The briefing for Wednesday, July 8.

The United States launched strikes on Iran early Wednesday after three commercial vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz within a 24-hour period, marking a sharp escalation in Middle East tensions. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, according to the Associated Press. US Central Command said the strikes were intended to 'impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping' in international waters, while Iran's deputy foreign minister called the U.S. actions a violation of last month's memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

The attacks came during a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where President Trump told reporters the interim ceasefire agreement with Iran is 'over,' though he said negotiations could continue. Oil prices jumped more than 6% on the news, with Brent crude rising to $78.80 a barrel. The U.S. Treasury also revoked a sanctions waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil, allowing a wind-down period until July 17. Qatar and Saudi Arabia both condemned the attacks, with each country reporting one of its tankers was hit.

The escalation occurred during the funeral for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in February at age 86. The attacks threatened to derail negotiations meant to focus on a final deal after Khamenei's burial. Iran has insisted it must control vessel routes through the strait and vowed to charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice. The three ships attacked appeared to be using a route near Oman's shore rather than one ordered by Tehran.

Graham Platner, Maine's Democratic Senate nominee, faces mounting pressure from top party leaders to withdraw from the race after a woman he previously dated accused him of sexual assault. Jenny Racicot, 41, told Politico that Platner entered her home uninvited in 2021 while intoxicated and sexually assaulted her after she told him to stop. Platner has denied the allegation, calling it 'categorically false,' but said he was 'taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.'

Multiple prominent Democrats have withdrawn their endorsements or called for Platner to step aside. Senator Bernie Sanders, previously one of Platner's biggest backers, recommended he drop out. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they would not invest in the Maine race if Platner remains on the ballot. Representatives Ro Khanna, and Senators Martin Heinrich, Ruben Gallego, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker all withdrew support or called for his exit.

The crisis imperils Democratic chances to flip a crucial Senate seat against Republican incumbent Susan Collins, who has held the position for three decades. Maine law requires Platner to voluntarily withdraw by July 13 for his name to be removed from the ballot and replaced by another candidate. The controversy adds to earlier scandals including the discovery of a tattoo on Platner's chest resembling a Nazi symbol. Democrats are now scrambling to identify potential replacement candidates, with Governor Janet Mills and former state Senate President Troy Jackson among those being discussed.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced she will run for president in 2027 and appeal her embezzlement conviction to France's highest court, despite a Paris appeals court ruling that requires her to wear an electronic ankle monitor for one year. 'The campaign begins tonight,' Le Pen declared in a prime-time television interview, ending months of speculation that she might hand the candidacy to 30-year-old National Rally president Jordan Bardella.

The appeals court on Tuesday upheld Le Pen's conviction for misusing €2.8 million in EU funds between 2004-16 in a fake jobs scheme, though it shortened her sentence. A five-year ban on holding public office was reduced and backdated to March 2025, with the court saying it considered the penalty already served. However, Le Pen received a three-year prison sentence—two years suspended and one year under house arrest with an electronic monitor. The court emphasized it had weighed the sentences against 'freedom of candidacy' and the 'free choice of electors.'

Le Pen's appeal to the Court of Cassation suspends the ankle monitor requirement until a verdict is reached, likely in early 2027. This timing represents a remarkable political gamble, as she could be forced to wear the monitoring device during the final, crucial months of the presidential campaign. The first round of voting is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a runoff on May 2. Le Pen had previously said she would not run if required to wear a tag, as she would not feel 'totally free' to campaign. Public prosecutors have also said they will appeal the court's decision to reduce her sentences.

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 83, has signed constitutional amendments that abolish direct presidential elections and extend his tenure until 2030, according to a government notice issued Tuesday. The changes make Zimbabwe the latest African nation to amend its constitution in a way that allows an incumbent president to remain in office longer. Mnangagwa had previously pledged to step down when his second and final term ends in 2028.

Parliament approved the amendments in June with backing from Mnangagwa's ruling ZANU-PF party and some lawmakers from the fractured opposition. The revised constitution postpones the next election, scheduled for 2028, by two years and scraps public voting in presidential elections—lawmakers will now choose the president. The amendments also extend the terms of the president and members of Parliament from five years to seven years, though the constitutional two-term limit remains unchanged.

The changes have drawn sharp criticism from human rights lawyers, civil society groups, opposition politicians, and some veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation war. Critics argue that extending presidential terms requires approval through a national referendum. In recent months, police have banned public meetings, arrested and detained critics of the reforms, while others have alleged harassment and intimidation. Zimbabwe's courts have yet to rule on several legal challenges seeking to overturn the amendments. Mnangagwa has ruled the southern African nation of about 15 million people since 2017, following the military-backed ouster of longtime leader Robert Mugabe.

U.S., Canadian, and European authorities announced charges against 37 defendants connected to three Indian international crime syndicates, including charges against Lawrence Bishnoi, leader of an Indian criminal group, for orchestrating the 2023 assassination of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The charges were part of a two-year investigation involving agencies across multiple countries that targeted groups tied to kidnappings, racketeering, extortion, firearms dealing, drug trafficking, and murder.

Nijjar, 45, was fatally shot outside a temple where he served as president in British Columbia in June 2023. The killing sparked a major diplomatic crisis after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were 'credible allegations' that the Indian government was involved. Bishnoi, 33, and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh are accused of orchestrating the assassination. Bishnoi is in custody, but Singh remains at large. Authorities said Bishnoi's organization 'routinely targeted prominent religious, social and political leaders with violence' in exchange for large sums of money.

Nijjar was a prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan and was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora. He was wanted by Indian authorities at the time of his death, and India had offered a reward for information leading to his arrest. The assassination led to both India and Canada expelling diplomats from the other country. Authorities said the three criminal organizations have members in countries including the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, with seven fugitives still being sought in the U.S., two in India, and one in Europe.

Hungary's main public television channel M1 halted news broadcasts on Tuesday, while state-run radio station Kossuth was suspended altogether, as part of efforts to make state media 'independent and trustworthy.' The dramatic move marks a sharp break from 16 years of tight media control under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was ousted in April. A message displayed on M1's black screen read: 'Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long.'

New Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who made media reform a key campaign promise, described the announcement as 'historic' and 'the end of propaganda broadcasts.' In a statement, Magyar said: 'They lied at night, they lied during the day, they lied on every wavelength. That is now over.' Kossuth's frequencies began broadcasting classical music station Bartok Radio instead, and websites for both M1 and Kossuth were down Tuesday afternoon. Kossuth typically focuses on news, current affairs, sports, and culture.

MTVA, which runs M1, said the channel would temporarily restart in a new format without news programs, with bulletins gradually introduced alongside a new editorial team. The suspension of state media operations represents one of the most visible steps taken by Magyar's government to reverse Orbán's consolidation of power over Hungarian institutions. Under Orbán's leadership, state media outlets had become widely criticized for serving as propaganda vehicles for his government's messaging.