What the morning news shows covered today: one entry per story, every show's take.

U.S. Central Command destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman, bringing the total to eight since Saturday, in response to Iranian missile attacks on a U.S. Navy warship. Iran retaliated by targeting U.S. vessels, ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. troops at an airbase in Jordan, where Jordan intercepted most of the missiles. Iran also released visuals of a captured U.S. underwater naval drone. The Pentagon under Secretary Pete Hegseth is not being forthcoming about damage to U.S. bases, and the Trump administration asked satellite companies to censor images over the Gulf. Gulf Arab states are broadening defense ties with other countries while waiting for the U.S. to show its path forward.

SOURCES  1 · 2

The U.K., Canada, and France announced trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Britain accusing settler violence of amounting to ethnic cleansing. Israel retaliated by closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem and expelling British representatives. The Palestinian Authority welcomed the sanctions, though a West Bank village chairman doubted Israel would change its behavior. The trade ban will likely not significantly affect Israel's economy because West Bank exports to the U.K. are mostly agricultural and very low.

SOURCES  1 · 3 · 4

President Trump signed an executive order to restrict mail-in voting by empowering the Postal Service to regulate ballot design and control voter eligibility lists, turning a neutral agency into a partisan political operator. Twenty-four Democratic-controlled states sued, arguing the order is unconstitutional and practically impossible to implement with less than 60 days until the election. A federal judge initially struck down key components, but the Supreme Court permitted the rule to continue, ruling the case was not yet ripe. A Postal Service whistleblower revealed the agency continued building the voter list portal despite the legal back-and-forth, describing the work as sloppy. Local election officials are conducting voter education campaigns while preparing contingency plans, but voters are experiencing universal confusion.

SOURCES  3

New York City released over 150,000 documents revealing officials knew the air around Ground Zero was highly toxic but withheld information to limit liability. The documents show city officials discussed liability concerns and misled the public rather than just misinforming them. First responders and residents were misled, and the disclosure is expected to trigger a wave of new lawsuits. The city began covering its liability three weeks in rather than taking steps to ameliorate the damage.

SOURCES  2 · 5

Proposition 40 proposes a one-time 5% tax on the cumulative wealth of California's billionaires, with 90% of proceeds funding healthcare to offset federal cutbacks. The measure has split the state's Democratic coalition, drawing opposition from Governor Gavin Newsom, major labor unions, and tech billionaires like Sergey Brin, while gaining support from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Congressman Ro Khanna. Billionaires are pouring tens of millions into stopping the wealth tax and qualifying rival ballot initiatives. Polling shows the wealth tax holds a tenuous majority in the low 50s, but proponents expect to be heavily outspent by a $100 million opposition ad campaign.

SOURCES  6

Delcia Bare and her mother Ida Huddleston rejected a $26 million offer from a developer seeking their 297-acre Kentucky farm for a hyperscale AI data center, stating they would rather die on their property than be displaced. Bare views AI as the biblical beast system from Revelation that enables tracking and persecution. The proposed data center has divided Maysville, with opponents filing lawsuits against neighbors who sold land while supporters argue the project brings needed jobs and economic progress. Official paperwork recently pointed toward Meta as the company behind the Maysville data center, though a Meta spokesman stated no final decision has been made.

SOURCES  7