Cheerful Monday greetings! And a nod to Star Wars Day: May the Fourth Be With You! South Korea held its annual Power Nap Contest along the Han River on Saturday, with officials recording competitors’ heart rates to confirm they had reached genuine deep sleep.
We may never finish a marathon in under two hours, but this sport could still earn us a medal.
Bullet Highlights: Today’s Leading News
U.S. To ‘Guide’ Ships Through Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that, starting today, the U.S. Navy would “guide” foreign vessels that have remained stuck near the Strait of Hormuz since Iran shut the widely used sea route, and that any interference from Iran in this process would “be dealt with forcefully.” U.S. officials told Axios that American naval forces won’t escort ships through the strait, but will supply them with information to navigate the passage and avoid Iranian-planted mines, while the Navy would shield them against Iranian attack. Later that day, U.S. Central Command tweeted that the operation would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, and 15,000 service members.
- On Sunday, Iran stated it had received a long-term peace proposal from the U.S., a counteroffer to Iran’s 14-point plan.
- Earlier Sunday, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations reported that an unidentified cargo vessel was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, though no crew members were injured. No group claimed responsibility for the strike yet.
Court Temporarily Blocks Mifepristone From Being Sent by Mail
Two U.S.-based manufacturers of the abortion-inducing pill mifepristone—Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro—asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to overturn a Friday ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that barred mail delivery of the drug and required in-person dispensing. The lower-court decision stems from an October 2025 lawsuit in which Louisiana argued that federal policy conflicted with state abortion law and had created “medical emergencies that harm Louisiana women.” Louisiana urged the 5th Circuit to order the FDA to reinstate its in-person-only rule until the case is fully decided. For more details, read Amy Howe’s coverage at SCOTUSblog.
- The pharmaceutical firms also asked the Supreme Court to issue an administrative stay, delaying the lower court’s ruling from taking effect while their appeal is considered.
- The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000 and subsequently expanded access to the pill nationwide in 2016, 2021, and 2023.
- A federal district court paused the case in April while the Trump-era FDA conducted a separate safety review of mifepristone and rejected Louisiana’s request to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement in the meantime, prompting the state’s appeal to the 5th Circuit.
Spirit Airlines Dies
Spirit Airlines officially ceased operations on Saturday morning after ongoing financial difficulties that included two bankruptcy filings since November 2024. Spirit’s chief executive, Dave Davis, said the business “needed hundreds of millions of dollars more” that it could not secure. The airline cited rising fuel prices driven by the Iran conflict as a contributing factor to its closure. Spirit’s 17,000 staff members were not given advance notice. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that travelers who had bought Spirit tickets could seek refunds from a reserve fund the airline had established. Spirit marks the first major U.S. airline to shut down for financial reasons in a quarter century.
- United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest offered discounted one-way fares to Spirit passengers whose flights were canceled at the last minute.
- Late last month, reports suggested the Trump administration was close to an agreement with Spirit that would provide the airline a $500 million loan in exchange for warrants enabling the government to acquire up to a 90 percent ownership stake, or to sell for a return.
Armed Men Kidnap Mali Government Critic
On Saturday, masked, armed men abducted Mountaga Tall from his Bamako home, the capital of the West African nation of Mali. Tall leads the National Congress for Democratic Initiative and has provided legal defense for those detained over anti-government speech. A relative told the Associated Press that the captors did not identify themselves or present a warrant, but seemed to be linked to Mali’s armed forces. Mali has been governed since 2021 by junta leader Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a coup and commands the security forces. The kidnapping occurs as the junta endures fallout from a coordinated April 25 offensive by the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Azawad Liberation Front, during which the Malian defense minister was killed.
- The public prosecutor at Mali’s Military Court in Bamako told state media that “solid evidence” points to current and former military personnel’s involvement in “the planning, coordination, and execution” of recent terrorist attacks.
- Reuters reported on Friday that members of the terrorist groups had established checkpoints on at least three of Bamako’s six main routes and had taken control of Tessalit, a town in northern Mali.
IDF and Hezbollah Engage in Southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that air forces targeted and killed two armed Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon after they were seen moving weapons toward Israeli troops. Israeli jets also carried out strikes on the southern Lebanese town of Habboush on Sunday after previously warning residents to evacuate immediately. Hezbollah militants fired on Israeli troops in two separate rocket and drone attacks in southern Lebanon, resulting in no injuries.
- One of the group’s drones struck a cargo carrier at an IDF artillery site, and the IDF said it was investigating whether Hezbollah used fiber-optic drones in its attack, which cannot be jammed remotely.
- Israeli prosecutors charged four Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, suspected of planning several terrorist assaults inside Israel, targeting civilians and service members, in support of the Islamic State.
Last Tuesday, the government of the United Arab Emirates announced its departure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Saudi-led bloc that has set global oil prices since 1960. And on Friday, the Financial Times reported that, in a likely first for an Arab state, the UAE had invited Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel onto its soil to help defend against Iranian missiles and drones.
Over the course of a single week, the UAE signaled a shift away from deferential ties with Saudi Arabia on the region’s core concerns—energy, security, and capital—after years of growing friction with Riyadh.
The move represents the culmination of years of friction over political Islam, regional proxies, and Israel, with the ongoing Iran conflict finally pushing Abu Dhabi to declare its independence from Riyadh.
Today’s Must-Read
In Other News
Domestic Highlights Today
- The U.S. armed forces are seeking two Army members who have gone missing during a training exercise off the coast of Morocco, with reports that two soldiers fell from a cliff into the ocean.
- The Defense Department plans to withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany, reducing the presence from roughly 36,000–38,000 to a smaller number over the next six to twelve months.
- A federal jury convicted former Florida Republican Representative David Rivera on counts including conspiracy to launder money and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act for lobbying Congress on behalf of Venezuelan government interests in return for $50 million from PDV USA, a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA.
- At least a dozen people were hospitalized after a shooting at a party at the Arcadia Lake campground near Edmond, Oklahoma, on Sunday night.
Around the World
- The World Health Organization said a hantavirus outbreak is believed to be responsible for the deaths of three people aboard an Atlantic-cruising vessel, with three other cruise-ship passengers infected, including one currently in intensive care in South Africa.
- China instructed its companies to ignore U.S. sanctions on five private refiners tied to Iran.
- The British government announced it would begin talks with the European Union to join the bloc’s 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine.
- A Russian drone struck a minibus in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing two and injuring seven, a day after Russia unleashed 409 drones across Ukraine, wounding at least 10 in Ternopil in the country’s west.
- According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces relinquished about 116 square kilometers of frontline territory in April, marking the first net territorial loss for Moscow in nearly two years.
On the Money
- Trump declared he would raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25 percent, arguing the bloc has not been “fully compliant with our Trade Agreement.”
- OPEC+ announced that starting in June, seven member countries plan to boost oil production targets by an additional 188,000 barrels per day, the group’s third output increase since Hormuz’s closure in late February.
- Chinese courts in Hangzhou and Beijing concluded that firms cannot terminate employees simply because their roles may be automated by AI.
- The FDA approved expanded access to an experimental treatment, daraxonrasib, for some pancreatic cancer patients, developed by Revolution Medicines.
- The Devil Wears Prada 2 topped the weekend box office, earning $77 million in the U.S. and $233.6 million worldwide in its debut. The Michael Jackson biopic Michael followed in second place, with $54 million domestic and $134.8 million globally in its second weekend.
Worth Your Time
- “Israel Said It’s Applying the Gaza Model in Lebanon. This Is What the Devastation Looks Like.” (New York Times)
- Brian Potter explains how oil refineries convert crude into fuel, using Chevron’s Richmond plant as a case study. (Construction Physics)
- Ross Andersen (not the TMD editor) reports on Loyal’s daily pill for dogs’ longevity. (The Atlantic)
- Taijing Wu profiles elderly Taiwanese grandmothers—many in their 90s—who have made gym workouts a daily habit in a rapidly aging society. (Associated Press)
- Amy Odell on why cosmetic procedures have become the ultimate status symbol for the ultra-wealthy. (New York Times)
- Gabrielle Bruney on why cities are removing public benches—and what the disappearance of a simple seat reveals about who belongs in public space. (Places Journal)
Presented Without Comment
Wall Street Journal: GameStop Proposes Acquisition of eBay for $56 Billion
Also Presented Without Comment
New York Times: Not Even Japanese Bathhouses Escape the Shocks of the Iran War
Also Also Presented Without Comment
CNN: Timmy the Stranded Humpback Whale Freed and Released Back into the North Sea
