NPR News: 07-15-2026 7AM EDT

Windsor Johnston· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. A U.S. Naval blockade is back in place in the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with Iran escalate. President Trump now says the U.S. will take full control of the key waterway after previously declaring it open for business. NPR's Tom Bowman reports in order to do that, the U.S. would have to sharply reduce Tehran's ability to attack commercial ships.

Tom Bowman0:27

Full control for the U.S. would mean that you had to eliminate or severely reduce Iran's power to fire drones or missiles at commercial ships. Iran has hit at least seven commercial ships in the past week, damaging some, and the U.S. says nearly a dozen crew members are killed, wounded, or missing.

Windsor Johnston· Host0:44

That's NPR's Tom Bowman reporting. China has announced economic growth of more than four percent in the second quarter, the lowest rate in more than three years. Danny Vincent reports the slowdown comes amid weak domestic demand and rising oil prices caused by the war in Iran.

Danny Vincent1:02

China's second quarter growth fell below Beijing's full-year target, but the authorities said growth for the first half of the year remained on track. In March, China lowered its annual growth target to between four point five and five percent, the least ambitious target since nineteen ninety-one. A surge in exports helped to support the world's second-largest economy, driven partly by the boom in artificial intelligence and the demand for Chinese electric vehicles.