Iran, Holding Firm to Hormuz, Pushes for Return to June MOU
8/9/2026 10:58 AM Open Story
The Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s best leverage to get Washington to release Iran’s frozen assets, lift economic sanctions and end its naval blockade.
Inside the War on Hezbollah’s Finances
8/9/2026 2:00 AM Open Story
Israel and the United States aren’t just targeting the Lebanese militant group’s weapons. They’re going after its money.
Iran Taps Longtime I.R.G.C. Commander Mohsen Rezaei to Top Security Post
8/9/2026 11:18 AM Open Story
The appointment of Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council suggests that Iran’s old guard is consolidating power.
Israel Rejects Trump’s 15-Point Plan to Disarm Hamas
8/9/2026 12:48 PM Open Story
President Trump’s Board of Peace announced an agreement last month that aimed at Hamas’s giving up its weapons alongside an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Trump Crypto Took $100 Million From a Businessman With Red Flags
8/9/2026 5:58 AM Open Story
The curious case of Guren “Bobby” Zhou shows the ease with which investors with shady backgrounds and unknown motivations can funnel money to the president.
The Lonely Crew at the Kennedy Center Will Miss Its…Mice
8/9/2026 4:56 AM Open Story
Employees say the performing arts center’s quirky-looking mice have an exotic back story. Do they?
Ocasio-Cortez Says She Is Freezing Her Eggs and Still Mulling a Presidential Run
8/9/2026 1:23 PM Open Story
In a TV interview, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez distanced herself from positions like “defund the police” and indicated she hasn’t ruled out a presidential or Senate run.
Obama and Abdul El-Sayed Spoke to Discuss Unity After Michigan Senate Primary
8/9/2026 11:38 AM Open Story
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s call with the former president comes as he tries to win over wary Democrats in Michigan’s high-stakes Senate race.
Michigan Senate Candidate, a Former Trump Critic, Shifts Toward Election Skepticism
8/9/2026 6:23 AM Open Story
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, has suggested that further scrutiny of the 2020 election was warranted and that voting irregularities sank his first Senate bid two years ago.
A Democrat Sounds the Alarm on Christian Nationalism in Congress
8/9/2026 2:01 AM Open Story
Representative Jared Huffman of California, the only self-declared “humanist” in Congress, writes in a new book that the separation of church and state is in grave danger.
How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
8/9/2026 8:55 AM Open Story
Inspired by Ukraine’s battlefield gains, Taiwan is betting on drones to deter a potential Chinese invasion.
The ‘Furthur’ Bus’s Long, Strange Trip, and Why It’s Returning to San Francisco
8/9/2026 9:58 AM Open Story
Ken Kesey’s psychedelic bus, immortalized in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” is preparing for one more run. And to its owners, America sure could use it.
Anthony Scaramucci, Podcast Star, Explains U.S. Politics to the World
8/9/2026 5:52 AM Open Story
He spent 11 days in the Trump White House nine years ago. Now he has a hit podcast, helping the British public, among others, understand what’s going on.
Please Judge the Books I’m Reading
8/9/2026 8:08 AM Open Story
Literary awards get dismissed for elitism. But more than ever, we need passionate and idiosyncratic champions for the books most worth seeking out.
It Won’t Stop at the Arc de Trump. It Won’t Stop at Washington.
8/8/2026 10:49 PM Open Story
The Trump administration’s proposed changes to the review process will allow it to take a wrecking ball to historic sites across the country.
Mother and Daughter Die After Boat Overturns in New York Harbor
8/9/2026 11:51 AM Open Story
Police divers found a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old baby in the water near Liberty Island. A man was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.