Iran Talks Heat Up, Carroll Case Gets Criminal, and AI's Trillion-Dollar Moment

In this episode of The Morning Rundown, hosts Maya and David work through a packed news cycle covering escalating Middle East tensions, notable developments in U.S. politics and the justice system, and a major shakeup in the AI industry.Listeners will get grounded context on why a potential U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal is moving oil markets, what Netanyahu's 70% Gaza directive signals about Israeli strategy, and how back-channel Pentagon diplomacy coexists with ongoing airstrikes in Lebanon. On the domestic side, the hosts break down the DOJ's criminal probe into the funding behind E. Jean Carroll's lawsuits against Trump, a federal court's refusal to block mail-in voting changes, and a Supreme Court ruling on racial bias in a Mississippi death row case. The episode closes with a look at Anthropic's dramatic rise to a $965 billion valuation and an FBI warning about a phishing scheme called Kali365 that can hijack your accounts without ever stealing your password.U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks: JD Vance says a deal is close but not finalized; oil dropped over 1% on the news alone, reflecting how much markets are watching.Gaza and Lebanon: Netanyahu orders Israeli forces to take control of 70% of Gaza while Israeli and Lebanese officials head to Washington for Pentagon talks, even as airstrikes on Lebanon continue.DOJ probe into Carroll lawsuit funding: The investigation targets both Carroll's deposition statements and the nonprofit that bankrolled her legal case, raising questions about the legality of litigation funding.Anthropic leapfrogs OpenAI: A $65 billion funding round pushes Anthropic's valuation to $965 billion, with growing enterprise trust seen as a key factor in its rise.Kali365 phishing warning: The FBI says this scheme hijacks active browser sessions rather than stealing passwords, meaning two-factor authentication alone is not sufficient protection.