President Trump has formally installed FHFA director Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence, completing Tulsi Gabbard's exit from the post. Pulte — best known for running Trump's social media campaigns targeting political opponents — has no intelligence background and will simultaneously continue overseeing the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. Democrats called the appointment staggering; the White House says Pulte begins immediately.
Senator John Fetterman publicly broke with his party over Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, calling him a "creep" and demanding he release anonymous Kik messaging app conversations he had with women outside his marriage. Fetterman pledged to wear a suit every day in the Senate if none of the recipients turn out to be minors — a pointed bet about what he believes those messages contain. Multiple women have already come forward with allegations of alcohol abuse and physical misconduct against Platner.
Despite Republicans fighting hard to keep Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund alive in last week's border security bill — and winning that fight — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers the Justice Department is "not moving forward" with the fund. The money was intended to compensate people who claim federal persecution, and its survival was pitched as a GOP priority. The announcement raises serious questions about whether the fund was ever a genuine policy goal or simply a bargaining chip.
Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass secured her spot in the November runoff with roughly 35 percent of the primary vote, but second place remains a genuine photo finish. Councilmember Nithya Raman leads developer Spencer Pratt by just a few thousand ballots with about 17 percent of votes still outstanding, meaning the runoff field could remain unsettled for days. The tight count has intensified scrutiny of LA's ballot tabulation process.
Iran launched three waves of ballistic missiles at northern Israel in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, and a petrochemical complex at Mahshahr — then announced its military operations were finished. President Trump called both Netanyahu and Iranian leadership, demanding an immediate ceasefire and saying final peace negotiations are "very close." Yemen's Houthis did not follow Tehran's lead, claiming a simultaneous missile strike on Jaffa and renewing Red Sea threats.
Russia unleashed what may be its largest single attack of the war overnight, sending 656 drones and 73 missiles into Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens more. Ukraine struck back, hitting a St. Petersburg oil terminal, the Kronstadt military base, and a weapons manufacturing facility in Tambov. The mass assault arrived hours before a critical European summit convened in London to discuss Ukraine's security posture.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted an emergency summit at Downing Street Monday, bringing Ukrainian President Zelensky together with French President Macron and German Chancellor Merz to reinforce the "coalition of the willing" security framework and discuss expanded air defense deliveries to Kyiv. The gathering signals that European leaders are stepping into the driver's seat on Ukraine's long-term security as Washington remains consumed by Iran negotiations.
A drug called daraxonrasib has nearly doubled overall survival for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer — from 6.7 months to 13.2 months — in a 500-patient Phase 3 trial, cracking a genetic target scientists had called undruggable for decades. It works by targeting KRAS mutations, which drive roughly 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, via a novel mechanism distinct from direct KRAS binding. The FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation, and trials are now underway to test the drug against other KRAS-driven cancer types.
Blue Origin's Air Pioneer reactor has successfully produced medical- and propellant-grade oxygen from melted simulated lunar regolith using molten electrolysis, a major milestone in its Blue Alchemist program conducted at its Los Angeles Space Resources Center. Every kilogram of oxygen manufactured on the Moon is one fewer kilogram that must be launched from Earth at enormous cost, bringing self-sustaining lunar bases measurably closer to reality.
Federal officials have confirmed the first U.S. cases of the New World screwworm fly in decades after two calves tested positive in Zavala County, Texas. The parasitic fly lays its eggs in living animals and the larvae burrow inward, consuming tissue from the inside — a pest so destructive it was eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s through decades of effort. A 12-mile quarantine zone is now in effect; officials say the food supply is not at immediate risk, but the $15 billion Texas cattle industry is on high alert.
