Episode Details

Today's Headlines: The Iran war is very much back on — Trump threatened Iran with "one big glow," called the exchange of fire "just a love tap," and bragged about sinking small boats, while US intelligence confirmed Iran still has about 70% of its missiles intact despite Trump claiming it's down to 18-19%. Gas prices have hit $4.50 a gallon — up over 50% since the war started — with CEOs warning that consumer spending is collapsing and everyone is borrowing to get by. Shell, meanwhile, posted $7 billion in Q1 profits, more than double the previous quarter, which seems fine. As if the war weren't enough to worry about, on the redistricting beat, Tennessee signed a new map eliminating the state's one Democratic seat by splitting Memphis into four suburban districts, Alabama passed their gerrymandering legislation while tornado sirens blared and the building flooded, and Mississippi is planning their own special session in a Jim Crow-era capitol that's been a museum for years. On top of that, Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Cuba's state-owned industries and military conglomerate, while the State Department quietly beefs up disaster preparedness in South Florida in anticipation of further Cuba hostilities. Somehow Kash Patel is in the news again, he reportedly ordered polygraphs for over two dozen staff to find out who talked to The Atlantic about his drinking, while launching a criminal leak investigation against the reporter he's also suing for $250 million. Elsewhere, Trump's 10% tantrum tariff was ruled illegal by the Court of International Trade, Elon Musk was formally summoned by the French government to cooperate in their X investigation after skipping a voluntary interview — with Trump's DOJ calling it a "criminally charged criminal proceeding" — and Kalshi raised a billion dollars bringing its valuation to $22 billion, which means someone should probably check if their headquarters exists. And finally, a ransomware attack on Canvas knocked out coursework for students at over 3,000 schools, which is either a crisis or the greatest thing ever depending on your GPA.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

Axios: Iran and U.S. exchange fire in Strait of Hormuz

Bloomberg: Consumers Are ‘Running Out of Money’ and Cutting Back, CEOs Warn

Bloomberg: Consumers Are ‘Running Out of Money’ and Cutting Back, CEOs Warn

NYT: Shell Reports Nearly $7 Billion Profit After Oil Prices Surged Amid U.S.-Iran War

WaPo: U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months

Axios: Rubio announces new Cuba sanctions

Mother Jones: After SCOTUS Destroyed the Voting Rights Act, Southern States Rush to Pass Jim Crow Voting Maps

WVLT: TN governor signs new congressional map into law, dividing Memphis and marking end of special session

The New Republic: Alabama Republicans Vote to Pass New Map as Tornado