Oil Prices Jump as U.S. and Iran Resume Strikes, and Big Tobacco Makes a Big New Bet

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The Headlines 10 min 5 speakers 4 chapters transcribed 2 months ago
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Lauren Dragon 0:00
Hey, it's Lauren Dragon from Wirecutter, the product recommendation service from the New York Times. And I test headphones. We basically make our own fake sweat and spray it over and over on these headphones to see what happens to them over time. We're going to put on some noise-canceling headphones and see how well they actually block out the sound. I have 3,136 entries in my database. Kids, workout, what version of Bluetooth? At Wirecutter, we do the work so you don't have to. For independent product reviews and recommendations for the real world, come visit us at nytimes.com slash Wirecutter.
Tracy Mumford 0:32
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, July 8th. Here's what we're covering. In the last 24 hours, the U.S. and Iran have started trading attacks again, launching the first major strikes in nearly two weeks. According to the Pentagon, it began when Iran attacked three commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, including an oil tanker and a ship carrying natural gas. In response, the U.S. military said it carried out strikes against more than 80 targets inside Iran. The U.S. also reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on the ships. But this morning, Iran's armed forces said they were retaliating by targeting dozens of U.S.
Tracy Mumford 1:22
military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. At the center of the new flare-up is the continuing question of who controls the strait. The U.S. and Iran signed a preliminary agreement a few weeks ago that was designed in part to get traffic going again through the crucial waterway. But it didn't say how that should happen, and Iran has insisted that all ships must take the route closest to its shores, in waters it controls. The renewed hostilities put extreme pressure on negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which have been trying to reach a long-term peace deal. This morning at the NATO summit, President Trump faced questions about what is next.
Lauren Dragon 2:02
Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead?
Donald Trump 2:06
It's a very interesting question to me. I think it's over.
Tracy Mumford 2:11
And he cast doubt on what will happen to those talks.
Donald Trump 2:15
Frankly, I don't want to waste my time with them. Now, I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it. I don't like these people, you know that?
Tracy Mumford 2:27
Meanwhile, following Trump's remarks and the latest attacks, oil prices rose sharply. They are far below their peak at the height of the war, but the average price of a gallon of gas across the U.S. is still almost 30 percent higher than it was before the fighting started.
Tonight you say you are a candidate for the presidential election.
Tracy Mumford 2:56
So tonight I am a candidate for the presidential election. In France yesterday, the far-right populist leader Marine Le Pen announced she's running for president right after a court lifted a ban on her from seeking public office. It's a stunning reversal for Le Pen, who is one of the most prominent far-right figures in Europe.

How did U.S. and Iranian strikes resume and what triggered the latest escalation?

Tracy Mumford 3:15
She had faced the ban after being convicted on corruption charges. This will be her fourth presidential campaign, and she has moved closer to victory each time.
Mark Landler 3:23
Marine Le Pen's party presents a very classic populist agenda with a major emphasis on cutting back immigration and a real assertion of France's national sovereignty. And this has proven to be a very effective pitch to voters in France.
Tracy Mumford 3:42
Mark Landler is the Times Paris bureau chief. He says several polls show Le Pen is the frontrunner.
Mark Landler 3:48
Le Pen's political survival this week has huge implications for French politics. She is the undisputed leader of the far-right movement in France and a very familiar face in French politics. The ideas she's pushing have, of course, taken root in other European countries and even in the United States. And so for the next 12 months, This French campaign is going to draw attention from all over the world as perhaps the most important contest between populism and centrism that we've seen in a Western democracy in the last few years.
Tracy Mumford 4:25
Le Pen's first rally is today, and Mark says it's possible, due to her corruption conviction, that she may have to campaign while wearing an ankle monitor, which would be an unprecedented sight.

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