unless they know what we’re doing," the Biden administration official said.
Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Zeke Miller and Chris Megerian contributed reporting.
President Joe Biden walking out to speak at a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
HONOLULU (AP) — The Sony Open is the PGA Tour stop where introductions are in order, and Paul Peterson made quite the first impression. He opened with a 6-under 64 and shared the lead with five others Thursday on a pleasant day at Waialae.
Harry Hall, Denny McCarthy and Eric Cole, all of whom got an early start in Hawaii last week at Kapalua, also opened at 64 along with Adam Schenk.
Tom Hoge, who tied for eighth in Kapalua, had the only 64 in the afternoon in a round that featured two eagles. The second one Hoge described as a gift — an 8-iron out of the rough from 189 yards that hit the pin and dropped into the cup.
“I was just hoping it would get down before it got over the back of the green,” he said.
Hideki Matsuyama, coming off a record score to par at Kapalua, birdied two of his last three holes for a 67. He is trying to become the third player to sweep the Hawaii swing.
Peterson is no ordinary rookie.
The lefty from Oregon State has five passport books with stamps from some 44 countries. He has held cards from six tours around the world, which doesn't include the mini-tours in Arizona and the Dakotas when he was just starting out.
“Whether I feel like a rookie, no,” Peterson said. “I've traveled a lot. I've seen a lot of golf in a lot of places. I feel like all of that's helped prepare me to get here. ... Do I wish I was over here a little bit earlier? Yeah. But do I regret any experiences I've had along the way? No.”
The Sony Open is the first full-field tournament of the year on the PGA Tour, attracting a big batch of rookies and graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour.
Peterson finally made his way back home by finishing among the top 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour, which included a victory in Tennessee. He felt good all week, and had such a good range session Tuesday he wanted the tournament to start a day early.
The wait didn't hurt him. He was motoring along with three birdies in eight holes when he belted his 7-wood into a soft, tropical breeze on the par-5 ninth hole to 5 feet for eagle. With birdies and two of the next three holes — six straight 3s on his card — he was the player to reach 7 under.
A few soft bogeys followed, and Peterson followed with another 7-wood to two-putt birdie range on the par-5 closing hole to join the others.
Peterson left Oregon State and tried the Canadian tour before getting his card on the Asian Tour. He picked up his first victory at the Czech Masters over Thomas Pieters on the European tour, added another title in Myanmar and figured a Japan Golf Tour membership might help him crack the top 100 in the world ranking.
He never made it that high — No. 120 was his best — and has yet to play a major.
But the travel, the various conditions inside the ropes and culture at night, helped him develop. And there were a few memories along the way. None was better than in 2015, when he received an exemption into the KLM Open.
“Tom Watson made his final European tour start and we got paired on Sunday,” Peterson said. “It was the coolest. He was the coolest. He signed a golf ball for me.”
The travel also let him know he didn't handle the wind very well. When it blew in Oregon, he just didn't play. He has a home in Arizona and conditions were too pure. So he moved to Sea Island on the Georgia coast just north of Florida, where he also had plenty of action with several PGA Tour players.
So yes, he's a rookie. He just doesn't feel like one, and he certainly didn't look like one.
Conditions remained ideal in paradise — hardly a breath of wind at Kapalua, either — but the Bermuda rough is dodgy and Waialae greens always have been deceptive to read.
Cole, McCarthy and Schenk all played bogey-free. Hall had a more stressful time, at least when he wasn't making 10 birdies. The 27-year-old from England, who played college golf at UNLV and now lives in Las Vegas, took two shots to get out of a bunker on No. 8 for a double bogey that slowed his momentum.
But he's still riding high from last week. Hall won the ISCO Championship in Kentucky last year, an opposite-field event. He's not in the signature events, so Kapalua was a rare opportunity and he made the most of it.
He also is taking advantage of a proper swing coach he found in Las Vegas — Butch Harmon, who is closing in on retirement and agreed to take him on.
“I approached him, and he reached out to me a few months after and said, ‘It would be great to see you.’ I started working with him, and since then I’ve played really nice,” Hall said.
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Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, watches his shot on the 17th green during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, hits on the 11th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Tom Hoge watches his shot on the 17th green during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Taylor Pendrith, of Canada, walks across the 16th green during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Eric Cole walks away from the 17th green during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Thomas Detry, of Belgium, hits on the 14th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Harris English walks on the 10th green during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Adam Schenk reacts after completing his round during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Harry Hall, of England, tips his hat after birdieing the 18th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Russell Henley hits off the ninth fairway during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Paul Peterson reacts after his shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Paul Peterson hits on the 18th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf event, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)
