The Pentagon estimates the war in Iran has already cost $25 billion, according to Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst. Hurst testified before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who offered no indication of when the war might end during his combative testimony. 🎧 There are no signs that the U.S. or Iran will budge on their blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, NPR’s Greg Myre tells Up First. Shipping traffic through the waterway remains at a standstill, and both sides say they are inflicting economic pain. Both sides also believe the other will give in first, Myre adds. Retired Navy Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan says the U.S. could keep the blockade in place indefinitely. Iran also believes it can maintain the blockade by using a mix of mines at sea and drones and missiles from the shore. Donegan tells Myre that the U.S. could clear Iran’s mines, but it would take time to do so and to further weaken Iran’s forces on land. Myre says a negotiated agreement would be the safest way to reopen the Strait, but those talks are currently stalled. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Louisiana’s 2024 election map was an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” The map established a second majority-Black congressional district. The justices’ 6-3 decision fell along partisan lines. While the court technically kept Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact, the ruling contributes to a series of…Read more