The latest on the war with Iran

The latest on the war with Iran

The war in the Middle East spiraled further Monday as Israel and the U.S. pounded Iran with strikes. Tehran and its allies hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas. A bomb-carrying drone boat struck a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday, killing one mariner on board, Oman said. Iran has been threatening vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz and is believed to have launched multiple attacks. Earlier, Saudi Aramco temporarily shut down its Ras Tanura oil refinery near Dammam after it was targeted by Iranian drones. Iran’s decision to target the Saudi refinery further expands the war, directly targeting the lifeblood of the kingdom’s economy. For more on the latest, we’re joined by Senior Correspondent at Reuters Alexander Cornwell and Mohamad El Chamaa, reporter for The Washington Post based in Beirut, covering Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and the Gulf.

With files from the Associated Press.

The legality of this new war with Iran

Over the weekend, with Israel, the United States launched what appears to be an open-ended joint military operation against Iran. Key members of Congress are demanding a swift vote on a war powers resolution that would restrain President Donald Trump’s military attack on Iran. Many Democrats are calling the operation illegal, saying the Constitution gives Congress alone the power to declare war. To them, the administration has failed to lay out its rationale or plan for the military strikes, and the aftermath. Guest host Jacob Margolis is joined by Milena Sterio, Professor of Law at Cleveland State University College of Law and Ishaan Tharoor, former global affairs columnist for the Washington Post.

With files from the Associated Press.

Following the US strikes against Iran, we discuss how this act of aggression came to be and what’s next

Following our conversation on the legality of these strikes, we’ll look into what prompted the United States to take this act of aggression against Iran, as well as the two countries’ relationship over the years. Joining us for this conversation is Linda Robinson, senior fellow for women and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Nicole Grajewski, nonresident scholar in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and an expert in Russia-Iran relations.

How the Iran war is impacting the economy

Last hour on AirTalk, we discussed the latest on the war with Iran and what could be next for both the U.S. and Iran as the campaign continues. But the war is already starting to have an impact on the economy as well. Oil prices climbed, and stock markets slipped Monday as investors and households got the first chance to see what the war in the Middle East could mean for their finances. Crude prices jumped more than 6%, which will likely translate into higher prices at gasoline pumps, because of fears that a widening war could slow the global flow of oil. More expensive fuel will also hit many U.S. companies, and sinking stocks for airlines, cruise lines and others helped drag the U.S. stock market lower. Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, which are important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa and the West to Asia, remained closed after they were all directly hit by Iranian strikes. Long-haul carriers Etihad and Emirates restarted limited flights today. For more on the economic fallout of this new war, we are joined by Andrew Campbell, Executive Director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley Haas school of business and Leslie Josephs, airline reporter for CNBC following the news.

With files from the Associated Press.

What we know about the U.S. Military’s use of AI tools, including in its strike against Iran

Multiple news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, have reported that the United States military used Anthropic’s artificial intelligence tool, Claude, when striking Iran over the weekend. The A.I. tool has the capability of assessing military attacks and scenarios, including target identification; these reports also follow the ongoing feud the Pentagon has had with Anthropic, looking to have complete, unfettered access to Claude’s capabilities, which the tech company has refused to do. Following the strikes in Iran, we’ll be looking to dig into U.S. military use of artificial intelligence with Mike Stone, Reuters reporter covering the U.S. defense industry and the arms trade, and Emilia Probasco, senior fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).

SoCal History: The California Coastal Act turns 50. What has it done for our beaches?

Something we often take for granted in California is public access to our beaches. The ability to walk down to the shoreline and dip a toe in almost anywhere along the coastline. That is thanks to the California Coastal Act. Passed in 1976, the Coastal Act established a coastal zone, a narrow strip along the beach that made the high tide line accessible to the public and development limited. It also created the California Coastal Commission, responsible for regulating developments to ensure they abide by the act. Now, 50 years since its enactment, the Coastal Act has seen little amendment, but a lot of pushback from developers and some housing advocates that see the act as an obstacle to create affordable housing along the coast. Today on AirTalk, we dive into the history of the Coastal Act, what it has done for California’s beaches, and where it may be able to improve to help shepherd the state’s coast into the future. Joining us is Deborah Sivas, professor of environmental law at Stanford University.