The New York Times

1. Iran Risks Peace Talks With U.S. to Maintain Leverage Over Strait

   Iran sees its control over the Strait of Hormuz as critical leverage in peace talks with the United States. It seems willing to risk the cease-fire to maintain that power.

2. Here’s What to Know About the Standoff in the Strait of Hormuz

   The United States and Iran have engaged in rounds of attacks and counterattacks in recent days, eroding hopes for a quick return to normalcy in the Middle East.

3. Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.

   An agreement between the U.S. and Kazakhstan has given a group of American investors with ties to the president and the commerce secretary access to one of the world’s largest untapped reserves of tungsten.

4. Kazakhstan’s Leader Deepens U.S. Ties, Saying Trump Was ‘Sent by Heaven’

   The Central Asian nation is aggressively courting President Trump’s Washington to counterbalance its powerful neighbors, Russia and China.

5. White House Secretly Swayed Board Meant to Protect Federal Workers From Unfair Firings

   Behind the scenes, the Trump White House went to extensive lengths to advance its theory of executive power, potentially giving the president remarkable leeway to install loyalists at nearly every echelon of government.