Midday Roundup: Assad, rebels agree to try to end fighting in Syria

Here’s hoping. The Syrian government and opposition groups reached a peace agreement last night that will allow desperately needed aid to flow into besieged areas of the country. The aid delivery will be followed in a week with a “cessation of hostilities” designed to lead to a permanent cease-fire. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the deal last night, but critics warn optimism should be tempered by reality. While the main rebel groups approved the agreement, other factions have not, leading to speculation Syria’s internal conflict is far from over. Russia, which is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and the international community supporting the rebels also have not come to any agreement about which groups operating in the country are terrorist organizations. During its bombing campaign, Russia has launched strikes against some groups supported by the United Nations. The peace agreement also doesn’t solve the problem of how the now-fractured country moves forward in any kind of unity.

Historic handshake. Pope Francis will meet today in Cuba with Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Although the two men have met twice before, this meeting is being hailed as a major event in the history of the two branches of Christendom that diverged about 1,000 years after Christ’s resurrection. While the meeting could have religious ramifications, it also carries the weight of political posturing. Kirill is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and analysts say the pope’s recognition of the Russian church leader could give Putin a boost at a time when he has few friends in the West. Kirill also has ambitions of his own—to be seen as the first among equals in Orthodox Church leadership. During their meeting at the Havana airport, the two men might have little more than church business to discuss. While Francis is known as an ascetic, Kirill is recognized in Russia for his luxurious lifestyle.

Embarrassing ad. The Ted Cruz campaign is catching heat for a commercial aimed at fellow senator and presidential contender Marco Rubio. But the criticism has nothing to do with the television spot’s content. The campaign pulled the spot after Buzzfeed reported one of the actresses featured in it has had a long career as a porn star. A campaign spokesman blamed the production company in charge of finding talent for the ad, which features a support group meeting for voters disappointed in their representatives. At the end of the spot, a man wearing a Rubio T-shirt asks if the group has room for one more. Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said actress Amy Lindsay responded to an open casting call and auditioned for her one-line role in the commercial. But if the casting company had vetted Lindsay, she obviously wouldn’t have gotten the job, Frazier said.

No end in sight. A new report just released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts health insurance premiums will continue to rise. Average premiums will grow about 5 percent per year on average over the next 10 years. And those costs will rise faster than per-capita GDP, proving the Affordable Care Act isn’t living up to its name. By 2025, average premiums for employment-based coverage will be nearly 60 percent higher than this year—an estimated $10,000 for individuals and $24,500 for families. As it did in a similar report in 2009, the CBO blamed rising costs on the Obamacare requirements that individuals purchase coverage for “essential health benefits” and insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions.