The briefing for Monday, May 25.

An emerging agreement to end the U.S.-Iran war hit new uncertainty Sunday after President Trump instructed negotiators not to rush, reversing earlier optimism that a deal was imminent. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a 'solid' agreement may come Monday, though he cautioned 'we're still a work in progress' during a visit to India. The reported deal would include a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran eventually giving up its highly enriched uranium stockpile—about 440 kilograms enriched to 60% purity.

Under the framework, thorny issues including sanctions relief and frozen Iranian funds would be negotiated during the 60-day window. Iran's foreign ministry said the sides were both 'very close and very far' from agreement, with communication challenges as Supreme Leader Khamenei, injured in the February strike that started the war, remains in an undisclosed location. The deal has split Trump's Republicans—Senators Cruz, Graham, and Wicker harshly criticized it as potentially disastrous, while Senator Rand Paul defended the president's approach.

Oil prices fell sharply Monday on hopes of a deal, with Brent crude dropping 5.5% to $97.08 per barrel. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil and natural gas typically passes, has been effectively closed since Iran retaliated for the February 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes. The conflict has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $29 billion and claimed 13 American service members' lives, while jolting the world economy with spiking energy prices.

Armed men stormed a hospital treating Ebola patients in Mongbwalu, Congo on Sunday evening, demanding bodies of their relatives as medical staff scrambled to evacuate patients amid gunfire. The attack on Mongbwalu General Hospital marked the third assault on healthcare facilities in a week, exposing the severe challenges facing authorities as they battle an outbreak the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency. Eighteen suspected Ebola patients remain missing from Saturday's arson attack on a Doctors Without Borders tent facility.

Congolese authorities reported suspected cases have now passed 900, mostly in northeastern Ituri Province, with death toll figures showing discrepancies—the government reported 119 deaths but regional numbers totaled 220. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine exists. It spread undetected for weeks while authorities initially tested for more common strains. The International Federation of Red Cross said three of its volunteers died from the outbreak, believing they contracted the virus March 27 while handling bodies during a humanitarian mission.

The crisis is unfolding in a region already facing armed conflict, with nearly a million people displaced in Ituri by violence from rebel groups including the Allied Democratic Forces. International aid cuts last year by the U.S. and other nations devastated Congo's capacity to respond, while aid groups say they lack basic equipment like face shields, testing kits, and body bags. Congolese authorities have banned funeral wakes and gatherings over 50 people, but the government's mandate that suspected victims be buried by authorities has sparked community backlash and violent resistance.

President Trump's emerging Iran deal is drawing heavy criticism from fellow Republicans who fear a lost opportunity to rein in Tehran, with Senators Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and Roger Wicker questioning whether the agreement renders the conflict 'for naught.' Cruz called any deal leaving Iran able to enrich uranium and control the Strait of Hormuz a 'disastrous mistake,' while Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said a 60-day ceasefire would be a 'disaster' that would undo everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury.

Trump dismissed objections to a deal he said was not 'even fully negotiated yet,' telling critics to 'don't listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about.' The president insisted the deal is 'THE EXACT OPPOSITE' of the Obama-era nuclear pact he withdrew from, and that both sides 'must take their time and get it right.' Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted the emerging deal seemed the same as the Obama agreement, prompting a profanity-laced response from White House communications director Steven Cheung.

Some Republican support came from Senator Rand Paul, who defended the approach, saying 'war virtually always ends with negotiations' and critics should give Trump 'space to find an America First solution.' The war, which began when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, is unpopular with the American public according to polls. Trump initially said the conflict would be over in four to six weeks, but the standoff has continued as Iran's closure of the strait jolted the world economy and sent prices for gasoline and other goods climbing.

Turkish riot police stormed the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People's Party on Sunday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at supporters who had barricaded themselves inside for three days. The violent raid ended a standoff that began Thursday when an appeals court nullified the election of CHP leader Özgür Özel, replacing him with predecessor Kemal Kilicdaroğlu, who led the party for 13 years but never won national elections. Footage showed clouds of tear gas as police broke through makeshift barricades, with doors, furniture, and ground floor windows destroyed.

Özel, who delivered a decisive blow to Erdoğan's party in the 2024 municipal elections, told supporters as he left the building: 'We are leaving now only to reclaim it in a way no one will be able to interfere again.' He then led hundreds of supporters on a march toward parliament over 5 kilometers away. The court's decision overturned a 2025 lower court ruling that threw out allegations of vote buying in the party election. The ruling suspends Özel and the party's executive board, with the new administration unable to enter the building until the police intervention.

Human Rights Watch warned Saturday that Erdoğan's government was undermining Turkish democracy with 'abusive tactics' against the CHP. The vast majority of the party has rallied behind Özel, and many observers say the legal cases—mostly centered on corruption allegations—are aimed at neutralizing the party ahead of the next presidential election. Erdoğan, who has led Turkey since 2003, can only run again if he calls early elections before 2028 or changes the constitution. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, a CHP member and seen as Erdoğan's main challenger, has been imprisoned since March 2025 on corruption charges.

Pope Leo XIV made an unprecedented apology Monday for the role the Holy See itself played in legitimizing slavery, calling the Vatican's record a 'wound in Christian memory' in his first encyclical focused on artificial intelligence. While past popes have apologized for Christians' involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, no pope has ever publicly acknowledged the role that past popes themselves played in giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave 'infidels.' The first U.S.-born pope, whose family history includes both enslaved people and slave owners, delivered the apology in 'Magnifica Humanitas,' released Monday.

The Vatican has insisted it always upheld human dignity, but a series of 15th-century directives authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians. Pope Nicholas V's 1452 bull Dum Diversas gave the Portuguese king the right 'to invade, conquer, fight and subjugate' and 'reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.' These bulls formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, which legitimized colonial-era land seizure. The permissions were confirmed or renewed by subsequent popes through 1514, though the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023 without rescinding the bulls themselves.

Leo raised the trans-Atlantic slave trade in relation to what he called new forms of slavery and colonialism fueled by the digital revolution, such as unregulated labor required to procure rare minerals for AI chips. 'It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord,' Leo wrote. 'For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.' The encyclical also called for robust regulation of AI and denounced the 'culture of power' driving the AI race, declaring it 'not permissible' to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems.

A damaged chemical tank in Garden Grove, California has developed a crack that could potentially lower the risk of a catastrophic explosion, though 50,000 residents remain evacuated with no timeline for return, fire officials said Sunday. Orange County Fire Authority Captain Wayhowe Huang said fire officials discovered the crack during overnight evaluation, though it does not appear any of the highly volatile chemicals have leaked. 'There's still the danger of a possible explosion,' Huang said, as firefighters continued spraying the tank with water to cool the chemicals inside.

Engineering experts said the crack could be a welcome development, as it may mean pressure inside the tank is being released, reducing explosion risk. 'Think of a soda can. If you leave it in a hot car it can explode,' said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor. 'But if you put a hole in the can, the product is released and the can itself doesn't explode.' However, Faisal Khan of Texas A&M University cautioned that while an explosion may not occur in the initially feared magnitude, the risk hasn't disappeared entirely: 'Cooling is happening on the surface of the tank while runaway reaction may be occurring deep inside the tank.'

The pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a GKN Aerospace facility about 40 miles south of Los Angeles. No injuries have been reported, and air monitoring shows pollution within normal limits around the evacuation zone. Garden Grove residents filed a class-action lawsuit Saturday against GKN Aerospace, arguing that property values will be impacted regardless of what happens. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday and asked President Trump to issue an emergency declaration. The company said it was 'working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak,' though officials said the valves on the tank are broken or 'gummed up,' preventing crews from removing the chemicals.'}]

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