Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Trump said he would intensify the US's bombardment against Iran until it stops attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to open the waterway. A US-Iran interim peace deal signed around a month ago has all but collapsed over the past week as the two sides feud over control of the vital strait. Trump pledged to bomb Iran again and continue until Iran relents, saying energy targets in Iran will be left "for last".
2) The Department of Homeland Security has ordered immigration agents to temporarily halt most vehicle stops during deportation operations after a fatal shooting in Maine. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will suspend vehicle stops except for those targeting serious criminal cases until ICE officers receive new training on vehicle stops. The policy change comes after the second fatal shooting by immigration agents in a week, with the first being the fatal shooting of a Mexican construction worker during a traffic stop in Houston.
3) Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to appear before the US Senate in support of his nomination to lead the Justice Department. A federal judge in Miami issued harsh criticism of Blanche's actions in settling President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, suggesting his involvement raised conflict of interest concerns. The Justice Department's settlement with the president has faced rare GOP pushback, and Blanche is expected to be grilled about the settlement and other politically explosive matters during his nomination hearing.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Trump reinstated the US blockade of Iranian ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and demanded a 20% reimbursement for all other cargo shipped through the waterway. US military forces will resume blockading traffic to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas, and the president said the strait "will remain OPEN, with or without Iran." Iran sees any challenge to its authority in the strait as a breach of the interim peace agreement, and the renewed blockade may prompt further attacks on commercial vessels.
2) South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster picked Darline Graham Nordone to complete the remainder of the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s term, which expires in January. Nordone will serve out the remainder of the term and is seen by many analysts as a placeholder until voters elect a more seasoned candidate. Nordone said she promises to work hard to support the president and carry forward the efforts of her brother, and will be sworn in on Tuesday afternoon.
3) A US immigration officer shot and killed a person in Maine on Monday morning, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The incident occurred in Biddeford, where ICE agents attempted to stop a vehicle that departed from the last known residence of an individual who had received a deportation order. The officer has been placed on leave and the Maine Attorney General's office is investigating the shooting with assistance from state, local and federal authorities.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) The US and Iran exchanged fresh strikes overnight into Monday as they continued their tit-for-tat attacks while issuing conflicting declarations over whether the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping. US Central Command said American forces carried out a new round of attacks to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the narrow waterway, hitting dozens of targets including Iranian air-defense systems and missile capabilities. Tehran retaliated with attacks on US allies in the Persian Gulf and beyond, targeting US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, and oil prices rose on fears that renewed clashes could further disrupt flows through Hormuz.
2) The death of Senator Lindsey Graham leaves key US allies like Ukraine without one of their most effective conduits to the White House. Graham had spent much of President Trump’s second term trying to sustain US support for Ukraine’s defense against a Russian invasion, despite the US president’s testy relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine and other US allies will have to find other advocates, which won’t be easy, as Graham had honed a unique skill set, combining a close relationship to Trump, the ability to work with Senate Democrats and deep ties with foreign leaders.
3) South Korea’s AI-fueled stock rally came under renewed pressure Monday as SK Hynix Inc. tumbled by a record 15%, underscoring growing investor concerns that the boom had become overstretched. The selloff sent the benchmark Kospi index down 9% and triggered a market-wide trading suspension, with peer Samsung Electronics Co. dropping nearly 11% and foreign investors offloading 1.7 trillion won worth of Kospi shares. SK Hynix’s market cap closed the day at $875 billion, with the company’s shares down at least 30% from peaks last month, as the excitement that powered the rally gives way to a much harsher reset in expectations.

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