The briefing for Thursday, May 28.

The U.S. military struck an Iranian military facility in Bandar Abbas on Wednesday after shooting down four Iranian attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz, marking the second round of strikes in three days. The attacks came hours after the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which has been charging vessels up to $2 million to transit the critical waterway. Kuwait separately reported facing a missile and drone attack Thursday morning, though no group immediately claimed responsibility.

The escalation threatens fragile ceasefire talks between Washington and Tehran that have dragged on for weeks without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and natural gas normally passes. Oil prices jumped sharply on the news, with Brent crude rising 3.75% to $97.83 per barrel. President Trump said Wednesday that Iran is 'negotiating on fumes' but added the U.S. is 'not satisfied' with progress, warning Washington may have to 'finish the job' if no deal is reached.

Iran condemned Monday's U.S. strikes as a 'grave violation of the ceasefire' and said it launched retaliatory attacks, while its Revolutionary Guard acknowledged Wednesday's strikes near Bandar Abbas International Airport. The ongoing military actions come as rising energy costs heap political pressure on Trump and Republicans ahead of midterm elections, with experts warning it could take weeks or months for shipping and prices to recover once the strait reopens. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect until an agreement is certified and signed.

At least 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees have died by suicide since President Trump took office in January 2025, an Associated Press investigation found, far exceeding the growth in the detainee population and already surpassing the annual record. The deaths include Brayan Rayo Garzon, who killed himself in April 2025 after his request for mental health treatment was delayed and staff prohibited his nightly call to his mother while he was isolated with COVID-19.

The spike alarms public health officials who say it indicates authorities are failing to properly oversee tens of thousands of immigrants swept up in Trump's aggressive deportation strategy. Dr. Sanjay Basu, a UC San Francisco epidemiologist, called it 'one of those alarming, sudden increases' from a public health perspective. Since October, seven deaths have been classified as suicides, the most for any fiscal year in ICE's history, which typically records one or no such deaths annually.

Nine of the 10 suicide victims were Hispanic men from four countries, with an average age of 32. While Trump has characterized deportees as the 'worst of the worst,' seven had no record of violent crimes in the U.S. DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said suicide deaths remain 'extremely rare' and that detention staff follow protocols for at-risk detainees, but the deaths account for nearly a fifth of 51 total deaths in ICE custody since January 2025.

Alabama's Republican leadership asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to allow use of a congressional map favoring the GOP in this year's elections, despite a lower court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people. The state's emergency appeal came one day after a three-judge panel refused to permit the 2023 state-drawn map, which has a Black majority in just one of seven districts, instead requiring continued use of a court-ordered map with two majority or near-majority Black districts.

The case stems from a 2023 ruling in which the three-judge panel found the Republican-drawn map intentionally diluted Black voting power in a state that is 27% Black. After the Supreme Court's recent ruling striking down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakening the Voting Rights Act, Alabama officials moved to implement their 2023 map. The high court initially lifted the injunction blocking it, but the lower court stood by its finding of 'undisputed evidence' of intentional racial discrimination upon further review.

Attorney General Steve Marshall told the Supreme Court that Alabama did not intentionally discriminate and should use a legislator-chosen map rather than a court-imposed one. The dispute is part of broader redistricting efforts across Southern states following the Louisiana ruling, with Republicans seeking to reshape districts that have elected Democrats. Governor Kay Ivey had set special primaries for August 11 in four affected districts, but the panel's decision requires those elections proceed under the court-approved map instead.

Uganda ordered the immediate closure of its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday as suspected Ebola cases near 1,000 in its neighbor and cases emerge at home. The measure, which goes against World Health Organization guidance, came after a rise in Ugandan health workers exposed to the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola by Congolese patients who crossed before the outbreak was declared May 15. Uganda has reported seven cases including one death, while Congo reports over 100 confirmed cases among nearly 1,000 suspected, with at least 220 suspected deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation a 'catastrophic collision of disease and conflict,' warning that attacks on health facilities in eastern Congo make tracking cases nearly impossible. The organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern but discouraged border closures, noting they push movement to unmonitored informal crossings. Travel will only be authorized for emergency cases including outbreak response, cargo, or security, with mandatory 21-day isolation for those entering from Congo.

Responders in Congo say they are underprepared and underprotected, facing challenges from armed groups, poor infrastructure, and large displaced populations. Conflict-traumatized residents have attacked clinics and volunteers trying to raise awareness about the virus, which spreads through close contact with bodily fluids. The Trump administration announced Wednesday it will send Americans exposed to Ebola to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the U.S., as the international community struggles to contain an outbreak of a rare Ebola type with no approved medicines or vaccines.

The Trump administration announced last week that foreigners seeking green cards must apply from their home countries instead of in the U.S., a policy shift that potentially affects hundreds of thousands of legal immigration applicants annually. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the change would apply to all applicants 'except in extraordinary circumstances,' though the details remain unclear. Immigration attorneys report their phones are ringing off the hook with worried clients, while they struggle to interpret conflicting guidance.

USCIS issued both a brief website announcement stating applicants must return home and a more nuanced policy memo for staff deciding cases, creating confusion over what the change actually means. The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday the policy wouldn't prevent anyone 'who legitimately and properly' qualifies from obtaining a green card, though some will have to apply overseas through the State Department. The shift represents part of a broader pivot by the administration to target legal immigration pathways after focusing primarily on migrants in the U.S. illegally.

For over 50 years, foreign nationals with legal status have been able to apply for permanent residence while in the United States, including people married to U.S. citizens, holders of work and student visas, and refugees and asylum-seekers. Immigration attorney Charles Kuck called the policy 'simply an attempt to try to limit and scare people away from the legal immigration process,' predicting legal challenges. Attorney Flavia Santos Lloyd said the change has 'a chilling effect' and that she's advising clients to wait and see how the policy unfolds before proceeding with applications.

Fair housing organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule change they say reverses decades of lending protections and opens the door to discrimination against Black people, Latinos and other minorities. The suit targets changes to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, including elimination of the requirement that lenders consider 'disparate impact'—policies that appear neutral but cause disproportionate harm to certain groups. Plaintiffs argue the rule would make it easier for lenders to market loans to predominantly white neighborhoods, forcing minority communities to rely on risky, high-cost predatory lenders.

The lawsuit comes amid what plaintiffs describe as a broader Trump administration campaign to dismantle fair housing and lending protections. The administration has proposed eliminating the Fair Housing Initiatives Program budget and cut staffing in half at HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Lisa Rice, CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, called the CFPB changes 'the deliberate dismantling of 50 years of legal jurisprudence, regulatory guidance, and bipartisan consensus that lending discrimination has no place in America.'

Plaintiffs are asking the court to vacate the rule, arguing it is arbitrary, exceeds statutory authority, and was issued outside required procedures. Several high-profile settlements indicate housing discrimination remains significant, including a 2023 case where the Justice Department accused City National Bank of redlining, requiring a $31 million payment in the largest such settlement in department history. The CFPB, created to protect consumers from financial abuse, did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.