The briefing for Thursday, June 11.

The United States launched a second consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian military targets Wednesday into Thursday morning, hitting sites across multiple cities including Tehran, Bandar Abbas, and areas near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by targeting U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours Thursday morning, while Bahrain reported an 11-year-old girl injured by falling debris from intercepted missiles. The escalating attacks test a fragile ceasefire agreed upon in April, which was initially meant to last two weeks.

President Trump warned Iran would "pay the price" for stalled negotiations, saying Tehran had taken "too long to negotiate a deal." U.S. Central Command said the strikes targeted Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites in response to "Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression." Iran's Revolutionary Guard reported hits on a manufacturing complex, military barracks, and a Guard base outside Tehran. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi countered that his country would "leave no attack or threat unanswered," while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran "will stand firm against any pressure or threat."

The conflict began February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader. Since then, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil and gas supplies transit. Trump claimed Wednesday that U.S. forces have conducted "secret missions" to sneak more than 100 million barrels of oil past Iranian forces by destroying radar equipment and operating at night. Both countries appear to be seeking an exit from the conflict, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated goals of collapsing Iran's government, eliminating its nuclear program, and destroying Hezbollah complicate negotiations. UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that the Middle East is "being pulled deeper into crisis" and urged all parties to work toward diplomatic settlement.

Three Indian sailors were killed when U.S. forces struck the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, according to India's Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The attack came after the U.S. military accused the vessel of violating an American blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran. Twenty-one of the 24 Indian crew members were rescued, but three others initially reported missing were confirmed dead. India summoned the deputy head of the U.S. mission in Delhi following the incident.

U.S. Central Command said the aircraft fired "precision munitions" into the tanker's engine room after the crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces." This marks the second commercial vessel with an Indian crew targeted by U.S. forces this week. On Monday, American forces struck another Palau-flagged tanker, The Marivex, also carrying an Indian crew in the Gulf of Oman. All 24 crew members from that vessel were rescued by Omani military forces.

The U.S. military has blocked access to Iran's ports since April 13, implementing a blockade after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing conflict. According to Centcom, U.S. forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since the blockade began. Indian officials have maintained that "targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end." Manoj Yadav of the Forward Seamen's Union of India told media outlets he "refused to believe" the U.S. lacked information about crew nationalities and argued that detaining ships would have been a viable alternative to striking them.

A key foreign intelligence surveillance authority is at risk of lapsing Friday at midnight as President Trump refuses to replace acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte despite bipartisan opposition from Congress. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows U.S. agencies including the CIA, NSA, and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant. Democrats are blocking renewal of the program unless Trump withdraws Pulte's appointment and nominates a permanent replacement for former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned. Trump requested a short-term extension Wednesday but maintained Pulte in the acting role, saying he wants to "downsize" intelligence agencies.

The impasse threatens intelligence gathering capabilities as World Cup games begin across the U.S. and ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. Pulte, currently the federal housing finance regulator, has drawn criticism from both parties for his lack of intelligence experience and his record at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he has been linked to criminal referrals over mortgage fraud allegations against officials Trump sought to punish. House Democrats led by Rep. Jim Himes wrote that Pulte is a "uniquely poor choice" who "has distinguished himself only as someone who will do or say anything to stay in your good graces." Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republican leaders have "made our views known" to the White House about the need for a qualified nominee.

The House planned a Thursday vote on a stopgap measure to extend the program through July 2, though passage appeared unlikely. Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton and Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley warned the administration to prepare "for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection." Last week, seven Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in blocking a long-term extension. While both parties have historically supported the surveillance authority after working out a compromise bill, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said he would only support a short-term extension if Principal Deputy Director Aaron Lukas serves as acting leader during that period rather than Pulte. Trump said he is interviewing five candidates with national security backgrounds for the permanent position, with Pete Hoekstra, former House Intelligence Committee chairman and current ambassador to Canada, among those under consideration.

Consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate in three years, driven primarily by surging energy costs related to the Iran war. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that prices increased 0.5% from April, marking the third consecutive monthly increase. Monthly gains of 0.9% in March and 0.6% in April preceded May's rise. Inflation now exceeds the Federal Reserve's 2% target by more than double, a threshold it has surpassed for over five years. Prices have risen faster than wages for several months, pressuring American households and causing consumers to take a negative view of the economy.

Energy bills including gas and electricity were nearly 25% higher in May than a year earlier, with gasoline responsible for much of the increase. According to the AAA, the average price of regular gasoline currently stands at $4.15 per gallon, up sharply from $2.98 on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically ships around 20% of global oil and gas supplies, has choked supply and driven prices higher. Trump told reporters Wednesday he expects oil prices to "drop like a rock" when the Iran conflict ends and promised a return to the $1.85 per gallon he said he saw during a recent Iowa trip.

The inflation surge presents a political challenge for Trump ahead of November's midterm elections, with voters ranking the economy as a top concern. New Fed chair Kevin Warsh will preside over his first policy meeting next week, when the central bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged but signal that rate increases could come by year's end rather than cuts. Trump defended the inflation numbers, saying they were "much lower than anticipated" given the Iran war, and claimed to "love the inflation" because he expects it to fall rapidly. Outside energy costs, price increases were less dramatic, suggesting broader inflation has not yet spread throughout the economy. The international benchmark Brent crude traded above $93 per barrel Wednesday, up more than 25% since the war began. Economists warn that even with a swift end to the conflict, it could take until 2027 for normal goods flow through the Strait of Hormuz to resume.

A federal judge permanently blocked Alabama from executing inmates with nitrogen gas Tuesday after declaring the method violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. U.S. District Judge Emily Marks issued the ruling hours after an appeals court reversed her initial finding that the method was constitutional. The decision blocks the scheduled Thursday execution of Jeffrey Lee, 49, and could determine the future of the controversial method Alabama has used in seven executions since 2024. Louisiana used nitrogen gas once, making eight total U.S. executions by this method. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office is appealing to the Supreme Court, which has never ruled a state execution method unconstitutional.

The execution method involves strapping a respirator to the inmate's face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from oxygen deprivation. Judge Marks ruled that Lee had shown "by a preponderance of the evidence that the protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment." The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 decision that the three minutes it could take for an inmate to lose awareness is an "intolerable" time frame "given the suffering that would likely take place under Alabama's nitrogen hypoxia protocol." During previous Alabama nitrogen executions, inmates shook, pulled at restraints, and exhibited labored breathing. In the most recent execution of Anthony Boyd, 30 minutes elapsed between him showing signs of being affected by the gas and officials closing the viewing room curtain.

Alabama maintains the method is constitutional and causes no more suffering than other execution methods. State lawyers argued that "if nitrogen hypoxia violates the Eighth Amendment because of a risk of anxiety and emotional discomfort, then so too must every other method of execution." Lee's attorneys said Alabama is attempting to execute him using a method courts have found unconstitutional, under a death sentence the jury at his trial rejected. A jury convicted Lee of capital murder for killing pawnshop owner Jimmy Ellis and employee Elaine Thompson during a 1998 robbery but voted 7-5 for life imprisonment rather than death. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's spokesman said the governor "remains prepared to move forward with the planned execution" as the state defends its protocol in court. Lee's supporters have urged Ivey to commute his sentence to life imprisonment, the sentence jurors recommended.

The Trump administration released new guidance last week for Medicaid work requirements that critics say will make it harder for seriously ill Americans to qualify for medical exemptions. Starting in 2027, Medicaid expansion enrollees aged 19-64 must work or volunteer at least 80 hours monthly or attend school at least half-time. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' interim final rule states that medically frail individuals must prove their conditions "significantly impair" their ability to meet these requirements, a stricter standard than states had been expecting. Patients can attest to meeting this definition in 2027 and once in 2028, but must provide proof when renewing coverage in 2028.

The new definition caught states off guard as they prepare to implement the changes mandated by Trump's 2025 tax and policy law. Harvard public health professor Adrianna McIntyre said the guidance "will mean more paperwork for Medicaid patients — specifically for the sickest Medicaid patients" and will likely result in "more people needlessly losing coverage." Advocates say it remains unclear what documentation could prove significant impairment, though doctor notes may be required. Some healthcare providers may not feel comfortable writing such notes, putting the bureaucratic burden on patients fighting serious illnesses.

DeAnna Brandon, a 48-year-old blood cancer survivor from Rockwell, North Carolina, worries the new requirements could jeopardize her coverage and the twice-monthly maintenance chemotherapy that keeps her multiple myeloma in remission. Brandon experiences extreme exhaustion and memory challenges from her treatments but must now prove these symptoms significantly impair her ability to work. She previously tried and failed to prove she couldn't work to access disability benefits during active cancer treatment. "It's not that easy — you may have to go through four doctors," Brandon said. "If you're already battling an illness like this, you don't have the physical or the mental or the emotional energy to do that all the time." CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz endorsed states' plans to use Medicaid claims data to automatically exempt eligible enrollees whenever possible.