Iran Vows Revenge; Trump Says War May End Soon

<p>Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.<br />On today's podcast:<br />1) Iranian attacks on Israel and Arab states in the Persian Gulf continued overnight into Wednesday, while President Donald Trump said the US could end the war with the Islamic Republic &ldquo;in the near future.&rdquo;Iran launched fresh waves of missile and drone attacks, targeting the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It also struck Tel Aviv and killed two people.<br />2) President Donald Trump is desperate to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease a growing global energy crisis. He won&rsquo;t achieve that easily without a ceasefire in the war on Iran.Iran&rsquo;s sporadic attacks on vessels and the threat of mines have cut traffic in the vital waterway to a trickle, effectively putting Tehran, not outside naval forces, in charge of the flow. The strait carries about a fifth of the world&rsquo;s oil supplies, and the disruption has led to production cuts, fuel shortages and price increases from Asia to Europe and Africa.<br />3) Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic nomination for the state&rsquo;s US Senate seat on Tuesday, beating a rival who far out-spent her and handing a victory to her boss and potential 2028 presidential candidate, Governor JB Pritzker.With more than 80% of the ballots counted, Stratton garnered 40% while Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi took 33%, according to Decision Desk HQ. Representative Robin Kelly, who some Democrats thought would undercut support for Stratton, trailed with 18%.</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>