U.S. and Iran Blow Past War Deadline, and the Rise of Islamophobia in Texas

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, August 17th, here's what we're covering. As of today, the U.S. and Iran have blown past the 60-day deadline they set to reach a broad deal to end the war. Back in June, President Trump celebrated the so-called Memorandum of Understanding that was supposed to stop the fighting, reopen the straight-of-war moves, and rein in Iran's nuclear program. But the ceasefire deal faltered almost immediately, with strikes resuming, Iran reasserting control over the strait, and the U.S. reimposing its blockade of Iranian ports. While the passing of the deadline today is to some extent symbolic, it underscores how six months into the war, Trump has failed to achieve his main goal of crushing Iran's nuclear program, and how emboldened the Iranian government feels. Over the weekend, Iran's Foreign Minister said the country hasn't decided yet whether to even resume direct talks with the U.S. Analysts say that the U.S. and Iran now seem to be in a drawn-out campaign of economic attrition, basically a high-stakes game of chicken, Iran's using its control of the strait to push up global energy prices, and the U.S. is using the blockade, along with re-imposed sanctions to pressure Iran's already-struggling economy. One expert on Iran told the Times, quote, "They both think that in a matter of days or weeks, the other side will be more desperate for a deal." Meanwhile, in a convoluted social media post yesterday, President Trump said he'd ordered the Pentagon to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally. In the post, Trump slammed South Korea for not joining the, quote, "de-nuclearization of Iran," and said the military exercises would be overly hostile to North Korea, which he praised as "respectful and unthreatening." The U.S. and South Korean militaries have held joint exercises for more than 70 years, and their relationship has been seen as a key part of the U.S. security strategy in the region, as both North Korea and China have flexed their military muscle. According to a senior U.S. military official, the Pentagon was caught off guard by Trump's sudden announcement. Just last week, a defense official said the exercises would be an opportunity to simulate combat against North Korean troops, who have recently gained crucial battlefield experience helping Russia and Ukraine. Over the last few decades, the Muslim population here in Texas has really grown, particularly in the urban areas, if Houston, where I live, and up in Dallas. But along with that growth, we've seen a real rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, and this is something that had been present on the fringe, particularly on the right, but that's really moved into the mainstream of Republican politics in the state. Jay David Goodman is the time's Texas bureau chief. He says that this summer, at the Texas State Republican Party Convention, nearly every speech included some expression of anti-Muslim sentiment, and there were multiple panels at the event, warning of a Muslim invasion. Hard right figures in the state have increasingly described Islam as incompatible with American values, with some going so far as to claim that Islam is not a religion, but a political ideology. And David says, as the Islamophobic rhetoric has been amplified, some Texas lawmakers have gone beyond words, and tried to use the power of the state against Muslim groups. For example, state leaders have tried to block a real estate development built around a new mosque. I spent a lot of time this year, along with several of my colleagues here in Texas, going around to mosques, to Muslim-owned businesses, and talking to folks, to families about what they make of this really virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric that they're hearing from some state leaders and others around them. And there's various different attitudes that you hear. Some, especially in leadership, still believe that there's a kind of outreach that can be done. That presenting themselves is really just another religion is the way to win over people that they see are skeptical, but maybe would understand them if there was just a little bit more dialogue. But there are others in that community who feel like that model has more or less failed, that they've been trying this for decades now, and what the community needs is a more aggressive legal posture to defend the rights that Muslims have in this country. And lastly, outside of these high level discussions among Muslim leaders are just the kitchen table conversations among Muslim families about what to do in the face of all this rhetoric, especially coming from leaders in their state. And most of the people I talk to were sort of waiting and watching and feeling like they came to this state or they live in this state because of the opportunities that they do have here in the community that they have made. But they are still thinking about what the line would be where they'd think about leaving Texas. When would they feel like this has gone too far and they can't be here anymore? In Hawaii. I've been driving around the city of Hilo and some of the surrounding communities on the east side of the big island. This area was hit pretty hard by strong gusts and unrelenting rain. Also the areas I visited on Sunday afternoon were still without electricity. My colleague Orlando Mayerkeen is reporting on the aftermath of tropical storm La-La, which was downgraded from a hurricane as it passed just south of the islands this weekend. The storm brought heavy rain. At 1.4 casters were predicting as much as 3 feet, and Orlando says that some of the worst damage seemed to have occurred in rural areas along the southern edge of the big island. There have been reports of homes being swept away by flood waters and roads that were completely destroyed and have made the area difficult to access. As of this morning, there have been no confirmed reports of storm-related deaths, but more than 200,000 homes and businesses lost power, as huge trees toppled by the storm took down transmission lines. At least two hospitals on the big island are operating on generators, and access to another hospital was cut off after parts of a major highway collapsed. Local officials say they're prepared to use helicopters to transport patients to the facility, which is the only hospital serving that part of the island. Even as the storm moves away, officials are warning about a continued threat of mudslides and storm surges. And finally, the actress Hayden Panatier, who emerged as a child star with "Remember the Titans" and went on to feature on the TV series Heroes and Nashville, has died at 36. Her father confirmed her death to the times, no other details were provided. Panatier had just published a memoir in May offering a raw and sometimes unsettling look at her life in Hollywood. She'd spent the last decade dealing with depression, substance abuse, and stints in rehab. Her mother got her into modeling when she was just 11 months old. Then came roles on soap operas, and she was on Jay Leno by 7. Her breakout role came when she starred in Titans alongside Denzel Washington. Her biggest recent role came as a troubled country music singer on Nashville, earning her two golden globe nominations, though she largely stepped away from the spotlight after that. When she published her memoir this year, she wrote about Hollywood as a dangerous place, especially for young women, describing how when she was a teenager, someone on her team handed her a quote "happy pilled" pepper up on the red carpet, and now she ended up at parties with older predatory men. Tap Lloyd headlines followed her for years, calling out how she looked or speculating about her personal life as she lost custody of her daughter. She also wrote about the grief of losing her brother in 2023 who also dealt with substance abuse issues. In an interview with The Times this spring, Panatier said she was hoping to return to acting, and that she'd also love to produce and direct, saying that for this new phase of life, she had a quote "laundry list of aspirations." Those are the headlines. Today on the daily, a look at the high stakes legal strategy of Luigi Manjone, who's accused of shooting a healthcare CEO on the street in Manhattan in 2024. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you are not a time subscriber yet, you can get a full month of free access to everything we publish when you download The Times app now. I'm Tracy Mumford, we'll be back tomorrow.