New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is hustling to win over left-wing critics who say the progressive leader cares too much about mainstream approval and is too cozy with senior Democrats.
Ocasio-Cortez — who's weighing a White House run — recently took a harder line against fundingfor Israel, part of a push to appease those on the left who once saw her as Bernie Sanders 2.0 but now think she's more pragmatist than revolutionary.
President Trump is pairing his Iran blockade with a sales pitch: Countries squeezed by the Strait of Hormuz — especially China — should buy more oil from the U.S. instead.
Why it matters: The U.S. rise to become the world's largest oil and gas producer — and largest exporter of liquefied natural gas — provides geopolitical leverage that Trump is attempting to wield.
President Trump announced the U.S. is imposing a naval blockade on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, several hours after peace talks in Pakistan ended in failure.
Why it matters: Iran has effectively held the strait hostage, imposing a toll and limiting oil exports. Trump's blockade aims to flip that dynamic by denying Iran the leverage it's using as a bargaining chip and preventing it from exporting its oil.
It increasingly looks as if the inflation problem that emerged five years ago wasn't a one-off event, but the defining economic challenge of the decade — and Americans don't like it one bit.
The big picture: Price pressures were already reaccelerating in the last few months, and that was before the U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran disrupted global energy supplies.
The U.S. and Iran didn't reach an agreement during marathon negotiations on Saturday in Pakistan.
Why it matters: The deadlock in the talks puts the two-week ceasefire agreed last week in limbo, with the possibility of renewed and escalating warfare.
Direct negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, began in Islamabad on Saturday, according to a White House official.
Why it matters: While the meeting itself is historic — the highest-level engagement between U.S. and Iranian officials since 1979 — the chances for success appear low. Both sides know the risk of failure is renewed war, but have clashing visions for peace.
Pope Leo XIV and President Trump are escalating a high-stakes clash over immigration and the Iran war, exposing a rare and widening divide between the Vatican and the White House.
Why it matters: The standoff pits the Vatican's moral authority against Washington's political and military power as both shape global narratives on war, diplomacy and human dignity.
