Fresh attacks in the Gulf threaten the fragile truce with Iran

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate after a series of attacks on Monday, threatening the fragile ceasefire reached last month. The U.S. military intervened to guide two commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to retaliate by destroying six Iranian boats and launching missiles and drones that damaged the UAE’s largest oil storage facility. The incident has left thousands of seafarers stranded and driven oil prices up by over 5%. Meanwhile, in Indiana, President Trump is waging a political war against Republican state senators who rejected his redistricting plan, backing challengers with a $1.5 million ad blitz from a Trump-aligned dark money group. The primary race highlights a growing rift within the GOP over loyalty versus policy, with candidates facing unprecedented outside interference. On a more hopeful note, groundbreaking advances in pancreatic cancer treatment are emerging, including a new drug targeting the previously 'undruggable' KRAS gene and an mRNA vaccine showing long-term survival in early trials. AI-driven detection methods are also offering early diagnosis potential. Other stories include a Secret Service shooting near the White House, the reinstatement of visas for foreign doctors to address a looming physician shortage, and the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes honoring investigative journalism on surveillance, sports scandals, and government chaos under the Trump administration.