U.S. Central Command carried out self-defense strikes in southern Iran targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz — even as Iranian negotiators arrived in Qatar for peace talks. Trump said the deal is "proceeding nicely," while Secretary of State Rubio said finalizing language could "take a couple of days." Iran's foreign ministry accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire, and Trump has called a rare Cabinet meeting at Camp David for Wednesday as negotiations intensify.
The national average for regular gas climbed to $4.56 per gallon — a new 2026 high — as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed due to the Iran conflict. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett rejected talk of economic storm clouds on Sunday, insisting energy prices will "plummet" once a deal is reached. Meanwhile, 76% of Americans say economic conditions are getting worse, consumer confidence is at a nearly four-year low, and inflation hit a three-year high in April.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin ripped Sen. Cory Booker, Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and other New Jersey Democrats who demanded access to the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark over Memorial Day weekend, calling it "nothing more than a political stunt by sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks." Sherrill was refused entry. Some 300 detainees had written an open letter alleging inadequate medical care and insufficient food at the privately run facility.
The Daily Caller catalogued the 10 biggest election upsets of the cycle so far, headlined by Rep. Dan Crenshaw's stunning 15-point primary loss to Ted Cruz-backed Steve Toth in Texas. Rep. Thomas Massie fell to Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein in Kentucky. Five of seven Indiana GOP state senators targeted by Trump also lost. On the Democratic side, progressive Analilia Mejia upset Tom Malinowski in a New Jersey special primary, signaling turbulence across both parties heading into November.
Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told Secretary Rubio that Russian forces will soon commence "systematic and sustained strikes" on Kyiv, warning foreign embassies to evacuate. Over the weekend, Russia launched 90 missiles — including the nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile — and 600 drones at Ukraine, killing at least two and wounding 83. The EU ambassador to Ukraine responded defiantly: "Russia wants fear, panic, isolation of Ukraine. It will not work. We are staying in Kyiv."
The foreign ministers of the US, India, Japan, and Australia met in New Delhi on Tuesday and agreed to jointly develop a port project in Fiji and deepen cooperation on critical minerals and energy security. The Quad meeting also addressed Iran and threats to global energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, as the four-nation grouping expands its strategic and economic footprint in the Indo-Pacific to counter Chinese influence.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged sweeping new proposals to protect children from social media addiction "within months, not years," including an Australia-style ban on social media for users under 16. His government will launch a three-month consultation next month on the proposed ban and other measures that would go beyond the existing Online Safety Act. The EU is also eyeing a similar bloc-wide ban by this summer.
Colossal Biosciences successfully hatched 26 healthy chickens from reusable artificial titanium eggs lined with a bioengineered membrane that mimics oxygen transfer through a natural shell. The breakthrough is a critical step toward the company's goal of reviving extinct species including the dodo, the moa, and eventually the woolly mammoth. Researchers say the technology could also boost hatch rates for critically endangered birds.
A new Cleveland Clinic study finds that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are associated with significantly lower progression to stage 4 disease in patients with lung, breast, colorectal, and liver cancers. The real-world study of over 12,000 patients will be presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago next week. Results for prostate, pancreatic, and kidney cancers also trended positive but did not reach statistical significance.
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" officially went off the air in May after CBS canceled the program, citing what it called "purely a financial decision." The show had reportedly been hemorrhaging more than $40 million annually on a budget exceeding $100 million per season. CBS has replaced the iconic late-night slot with Byron Allen's "Comics Unleashed." Critics speculated politics played a role — the cancellation announcement came days after Colbert called Paramount's $16 million Trump lawsuit settlement a "big fat bribe."
