In today’s newsletter: Iran and Israel exchange attacks for the first time since the April ceasefire. Nithya Raman takes a narrow lead for second place over Spencer Pratt in the L.A. mayoral race. And in a Southeast Asia fraud network, enslaved workers are forced to target Americans.
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Here’s what to know today.
Israel strikes Iranian military targets after Tehran launches attacks
Israel and Iran exchanged a wave of attacks yesterday and this morning, threatening to tilt the Middle East back into all-out war with their first direct confrontation since the April ceasefire with the United States.
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The Israeli air force hit military targets belonging to the “Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran” early Monday local time, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The strikes happened hours after Iran launched missiles toward Israel after Israel hit the southern suburbs of Beirut in retaliation for alleged Hezbollah attacks.
Oil prices surged this morning after the attacks.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed that both “Israel and Iran are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE!”
The president has repeatedly said that a deal to end the war is imminent, despite no such agreement materializing.
Follow live updates on our blog.
More on the Iran war:
- Exclusive: Trump said the U.S. will work with Iran to retrieve and destroy its highly enriched uranium if they can make a deal — or, in the absence of an agreement, that he will further degrade the Iranian military to the point that American forces can safely collect the material on their own. The president also said the two sides are “very close” to signing a pact, but that he is pushing for Iran to go further in abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
Staff Pick: How watching ‘Love Island USA’ became the unpaid ‘second job’ of millions of fans
Keeping up with “Love Island USA” can be a full-time commitment, with new episodes airing six days a week for six weeks. Fans of the popular reality dating series say it’s important to watch each episode as it airs to keep up with the online discourse and avoid spoilers. I spoke with several fans about how they’re rearranging their daily schedules to fit in the show.
One told me that she makes sure to finish her obligations by 8 p.m. so she can be showered and ready to watch at 9. Another said she’ll watch “Love Island” on the treadmill to balance her workout and love for the show. Though it may seem rigid, many people shared that there’s a sense of community that comes with their dedication.
— Angela Yang, trending reporter
Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make L.A. mayoral runoff
City council member Nithya Raman has taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the race to face Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff this fall.
NBC News projected Bass’ advancing to the runoff last week, but the winner of the second spot is undetermined. Pratt, a Republican, has seen his hold evaporate as Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, caught up.
As of last night’s latest update, she overtook Pratt by a few thousand votes. It’s part of a pattern all over the state since primary night: Democrats have gained more votes as the counting process continues.
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” which aired yesterday before the race update, Trump claimed without evidence that California’s elections were “rigged.”
“Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later, they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?” he said to moderator Kristen Welker. Under California’s vote-by-mail system, it often takes several days for a winner to be announced in competitive races.
Read the full story here and track live results from the Decision Desk as the votes are tallied.
Inside the world’s scam capital, where enslaved workers are forced to defraud Americans
Five young men thought they were going to Cambodia to intern at a casino. Instead, they say, they became enslaved in one of the world’s most sophisticated fraud networks, an industry that has swindled billions of dollars from Americans and turned Southeast Asia into the online scam capital of the world.
Lured by the promise of well-paying jobs, hundreds of thousands of people like them have been coerced into engaging in scams such as posing as women online, cultivating intimate relationships with foreigners to defraud them of their savings.
“They said if you don’t work, we will kill you,” one victim told NBC News.
Under pressure from the U.S., other foreign governments and rights groups, Cambodia is cracking down on cybercrime rings that are mostly run by Chinese gangs. But dismantling the industry is no easy task, experts say.
Read All About It
- Six people were injured in a knife attack at New York City’s Penn Station, authorities said.
- At least 19 people are dead and hundreds are injured after a 7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines.
- Video captured fireworks erupting out of a trailer on a Tennessee highway.
- Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley accused CBS News chief Bari Weiss of tilting coverage to align with Trump’s framing.
- The U.S. fought the flesh-eating screwworm for decades. Now it’s back.
- A watch party outside the New York Knicks’ home court won’t be held for Game 3 of the NBA Finals because Trump plans to attend.
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
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