Read Online | May 4, 2026 | E-Paper | 🎧 Listen
“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”
— Seneca the Younger
Cathy He
Politics Editor
Good morning, happy Monday! Here are today’s top stories.
- U.S. forces will “help free up” shipstrapped in the Strait of Hormuz starting this morning, President Donald Trump said.
- Iranian officials sent a message to the United States via Pakistan for a two-month-long ceasefire amid negotiations to end the war, according to state-run media.
- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized and in critical condition, according to his spokesperson, who did not provide further details on Giuliani’s condition or the reason for his hospitalization.
- The bullet that hit a Secret Service agent just outside of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was fired by the gunman and was not friendly fire, said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
- 🍵 Health: Our reporter tried waking up at 5 a.m. for 30 days. Here’s what happened.
The Ateela 2 Oil Tanker boat navigates the sea on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 28, 2026. (Asghar Besharati/Getty Images)
US to Help ‘Free Up’ Ships in Strait of Hormuz: Trump
U.S. forces will “help free up” ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz starting on Monday morning, President Donald Trump said on May 3.
Trump said countries from across the world had asked the United States to help move the stranded ships.
“They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”
Trump said on Sunday that the ships the United States will help move are “not in any way involved” with the conflict in the Middle East and described the operation as a “humanitarian gesture.”
“I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait,” Trump added.
“In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else.”
Trump did not reveal whether the U.S. Navy would be involved.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on May 4 that its forces will begin assisting merchant vessels “seeking to freely transit” through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission known as “Project Freedom.”
The command said that 15,000 U.S. service members, guided-missile destroyers, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and over 100 land and sea-based aircraft will take part in the mission.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement.
The announcement was made hours after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a bulk carrier was attacked by multiple small craft as it transited toward the Strait of Hormuz near Iran on Sunday.Sponsored by Birch Gold Group
Trump’s “Gold Reset” Will Catch Millions Unprepared
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IRAN CEASEFIRE
- Trump said the United States will withdraw even more U.S. troops from Germany than previously confirmed amid Washington’s disagreement with Berlin over the Iran war. The Pentagon had said that it was pulling 5,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany, but Trump later said, “We’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
- A bulk carrier was attacked by multiple small craft as it transited toward the Strait of Hormuz. The incident occurred about 11 miles west of Sirik, Iran, according to a warning issued by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
POLITICS
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that U.S. airlines will assist stranded passengers and displaced workers after Spirit Airlines shut down its operations on Saturday.
- The No Surprises Act, which went into effect in 2022, was designed to protect patients against surprise bills when they receive care from an out-of-network provider. Data suggest it has also had the unintended effect of raising medical costs.
LATEST NEWS
- U.S. and Moroccan forces are conducting a search and rescue operation after two U.S. Army soldiersparticipating in training exercises in Morocco were reported missing and may have fallen into the ocean on May 2, officials said.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that former FBI Director James Comey wasn’t just indicted for his “86 47” seashell social media post.
- The IRS’s internal watchdog has stated that tens of millions of U.S. taxpayers may be owed refunds or abatements of penalties or interest during the COVID-19 federal disaster period.
- Four noncitizen residents of New Jersey have been charged in separate criminal complaints for allegedly voting in federal elections, which is illegal, and then lying about it when applying for U.S. citizenship.
🇺🇸 AMERICA AT 250: On April 18, 1775, two lanterns hung in the steeple of Boston’s Old North Church signaled the movement of British troops, providing early warning for the Patriots. While best known for its role in the American Revolution, our senior reporter, Lawrence Wilson, explains why the story of the Old North Church is the story of America.
A piece of wreckage of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 after it crashed on the mountain in Tengxian County, Guangxi Province, China, on March 21, 2022. (Xinhua via AP)
WORLD
- Newly disclosed U.S. investigative records are shedding light on the final moments of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 in 2022, revealing critical flight data that had not been made public in the four years since the deadly crash.
- Three guests are dead as a suspected hantavirus outbreak spreads on board a cruise ship currently in the Atlantic Ocean, while three others are ill, according to the World Health Organization.
- Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, for a state visit, resuming a trip that had been initially canceled because of interference from Beijing.
- China’s already-strained economy faces mounting pressure as the Iran war threatens to choke export growth and suppress domestic demand, putting its 4.5 percent growth target at risk, experts say.
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OPINION
- Compassion Unbridled by Prudence and Reason Is a Wrecking Ball—by Jeff Minick (Read)
- Iran Is Losing This War, and the Global Balance of Power Is Shifting—by Victor Davis Hanson (Read)
- Why Tech Giants Cannot Hide Behind Diplomacy—by Dr. Can Sun (Read)
People attend the Cinco de Mayo parade in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on May 2, 2026. Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s unlikely victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. (Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images)
📸 America in Photos: The Royals Visit US, Project HERO, and Kentucky Derby (Look)
💸 Money: Brokerage Account Versus IRA: Which One Do You Open First? (Read)
🎭 Culture: They Grew Up on 15-Second Videos. Now They Sit Through 3-Hour Operas (Read)
🎵 Music: Mozart’s Sonata In F (Listen)
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HEALTH
(Illustration by Lumi Liu)
I Woke Up at 5 a.m. for 30 Days. Here’s What Happened
It’s 4:53 a.m. on a Monday in January. My room in upstate New York is frigid; I dread opening my eyes, let alone leaving my bed. The alarm hasn’t gone off, but I know what’s coming.
I sit upright, drag a jacket over me, and reach for the bottle I set on the table the night before.
Eighteen ounces of water spiked with my favorite electrolytes, followed by a cup of hot tea. This is the first of many small traps I’ve laid to outsmart the version of me that, in about four seconds, will want nothing more than to disappear under the cozy blanket.
But I don’t disappear, at least not today.
That was day three of my 30-day experiment of waking up at 5 a.m. By then, I’d already learned the first rule of early rising: Morning you is a different version than the one who set the alarm the night before. One is idealistic, the other is guaranteed to hit snooze. Thus, you have to build systems to outplay your drowsy self, because at the crack of dawn, you fall to the bottom of your habits.
For me, my systems included: phone far from the bed, water ready, and gym clothes laid out. First, run on autopilot until you’re vertical, then it’s somewhat downstream from there.
If you leave anything to decision-making, you will end up choosing the pillow. Every time.
Part of my reasoning was journalistic. I wanted to test the 5 a.m.gospel that fills the productivity space; the promise that if you just wake up earlier, life will have no choice but to bow at your feet. (More)
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Thanks for reading 🙏
Have a wonderful day!
—Cathy He, Madalina Hubert, and Kenzi Li.
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