Iran, US exchange fire in Hormuz; Officials race to track virus ship passengers
Missile strikes hit the Strait of Hormuz again as the U.S. and Iran trade new attacks. President Donald Trump says the blockade is now a “wall of steel” and is demanding Tehran take the deal on the table.
Plus, the cruise ship tied to a deadly hantavirus outbreak is finally heading to port, as health officials try to track down passengers who already left the vessel.
And the Trump administration wants to let Americans mail handguns through the U.S. Postal Service for the first time in nearly 100 years.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, May 8, 2026.
Fresh attacks in the Strait of Hormuz raise fears of escalation as Trump warns Iran to sign a deal fast
The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is looking increasingly fragile after the United Arab Emirates said it responded to a new missile and drone attack. The escalation comes just hours after the U.S. said it stopped attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and retaliated against Iranian military facilities.
President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire remains, but also warned Iran to sign a broader peace deal quickly or face a much stronger U.S. response.
“They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle,” Trump said. “I’ll let you know when there’s no cease … You won’t have to know. If there’s no ceasefire, you’re not going to have to know. You’re just going to look at one big glow coming out of Iran. And they better sign their agreement fast.”
Iranian officials said they are still reviewing the latest U.S. proposal, which would formally end the fighting and open a 30-day window for talks on bigger issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the renewed tensions have pushed oil prices higher again. Brent crude topped $100 a barrel early Friday morning, though that’s still well below the extreme spikes we saw earlier this week.
The U.S. standard saw little movement.
Hantavirus cruise ship heads to Spain’s Canary Islands as countries plan to bring citizens home
The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak is now heading for Spain’s Canary Islands, as health officials race to contain the spread.
Authorities in the Canary Islands have prepared a fully isolated evacuation zone for the roughly 140 passengers and crew still on board the MV Hondius.
The expedition cruise ship is expected to arrive in Tenerife by the end of the weekend. U.S. officials are sending a charter flight to bring 17 Americans home, while the U.K. is arranging a separate flight for about 20 British passengers.
The outbreak has killed at least three people. Several other cases have also been confirmed. The ship had been sailing near the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena when passengers first started reporting flu-like symptoms.
The World Health Organization said the risk to the general public remains low because hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodent droppings or urine. Human-to-human spread is considered rare.
But the biggest concern now is tracking down people who have already left the ship. About 30 passengers from more than a dozen countries disembarked two weeks ago, before the outbreak was confirmed.
Now, health officials around the world are working to identify those passengers and anyone they may have been in contact with.
Court blocks Trump’s 10% global tariffs, ruling he exceeded his authority
A federal court has struck down Trump’s latest global tariffs push.
On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York ruled Trump’s 10% global tariffs are illegal, after a group of small businesses sued. Trump put the new tariffs in place after the Supreme Court blocked his broader “Liberation Day” tariffs earlier this year.
In a two-to-one decision, the court said Trump overstepped his authority, calling the tariffs “Invalid” and “unauthorized by law.”
The Trump administration is expected to appeal, and the case could ultimately head back to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Also, on Thursday, a federal judge ruled Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts to humanities grants were unconstitutional.
The case centers on more than $100 million in canceled grants through the National Endowment for the Humanities. The judge said DOGE “blatantly used” race, gender and other protected characteristics in deciding which grants to terminate. The judge then issued a permanent block on the cuts.
It’s not yet clear whether the Trump administration will appeal that ruling.
Florida may shutter Alligator Alcatraz
Florida could soon close its controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in the Everglades, less than a year after state leaders touted it as a model for the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The New York Times reported the state is now in preliminary talks with the administration to shut down the facility after Homeland Security officials concluded it’s too expensive and not working as intended. The state has spent $1 million a day to keep the site operating. The site sits on a swampy stretch of the Everglades between Miami and Naples.
The center opened last summer and became a political lightning rod, praised by Trump and Republicans as a tough deterrent, while immigration advocates described conditions inside as inhumane and unsanitary.
A senior official in Florida told Fox News that the facility was always intended to be temporary, saying it would “return to the Everglades” once larger federal detention sites open.
More than 21,000 migrants have been processed at the facility since it opened.
USPS may start mailing handguns
Americans may soon be able to mail a handgun via the U.S. Postal Service. The Trump administration is pushing to overturn a nearly 100-year-old federal restriction that bans most people from mailing concealable firearms.
The Justice Department said the rule violates the Second Amendment, which protects the right of law-abiding gun owners to mail handguns under the same safety requirements already used for rifles and shotguns.
The proposal has already drawn pushback from Democratic attorneys general in more than 20 states, including Nevada, where the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history occurred at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas in 2017.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said, “To suggest we make it easier for criminals and abusers to access firearms is a slap in the face to gun violence survivors and to law enforcement.”
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has praised the change, while gun safety groups have warned that it could make illegal firearms more difficult to track.
Broadcast icon David Attenborough turns 100, marking a century of wildlife storytelling
The average life expectancy for men in the U.K. is about 79 years, but one of the world’s most famous voices has surpassed that milestone.
Broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough turned 100 years old Friday.
For decades, his voice has been synonymous with wildlife, nature and conservation, narrating some of the most iconic documentaries ever made. The BBC honored the occasion with a special tribute broadcast featuring stories and reflections on his life and legacy.
Attenborough said he’s received birthday wishes from everyone — from preschoolers to seniors in nursing homes — and that he’s been deeply touched by the response.
“I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas,” he said. “I simply can’t reply to each of you all separately, but I would like to think you all most sincerely for your kind messages.”
To mark the milestone, the Natural History Museum named a newly discovered parasitic wasp species after him: Attenboroughnculus tau.
More from Straight Arrow:
Is the US still at war with Iran — or not?
It’s no stretch to say Americans are confused and upset over the war in Iran. Polling throughout the war has shown broad dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict and a strong feeling that the administration never adequately explained why the U.S. was attacking Iran to begin with.
Now, as Trump awaits Iran’s response to a formal peace proposal, Americans are left to wonder whether the nation is actually at war.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
