Israel and Iran ceasefire under strain and what to watch in New York City primary: Morning Rundown

NBC News

4 days ago

Israel and Iran agree to a precarious truce after nearly two weeks of fighting. Voters in New York City hit the polls for the mayoral primary. And the defense in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial is not expected to call any witnesses.
Here's what to know today.
Israel and Iran ceasefire under strain
Israel has accused Iran of what it described as a 'severe violation' of President Donald Trump's ceasefire — a charge Iran denies. Speaking to reporters early Tuesday morning, Trump acknowledged that both Iran and Israel violated the agreement and warned Israel against launching another attack on Iran in a post on Truth Social.
The precarious truce was reached earlier when Israel and Iran said they had agreed to a ceasefire proposed by Trump nearly two weeks after Israel first launched airstrikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his country had achieved "all of the objectives" of its military operations in Iran and therefore accepted the terms of the truce. Iranian state media acknowledged the start of the ceasefire early Tuesday local time.
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Trump announced a "complete and total ceasefire" on social media yesterday afternoon and said when it took effect "the war will be considered ended." In an exclusive phone interview with NBC News' Yamiche Alcindor, Trump said the ceasefire would last "forever." Asked whether the war was completely over, Trump said, "Yes. I don't believe they will ever be shooting at each other again."
A diplomat briefed on the talks said the agreement was the result of negotiations by Trump, Vice President JD Vance and top Qatari officials who took the proposal to Iran. Earlier, Iran launched a retaliatory strike on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where thousands of U.S. troops are stationed. No casualties were reported. Experts said the strike appeared to be designed to avoid triggering a massive escalation with the U.S, experts and former officials said.
The 12 days of strikes between Israel and Iran have killed at least 400 people and injured 3,000 in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry, while Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel have killed at least 24 people.
More coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict:
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New York City mayoral primary full of unknowns
It's Election Day in New York City, where voters will cast ballots in the mayoral primaries. It's possible there won't be a clear conclusion at the end of the night about who will appear on the final ballot in November for a couple of reasons: first, the city's use of ranked choice voting means it'll take longer to count the ballots; and second, it's possible a Democratic runner-up will run in the general election on a different party's ballot line.
However, we do know that whoever prevails in this election will be up against Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election in the fall as an independent, and Curtis Silwa, who is running unopposed as the Republican nominee.
There are 11 candidates on today's ballot, including frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, the former governor on a comeback tour. His competitors have rallied around 'Don't rank Cuomo' slogan that encourages voters to leave him off the ballot regardless of which alternative candidates they prefer. Other candidates to watch for include progressive state legislator Zohran Mamdani, who has seen a late rise in the contest, and City Comptroller Brad Lander, whose arrest last week while advocating for defendants in immigration court could also give him a late surge. Here's what else to watch in the contest.
Heading into election day, NBC News and MSNBC data guru Steve Kornacki breaks down what the final polls have to say about the race. Read the full analysis here.
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A Supreme Court ruling now makes it easier for the Trump administration to deport convicted criminals to 'third countries' to which they have no previous connection.
Senate Democrats forced the removal of a provision in the Trump agenda bill that sought to restrict the power of courts to block federal government policies.
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Sean Combs' defense won't call witnesses in federal trial
Federal prosecutors in music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial are expected to rest their case today, and his defense team intends to offer no witnesses of its own — a move that is unexpected but not unusual, legal experts say. 'So what you may hear the defense counsel say during closing arguments is that the prosecution's witnesses 'made our case. We didn't have a burden to prove our case, and the cross-examination of their witnesses makes it clear that we're right and they're wrong,'' said Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor for the District of New Jersey who now practices criminal defense in New York. Not calling Combs to the stand in his own defense is another strategy his team is betting will pay off, said Mark Zauderer, a veteran trial and appellate lawyer in New York.
Over the past few weeks, prosecutors have argued and called witnesses in their efforts to convince jurors that Combs engaged in racketeering conspiracy and other crimes. Combs has pleaded not guilty. Three women have testified against Combs, including his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura. Meanwhile, key testimony from rapper Kid Cudi, a former personal assistant and another former employee of Combs may have advanced prosecutors' case, experts say.
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Staff Pick:
For many diaspora Iranians around the world, the war between Israel and Iran has raised complicated feelings of grief and anxiety alongside bits of hope. I spoke to Iranians across the U.S., U.K. and Israel whose families fled Iran to escape oppression from the regime that took power in 1979. They expressed that while many Iranians in the country and abroad dare to hope for the regime's collapse, there's also an overwhelming sense of fear around civilian casualties and the uncertainties of foreign intervention. — Angela Yang, culture & trends reporter
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