Good morning. The United States and Iran traded strikes this morning, leaving the status of the cease-fire in doubt and challenging President Trump’s claims that the countries are close to a deal to end the war. There’s more news below, including an exclusive look into how the Epstein files shook the White House. But first, we’re taking your questions.
Queried and repliedToday we’re answering questions submitted by you, the deeply curious readers of The Morning. If you have a question, let us know here, and we might answer it in a future edition. We know that thousands of ships are trapped in the Persian Gulf right now. What has life been like for the sailors on them? Anna Fahey, New York City Peter Eavis, who covers global trade, replies: Life is hard and sometimes terrifying for those crews. Nearly 30 vessels have been attacked since the war began, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center, and 11 seafarers have died, according to the International Maritime Organization, a part of the United Nations. And if vessels try to leave the gulf without Iran’s permission, they may come under fire. Most ships are not in ports, so crew members are stranded in the gulf. Shipping companies say they are supplying their vessels with fresh water and food, but crew members have reported shortages.
Oil and energyCan the United States bring down the price of gasoline at the pump by blocking the oil and gas exports and using those fuels ourselves instead of importing any? Mitchell Newman, Chicago Rebecca F. Elliott, who covers energy, replies: An oil export ban would not necessarily be a quick fix for high fuel prices. Gasoline and diesel are traded globally; the loss of U.S. oil might actually cause global prices (including for the fuel we import) to rise further. Also, oil companies could respond by cutting production, bringing prices right back up. If the United States were to go further and ban exports of gasoline and other fuels, that might lower prices at the pump near refineries, such as on the Gulf Coast. But parts of the country that depend on imported gasoline would be in big trouble. I have been told that renewable-energy tech — solar panels, wind turbines, E.V. parts — is just as harmful to the environment as burning fossil fuels, simply in different ways. Is there any truth to this? Nicole Palevsky, Cleveland Brad Plumer, who covers climate technologies, replies: Every energy technology has trade-offs. Solar panels and wind turbines need more land, while mining for metals used in batteries can be dirty. But the use of oil, gas and coal has big environmental impacts, too, including ecological damage from drilling and harmful pollutants from burning the fuels. When researchers look at all those factors together, they typically find that wind, solar and nuclear power create far lower levels of planet-warming emissions and air pollution than fossil fuels do, while electric cars produce fewer emissions, on average, than gasoline-burning cars. Government spendingAlmost weekly, I read that Trump is suing some business or some university. Who pays for these lawsuits? If Trump wins, who gets the payoff? Robert Hanssen, Madison, Wisconsin Michael C. Bender, who covers domestic policy, replies: The government pays for the lawsuits it files, which means that taxpayers do (although there are some instances when defendants can be forced to pay lawyer fees to the government). If there are financial damages after the government sues and wins, that money can be earmarked for victims, deposited into specific government funds or paid directly to the U.S. Treasury. Aside from lawsuits, the Trump administration has settled civil rights investigations with a handful of major universities. If those deals included a fine, that money would be sent to the Treasury, too. U.S. debt recently crossed $31 trillion. How does that compare with other countries’ debt? Liesbeth Gren, Las Cruces, New Mexico Evan Gorelick, a reporter for this newsletter, replies: Our national debt is bigger than our entire economy. That’s huge, even relative to countries with much smaller economies; only a handful are in the same ballpark. Some, like Greece and Venezuela, have suffered tremendously for it — think debt defaults, economic crises and so forth. Elsewhere, notably in Japan, the results haven’t been as catastrophic. But households in Japan act differently from those in the United States. Japanese households save much more money and own 90 percent of their government’s debt, insulating their economy from the deleterious effects of a high debt burden. In the United States, we save less money and own less of our debt. In 20 years or so, economists project, no amount of tax hikes or spending cuts will be able to stop us from defaulting on our obligations — a terrible outcome that’s likely to sink the economy and cast a shadow over an entire generation. The time to change our approach is running short.
Graham Platner, a progressive oyster farmer and Marine veteran, won the Democratic primary to run for the U.S. Senate in Maine, despite a string of controversies. He will face the Republican incumbent, Senator Susan Collins, in a race that may determine control of the Senate. And a week after California’s election, the state knows the second candidate in its November runoff for governor: Steve Hilton, a Republican. He’ll face Xavier Becerra, a Democrat. See more election results here.
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NASA has revealed the crew for its next Artemis mission, just months after the previous crew traveled around the far side of the moon. The four astronauts on this mission have years of experience. One flew aboard a space shuttle more than a decade ago. Another lived on the International Space Station for 371 days — the longest continuous stay in space by a NASA astronaut. Read more about them. The Artemis III mission is set to launch in 2027. The crew will orbit the Earth while testing whether the Orion spacecraft can dock with the lunar lander, which is meant to carry a future Artemis crew to the moon’s surface.
Three writers — an American, a Mexican and a Canadian — explain what the World Cup means to them and their countries. California’s vote count is slow and messy. Setting Election Day as a deadline could solve that, the editorial board writes. Human made. Human played. 75% off. Subscribe to New York Times Games for 75% off your first year. Our best offer is only available for a limited time. Relax and recharge with our full portfolio of games, including Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, the Crossword and more — all mindfully made by humans.
900 miles: Catherine Breed will spend the next four months swimming the length of California — as long as great white sharks, jellyfish and elephant seals leave her alone. A friend in the Vatican: Armando Jesús Lovera has known Pope Leo for decades. They like to chat about cars. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a roundup of the celebrities who attended Game 3 of the N.B.A. finals.
$20.1 trillion— That is the combined wealth of the world’s nearly 3,000 billionaires, an amount equivalent to nearly a fifth of the total value of all goods and services produced by every country on earth in a year. Fifteen years ago, billionaires collectively had $4.5 trillion.
N.H.L.: The Carolina Hurricanes tied the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at 2-2 via a white-knuckle 5-3 win. Game 5 is tomorrow night. |
