Trump announces plan to guide ships through Strait of Hormuz
Without saying just how it would do it, Donald Trump has announced a plan for the U.S. to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has closed the strait and the U.S. also has instituted a blockade of ships headed through the strait to Iranian ports. U.S. Central Command said in an internet post that its support for the operation, that Trump referred to as Project Freedom, will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms. But the central Command did not say how it would actually use those assets to move merchant ships through the strait. Trump’s announcement of the plan drew a quick rebuke from Iran, both from Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, and Iran’s armed forces. “Any foreign military force, especially the invading American army” will be attacked if they try to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of the Iranian armed forces’ Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said.
Giuliani hospitalized in critical condition
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is in critical but stable condition in a Florida hospital. A spokesperson would not say why Giuliani was hospitalized nor disclose which hospital he was in. Giuliani is 81 years old. After leading New York City through the 9/11 attack, he earned the honorary title “America’s Mayor.” In subsequent years, he became a personal attorney for Donald Trump and a strong political backer of Trump consistently telling untruths on Trump’s behalf. Recently, Giuliani has appeared on a streamed podcast series in which he continued to parrot Trump. Trump was among those wishing Giuliani well. Giuliani was disbarred in July 2024 in New York over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
Offer to buy eBay for $55.5 billion
GameStop, the gaming merchandise seller, has offered to buy ecommerce giant eBay for $55.5 billion. GameStop has offered $125 per share for eBay, half in cash and half in stock, the company announced Sunday. As of Friday, GameStop was worth $11.9 billion, while eBay was valued at $46.2 billion. In a letter to the chair of eBay, GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen said the company would cut costs at eBay and make it more profitable. He also sees benefits in combining GameStop’s brick-and-mortar stores with eBay’s online presence. “GameStop’s approximately 1,600 U.S. locations give eBay a national network for authentication, intake, fulfillment, and live commerce,” he noted. In his letter, Cohen said he would serve as the chief executive of the combined company.
Airliner hits light pole and truck during landing at Newark
A United Airlines flight landing at Newark Liberty International Airport hit a streetlight and a tractor-trailer on the nearby highway on Sunday, injuring the truck’s driver, according to the New Jersey State Police. United Flight 169 was arriving from Venice, Italy, carrying more than 220 passengers and 10 crew members. The Boeing 767 was going more than 160 miles an hour when it crossed over the New Jersey Turnpike, just outside of the airport and hit the light pole and truck. No one on board the flight was hurt, and the plane landed normally, United said in a statement. The truck driver who was injured was taken to a hospital. The pilots and air traffic control did not appear to be aware the plane had struck the light pole and truck.
Pirro may reopen investigation into Jerome Powell
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that she may reopen a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Her comments come just over a week after she wrote on social media that she had directed her office to suspend its investigation into Powell and after Powell’s likely replacement at the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, was approved by the Senate Banking Committee. Powell’s term as Federal Reserve chairman is due to end May 15. He has resisted pressure from Donald Trump to lower interest rates. Powell has said he will serve out the remaining approximately two years of his term as a Federal Reserve governor.
Supreme Court puts temporary hold on ban of abortion pill by mail
The U.S. Supreme Court today put a temporary hold on a ruling by a lower court in response to a request for emergency action that came from makers of the abortion pill mifepristone. The drug makers filed an emergency appeal at the Supreme Court urging the justices to pause a lower-court ruling that temporarily blocked Americans from accessing the drug through the mail. The emergency appeals were filed by Danco Laboratgories and GenBioPro. The appeals come after the conservative 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a nationwide requirement that the medication be obtained in person, undermining access to the method of abortion that has grown more widespread since the court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 precedent that established a constitutional right to abortion. The lower-court ruling, Danco Laboratories told the Supreme Court, “injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions.” Danco urged the Supreme Court to issue an “administrative” stay that would immediately pause the 5th Circuit’s decision. It also urged the Supreme Court to case the case up on the merits. GenBioPro, the maker of the generic version of the drug, filed a separate emergency application.
