Good morning. Here’s the morning briefing.
Top stories
President Trump used a White House briefing to press Iran and set a hard deadline: Iran must agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 p.m. ET tonight or the United States will strike civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges. Trump said Iran’s next move will decide whether the conflict eases or escalates. He added that talks are ongoing and that an unnamed, more moderate participant on the other side is willing to make a deal. Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have been promoting a 45-day ceasefire plan that Trump called inadequate and said Iran rejected.
At the same time, Israel warned Iranians to avoid trains as heavy strikes along Iran’s rail network were anticipated. Legal experts say deliberately hitting infrastructure not directly tied to military operations risks violating the Geneva Conventions and could amount to war crimes. Railways carry many civilian passengers, and with much of Iran’s internet largely cut off, it’s unclear how widely such warnings are being received. The fighting is also producing broader economic fallout: beyond swings in oil and gas prices, shortages and price increases are being reported for helium, beer cans, construction materials and even mortgage costs. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, aid groups warn that clinics and relief operations across the Middle East, Asia and Africa face shortages of basic medicines and food because shipments are stalled.
Space: Artemis II heads home
NASA’s Artemis II crew is on its way back to Earth after a mission that sent humans farther from Earth than ever before. The flight produced new lunar observations and key test data for Orion. The critical final test will be reentry and splashdown, expected Friday off the coast of San Diego: the capsule will return at about 25,000 mph, encounter temperatures up to roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and rely on its heat shield and parachute system to protect and slow the crew. During the mission, astronauts observed a solar eclipse from lunar orbit, recording perspectives satellites cannot capture.
Health study on medication abortion
A JAMA Internal Medicine study suggests that a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol could potentially be used over the counter. Researchers surveyed 168 patients seeking clinician-provided medication abortion, showed prototype OTC packaging and asked whether they judged themselves to be suitable candidates. Participants’ self-assessments matched clinicians’ judgments about 88% of the time. Authors and experts say this mirrors some telehealth practices already in use, but further research and regulatory, clinical and political decisions are required — and more than a dozen states now ban abortion by any method.
Watch this
NPR’s Newsmakers interviewed JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon about the war’s economic effects, AI’s impact on work and society, and life lessons. The conversation is available on YouTube and the Newsmakers podcast.
Deep dive
After a widely criticized federal immigration operation in Minnesota, the Biden administration appears to be shifting toward quieter enforcement that relies more on local police. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has signaled he wants ICE to act more as a transport agency than the lead enforcer. That approach would expand use of the 287(g) program, which authorizes local law enforcement to perform certain ICE duties; participation increased during President Trump’s second term. These partnerships change local policing, can be hard for communities to monitor, and raise concerns that cooperation with federal immigration enforcement will erode trust and deter undocumented residents from reporting crimes. Some agencies have accepted federal incentives to join 287(g), and some sheriffs are politically aligned with tougher enforcement strategies.
3 things to know before you go
1) High U.S. housing costs are pushing more older adults to seek shared rentals: the share of people 65 and older looking for a roommate has tripled in the past decade.
2) Shellear fish — tiny species observed climbing a 50-foot rock face behind a Congo waterfall — have anatomical features that let them scale rock as well as swim. New research, co-authored posthumously by the original observer, explains how.
3) The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to dismiss the criminal contempt case against Steve Bannon for refusing to testify to Congress about Jan. 6, 2021.
This briefing was edited by Treye Green.