NPR News: 07-12-2026 1AM EDT

Dale Willman· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is once again closed. That country's military fired on a commercial ship in the strait Saturday, saying it was using an un- unauthorized route. In response, the US military struck targets along Iran's coast. The renewed fighting is jeopardizing the already tenuous ceasefire. Dominic Tierney is a professor at Swarthmore College. He says reaching a peace deal is always difficult.

Dominic Tierney· Soundbite0:26

Arguably, the single most difficult task that a, an American president can face is extricating the US from one of these failed wars. The US was negotiating for two years to get out of the Korean War. It took five years to negotiate a way out of the Vietnam War. We spent three months in Vietnam just negotiating the shape of the table around which we would negotiate. And similarly, it took years to get out of Afghanistan. So this is not gonna be a, a quick process.

Dale Willman· Host0:57

Maine Senator Susan Collins hit the campaign trail Saturday, one day after a Democratic opponent, Graham Platner, officially withdrew from the race. He dropped out following an accusation of rape by a former romantic partner. Platner denies the charge. Maine Public Radio's Susan Sharon has more.

Susan Sharon1:13

Appearing at Maine's Moxie Day Parade with about 60 supporters, Collins said she has no strong feelings about Platner's departure following an ex-girlfriend's allegation that he raped her. Instead, Collins says she's been focused on recruiting town, city, and county