Meet the New War
Plus: YIMBY high schoolers, Vance alienates Jewish donors, AI for homework help, and more...
Same as the old war: On July 10, President Donald Trump sent a letter to Congress informing them of a new war between the U.S. and Iran and his intention to take "military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States' interests both at home and abroad."
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In other words, he reset his own clock, allowing him 60 more days to wage war with no congressional approval. Props for proceduralism, I guess?
This comes on the heels of Trump declaring on Friday that "the Cease Fire is OVER!" and, on Monday, that he would be reinstating the blockade of Iranian ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz:
Trump says he will seek a 20% cut of all shipping in the Strait and reinstates the blockade of Iranian ships: pic.twitter.com/qMmMxzWjjz
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) July 13, 2026
Only 10 ships passed through yesterday, a massive decline in shipping volume that had mostly resumed during the truce. An average of about 130 ships transited through the strait per day before the hostilities started.
"My whole life is deals. I don't see it, I don't see it with them," he said of the Iranians last week, also noting his interest in taking Kharg Island, which is home to a super important oil terminal (and would be of great strategic value for targeting the mainland, if it were successfully seized). "There may be a big attack and it will knock out a lot of stuff. We don't knock out nothing, we knock out a lot."
Trump seems to believe, after months of somewhat failed attacks, that the United States has the wherewithal—both politically and practically—to act as "guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and to seize Kharg Island and to sort matters out diplomatically and to respond to any attacks that come our way.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Gulf of Aden is heating up:
(Reuters) - A tanker has reported being approached by six small boats 50 nautical miles (93 km) south of Yemen's Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported on Monday, adding warning shots were fired by the tanker.
The British maritime security firm Ambrey later…
— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) July 13, 2026
This raises the likelihood that a second front is going to open up (which would have major, possibly crippling, implications for global shipping). In this scenario, ships would lose their backup route. (In fact, some traffic already reroutes through here specifically to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and all the fighting that's been flaring up there.) If both zones are under siege, insurers and shipping companies have nowhere safe to go in this part of the world; expect oil prices to reflect this.
It's also not clear who is responsible, though. Note that conflict between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has been flaring up in the last few days.
Scenes from New York: "Smith and Bisegna have distinct YIMBY origin stories," writes Matthew Sedacca at Curbed. "Smith, who lives in Ditmas Park and at 16 already sounds like the politician he'll likely one day become, tells me it was living near Coney Island Avenue and its endless blocks of single-story auto shops and self-storage units that he thought should be apartments. His parents, the journalists Ben Smith and Liena Zagare, probably had some influence, too: Eli says that Zagare cried after learning the City Council had landmarked their Victorian, basically condemning it to remain a two-family forever. 'As much as I love my neighborhood, if we wanted to tear down our house and build a six-story apartment building, I think we should be allowed,' he says. 'I think that would probably be a net good for the neighborhood.'"
QUICK HITS
- "Darline Graham Nordone was picked Monday to serve out the term of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), who died suddenly over the weekend," reports The Washington Post.
- "The number of students at public, two-year schools that focus on vocational and trade programs grew by nearly 20 percent from 2020 to 2025, according to National Student Clearinghouse data," per The New York Times. "Yet members of this new generation of trade workers say they are encountering pushback of the 'we just want what's best for you' variety from family members, school counselors and friends. By choosing to pursue careers in the trades, they found themselves butting up against widespread perceptions that trade jobs were inferior to white-collar work—perceptions they were eager to change."
- "European leaders are standing firm on a security program that has led to long lines, confusion and missed flights at airports this summer, despite an urgent plea from the aviation industry to suspend it," reports The New York Times. "The Entry/Exit System, or E.E.S., requires members of the 29-country Schengen open-border area to collect biometrics like face photos and fingerprints from travelers upon arrival and to confirm their identities upon exit. Since the system took full effect in April, airports and airlines have reported widespread chaos—including hourslong security checkpoint lines and confusion over procedures—and have feared the headaches could worsen as peak travel season begins."
- Interesting read from Politico: "Vance's tough talk on Israel is alienating some Jewish GOP donors."
- "A federal judge ruled on Monday that President Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service was an improper exercise in self-dealing and barred him from claiming that the extraordinary tax protections he received were part of a legitimate settlement agreement," reports The New York Times. "In the 56-page order, the judge, Kathleen M. Williams, also referred the lawyer who brought Mr. Trump's case against the I.R.S. to the Florida bar for potential disciplinary proceedings. She added that she would forward her decision to the New York bar for its continuing investigation of the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche."
- I didn't think I would ever agree with Jill Filipovic saying something should be made illegal but…I dunno. It's possible I agree:
It's incredible how we've just decided that AI can be everywhere, do everything, destroy anything - including children's minds. This, for example, should not be legal. pic.twitter.com/RXcyLlTsxj
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) July 14, 2026
