Up First briefing: Iran-U.S.; Congress returns; Hussam Abu Safiya : NPR

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Today’s high tales

Strikes between the U.S. and Iran stretched into early at this time, marking a 3rd straight weekend of preventing. Iran responded to U.S. assaults by putting U.S. allies within the area. The U.S. weekend assaults got here after Iran introduced the closure of the important Strait of Hormuz.

A person holds a poster of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a gathering commemorating him at a sq. in Tehran on Saturday.

Vahid Salemi/AP

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Vahid Salemi/AP

• 🎧 The U.S. Central Command introduced that it has degraded Iran’s capability to assault worldwide delivery within the Strait after it hit a number of Iranian targets, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi tells Up First. Iran reported one loss of life from the U.S. strikes and stated an agricultural water pumping station in central Iran was hit, killing a guard. The standing of negotiations remains unclear, although Iran says it is nonetheless in contact with mediators, together with Oman, Qatar and Pakistan. The conflict’s results proceed to be felt worldwide, with benchmark world oil costs leaping greater than 4% when markets opened Monday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died at 71. The D.C. health worker’s preliminary findings recognized aortic dissection attributable to a sort of coronary heart illness as the reason for loss of life. Graham served practically 25 years within the Senate and have become a key ally in advancing President Trump’s insurance policies and staffing priorities.

• 🎧 Graham was one of many final champions of a conventional Republican perception in America because the world’s protector, NPR’s Eric McDaniel says. He had simply returned from an abroad journey to strengthen security ties with European allies. Graham maintained an in depth relationship with Trump, performing as a key go-between throughout important moments, together with lobbying Senate colleagues to acquit Trump after he tried to cling to energy following his 2020 election loss, McDaniel says.
• 🎧 Congress returns at this time with tighter margins for Republicans following Graham’s loss of life and the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell. McConnell revealed yesterday {that a} fall led to his hospitalization. Senate Republicans have set a listening to for Trump’s legal professional common nominee, Todd Blanche, however the subsequent steps stay unsure attributable to considerations amongst some members, in accordance with NPR’s Claudia Grisales. Lawmakers are additionally weighing a Russia sanctions invoice that Graham championed, with some Republicans pushing to rename the bill in his honor and advance it this week.

Prisoners can file complaints about mistreatment, however retaliation usually follows, in accordance with an investigation by NPR and The Marshall Project. In 2023, fewer than 2% of grievances filed in federal prisons have been accredited, with most rejected for procedural errors or closed for different causes. Court information, lawsuits, and interviews revealed that many instances go unreported as a result of the identical officers accused of abuse usually silence these in search of assist.