'They pressed him': Analyst flags 'pretty extraordinary' moment from Jay Clayton hearing

An analyst on Wednesday described a significant moment at the Senate confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence nominee, Jay Clayton. CNN correspondent Brian Todd told CNN anchor Jake Tapper about Clayton's refusal to answer questions about who won the 2020 election and his response to former DNI Tulsi Gabbard at the FBI raids at the Fulton County election offices."They pressed him, Jake, on Tulsi Gabbard's visit to Georgia this past January that was just so controversial, widely reported," Todd said. "But in a pretty extraordinary exchange, Jay Clayton claimed to know little or nothing about that trip.""The first time you learned that Director Gabbard was present at that raid was in my office yesterday?" Ossoff asked. "It was the first time that, in my recollection, I've thought about it recently. Now, was I aware of it before?" Clayton said.Ossoff interjected, saying, "What?""Your answers lack credibility," Ossoff added.Warner pressed Clayton to respond."Now, if even if you weren't aware, in preparation for this hearing, I would have thought, 'Hey, we got to be ready for the Gabbard questions," Warner said.But Clayton disagreed."Look, I don't want to. It just wasn't something that was on my mind before the preparation for this hearing," Clayton said.

The drama spoiling a city’s World Cup moment

Even as it hosts a World Cup semifinal, the city of Dallas is fighting over the future of its sports franchises' homes.

Security video captures moments after man was fatally shot by ICE in Maine

A home security camera captured the sound of five gunshots when Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

Trump’s face-saving pivot on charging to be ‘guardian angel’ of the Strait of Hormuz

‘WE’D LOVE TO DO IT A DIFFERENT WAY’: Almost as soon as he announced it, it became clear President Donald Trump’s idea of imposing a 20% reimbursement fee after the U.S. becomes the “Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz,” was unworkable, wildly unpopular with allies, likely illegal under internal maritime law, and inconsistent with everything […]

Iran vows to keep Hormuz strait closed until the ‘end of America’s evils,’ threatens to block more seaways as Trump reimposes blockade

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close "all other export corridors that benefit the US ​and its allies", Iranian media reported, after Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

First Thing: Trump flip-flops on Hormuz toll and threatens Iran’s civilian infrastructure

US president says power plants and bridges could be targeted, which would probably constitute war crimes. Plus, the bear that raided an elderly couple’s fridge, and a stolen cat involved in a bank robberyGood morning. Donald Trump has threatened to expand US strikes on Iran next week to target civilian infrastructure including power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal. Trump made similar comments in March. Destroying civilian infrastructure such as power and water facilities would be illegal under international humanitarian law and would probably constitute a war crime.The US president, meanwhile, has U-turned on a threat that ships would have to pay a 20% fee to the US for “security” in the strait of Hormuz. He said he had decided to scrap the toll “based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, and touted “massive” investments. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports.How have Democrats responded to renewed hostilities? Senate Democrats blocked the advancement of a must-pass defense bill. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, said his party could not support advancing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as long as the fighting continued.Top House Democrats, meanwhile, have vowed to oppose a bid to cut US military aid to Israel as the party grapples with a rebellion among their voters over the party’s support for the Middle Eastern ally. Continue reading...

Middle East allies rushing new pipelines, port to bypass Iran’s grip on Strait of Hormuz

The conflict around the Strait of Hormuz has caused pipeline and port construction projects in the Gulf to accelerate, with some set to debut as soon as next year, minimizing Iran's leverage in the region.

Trump Shifts Gears on Strait of Hormuz Approach