Trump’s New Middle East Dilemma, and How DraftKings Uses A.I. to Target Gamblers
The Headlines
This episode of The Headlines covers a series of significant political and investigative reports, ranging from President Trump's hesitation regarding airstrikes against
Key takeaways
- President Trump recently declined to proceed with planned airstrikes against the Houthi militia despite pressure from the Saudi crown prince.
- Journalists from CNN, Politico, and MS Now have been barred from entering the White House following a ban announced by Trump.
Main topics
- Trump's Middle East military strategy
- White House press access restrictions
Notable quotes
We are in imminent danger now and can't keep living like this.
Conclusion
The episode provides a dense overview of high-stakes global politics a
Transcript preview
Speaker 4 (0:00) Hi, friends and fellow students. Americans living abroad can legally vote in the U.S. election. Register or get tailored support at VoteFromAbroad.org. Look, state deadlines are super close, so don't waste another second. Go to VoteFromAbroad.org now and click Request My Ballot and ask to receive it by email. All you got to do is fill it out and send it back in. Don't miss this chance to shape the future. Don't delay. VoteFromAbroad.org. Speaker 6 (0:28) From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracey Mumford. Today is Monday, September 21st. Here's what we're covering. The Times has learned that over the weekend, President Trump was on the verge of launching new airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen. According to Trump administration officials, yesterday morning, U.S. troops were loading bombs onto warplanes and commanders had approved lists of Houthi targets before Trump decided not to move forward, at least for now. The officials say that for the past two weeks, Trump has been going back and forth about whether to strike the Houthis, who are allied with Iran and have recently reignited fighting with Saudi Arabia. On one side, Trump has been hearing directly from the Saudi crown prince, a major U.S. ally, who has called the president directly to implore him to step into the fight. At the same time, one senior administration official said that most of the president's inner circle has been either deeply skeptical about joining the fight against the Houthis or have opposed it outright, especially given existing strains on the U.S. military caused by the ongoing war with Iran. There are also major questions about how effective any new U.S. strikes would be. Last year, Trump ordered nearly eight weeks of bombing against the Houthis, with U.S. forces hitting more than 1,000 targets like radar systems, ballistic missile sites, and a drone production hub. But since then, the militia has rebuilt much of its capabilities and has even been using AI tools to develop and engineer new types of missiles. This weekend, the group said it launched a wave of drones and missiles at Riyadh, the Saudi capital. And recently, the Houthis have taken control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, which could further disrupt another crucial shipping route in the Middle East for oil and gas. Until now, the group hasn't been attacking U.S. ships in the region. But one administration official said that if Trump does order strikes against the militia, that would probably change. Speaker 6 (2:44) Now, three more quick updates on the administration. First. Speaker 2 (2:48) So I walk in, I tap my badge, and it beeps a couple of different times. It turns red, blue. Speaker