Latest Headlines for Tuesday, May 26th.

These are the top stories for today, May 26th.

The U.S. military carried out new "self-defense strikes" in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and boats attempting to emplace mines in the area of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Trump said on social media that Iran negotiations were "proceeding nicely." Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vowed Tuesday to "respond decisively to any violation of the ceasefire," claiming it had shot down an American MQ-9 drone and fired at another U.S. aircraft, while four Iranian Guard troops were reported killed in the strikes. See Details

Top negotiators from Tehran traveled to Qatar to discuss remaining points of contention in a potential deal to end the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, even as CENTCOM was simultaneously conducting strikes in Bandar Abbas. A CNN source said the deal is expected to unfold in two phases, with Hormuz reopening tied to Phase 1. Read More

Polls are open across Texas in what is shaping up as the final major Trump retribution primary of the spring cycle, with Trump-backed AG Ken Paxton facing four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn; pre-election polling showed Paxton with a narrow lead heading into Election Day, with the University of Houston’s survey finding Paxton at 48% to Cornyn’s 45% among likely runoff voters — within the margin of error. Read More

Secretary Pete Hegseth honored America’s fallen service members at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, including the 13 soldiers killed in Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war: "They now lie in silent rows here at Arlington, in more than 170 national cemeteries throughout our nation and across 17 countries around the world. They answered the call when it mattered the most." Source

The U.S. strikes on Iran on Memorial Day — coming just days after the House postponed a war powers vote and the Senate passed a resolution to limit Trump’s military authority — immediately reignited the debate on Capitol Hill, with Democratic leaders calling for an emergency session and Rand Paul calling the strikes "exactly the kind of unchecked action Congress must stop." See Details

Texas Senator John Cornyn’s closing argument in the runoff was that Paxton "would be laden down by his history of legal and personal baggage if he is the nominee, costing Republicans untold millions in the general election that could be spent in more competitive states"; Cornyn has the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Border Patrol Council Source

Samantha Busch released a statement Monday saying her husband Kyle "was fighting so hard" in his final days, and revealing that the 911 call from the day before his death — in which callers described him coughing up blood on the bathroom floor — was among the hardest moments her family had faced. NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps called Busch "the greatest driver of his generation." See Details

Tiger Woods resurfaced on social media with an emotional Memorial Day message nearly two months after his DUI arrest and rehab treatment announcement; the golf legend posted a patriotic tribute honoring fallen service members while also paying special respect to his late father, Earl Woods, who served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and completed two tours in Vietnam. Find out More

Tens of millions of Americans observed Memorial Day Monday in what the Veterans Administration reported was the highest-attended national cemetery event since 2006, with renewed public focus on military sacrifice driven by the ongoing Iran war and the recent deaths of 13 service members in Operation Epic Fury. Source

Stock futures jumped early Tuesday as oil prices slid and hope grew that a resolution to the U.S.-Iran war was within reach; Dow futures popped 319 points (0.63%), S&P 500 futures gained 0.65%, and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.87%. However, gains were more muted than overnight levels after news of the fresh U.S. strikes on Iran tempered optimism. Find out More

West Texas Intermediate futures were last down over 5% in overnight trading following Trump’s "proceeding nicely" comments, with Brent futures also sliding; both benchmarks rebounded sharply after reports of the Bandar Abbas strikes, illustrating how tethered global energy markets remain to every diplomatic and military development in the Iran war. See Details

When markets reopen Tuesday, the earnings calendar includes AutoZone and Zscaler, along with May consumer confidence data — the first major economic release since new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh was sworn in last Friday, with investors watching for signs his approach will differ from his predecessor’s on rate policy. Source

	Symbol	Last Close	% Change
Dow Jones Industrial Average	DJIA	$50,579.70	0.58%
S&P 500	SPX	$7,473.47	0.37%
Nasdaq Composite	IXIC	$26,343.97	0.19%
Alphabet Inc.	GOOG	$379.38	-1.07%
Tesla, Inc.	TSLA	$426.01	1.95%
Apple Inc.	AAPL	$308.82	1.26%
Microsoft Corp.	MSFT	$418.57	-0.12%

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard vowed Tuesday to "respond decisively to any violation of the ceasefire" and said U.S. forces had "entered Iran’s airspace in the Persian Gulf region"; the IRGC claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 drone and fired at another U.S. aircraft following Monday’s self-defense strikes in Bandar Abbas. Source

Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone strike on Russian territory overnight Monday, sending more than 300 drones at targets across six Russian regions, including oil refineries in Saratov and air bases in Lipetsk, in what Kyiv described as a direct response to Russia’s ongoing bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Source

The Wall Street Journal reported that talks bogged down Monday over language on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief, while other reports indicate Tehran would only agree to ship out its highly enriched uranium with guarantees from China — a condition Washington has not accepted. The two-phase deal framework remains the most likely path forward, but it is not yet finalized. Source

Disney confirmed that "The Mandalorian and Grogu" earned $100 million domestically over the Memorial Day weekend. The film took in a softer-than-expected $63 million internationally. Read More

Taylor Swift was shutout of winning any awards at at the American Music Awards despite receiving nomination in 8 categories. Find out More

The New York Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, with Game 4 ending 130-93 as the Cavs never recovered from blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1; Jalen Brunson was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP. The Knicks will await the winner of the Thunder-Spurs series, with Game 5 tonight in Oklahoma City. Source

FIFA ruled it will allow Iran to remain in Mexico to continue World Cup preparations despite the ongoing war, rejecting demands from several nations that Iran be expelled from the tournament. Iran is in Group C alongside the U.S., England, and Australia — setting up an extraordinarily charged geopolitical group-stage showdown in July. Read More

The Thunder-Spurs series is tied 2-2 after Wembanyama delivered a 33-point performance to power San Antonio to a 103-82 Game 4 blowout, with SGA limited to just 19 points; tonight’s Game 5 tips off at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with Jalen Williams questionable. See Details

A New Jersey resident shared footage of a black bear wandering up to a doorbell camera and triggering the bell with its snout, which has since gone viral, garnering more than 12 million views. Neighbors are reportedly unsure whether to be terrified or to start leaving Amazon packages for the bear. Find out More