Vessels attacked in the Strait of Hormuz as sailors grow desperate

Summary

Apple News Today – May 15, 2026

Episode Title: Vessels attacked in the Strait of Hormuz as sailors grow desperate

Host: Yasmeen Khan
Guests/Contributors: Joe Parkinson (Wall Street Journal), Adam Sewer (The Atlantic), Rebecca Ellis (LA Times), with quotes from political figures and reporters.

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Episode Overview

This episode of Apple News Today centers on three major news stories:

• The worsening humanitarian crisis faced by sailors trapped in the Strait of Hormuz after recent vessel attacks.
• A significant Supreme Court decision on voting rights with nationwide political ramifications.
• Explosive allegations against a California mayor accused of acting as a Chinese agent, underscoring US-China tensions.

Additional stories touch on abortion drug access, US immigration leadership upheaval, and Princeton University's Honor Code changes in response to AI.

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1. Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz

Main Points:

• The Strait remains blocked after attacks on two ships: one seized, one sunk (00:23–01:07).
• 20,000 mariners from around the world, especially from the “global south,” are stranded for months, enduring dire conditions:
  • At least 10 deaths
  • 30 ships hit by Iranian missiles and drones
  • Depleting food, water, and medical care

Key Insights & Reporting:

• Host Yasmeen explores the limited media focus on the seafarers’ plight, compared to the strait’s impact on oil prices.
• Joe Parkinson (WSJ) has direct communications with sailors, such as Shamim Sabir, documenting their growing desperation.

Notable Quotes:

• “We haven't really had anything quite like this, where 20,000 sailors from all across the world are stuck in what has essentially become a bizarre kind of prison.” — Joe Parkinson (00:13)
• “It's a slow-motion humanitarian crisis unfolding for these individuals.” — Joe Parkinson (03:18)
• Parkinson describes sailors sending pictures of injuries and requests for news; medical care is unavailable, and frustration mounts:
  • “They’re essentially hostages, hostages in a nautical prison.” — Joe Parkinson (02:51)

Timestamps:

• Situation overview and recent attacks: 00:23–01:48
• First-hand account of sailors’ conditions: 01:48–03:36

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2. Supreme Court Voting Rights Decision & Redistricting Fallout

Main Points:

• Supreme Court ruled against Louisiana’s new Black-majority district in Louisiana v. Calais, making it easier for states to dilute minority voting power (03:36–04:42).
• Southern Republican lawmakers (including in Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi) begin redrawing maps that likely solidify GOP advantages.

Guest Insights:

• Adam Sewer (The Atlantic) discusses the historical and political stakes:
  • “It’s been years now that every Congress that comes in is more diverse than the Congress before it, and we'll see what happens. But that may not be true anymore.” — Adam Sewer (04:14)
  • He highlights the fragility of “permanent majorities” by referencing the shifting fortunes of both Obama and Trump electoral coalitions (04:42).

Notable Moments & Quotes:

• Effects are immediate in Louisiana, where Black incumbents may face off due to a lost majority-Black district.
  • “Democrats spent decades trying to engineer electoral maps that divided Americans. This decision from the Supreme Court hopefully ends that terrible practice once and for all.” — House Speaker Mike Johnson (05:33)
• Unprecedented confusion:
  • “You literally don't know where you'll be running potentially for Congress.” — Rep. Shamari Figures (06:15)

Broader Context:

• Sewer warns of mutual escalation in partisan redistricting (“constitutional hardball”):
  • “The only thing worse than constitutional hardball is unilateral constitutional hardball...there’s no way to get to de-escalation unless the de-escalation is mutual.” (06:41)

Timestamps:

• Voting rights ruling summary: 03:36–04:42
• Discussion of political and social implications: 04:42–07:15

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3. US–China Tensions: California Mayor Accused as Chinese Agent

Main Points:

• Eileen Wang, former mayor of Arcadia (LA suburb), resigned after federal charges of acting as an agent for China and failing to register as such (07:15–10:54).
• Prosecutors allege Wang posted propaganda on a local Chinese American news site at the direction of Beijing, including requests to refute reporting on Uyghur abuses.

Notable Reporting:

• Rebecca Ellis (LA Times) explains Wang’s actions:
  • “The allegations are that she was posting articles that were sent to her by the Chinese government, and she was posting them on a news site that was kind of branded for local Chinese American community.” (08:46)

Community Impact:

• Ellis warns of xenophobic backlash against Asian American officials:
  • “A lot of xenophobia and racism... you just kind of have immediately seen this racist backlash online.” (10:54)

Key Details:

• Wang faces up to 10 years in prison as part of a plea deal.
• No Arcadia city finances or decision-making were reportedly involved.

Timestamps:

• Explaining the charges: 07:15–09:29
• Impact on community and politics: 09:29–11:19

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4. Additional News Highlights

Abortion Drug Access – Mifepristone:

• Supreme Court allows telehealth/mail access to mifepristone to continue while case proceeds (11:19).
• Telemed abortions now account for one in four US abortions.

US Immigration Leadership Shakeups:

• Mike Banks, politically appointed chief of US Border Patrol, resigns.
• Leadership changes continue following deaths linked to Border Patrol in Minneapolis.

AI and Princeton Honor Code:

• After 133 years, Princeton drops unproctored Honor Code exams, citing AI-enabled cheating (11:19–end).
• Faculty and students pushed the change; similar trends occurring at other schools.

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Memorable Moments

• On seafarers in the Strait:
  • Desperate sailors fishing for food from massive oil tankers; injury photos sent to reporters (02:05–03:05).
• Supreme Court chaos:
  • Elected officials don’t know which district they are running in due to redistricting upheaval (06:15).
• On anti-Asian backlash:
  • Immediate racist assumptions against Asian-majority councils after espionage charges (10:54).

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Takeaways

This episode delivers a panoramic view of pressing global and domestic crises, weaving human stories from the Persian Gulf to local American politics, highlighting fragile democratic institutions, the risks of tech-enabled cheating, and the complexities surrounding US-China relations. The reporting is urgent, nuanced, and often sobering, with firsthand accounts exposing the human costs behind headlines.

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For further exploration:

• Extended conversation with Adam Sewer on the Supreme Court’s voting rights decision (linked in the Apple News app).
• In-depth coverage on all discussed topics available via the Apple News app and associated partner publications.

Transcript

[Yasmeen Khan]

Good morning. The dueling blockades in the Strait of Hormuz continue. The Wall Street Journal explains the dire situation for some ship operators stuck there.

[Joe Parkinson]

We haven't really had anything quite like this, where 20,000 sailors from all across the world are stuck in what has essentially become a bizarre kind of prison.

[Yasmeen Khan]

The Atlantic tells us how the Supreme Court's voting rights decision could shift political power for decades. And a California mayor is acc of being a Chinese agent. The LA Times breaks down the case. It's Friday, May 15th. I'm Yasmeen Khan, and this is Apple News. Today, The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz continues to worsen, particularly for the tens of thousands of mariners stranded there. Two ships were attacked in the strait on Wednesday. The first boat, which was anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, was seized and taken toward Iran. The second was sunk near the coast of Oman. It's unclear who was responsible for the attacks, but the strikes only worsened the anxieties of 20,000 seafarers waiting for safe passage out of the strait. While much of the focus of the conflict has been about soaring energy prices, the Wall Street Journal spent some time communicating with a handful of sailors stuck on stranded cargo ships and containers in the strait. Many of the crews are subsisting at this point on dwindling food and water supplies. At least 10 people have died, and 30 ships have been struck by Iranian missiles and drones since the war began. Joe Parkinson of the Wall Street Journal told us about Shamim Sabir, a Bangladeshi sailor and chief navigator of a ship stuck near the end of the strait.

[Joe Parkinson]

As the weeks have turned into months, the situation for Shamim and for others is becoming increasingly desperate.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Parkinson told us that Sibir and his crewmates consistently study the latest statements out of the White House to try and parse when they might be able to leave.

[Joe Parkinson]

It's a dispiriting conversation because our chats kind of track how much more desperate he's getting, both for news and for basic provisions. You may have seen images of the sailors in the straits dangling fishing rods off the sides of their vast cargo tankers or oil tankers to catch fish.

[Yasmeen Khan]

The U.S. s project to rescue and escort ships out of the area lasted just 36 hours before President Trump called it off.

[Joe Parkinson]

These individuals, who, by the way, are mostly from countries across the world who don't have a stake in this war, mostly from countries across what we call the global south India, Syria, Philippines, Ukraine, Latin America. These sailors are stuck with very, very few levers that they can pull to get out and they're essentially hostages, hostages in a nautical prison.

[Yasmeen Khan]

And while the idea of simply waiting may seem benign, Parkinson assured us that's not the case.

[Joe Parkinson]

They're sending us messages saying, do you have any information? Can you update us? Showing us pictures of injuries that they'd got when the boats had been struck by missiles, their skin, but proper injuries that, of course, there's no appropriate medical help that they can get. And so you, you just have all of this conspiring. It's a sort of slow motion humanitarian crisis that's unfolding for these individuals.

[Yasmeen Khan]

It's been about two weeks since the Supreme Court ruled on the voter redistricting case, Louisiana v. Calais. The conservative majority ruled that a new electoral map in Louisiana that added a black majority district was unconstitutional. And that opinion, delivered by Justice Samuel Alito, made it easier for states to legally draw voting maps that reduced the voting power of black residents and other minority groups. The reactions were swift. In several Southern states, Republican lawmakers were quick to gather in special sessions to redraw maps that would likely favor their party ahead of this year's midterms and beyond.

[Adam Sewer]

It's been years now that every Congress that comes in is more diverse than the Congress before it, and we'll see what happens. But that may not be true anymore.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Adam Sewer is a staff writer at the Atlantic and this week's guest on Apple News and Conversation. He sat down with guest host Sam Sanders to talk about the ruling, the reaction, and what the history of voter disenfranchisement in America can tell us about what could happen next, not just for this year's midterms, but for 2028 as well.

[Adam Sewer]

You can't really control where people move. So sometimes districts you think are going to be bulletproof are, in fact, not. There are no permanent majorities after Obama. You know, Obama seemed to have assembled this invincible coalition, and then Donald Trump shattered it when Hillary Clinton tried to put it back together for her campaign.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Despite the initial flurry of reaction to the Supreme Court ruling, some redistricting efforts will take months or even years to take shape. Mississippi and Georgia have plans to redraw maps, but not until 2027 and 2028. Elsewhere, the effects may be felt as soon as November. Louisiana Republicans successfully eliminated one of two black majority districts, changing the midterm race into one that could pit the state's two black members of Congress against each other. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke about the redistricting in his state on Wednesday.

[Mike Johnson]

Democrats spent decades trying to engineer electoral maps that divided Americans. And this decision from the Supreme Court hopefully ends that terrible practice once and for all.

[Yasmeen Khan]

And in Alabama this week, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the state to use a congressional map that had been blocked by a lower court. Absentee voting had already started there. Alabama will hold special midterm primaries in four of its seven congressional districts, causing confusion among voters about whether their early ballots will be valid and which districts they belong to. Now. Representative Shamari Figures, a Democrat in Alabama, told MSNOW's Chris Jansing on Wednesday that he doesn't know which district he's currently running to represent.

[Mike Johnson]

So you literally don't know where you'll

[Yasmeen Khan]

be running potentially for Congress.

[Mike Johnson]

We don't. And that's the that's the unfortunate position that the Alabama state legislature and leadership in the state has put us in by attempting to rush through this process.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Sewer says these electoral map battles point to a bigger problem in politics today, one that will only become more pronounced as both sides of the political spectrum take part.

[Adam Sewer]

The only thing worse than constitutional hardball is unilateral constitutional hardball. So the reality is that the Democrats are starting to engage in some of the same stuff that Republicans are doing in terms of aggressive political gerrymanders, the purpose of which is to ensure that Republican votes are wasted and that they cannot elect Republican representatives in certain districts without a substantial landslide of some sort. They are doing that and it's not good for democracy. But there's no way to get to de escalation unless the de escalation is mutual.

[Yasmeen Khan]

You can hear the full discussion on Apple News and Conversation this week. If you're listening in the Apple News app, we'll queue it up to play for you next. President Trump wrapped up his visit to China this week. Among the more tense issues that will likely linger after the summit are spying and influence campaigns. The New York Times reports the US Government has continued to call out China on various incidents, including stealing AI models from US Tech companies and secretly providing Iran with targeting data to carry out major strikes on the spying issue. A couple of recent events in the US have highlighted those tensions. A man in New York on Wednesday was convicted of operating a Chinese spy outpost from a building in Manhattan. And a bizarre situation in a Los Angeles suburb unfolded this week that involves Chinese propaganda, the resignation of a mayor, and allegations of a covert influence campaign directed by high level officials in Beijing. That story broke as President Trump was trying to focus his efforts in China on high stakes conversations about the war in Iran and competition in the AI industry. Eileen Wang was the mayor of Arcadia, a prominent LA suburb that is home to a large Chinese American population. Wang stepped down after reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

[Rebecca Ellis]

The allegations are that she was was posting articles that were sent to her by the Chinese government, and she was posting them on a news site that was kind of branded for local Chinese American community.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Rebecca Ellis is a reporter with the Los Angeles Times.

[Rebecca Ellis]

And what she's been charged with is not registering as a foreign agent of China.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Prosecutors say between 2020 and 2022, Wang acted under the control of the Chinese government to promote Chinese interests. On a website called US News center, she and her former fiance allegedly received directives from officials in Beijing. And after posting requested articles, they then reported back with screenshots showing how many hits each article received.

[Rebecca Ellis]

One of them was this article that had been done by the Consul General for the Chinese government here in la. And it was a piece basically saying they were not persecuting the Uyghur group, and it was not accurate.

[Yasmeen Khan]

In 2020, the LA Times reported on a campaign of genocide and vast cultural erasure of Uyghur people in China. The Times editorial board also wrote in support of a boycott of cotton produced in the Xinjiang region, where China is accused of major human rights violations against Muslim ethnic Uyghurs. An article Wang received from the Chinese government refuting those claims was posted within minutes. And she received a compliment from a Chinese official for how quickly it was put online. It was in another instance, she replied, quote, thank you, leader, after an article received 15,000 views. Ellis reports that if Wang had registered with the government as a foreign agent, her posts on the news site wouldn't have violated the law. The federal government requires people engaging in certain political activities on behalf of foreign entities to make periodic public disclosures. Her former fiance, who operated the website with her from 2020 through at least 2022 and served as her campaign manager, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. Ellis says Wayne's actions are reverberating through the community.

[Rebecca Ellis]

I think there's a lot of shock. There's a lot of fear. I think one of the things that has come out, sadly, almost immediately after these charges is a lot of xenophobia and racism because this is an entirely Asian council. And you just kind of have immediately seen this racist backlash online, Other council members being accused of working in conjunction with the Chinese government. And I think there's a lot of fear that these charges will stoke a backlash.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Ellis reports the community is also frustrated. Wang stayed in office after her former fiance was convicted. For her part, Wang claims none of her actions happened while in city government, and Arcadia's city manager said after an internal review no city finances or decision making was involved. Wang, as part of a deal with federal prosecutors, will plead guilty and faces up to 10 years in prison. And finally, a few other stories were following. The Supreme Court yesterday ruled the abortion drug mifepristone can continue to be prescribed via telehealth and delivered through the mail. The high court stayed an order by the fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that banned receiving the drug by mail and would have applied to the entire country, not just states like Louisiana, which has an abortion ban on the books and brought the case against the fda. NPR reports receiving the drug by mail is part of the reason why abortions are up. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, about a quarter of abortions in the US now happen via telemedicine. This isn't the end of the line for the mifepristone case, however. Thursday's decision will stand as it works through lower courts and notably, the fda, which is the defendant in the case, did not file a brief to the Supreme Court. The FDA's chief, Marty Makary, resigned on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mike Banks, chief of the U.S. border Patrol, resigned yesterday. It's the latest shakeup in the US Immigration system's top leadership. Banks appointment was somewhat unprecedented. He came to lead the agency as a political appointee after previously working as the border czar for Texas governor Greg Abbott. Banks post has traditionally been filled by a career Border Patrol official. During his tenure under Trump, Banks took on a bigger role in the administration's enforcement efforts, which often meant time spent far away from the actual border. It's been a period of notable change for U.S. immigration. Former Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen recently took over as Homeland Security secretary, replacing the embattled Kristi Noem, who Trump fired in March. And Gregory Bovino, the brazen Border Patrol commander often seen in the media, left his post after intense scrutiny surrounding the deaths of two Americans killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis. And adding to the list of ways AI is affecting education is a change to the 133-year-old honor code at one of the country's most prestigious universities for more than a century, proctoring the practice of monitoring test takers was banned at Princeton since 1893. Students gave their word that they wouldn't cheat. It was an honor code students and faculty took as a point of pride. Now, thanks to AI, Princeton faculty voted to require all in person exams be monitored. Starting this summer, the Wall Street Journal reports a significant number of undergrads and teachers requested the change because of a perception that cheating during in class exams had become widespread. Princeton's Dean noted AI has made it both easier to cheat and harder to detect. The school was just one of a few with such a code. Meanwhile, many other universities have turned to old school solutions like blue books and oral exams to weed out AI cheating. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, stick around for Sam Sanders full conversation with Adam Sewer from the Atlantic about the Supreme Court's voting rights decision. If you're listening in the podcasts app, you can follow Apple News and Conversation to find that episode, or come back to the Apple News Today feed on Saturday. Enjoy the weekend and we'll be back with the news on Monday.