May 5, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 67.

• Amidst a tenuous cease-fire, the United Arab Emirates says its air defenses engaged at least 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran yesterday at a UAE oil facility and at cargo vessels off the UAE coast. [more]
• U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said in a news conference this morning that Iran has attacked U.S. forces 10 times since the ongoing cease-fire went into effect on April 8 but that the attacks were "below the threshold" of necessitating a resumption of active hostilities "at this point." [more]
• Reuters cites unnamed sources as saying U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer's targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the U.S. and Israel and that the unchanged timeline suggest that impeding Iran's nuclear program significantly could require destroying or removing Iran's remaining stockpile of highly enriched uranium. [more]
• The U.S. military's Central Command says two American-flagged merchant ships transited the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, and that it fired on Iranian forces, sinking six small boats that were targeting vessels in the strategic waterway. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,529 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ahead of its celebration of the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Russia's Defense Ministry has declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday. Responding to the move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's forces would observe a truce beginning at 12 a.m. on Wednesday but that Ukraine would respond in-kind to Russia's action from that point forward. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say at least five people were killed, and 39 others were wounded, overnight in Russian drone and missiles strikes that targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure. [more]

U.S. ABORTION | The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday restored nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone through pharmacies or through the mail without an in-person visit to a doctor, temporarily blocking a lower-court ruling last week that ordered the drug be distributed only in person and at clinics. The Supreme Court order gives parties to the lower-court case a week to provide additional input while the Court considers the issue. [more]

U.S. AI OVERSIGHT | The Commerce Department's Center for AI Standards and Innovation said yesterday that Microsoft, Google, and xAI have all agreed to give the federal government early access to their new artificial intelligence models before their public release to allow for national security risk reviews. The announcement comes amidst reports of the potential for advanced AI systems, including Anthropic's Mythos, to supercharge hacking and cyberattack efforts. [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command says two people were killed yesterday in its latest strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean Sea. Reports note that at least 188 people have been killed in U.S. strikes on boats since last September as part of measures to stop "narcoterrorism." [more]

U.S. TRANSGENDER | The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation yesterday into whether Smith College's policy of admitting transgender women violates Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding discrimination based on sex in education. Reports note that Smith College, an all-women private liberal arts school in Massachusetts, has admitted trans women since 2015. [more]

HANTAVIRUS | World Health Organization investigators say rare human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is suspected to have taken place aboard a luxury cruise ship currently quarantined off the coast of Cape Verde. At least three travelers aboard the ship have died from the disease, while four others have confirmed or suspected infections. [more]

CHINA | Officials in China's Hunan province say at least 26 people were killed, and 61 others were injured, yesterday in an explosion at a fireworks plant in the city of Liuyang. Reports cite authorities as saying all fireworks manufacturing in the region has been halted while investigations into the incident continue. [more]

CANADA | Separatist activists in the Canadian province of Alberta said yesterday that they have formally submitted more than 300,000 signatures on a petition as part of efforts to force a referendum on the province leaving Canada. Reports note that a "yes" vote in any potential referendum would not automatically trigger independence for the province, as negotiations with the federal government would have to take place and likely court challenges would need to be resolved. [more]

GERMANY | Authorities in the western German city of Leipzig say at least two people were killed, and more than 20 others were injured, yesterday evening when a car drove into a crowd in the city's shopping district. Police say the suspected perpetrator, a 33-year-old German citizen, has been arrested and that the motive behind the incident remains under investigation. [more]

SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA | The Sudanese military said yesterday that it has evidence of Ethiopia having been involved in recent drone attacks on sites in Sudan, including one yesterday that targeted the airport in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry rejected what it said were Sudan's "baseless accusations" today and, in turn, accused Sudan of supporting rebel forces in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. [more]

JAPAN AND PHILIPPINES | Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is scheduled to meet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Philippine defense officials today in Manila for talks aimed at strengthening defense ties between their two countries. [more]

ROMANIA | Lawmakers approved a vote of no-confidence today in Romania's minority government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. Reports say President Nicusor Dan, who nominates the prime minister, is now expected to invite parties for negotiations in an attempt to rebuild a coalition government under a different member of Bolojan's Liberal Party. [more]

CRYPTO INDUSTRY | Citing increased use of artificial intelligence and a need to reduce costs, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced plans today to cut about 700 jobs – approximately 14% of its workforce. [more]

JOURNALISM AWARDS | Amongst the 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners in journalism announced yesterday were: The Washington Post for its coverage of the Trump administration's overhaul of federal agencies, the Associated Press for international reporting on surveillance, the Minnesota Star Tribune for its coverage last year of a mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, Bloomberg for its illustrated reporting about online scams that threaten arrest, and Reuters for its documentation of expanded executive power and acts of retaliation under the Trump administration. [full list of winners] [more]

LITERATURE AWARDS | Amongst the 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners in the literature categories announced yesterday were: "We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution," by Jill Lepore in the history category, "Angel Down," by Daniel Kraus in fiction, "There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America," by Brian Goldstone in general non-fiction, and “Ars Poeticas,” by Juliana Spahr in poetry. [full list of winners] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1862, Mexico repelled the French forces of Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla, a victory that became a symbol of resistance to foreign domination and is now celebrated as a national holiday, Cinco de Mayo. [more history]