These are today’s top stories.
Headlines
Trump Says It’s Our Turn to Hit Iran
President Trump said Wednesday it’s “our turn” to hit Iran hard after the U.S. completed a fresh wave of strikes overnight, following an intercepted Iranian missile attack on American forces a day earlier. Find out More
A Wisconsin judge ruled Wednesday that voters who have already returned their absentee ballots for the state’s primary cannot void them and request new ones, a decision that resolves a dispute that arose after Tuesday’s election. Source
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday for a fifth straight meeting, with three policymakers dissenting in favor of a rate hike amid inflation concerns tied in part to rising oil prices from the Middle East conflict. Read More
Politics
The Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to formally oppose any presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein. Read More
Elon Musk is planning a major financial push for Republicans ahead of the midterms, building on the record sum he spent backing the GOP in 2024, as the party seeks to protect its narrow House and Senate majorities. Find out More
Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday that a Senate panel will consider holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times during testimony on the origins of COVID-19. Source
U.S. News
Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination throughout a contentious Senate hearing Wednesday on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing sharp questioning from Republican senators. Find out More
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is resisting pressure from President Trump over a restrictive voting bill, telling associates he wants to see how the standoff resolves before committing the chamber’s floor time. Find out More
Two Democrats advanced to a runoff in the special election to succeed the late Georgia Rep. David Scott, with the congressman’s daughter, Marcye Scott, leading a five-way primary field. Find out More
Business
U.S. stock futures rose Wednesday evening as traders digested strong Big Tech earnings and looked to recover from the prior session’s Fed-driven sell-off. Read More
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.69% Wednesday, up seven basis points from the day before, as rates climbed across the board ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision. Read More
Apple is launching a new leasing program allowing customers to lease iPhones, Macs, iPads and other products rather than buying them outright, partnering with payment platform Klarna as electronics prices climb. Source
Market Report
| Symbol | Last Close | % Change | |
| Dow Jones | DJIA | $51,810.21 | -1.78% |
| S&P 500 | SPX | $7,343.07 | -1.15% |
| Nasdaq Composite | IXIC | $24,500.43 | -1.51% |
| Alphabet Inc. | GOOG | $335.76 | 0.95% |
| Tesla, Inc. | TSLA | $298.32 | -2.97% |
| Apple Inc. | AAPL | $338.19 | -0.56% |
World News
Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early Thursday, with multiple explosions reported across the Ukrainian capital hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned of an imminent major strike. Source
The United States and Saudi Arabia launched joint airstrikes Wednesday against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, marking the first time a Gulf state has publicly joined attacks against Tehran’s regional proxies since the war began. See Details
The death toll from this week’s earthquake in southwestern Japan climbed to 30 as rescue teams continued searching a damaged shopping mall and a paper factory for people still missing. Source
Entertainment
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is tracking for one of the biggest box office openings in Marvel history, with early estimates ranging from $260 million to $280 million globally for Tom Holland’s fourth outing as the web-slinger. Source
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has surpassed $700 million at the global box office after just 12 days in theaters, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing movie of the year and putting Nolan on pace to reach the billion-dollar club. Read More
Steve Guttenberg and Christie Brinkley’s family comedy “American Summer” has landed U.S. distribution, with Blue Harbor Entertainment acquiring rights to the film timed for a seasonal release. Read More
Sports
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal recorded his 1,000th career strikeout Wednesday as Detroit’s home series against Baltimore continued, with manager A.J. Hinch saying the team has no plans to hold him out ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. Read More
LeBron James met with Cleveland Cavaliers ownership and front-office executives in Akron before ultimately signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, his agent Rich Paul confirmed on a podcast. Find out More
NFL training camps opened across the league this week, with report dates, joint-practice schedules and preseason matchups now set for all 32 teams. Source
Off the Wall
A single ticket sold in Florida matched all six numbers to win the $800 million Mega Millions jackpot from Tuesday’s drawing, one of the largest prizes in the game’s history. Find out More
