Wednesday morning news: July 15, 2026

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

Iran latest / no fees in strait » President Trump is backing off his plan to charge ships for protection in the Strait of Hormuz.

He'd floated a 20% toll on cargo passing through to fund the U.S. forces guarding it. But Tuesday, he dropped it saying Gulf allies offered another path to compensate the U.S.

TRUMP: They've been very strong partners. And they said, we'd love to do it a different way. We'd love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars.

U.S. Navy ships are enforcing a blockade around Iran's ports this morning, after Iran attacked oil tankers in the strait. Washington lifted it last month, under the ceasefire meant to end the war, but that truce that continues to falter.

TRUMP: We had a deal two days ago. It was done, and then all of a sudden they couldn't do it. They didn't like something about the deal. And they shot first. And that was a big mistake.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says the problem in trying to achieve lasting peace is who's across the table.

JOHNSON: They're not good faith actors. They cannot be trusted. They'll say one thing and literally walk out the door and do the opposite.

Iran says it, not Washington, controls the strait.

Mediators led by Pakistan are trying to get both sides talking again. Before the war, a fifth of the world's oil moved through the strait, but traffic has again slowed to a trickle.

SCOTUS justices testify » Two Supreme Court justices did something Tuesday that no justice has done in about seven years: testify before Congress.

Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett went before a House spending panel to defend the court's budget, and to ask for more money to counter a rise in threats against the justices. Justice Kagan:

KAGAN: For some of us, those threats have come very close. And all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize.

Justice Barrett also shared how threats have impacted her family. More on that later in the program.

Lawmakers on Tuesday also pressed the justices about ethics concerns. Several justices have faced scrutiny over book deals and gifts they've received. Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro:

DELAURO: As justices of the Supreme Court, you can and do accept these gifts without any committee or without hesitation.

But Justice Barrett pushed back:

BARRETT: We are not permitted to accept gifts, with some nuances and some exceptions, from litigants before the court.

And Justice Kagan pointed to separation of powers and warned against letting either the White House or Congress police ethics at the nation's highest court.

KAGAN: You don't want a president picking an inspector general to decide which of us is breaking the rules.

The justices adopted their own code of conduct nearly two years ago, but it carries no means of enforcement. Critics in Congress want that to change.

Darlene Graham Nordone sworn in as senator » Elsewhere on Capitol Hill

AUDIO: Can you please raise your right hand…

Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley administered the oath of office to Darline Graham Nordone, who takes her later brother’s place in the US Senate.

AUDIO: Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States…

Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed his sister to serve out the remainder of his term, which expires in January.

AUDIO: …of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you God? I do. Congratulations.

Darline Graham Nordone is a longtime South Carolina public administrator.

No word yet on whether she will run for a full term in November.

Kevin Warsh remarks » The new chairman of the Federal Reserve is vowing to crush inflation.

In his first appearance before Congress, Kevin Warsh told House members Tuesday:

WARSH: Inflation's a choice. The members of our committee have no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation, and we share a resolute commitment to ensure price stability

With the Iran war reignited and energy prices climbing again, hopes of a rate cut have largely evaporated.

Warsh again vowed that the Fed will remain independent, and said he's confident about the road ahead:

WARSH: If we get policy right, and I can assure you we will, the inflation surge of the last five years will be a thing of the past

His pledge came just hours after a new report showed inflation cooling. The yearly rate dipped to 3.5%, from 4.2%, as gas prices fell during a lull in the Iran war.

The Fed's next rate decision comes in two weeks.

House passes bill to make Daylight Savings permanent » There will be no turning back the clock if the House has its way. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher explains.

BENJAMIN EICHER: The House passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent. The vote was 308 to 117.

The country tried this once before. In 1974, it switched to year-round daylight saving time to save energy, then ditched it within a year, after dark mornings turned the public against it.

Opponents of the bill are again highlighting darker mornings, especially in the winter. But supporters say it would give Americans more daylight in the evening, when they're most active.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where its odds are unclear. The Senate passed a similar measure four years ago, but it died in the House.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

France / Ukraine » In Paris:

SOUND: [Bastille Day parade]

..Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined French President Emmanuel Macron to oversee a Bastille Day military parade Tuesday.

Representatives of several nations in the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" took part in the festivities. The group aims to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

Meanwhile in Washington, plans are moving ahead for Congress to advance a bill that would levy new financial penalties against Moscow. House Speaker Mike Johnson:

JOHNSON: We've long supported a Russia sanctions bill—the vast majority of the Republicans do. I was heartened to hear that apparently Senate Republicans and the White House have come up with a formula that they think will work.

President Trump said the sanctions would honor the memory of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who spearheaded it.

I'm Kent Covington.

Coming up on World Tour: outcry in Nigeria over a string of abductions in Western-style schools. Plus, the complicated path from community college to a bachelor’s degree.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.