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Why this matters:

• McConnell’s statement came on the heels of the unexpected death of his fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. McConnell said he cannot return to the Senate “quite yet.” Coupled with Graham’s passing, that will temporarily whittle the GOP majority in that chamber down by two, to 51-47, as Republicans try to increase military funding, advance President Donald Trump’s agenda and confirm Trump’s nominees.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Who could replace Lindsey Graham
  
  
• From staunch critic to fierce ally: Graham’s long, strange and consequential friendship with Trump
  
  
• Senate returns to Washington with uncertain agenda
  
  
• Michigan Sen. Gary Peters backs Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in contentious race to succeed him
  
  
• Ukraine reels after Graham’s sudden death, fearing a weaker link to Trump

WORLD NEWS

US and Iran vie for control of Strait of Hormuz in latest attacks

Each country asserted Monday that they controlled the waterway after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Iran and the U.S. are nearly at the midway point of the 60-day period of an interim deal that was supposed to set up talks for a permanent end to the war. Instead, it has devolved into a series of attacks over the strait and its future, worrying world leaders that the Iran war could fully resume.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• WATCH: The US military’s latest wave of strikes
  
  
• Oil prices jump following new attacks
  
  
• Iran persecutes its Baha’i minority fiercely in a year of protests and war, rights groups say
  
  
• Qatar’s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at 74
  
  
• Support for Israel is less important for younger Jewish Americans, AP-NORC poll finds

WORLD NEWS

Fire breaks out at a beer hall in Bangkok, killing at least 27 people

A huge fire tore through a beer hall in Bangkok overnight into Monday, killing at least 27 people and injuring dozens before firefighters brought the blaze under control. Read more.

What to know:

• Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, but Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said investigators would examine the ceiling materials and whether any emergency exits may have been obstructed, potentially making it more difficult for people to evacuate.