Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Donald Trump dismissed concerns that the conflict in Iran was draining American firepower as clashes resumed in the on-again off-again hostilities that have stretched more than six months, with neither side willing to restart negotiations to end the war.“This is a relatively little war for us,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “This is not a big war.”
2) A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square on Monday, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to officials.The shooting happened just before 4:30 p.m. next to a New York Police Department substation, just outside One Times Square, the building that hosts the city’s annual New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration. It is one of the most heavily touristed and policed spots in all of New York.
3) US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after repeated clashes with his boss, Pete Hegseth, leaving the service without several top leaders even as the conflict with Iran continues.Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. His decision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.