French far right claims momentum for presidency after local elections  politico.eu France’s Socialists hold on to power in major cities in election boost for mainstream  BBC Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire elected Paris mayor, as National Rally fails to take key cities  The Guardian French Far Right Falls Short of Statement Win in Yardstick Local Races  The New York Times Leftists…

Iran’s foreign minister returns to Pakistan as Islamabad races to save U.S. ceasefire talks  Fortune Live updates: Iran’s top diplomat in Russia for Putin meeting as US peace talks stall  CNN Top Iranian Official in Russia for Talks With Putin on Middle East War  The New York Times Pakistan still seeks to bridge US, Iran gaps despite failure…

The C.I.A. Helped Pinpoint a Gathering of Iranian Leaders. Then Israel Struck.  The New York Times Report: US advanced Iran strike after CIA pinpointed Khamenei’s location  The Times of Israel In Khamenei’s absence, pragmatist Larijani emerges as power broker in Iran  Reuters Ali Larijani is an increasingly plausible heir in Iran  The Economist CIA tracked Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei…

Trump team defends redistricting push as GOP faces limited gains  The Washington Post Judge bars certification of Virginia redistricting results; state AG promises appeal  CNN “I wish none of this had happened”: GOP’s buyer’s remorse on redistricting  Axios Hakeem Jeffries finally gets a signature win  Politico Democrats up in Virginia, but US voters may pay price for redistricting war  Al…

U.S. cities step up security amid Iran tensions  Axios House assumes ‘heightened security’ posture as US strikes Iran – Live Updates  Politico Federal agencies, US cities on alert for potential retaliatory attacks amid Israel-Iran war conflict; no specific threats for IL  ABC7 Chicago U.S. Capitol security “heightened” due to Iran conflict  Axios Police in DC region increase patrols after…