May 7, 2026
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | UKRAINE | U.S. EMPLOYMENT | U.S. IMMIGRATION | CALIFORNIA | U.S. GIG ECONOMY | TRUMP LITIGATION | VIRGINIA | U.S. AND CHINA | U.S. AND BRAZIL | HANTAVIRUS | U.K. | CHINA | TECH INDUSTRY | SOCCER | R.I.P. | TODAY IN HISTORY
U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 69.
- Amidst ongoing statements of progress being made in indirect talks aimed at ending the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, the U.S. military said yesterday that its forces shot at and disabled an Iranian oil tanker that was trying to breach the U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping in the Persian Gulf. [more]
- NBC News cites unnamed U.S. sources as saying U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend his "Project Freedom" effort to open the Strait of Hormuz after only one day came after key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation. [more]
- Iranian officials say they are reviewing the latest U.S. proposal to end the Middle East war – a reported one-page memorandum that includes provisions on ending hostilities, easing U.S. sanctions, distributing frozen Iranian funds, suspending Iranian uranium enrichment, and opening the Strait of Hormuz. [more]
- Israeli forces struck the Lebanese capital of Beirut yesterday for the first time since a tenuous cease-fire went into effect last month. A commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force was killed in the airstrike, according to Israeli officials. [more]
UKRAINE | Today is day 1,531 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:
- Russian officials say Ukraine launched more than 300 drones at targets in 20 Russian regions, including Moscow, overnight, while Russia targeted Ukrainian sites with more than 100 drones. The hostilities came amidst what was supposed to be a multi-day cease-fire ahead of Russia's upcoming World War II Victory Day celebrations. [more]
- Citing concerns of "terrorism" amidst the ongoing war with Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media said today that all mobile internet access and text messaging services will be shut down in Moscow during the country's World War II Victory Day celebrations on May 9. [more]
U.S. EMPLOYMENT | According to Labor Department data released today, initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 200,000 in the week ended May 2, while claims for ongoing benefits fell to 1.76 million in the week ended April 25. [full report] [more]
U.S. IMMIGRATION | Speaking yesterday at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, White House border czar Tom Homan suggested Trump administration efforts to carry out mass deportations will be ramped up, saying "If you think last year's historic number is good, wait till next year and we have 10,000 more agents on the border. You ain't seen shit yet. This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming." [more]
CALIFORNIA | The U.S. Justice Department has accused the University of California, Los Angeles medical school of illegally considering race in admissions, saying a year-long investigation indicated the school discriminated against white and Asian American students by favoring Black and Hispanic applicants. UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine said its admissions process is "based on merit" and that it is committed to complying with all federal and state laws. [more]
U.S. GIG ECONOMY | Announcing its earnings yesterday, delivery company DoorDash said it expects to spend more than $50 million in the April-June quarter on a temporary program to provide its delivery drivers relief from increased gas prices linked to the Iran war. [more]
TRUMP LITIGATION | An attorney for President Donald Trump asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday to temporarily block the requirement that Trump pay the $83 million awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll in a defamation case while Trump appeals the case to the Supreme Court. Reports note that, in a filing earlier this week, the U.S. Justice Department announced plans to intervene in the case, saying the United States itself should be the defendant instead of Trump in Carroll's case – a swap rejected last week by the 2nd Circuit Court. [more]
VIRGINIA | The FBI carried out searches yesterday at the Portsmouth, Virginia, offices of Democratic state Senator Louise Lucas as part of what is reported to be a corruption investigation originally opened during the Biden administration. Reports note that authorities also searched a cannabis shop owned by Lucas, who played key legislative roles in Virginia's legalization of marijuana possession and the state's recent congressional redistricting effort. [more]
U.S. AND CHINA | Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China next week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi characterized U.S-China relations as being generally stable but with "many twists and disruptions," and said both countries should work toward contributing to global peace. [more]
U.S. AND BRAZIL | Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump today in Washington, with tariffs, cooperation in the fight against organized crime, and Brazil's rare earth deposits expected to be among the main topics of discussion. [more]
HANTAVIRUS | Oceanwide Expeditions, the company that operates the luxury cruise ship at the center of an ongoing hantavirus outbreak, said yesterday that 29 passengers left the ship on April 24 to return to their homes in at least 12 countries nearly two weeks after the first passenger died of the disease on board. Reports note that public health officials have begun efforts to track and evaluate the former passengers to help ensure the outbreak does not spread. [more]
U.K. | Local and regional voting for some 5,000 local councilors, several mayors, and seats in the semiautonomous parliaments of Scotland and Wales is taking place across the United Kingdom today, with analysts noting that the elections are widely seen as a midterm referendum on the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. [more]
CHINA | State media reports today that former Chinese defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu have both been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after being found guilty on graft charges. Reports note that death sentences with reprieve in China are typically commuted to life imprisonment if the offender commits no crimes during the period of reprieve. [more]
TECH INDUSTRY | Apple agreed this week to a $250 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that claimed the tech giant deceived consumers and misled them into buying some iPhones through a marketing campaign that promoted artificial intelligence features that did not yet exist. [more]
SOCCER | Eliminating Bayern Munich with a 1-1 draw yesterday, Paris Saint-Germain advanced to its second consecutive UEFA Champions League final. PSG will face Arsenal in the final in Budapest, Hungary, on May 30. [more]
R.I.P. | Media mogul, philanthropist, and conservationist Ted Turner, who founded CNN and whose media offerings grew to include channels such as the Cartoon Network, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies, died yesterday at the age of 87. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner RMS Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, out of the nearly 2,000 on board and indirectly contributing to the eventual entry of the United States into World War I. [more history]