Following the crash of a U.S. Air Force T-38 "Talon" on May 12th from Columbus Air Force Base, MS, the U.S. Air Force has issued an "operational pause," aka grounding, for all T-38 aircraft under Global Strike Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command, and Air Force Materiel Command "out of an abundance of caution."

With the arrival of the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the Caribbean Sea and escalating tensions between Cuba and the United States, traders on Polymarket believe that the chance of U.S. military action against Cuba by the end of the year is rising, having recently surpassed 51%.

The man who is ostensibly Pakistan’s principal-decision maker, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is reportedly heading to Tehran, Iran today, a Pakistani source told Barak Ravid. Munir is on his way to Tehran, in what many see as a last-ditch attempt to help both Iran and the U.S. realize a deal.

According to a release from U.S. Central Command, since the start of the U.S. blockade of vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports, 97 vessels have been redirected and 4 subjected to disabling fire to ensure compliance.

According to Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, in coordination with the U.S., a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran Iran earlier today to aid in efforts to realize a deal between the U.S. and Iran. In the past, Qatar has played the role as mediator between Iran and the U.S. and it’s thought that their connections with principal Iranian decision-makers may ease negotiations efforts. This comes as the Pakistan’s chief decision-maker, Field Marshal Asim Munir has also travelled to Tehran to facilitate an agreement.

Kevin Warsh has now been sworn in as the Chair of the Federal Reserve, succeeding Jerome Powell as the 17th chair.

Tulsi Gabbard has submitted her resignation as U.S. Director of National Intelligence, according to early reporting by Fox News.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has announced via TruthSocial that he will be unable to attend his son, Donald Trump Jr., and his soon to be wife, Bettina Anderson’s wedding this weekend in the Bahamas, citing his reason as, “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America.” Trump further states in the post, “I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time.”

Despite public statements from President Trump and Tulsi Gabbard citing her husband’s diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer as the reason for her departure, Reuters is reporting that this was not a choice by Gabbard, and that the White House ‌forced her to ⁠resign from her position as Director of National Intelligence.

The U.S. Department of War has released its second tranche of unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) information including several documents, audio and video files that have been previously classified. This image included in today’s release was likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S military platform operating within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in 2021.

Among the second release of recently declassified unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) documents held by the U.S government is this video from February 12, 2023 that shows an object being destroyed over Lake Huron by a U.S. Air Force Air National Guard F-16C “Fighting Falcon” with an unknown weapons system.

Capt. Christopher “Chowdah” Hill, the Commanding Officer onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) during her deployment to the Red Sea against the Houthis in 2024 and Interim Commander of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN‑75) once again during combat operations in the Red Sea in early 2025, has been approved for promotion to Rear Admiral. Congratulations to Captain Hill and the other twenty-two captains frocked to Rear Admiral!!!

Iran’s state-run Tasnim News Agency has said that the Iranian Armed Forces is preparing for any possible U.S. attack, adding that a third round of fighting would involve new equipment, targets, tactics, and war strategy, along with additional trans-regional fronts that extend outside the Middle East.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran (CAA.IRI) has issued a Notice-to-Airmen (NOTAM) for Iranian Airspace, closing all but a handful of airports in the western part of the Tehran Flight Information Region (OIIX), which will only be open for commercial flights from Sunrise to Sunset. The NOTAM will be in effect from May 22, 2026 to May 25, 2026. All flight operators are still required to receive permission from the Civil Aviation Authority for any flights over or into Iran.

Amidst reports that Iran has issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) closing its airspace until Monday, a Qatari plane, known to be a Qatari government VIP transport, has been viewed leaving Tehran, Iran. This follows the Qatari delegation’s trip to Tehran to facilitate a deal between the U.S. and Iran. While Pakistan’s chief decision-maker, Asim Munir, is still set to meet with his Iranian counterparts tomorrow, only limited reports of positive progress on the talks have emerged.

According to CBS, citing sources with knowledge on the matter, the U.S. is indeed preparing to resume strikes on Iran, but as of this afternoon, no decision has been made. Additionally, per the report, members of the intelligence community and the military have been canceling Memorial Day weekend plans, as defense and intelligence officials update recall rosters to facilitate the movement of personnel out of the region. Such efforts were taken previously to limit the amount of U.S. personnel in harms way of Iranian fires.

The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, has said that U.S. President Donald J. Trump told his aides at the National Security Team meeting earlier today that he wanted to give diplomacy, as it relates to Iran, more time.

A U.S. Navy P-8A “Poseidon” Maritime Patrol and Surveillance Aircraft, assigned to Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron 26 (VP-26), flies over the Kantō Mountains in Southern Japan, May 15, 2026.

According to an exclusive report by the New York Post, President Trump’s first daughter, 44-year-old Ivanka Trump, was the target of an assassination plot by a trained member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as revenge from the elimination of Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani.