US and Iran Trade Attacks Again, Sen. Lindsay Graham Dies, Congress Returns

The US war in Iran went back into high gear over the weekend. Iran attacked another commercial ship and declared the Strait Of Hormuz closed. US central command says it struck dozens of targets and insists Iran does not control the Strait. Hi, Martinez. That's Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News. Senator Lindsey Graham was a tough critic of candidate Trump who became one of president Trump's strongest allies in Congress. He died suddenly this weekend at the age of 71. What legacy does the South Carolina Republican leave behind? And Congress returns to session today. Senate Republicans already had a long to do list. With Graham's death and senator Mitch McConnell's absence, their thin margins are even thinner. How will they pass their agenda? Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day. This message comes from Schwab. Investing with Schwab is like spending a Saturday at the farmer's market. You can fill your reusable tote bag with a bit of everything. Maybe you go for some free range self directed investing or pick up a few farm fresh trades while you peruse. You can even get help from a dedicated advisor. That's full service wealth management. No matter your goals or appetite for investing, Schwab has everything you need all in one place to invest your way. Visit schwab.com to learn more. Support for NPR and the following message come from Rippling. These days, you can chat with AI about almost any business problem, but Rippling AI is designed to actually solve them. That's because Rippling AI is built on your live global workforce data. So it doesn't just uncover insights into your business, it uses them to take complex actions across your departments. Ready for AI that isn't all talk? Head to rippling.ai/first and get an AI that turns insight into action. That's rippling.ai/first. Sign up today. US and Iran continue to vie for control over the Strait Of Hormuz, that crucial international waterway. A new wave of US strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone launchers and coastal radar sites late Sunday night. That's according to US central command. Iran responded by targeting US bases in The Gulf and Jordan. For the latest, we turn to NPR's Hadel al Shailchi, who is in Istanbul. Hadel, good morning. Good morning. So it's been almost a week since this back and forth of strikes over the Strait Of Hormuz started. What is the US government saying about this latest round? That's right. So US Central Command released a statement late Sunday eastern time, and they said, quote, the Strait Of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it. US CENTCOM also said that they had hit dozens of Iranian targets at multiple locations with precision munitions claiming it had degraded Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping through the Strait Of Hormuz. Iran did not respond to that claim, but said that one person was …