Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) The US and Iran have agreed to stop attacking each other before peace talks resume over the Strait of Hormuz and other issues. Technical talks are scheduled to continue on all aspects of a memorandum of understanding reached this month, with both sides standing down for now and vessels able to move freely. The exchange of attacks began over the waterway, with the Islamic Republic striking a container ship, prompting Washington to hit Iran, and both sides blaming the other for breaching the ceasefire.
2) Russian President Vladimir Putin said he’s ready to continue talks with US envoys on ending the war in Ukraine. Putin rejected a proposal to halt long-range strikes that have proven damaging for both sides, saying his retaliatory strikes deep into Ukrainian territory are much more powerful. The Kremlin expects US negotiators to travel to Moscow to continue talks on ending the war in Ukraine once Washington is less focused on the conflict with Iran.
3) The US Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on President Trump's bids to oust a Federal Reserve governor and roll back automatic birthright citizenship this week. The court will decide whether Trump can remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook temporarily while she fights mortgage fraud allegations, and whether he can restrict birthright citizenship to babies with at least one parent who is a US citizen or green-card holder. The justices will also rule on other cases, including Trump's effort to fire top officials at executive-branch agencies for any reason, and cases related to election laws and transgender athletes.