May 6, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Israeli airstrikes targeted dozens of Houthi rebel sites in Yemen yesterday, just a day after the Iran-backed militant group fired a missile that hit Israel’s main international airport. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1167 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Russian authorities temporarily suspended flight operations at 13 airports, including four around the capital Moscow, overnight amidst Ukrainian drone attacks that targeted multiple Russian regions. [more]

U.S. ABORTION | Saying the states do not have legal standing to sue in the issue, the Justice Department yesterday asked a federal judge in Texas to toss out a lawsuit from Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri that seeks to prohibit tele-health prescriptions for the abortion drug mifepristone. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed both the active-duty U.S. military and the National Guard to cut 20% of its four-star general and top admiral positions. Critics of these and other recent military leadership cuts say the moves could result in a more politicized military leadership, while Trump administration officials say they will promote efficiency. [more]

NEW JERSEY | The Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday that ongoing flight delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport are due to a combination of staffing issues and cloud cover. Reports note that some of the airport's air traffic controllers are taking time off due to trauma and stress following recent equipment outages that left controllers temporarily unable to communicate with airplanes. [more]

U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES | Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging large-scale funding and personnel cuts in the Department of Health and Human Services, which the states say have destroyed life-saving initiatives and left states to fund necessary programs. [more]

U.S. ARTS AND HUMANITIES | Reports cite staff members of the National Endowment for the Arts as saying that workers at the agency have been asked to resign or retire amidst Trump administration funding cuts and reorganizations affecting multiple federal cultural agencies, including the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | The Department of Education said yesterday that Harvard University will receive no new federal research grants until it meets Trump administration demands on a wide-ranging series of issues, including alleged antisemitism, racial and viewpoint discrimination, and unfair diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. In response, the university said it would "continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure.” [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION AND DEPORTATIONS | The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release yesterday that it will pay $1,000 and provide travel assistance to immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally and return to their home country voluntarily. [press release] [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Amidst ongoing trade and political tensions between their countries, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet today in Washington, DC. [more]

EUROPEAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH | Amidst funding and staffing cuts linked to what the U.S. Trump administration has called unfair diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, the European Union launched a drive yesterday to attract global scientists and researchers to Europe with offers of grants and new policy plans. As part of the announcement, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “The message is simple. If you like freedom, come and help us to remain free, to do research here, to help us become better, to invest in our future.” [more]

INDONESIA | Authorities say at least 12 people died today when a bus sped out of control and overturned in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province after the vehicle's brakes apparently failed. [more]

GERMANY | A German parliament vote today on the candidacy of conservative leader Friedrich Merz to be the country's new chancellor failed by six votes. Reports note that a candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot since the end of World War II and that it is unclear which members of Merz's majority coalition failed to support his candidacy, as the vote was held by secret ballot. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | Reversing plans to convert itself into a for-profit business, artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, announced yesterday that its non-profit organization will continue to control the company and that its for-profit arm will be converted into a public benefit corporation. [more]

ELECTRIC VEHICLE INDUSTRY | Reports say sales of new Tesla vehicles in Germany and the U.K. fell 62% and 46%, respectively, in April, compared to the year-ago period, due to what analysts suggest is a combination of increased competition and backlash against the politics of Tesla head Elon Musk. [more]

PULITZER PRIZES | Among the winners announced yesterday for the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes for excellence in journalism were: The New York Times, with four awards, ProPublica with the public service medal, The Washington Post for “urgent and illuminating” breaking news coverage of the Trump assassination attempt, and The Baltimore Banner for local reporting on the city’s fentanyl crisis. [full list of winners] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1994, the Channel Tunnel, connecting England and France beneath the English Channel, was officially opened in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and French president François Mitterrand. [more history]