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at sites in Iran, Iran continues to attack sites in Israel, and in surrounding Persian
Gulf nations.
“Iran has also threatened the straight of Hormuz, that's a very narrow, waterway in the”
Persian Gulf, that 20% of the world's oil transits. And beer's Jackie North and reports Iran's threats against the straight have effectively shut down shipping for oil tankers. Iran knows that launching the odd missile or drone at a vessel, or even the threat of one, can strangle marine traffic in the straight of Hormuz, like we're seeing now.
And it's using that as a weapon. And this bottleneck is creating serious threat for the global energy shipping, and frankly, the global economy. And beer is Jackie North and reporting. The disruption in oil shipping is caused crude oil prices to soar.
Officials from the group of seven nations are talking today about whether to release some of their oil reserves. Meanwhile, the European Union's top officials have invited mid-East leaders to a virtual meeting today.
“They'll discuss the escalating conflict in the region.”
Terry Schultz reports it's the second such call in the last several days.
European Council President Antonio Costa says he, together with Commission President Ursula Vandaline, decided to call the meeting with mid-East counterparts, quote, "in view of the fast evolving security situation in the region." The virtual conversation will give the two sides a chance to share their assessments of the broadening conflict in Iran and neighboring countries, and how to end it, along with
the possibility of more support from the EU. Foreign ministers from the 27 EU governments held a virtual discussion on the situation with their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council last Thursday, with most representatives calling for more dialogue and diplomacy, while emphasizing that Gulf states have the right to defend themselves against Iran.
For empirical news, I'm Terry Schultz and Brussels.
U.S. air travelers are seeing long, weight times at airport security checkpoints.
The Department of Homeland Security remains partially shut down, affecting the transportation security administration. And PR's Matt Bloom reports from New Orleans that's causing TSA staffing problems at major airports. Security lines snaked out of the terminal, and into the parking garage at New Orleans,
Louis Armstrong International Airport over the weekend. The city's mayor, Helena Moreno, posted a video to social media warning travelers to get to the airport three to four hours early. "We've got really, really long lines at the airport, TSA agents, didn't receive a paycheck, so you have a lot of the workforce that has called in sick."
Houston, Charlotte, and Atlanta have also warned passengers about a spike in callouts, as Democrats say in the White House remain divided on Department of Homeland Security funding and how to reform its immigration enforcement practices. Matt Bloom and PR News, New Orleans. "You're listening to NPR News."
President Trump met with Latin American leaders over the weekend that his estate in Florida. He says they and the U.S. are joining to fight drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. Trump is encouraging Latin American nations to take military action against cartels and drug gains. Meanwhile, the Pentagon says the U.S. has conducted another deadly boat strike in the Eastern
Pacific. U.S. other commands says it hit an alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific yesterday and killed six alleged terrorists. Thousands of people cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama yesterday. They marched to commemorate the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, in 1965, Alabama State Troopers
brutally attacked a peaceful march for voting rights. Troy Public Radio's Alexis Phelps reports. Some of the protests songs from the original march were sung as participants marched across the bridge. Speakers from the stage remembered civil rights leaders such as Joanne Blan, Bernard La Feit,
and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died last month. The number of younger activists were at the event, including college students Savannah Ashley, part of the group Black voters matter.
“"Voting really changes how the world treats us honestly, it changes those in charge of”
everything, it changes our programs, our initiative, it changes everything." A number of speakers also referenced a current Supreme Court case that could significantly alter parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. For NPR News, I'm Alexis Phelps, in Selma, Alabama. On Wall Street in pre-market trading, stock futures are sharply lower.
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