Today’s Headlines: The U.S. and Israel launched Operation EPIC FURY, striking more than 1,000 targets across Iran. Iran retaliated widely, aiming at U.S. bases in the Gulf but also hitting civilian sites in Dubai, including the airport, the Burj Al Arab, and the Fairmont Palm Hotel. President Donald Trump said the U.S. sank nine Iranian warships, warned Americans to expect casualties and by Sunday, three U.S. service members were dead. In a major escalation, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were reported killed, along with dozens of senior officials. Iran then closed the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil supply. Oil prices are projected to jump roughly 9% as markets reopen. Members of Congress from both parties are now pushing for a War Powers Act vote, noting they were not consulted before the strikes began. At the Pentagon, AI drama escalated. After asking how its model was used in a prior operation, Anthropic lost a $200 million federal contract and was labeled a “supply chain risk” by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Within a day, the Pentagon reached a deal with OpenAI, which says it maintains similar guardrails. Separately, reporting from The Washington Post and ProPublica details a draft executive order circulated by Trump allies that claims China interfered in 2020 and could declare a national emergency affecting election administration ahead of the midterms. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn reportedly convened allies to discuss the plan. Speaker Mike Johnson warned losing the midterms would effectively end Trump’s presidency. And in Austin, Texas, two people were killed and 14 wounded in a bar shooting now being investigated by the FBI as a potential act of terrorism.



Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:



WSJ: Trump Warns More U.S. Deaths Possible as Blasts Rock Mideast for Second Day

The Guardian: Oil price expected to surge after Iran strikes and strait of Hormuz closure

CNN: Congress to vote on Trump’s war powers in aftermath of Iran strikes

NYT: At the Pentagon, OpenAI is In and Anthropic Is Out

WaPo: Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency

ProPublica: Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms

WaPo: ‘It would be the end of the Trump presidency’

AP News: FBI probes Texas bar shooting that killed 2 and wounded 14 as possible terrorist act



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