Friday morning news: June 26, 2026

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Iran / Strait of Hormuz » The United Nations on Thursday paused a rescue of ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz after one came under attack.

A Singapore-flagged cargo ship was hit off Oman. U.S. officials blame an Iranian drone. No one was hurt in the incident. 

The UN's maritime agency then froze its plan to evacuate thousands of stranded sailors and ships until it can guarantee their safety.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Bahrain, drew a red line:

RUBIO: We see the continued flow of ships in this particular case, that, that lane is the one that's being used for this evacuation effort that's being led by the International Maritime Organization, and that must continue. And as long as it continues, they can have all the press conferences they want. 

If that stops, then we're gonna have a problem.

Just before the strike, Iran's Revolutionary Guard had warned ships off of the rescue route —several tankers turned back, others diverted.

The strait is a major artery for the world’s oil supply, and traffic had finally been climbing back toward prewar levels.

Iran allowing traffic to pass safely through the strait was a critical component of the framework peace deal with the U.S.

Mullin DHS testimony » On Capitol Hill:

AMODEI: We're gonna have a little visit with you, as is the tradition

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin faced tough questions from a House panel on Thursday.

Democrats wasted no time criticizing Mullin's leadership. In one heated exchange, Illinois congresswoman Lauren Underwood questioned whether DHS is reporting deaths in detention centers.

UNDERWOOD: Will you commit to reporting detainee deaths as required by law?

MULLIN: We do report them, ma'am. No, I don't know. We report these. What you're talking about is what Congress has asked us to do, which we're not required to do is report the deaths after they're released. That doesn't make any sense.

Mullin also testified about what he said were more than 400,000 migrant children who made it across the U.S. southern border during the Biden administration. He said many of those children were ultimately sex trafficked in conditions he characterized as horrific.

MULLIN: And as a father to six, and three beautiful girls, when you see this, there's evil in the world. There's evil in the world! And we fed it! The Biden administration fed it for four years!

The secretary also fielded questions about the security for the World Cup. He said so far there have been some threats, but no serious issues.

Earthquake aftermath » The United States is among the nations rushing aid to Venezuela after two devastating earthquakes.

Back-to-back quakes—magnitude 7.2 and 7.5—struck near the Caribbean coast Wednesday evening. They were among the strongest in a century there. Nearly 200 people as of last night were confirmed dead, with more than 1,500 injured, and those numbers are expected to climb.

Secretary of State Rubio says U.S. rescue teams are already on the way—and the Pentagon will play a big logistical role:

RUBIO: Because they have the ability to land in challenging places. Right now, the airport in Caracas is damaged, one of the runways is cracked—but the Department of War has the capability to land in situations like that.

Acting president Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday thanked the United States and others for help.

RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking in Spanish)

Relations between Washington and Caracas have warmed since the ouster of deposed dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Supreme Court decisions » The U.S. Supreme Court is in its home stretch, handing down decisions in significant cases, with four more yesterday. 

WORLD’s Harrison Watters reports now from Washington.

HARRISON WATTERS: In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled the judiciary cannot block the Department of Homeland Security from ending temporary protected status, or TPS, for immigration from “unsafe” countries. Earlier this year, the Trump administration moved to end TPS for immigrants from Haiti and Syria. The court’s ruling allows that policy to stand, requiring immigrants to apply for asylum or leave the country.

In another 6-3 ruling, the court decided that immigration law does not require the U.S. to process asylum requests from people who have not yet entered the United States from Mexico.

Other opinions struck down restrictions on concealed guns in Hawaii and ruled a cancer patient could not sue an herbicide company for failing to warn about risks.

The court returns on Monday, with eight decisions still to come in cases ranging from presidential authority, to women’s sports.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters in Washington.

Economy expands » The U.S. economy is on steadier footing than expected. The government now says it grew at a solid 2.1% pace in the first three months of the year—better than its earlier estimate.

But your wallet may not feel it just yet. A closely watched inflation gauge just hit a three-year high, driven mostly by gas prices. Gas prices recently pushed north of $4 per gallon nationally.

But the Trump administration says costs should ease now that the fighting with Iran has stopped. And there's early evidence of that, as gas and energy prices have already started falling, though they are not expected to return to pre-war levels quickly.

I'm Kent Covington.

And straight ahead, Katie McCoy joins us for Culture Friday. And later, your listener feedback for the month of June.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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