President Trump arrived at the NATO summit in Ankara and immediately made news by announcing he will lift all U.S. sanctions on Turkey and signaled openness to selling F-35 stealth jets to Ankara — a dramatic reversal years in the making. Turkey was ejected from the F-35 program in 2019 over its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile system, but Trump called Erdogan a "great ally" and said the sanctions are simply "time to take off." Secretaries Rubio, Bessent, and Hegseth are working out the implementation plan.
Toyota Motor North America announced it will invest $3.6 billion to build a second Tacoma assembly line at its San Antonio campus, shifting production entirely out of its Baja California, Mexico plant. The move will add roughly 2,000 jobs and double the Texas facility's footprint by 2030. Trump celebrated on Truth Social: "Tariffs at work!"
President Trump escalated his very public spat with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by posting her photo to Truth Social with the caption "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED" — days before both were set to be in the same room in Ankara. The feud traces back to Italy's refusal to open its airfields during Operation Epic Fury, after which Trump claimed Meloni "begged" him for a G7 photo. Meloni called his attacks "unprovoked and senseless." No bilateral meeting is scheduled, but they'll share NATO dinners.
At least 13 American scientists tied to nuclear and space research have died or disappeared, now prompting a White House-backed FBI investigation coordinated with the Department of Energy and state law enforcement. Cases range from confirmed homicides — including astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, shot at his home — to mysterious disappearances. Trump has said investigators have found "not much of a connection" so far, but members of Congress are demanding answers, and the probe continues to expand.
Three commercial vessels were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to the UK Military Trade Operations Centre, which immediately raised the regional threat level to "severe." Among those hit: a Qatari LNG tanker that sent distress signals with its engine room ablaze, and a Saudi-flagged crude oil carrier damaged off the Omani coast. Iran warned that ships not following its approved transit routes would face a "forceful response" — a major escalation timed to Trump's NATO trip.
Hamas announced it is dissolving its Emergency Committee in Gaza, framing the move as a step toward handing civilian governance to a technocratic body. But Israel and most analysts aren't buying it. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Hamas of attempting a Hezbollah-style arrangement: shed the civilian burdens while keeping complete armed control. Critically absent from the announcement was any commitment to disarm — the central U.S. and Israeli demand.
Two improvised explosive devices detonated near the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a state visit to Syria. Eighteen people were injured, including four police officers. Syrian authorities say the bombs detonated during a disposal operation, outside Macron's security perimeter, and that his motorcade had already left. Macron continued his visit — he is the first Western leader to meet Syrian President al-Sharaa in Damascus since al-Sharaa took power in 2025.
Researchers studying Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa's Kalahari Desert have pushed back the earliest confirmed evidence of deliberate fire use to 1.79 million years ago — shattering the previous benchmark by hundreds of thousands of years. The team used a new technique to detect burning signatures in fossilized bone. Scientists believe early hominins collected fire from natural sources like lightning strikes and maintained it inside the cave until it went out.
A new report warns that illegal animal trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border is creating a fresh pathway for the New World screwworm — a flesh-eating parasite the USDA eradicated from North America decades ago — to re-enter the country. The screwworm lays eggs in the open wounds of living animals, and an outbreak could devastate the U.S. livestock industry. Officials say enforcement gaps during peak smuggling periods are the key vulnerability.
A London court on Tuesday dismissed Prince Harry's privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, along with similar claims by Elton John and five other claimants. Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled that while the plaintiffs expressed suspicion of unlawful information gathering, they failed to prove it. That courtroom loss came the same week Buckingham Palace withdrew an offer to let Harry stay during his London visit — an offer his team says he'd already accepted. Palace sources say he missed the deadline.
