Key U.S. Surveillance Authority FISA Section 702 Set to Lapse as Congress Fails to Renew It
FISA Section 702, a surveillance authority the government says underpins more than 60 percent of the president's daily intelligence briefing, was set to expire Friday after Congress failed to pass a renewal. Lawmakers have struggled to reach agreement on the tool's scope and oversight.A significant U.S. intelligence-gathering authority known as FISA Section 702 was set to lapse on Friday after Congress did not pass legislation to renew it. The government has stated that the tool accounts for more than 60 percent of the content in the president's daily intelligence briefing, making it one of the most widely used surveillance mechanisms available to American intelligence agencies.
Section 702 allows the government to collect communications of foreign targets located outside the United States without an individual warrant, though the data collected often includes communications involving American citizens. The authority has long been subject to debate over privacy concerns and the scope of domestic surveillance it enables.
Congress has repeatedly struggled to agree on the terms of renewal, with disagreements centering on oversight requirements, minimization procedures, and the conditions under which data on U.S. persons can be searched. The lapse does not immediately shut down existing collection, but it creates legal uncertainty about ongoing programs and complicates the initiation of new surveillance activities.
The expiration represents a significant moment for U.S. intelligence capabilities and for congressional oversight of national security programs. Intelligence officials have consistently described Section 702 as essential to counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and other national security missions.
Federal Judge Extends Block on Trump's $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund
A federal judge extended a court order blocking the Trump administration's $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, keeping it frozen until further notice.U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema extended a court-ordered block on the Trump administration's $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, ruling that the fund would remain frozen until the court issues further direction. The ruling continues a legal challenge to a fund the administration has said is intended to address what it describes as the weaponization of government against political opponents. Critics and plaintiffs in the case have argued the fund raises legal and constitutional questions. The extension keeps the money unavailable while litigation proceeds.
Trump Administration Waives Environmental Laws to Allow Border Wall Construction Through Big Bend National Park
The Trump administration waived a range of environmental and historical preservation laws to enable construction of a border wall through Big Bend National Park in Texas, a federally protected wilderness. Congress allocated $46.5 billion for border wall construction, and the waivers are intended to accelerate building in areas where legal protections had prevented it.The Trump administration issued waivers overriding multiple environmental and historical preservation laws to allow construction of a border wall through Big Bend National Park, a vast protected wilderness in south Texas along the Rio Grande. The move has drawn strong objections from conservation groups and some local residents.
Congress provided $46.5 billion for border wall construction, and the administration has been using executive waiver authority to bypass legal requirements that would otherwise slow or prevent building in sensitive areas. Big Bend National Park covers more than 800,000 acres and is considered one of the most ecologically diverse protected areas in the United States.
Critics described the planned construction as massive destruction of a pristine natural landscape. Environmental advocates noted that the waived laws include statutes specifically designed to protect national parks and wildlife habitats, and that the construction would affect ecosystems that have not previously been disturbed by border infrastructure.
The administration has pointed to border security as the justification for the waivers, though official data shows border crossings have declined significantly in recent months. Opponents argue the waivers are being applied in areas where the security rationale is weakest and the environmental cost highest. Legal challenges to the broader waiver program are ongoing.
SBA Ends Small Business Loan Access for Legal Permanent Residents
The Small Business Administration has stopped providing loans to legal permanent residents, reversing a decades-old policy that allowed green card holders to access a core federal small-business lending program.The Small Business Administration has ended access to its lending programs for legal permanent residents — immigrants who hold green cards — reversing a policy that had been in place for decades. The change cuts off a significant source of startup and growth capital for a population that has historically had high rates of entrepreneurship in the United States.
SBA loans have long served as a primary financing mechanism for small businesses that cannot easily access conventional bank credit. Legal permanent residents were previously treated similarly to U.S. citizens for the purposes of these programs. Under the new policy, that access is no longer available.
Immigrant entrepreneurs and advocates say the change will have a concrete economic impact, closing off a financing pathway that many businesses relied upon to launch or expand. The SBA has not publicly detailed the full scope of the change or how existing loan relationships will be handled.
Supreme Court Blocks Alabama from Carrying Out Nitrogen Gas Execution Ruled Unconstitutional
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Alabama's request to set aside a lower court ruling that found nitrogen gas execution unconstitutionally cruel, preventing the scheduled execution of Jeffery Lee from proceeding.The U.S. Supreme Court refused Thursday to override a lower court ruling that had found Alabama's use of nitrogen gas as a method of execution to be unconstitutionally cruel, effectively halting the scheduled execution of Jeffery Lee. The Court's order came after the hour originally planned for the execution to begin.
Alabama had asked the Supreme Court to set aside the lower court's ruling and allow the execution to proceed. The justices declined to do so without extended explanation, as is common in emergency application orders. The lower court had found that the nitrogen gas method — which Alabama has used in a small number of previous executions — violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
The ruling does not permanently resolve the question of whether nitrogen gas can be used as an execution method, but it leaves the lower court's constitutional finding in place for now. Alabama's use of nitrogen gas had drawn national attention when the method was first applied, with witnesses and observers offering divergent accounts of how the process unfolded. The legal challenge to the method has now succeeded in blocking at least this execution pending further court proceedings.
Supreme Court Rules Private Investors Cannot Sue to Enforce Certain Protections Against Investment Companies
The Supreme Court ruled that private parties cannot bring lawsuits to enforce certain investor protection requirements against investment companies, limiting a legal avenue that had allowed individual investors to seek remedies in court.The Supreme Court issued a ruling rejecting the ability of private individuals to bring lawsuits to enforce certain investor protections against investment companies. The decision narrows the legal tools available to investors who believe they have been harmed by violations of rules designed to protect them. The ruling shifts enforcement of those protections exclusively to government regulators rather than allowing private litigation as an additional check. The decision will affect how investor grievances against investment funds are addressed going forward.
David Hockney, one of Britain's most prominent artists, known for his paintings of swimming pools and his later digital works, died at age 88.David Hockney, widely regarded as one of the most significant British artists of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, died at the age of 88. Hockney was known internationally for his paintings of shimmering Californian swimming pools, his large-scale Yorkshire landscapes, and in his later years for his embrace of digital tools including the iPad as a medium for drawing and painting. His work spanned more than six decades and reached audiences far beyond the traditional art world. Tributes described him as a giant and true icon of British art.
Trump Halts Further Iran Strikes, Signals Peace Deal Possible This Weekend; Tehran Says Nothing Finalized
President Trump called off a third night of airstrikes on Iranian targets and said a deal to end the conflict could be signed this weekend. Iran's foreign minister said an agreement has 'never been closer,' but Tehran separately stated no deal has been finalized and reports are speculative.President Trump announced he had called off planned airstrikes on Iranian targets and said a negotiated settlement to end the U.S.-Iran conflict could be reached as soon as this weekend. Trump described the potential outcome as a 'great settlement' and reposted a message from Iran's foreign minister suggesting an agreement 'has never been closer.' Pakistan's prime minister also stated that a final agreed text had been reached and that Islamabad was working with both sides on next steps.
However, accounts differ significantly on how far along any agreement actually is. Iranian officials separately told reporters that no deal has been finalized and characterized media reports as speculative. Previous rounds of reported progress in negotiations have not resulted in a lasting agreement, and sources note that the two sides have remained in a state of low-intensity conflict since a nominal cease-fire announced roughly two months ago.
Global oil prices fell sharply on the news, with Brent crude dropping from around $93 a barrel in overnight trading after Trump's announcement. The price decline reflects how closely energy markets have tracked the conflict, particularly concerns about disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Military activity continued on other fronts even as diplomatic signals emerged. Hezbollah said its fighters had confronted Israeli forces, and the broader regional picture remains unsettled. Analysts note that the situation represents a dangerous middle ground — neither a full war nor a stable peace — and that previous optimistic signals from both sides have not translated into durable outcomes. The coming weekend will be a test of whether this round of diplomacy produces a different result.
UK Defence Secretary Resigns Over Funding Dispute Weeks Before NATO Summit
UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigned, saying the government has not committed adequate resources to the military. A defence minister also quit hours earlier. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not step down and named a replacement, as the departures raise questions about Britain's defence posture ahead of a NATO summit.UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Thursday after a dispute with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government over military spending, dealing a significant political blow to Starmer just weeks before a NATO summit. A junior defence minister, Al Carns, also quit hours before Healey's departure.
In his resignation letter, Healey wrote that Starmer lacked the authority to stand up to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and that the Treasury had been unwilling to commit the resources he believed the nation needed to defend itself. He described the current defence investment plan as 'well short of what is required.' Carns, in his own public statement, said the government's defence plans were underfunded and targeted the wrong weapons systems.
Starmer, in a BBC interview, said he was not walking away and acknowledged he needed to 'turn things around.' He argued that any successor as prime minister would face the same difficult decisions. The government's approach to funding increased defence spending has involved cutting other departmental budgets rather than raising the overall spending envelope — a strategy that has generated internal friction. An earlier decision to fund defence increases by cutting the foreign aid budget had already cost Starmer a different cabinet minister.
The resignations are particularly sensitive because they come ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, where alliance members are under pressure from the United States to demonstrate greater commitment to collective defence. The UK has been positioning itself as a leading European NATO member, and the public split over defence funding complicates that message. Analysts noted the episode also exposes tensions in the relationship between the prime minister and his chancellor, with Healey's letter framing the dispute as one Starmer lost.
U.S. Plans to Pull Roughly a Third of Fighter Jets It Provides to NATO in Europe
The Trump administration has outlined plans to withdraw approximately one-third of the fighter jets it currently provides to NATO forces in Europe, according to officials and a written document, offering rare specifics about the intended scale of U.S. military reductions in the region.The Trump administration has developed plans to withdraw roughly one-third of the fighter aircraft it contributes to NATO operations in Europe, according to officials and a written planning document. The details provide unusual clarity about the extent to which the administration intends to reduce the American military footprint on the continent.
The disclosure comes as NATO allies are preparing for a summit in Ankara and as European governments have been working to increase their own defence spending in response to signals from Washington that U.S. commitments to the alliance may be scaled back. The planned jet reductions would represent a concrete and measurable step in that direction.
The U.S. has maintained a significant air presence in Europe for decades, and any substantial withdrawal would shift responsibility for air defence and deterrence further toward European member states. Some allies have already begun acquiring additional aircraft and expanding their own air forces in anticipation of reduced American support.
The timing is significant: the announcement comes alongside the UK's internal defence spending dispute and broader questions about the reliability of traditional U.S. security guarantees in Europe. Alliance officials and European governments have not yet responded publicly to the specifics outlined in the planning document.
NOAA Declares El Niño Has Arrived; Scientists Say It Could Be Strongest of the Century
U.S. weather officials at NOAA have confirmed that El Niño has formed in the Pacific Ocean and predict it could intensify to historically strong levels by fall, potentially driving extreme weather events worldwide. The United Nations secretary-general described it as an urgent climate warning.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that El Niño has officially arrived, and meteorologists are predicting the climate pattern could reach historically strong intensity by the fall — potentially the strongest El Niño of the current century. The United Nations secretary-general called the development an urgent climate warning.
El Niño is a periodic warming of surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean that disrupts weather patterns globally. Strong El Niño events are associated with intensified droughts, flooding, heat waves, and hurricane activity in different parts of the world, and they tend to push global average temperatures higher. The 2015-2016 El Niño, which was among the strongest on record, contributed to record global temperatures that year.
Scientists say the current pattern is forecast to intensify through summer and fall. For the United States, strong El Niño events have historically been associated with wetter conditions across the southern states in winter, drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest, and more active weather across the southern tier generally. The development comes as global temperatures have already been elevated, which could amplify El Niño's effects beyond historical norms.
Antarctic Sea Ice in Bellingshausen Sea Missing an Area the Size of France
Scientists report that Antarctica's west coast is missing an expanse of winter sea ice roughly the size of France in the Bellingshausen Sea, with temperatures in the region running approximately 20 degrees Celsius above average. Researchers say the failure of ice to form raises concerns for marine ecosystems and global sea levels.Researchers monitoring Antarctic sea ice say the Bellingshausen Sea, off Antarctica's west coast, is missing a vast area of winter sea ice that should have formed by this point in the season — a gap scientists describe as approximately the size of France. Temperatures in the region have been running about 20 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average, which scientists say has contributed to the failure of ice to form at expected levels.
One expert described the situation as depressing and said the absence of ice could have intensified a regional heat wave, creating a feedback loop in which less ice leads to warmer temperatures that further inhibit ice formation. The Bellingshausen Sea has been one of the most rapidly changing areas of Antarctica in recent years.
The consequences extend beyond the immediate region. Sea ice plays a role in regulating ocean temperatures and supports ecosystems that include penguin species already under pressure from climate change. The loss also has implications for global sea levels: while floating sea ice does not directly raise sea levels when it melts, reduced sea ice can accelerate the warming of underlying ocean waters, which in turn affects the land-based ice sheets whose melting does contribute to sea level rise.
Solar Power Surpassed Coal in U.S. Electricity Generation for First Time in May
Solar energy supplied 12.8 percent of U.S. electricity in May, exceeding coal-fired generation for the first time on record, according to data from the energy research group Ember.Solar power provided 12.8 percent of U.S. electricity generation in May, surpassing coal for the first time in recorded history, according to data released by Ember, a global energy research organization. The milestone comes even as the Trump administration has taken steps to promote coal production and roll back policies that favor renewable energy.
Solar remains the leading source of newly installed electricity generation capacity in the United States, with installations continuing to expand despite federal policy headwinds. The May figure reflects both the growth in installed solar capacity and the seasonal advantage solar panels have during months with longer daylight hours, meaning the comparison with coal may narrow again in winter months.
Coal's share of U.S. electricity generation has been declining steadily for over a decade, driven by competition from cheaper natural gas and, more recently, from rapidly falling solar costs. The new data point marks a symbolic threshold in that long-term shift, though natural gas continues to dominate overall U.S. electricity production by a wide margin.
SpaceX Goes Public in Largest IPO on Record; Musk's Net Worth Crosses $1 Trillion
SpaceX made its stock market debut Friday in the largest initial public offering in history, raising approximately $75 billion. Shares opened at $150 and rose sharply, pushing the company's valuation above $2 trillion and Elon Musk's personal net worth past $1 trillion.SpaceX completed its long-anticipated stock market debut on Friday, becoming the largest initial public offering in history after nearly 25 years as a private company. The company raised approximately $75 billion in the offering. Shares opened at $150 and climbed more than 10 percent in early trading, lifting the company's total market valuation above $2 trillion.
The surge in SpaceX's share price pushed Elon Musk's net worth above $1 trillion, a milestone no individual has previously reached. Musk holds approximately a 38 percent stake in SpaceX, which is now worth an estimated $800 billion on its own. He also holds significant stakes in Tesla and other ventures.
The offering drew intense investor interest, but also skepticism from some financial analysts. SpaceX has been spending heavily and, according to reporting, has been losing money in recent periods, raising questions about whether the company's valuation is justified by its underlying finances. Critics note the gap between the company's current earnings and the expectations embedded in a multi-trillion-dollar market cap.
Supporters argue that SpaceX occupies a unique position as both a dominant commercial launch provider and a defense contractor, with its Starlink satellite internet service generating growing revenue. The company's IPO is also expected to pave the way for other large technology offerings, including from artificial intelligence companies OpenAI and Anthropic, which have been watching the SpaceX debut closely.
The listing marks a significant moment for the private space industry and for Musk personally, coming as he simultaneously holds a senior advisory role in the federal government. The combination of his government access and the scale of his private business interests has drawn scrutiny from observers across the political spectrum.
Mexico Opens 2026 World Cup with 2-0 Win; U.S. and Canada Prepare for Tournament Openers
Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The United States and Canada are both scheduled to play their first matches of the tournament.Mexico opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory over South Africa at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, playing in front of a large home crowd. The co-hosting nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — are each competing in the tournament, with Mexico having secured an early win in front of its home fans.
Both the U.S. and Canada were preparing to play their opening matches following Mexico's result. The U.S. men's national team was scheduled to face Paraguay. Canada's opener was set against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Soccer has been growing rapidly in Canada, with the sport recently surpassing hockey in youth participation according to a report by Canadian charity Jumpstart.
The 2026 World Cup is being held across multiple host cities in all three North American countries, marking the first time the tournament has used three co-hosts. Games are taking place at venues across the continent, with several U.S. cities serving as primary host sites.
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Two Nights of Unrest in Belfast Follow Stabbing; Targets Described as Racially Motivated
Two nights of unrest in Belfast, Northern Ireland followed a stabbing, with authorities saying people were targeted based on their skin color. Officials described the violence as racially motivated.Two consecutive nights of unrest in Belfast, Northern Ireland followed a serious stabbing incident, with authorities reporting that individuals were targeted during the violence based on their race. Officials characterized the events as racially motivated. The disorder prompted concern from community leaders and drew attention to tensions over immigration in Northern Ireland. Authorities were working to restore order and investigate both the original stabbing and the subsequent unrest.