Rep. Eric Swalwell vehemently denied sexual assault allegations from a former staffer and three other women, calling them 'absolutely false,' as key Democratic leaders and organizations, including Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, and the California Teachers Association, withdrew their endorsements for his California gubernatorial campaign.
The four Artemis II astronauts completed their historic 10-day journey around the moon, splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, setting a distance record for human spaceflight since 1972. The triumphant return, however, is shadowed by President Trump's proposed budget cuts to NASA, which critics call 'extinction-level'.
First Lady Melania Trump called on Congress to hold public hearings with Jeffrey Epstein's victims, a statement that stunned White House aides and drew criticism from over a dozen survivors who accused her of 'shifting the burden' onto them, stating they have already shown extraordinary courage.
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for a fifth of the world's oil supply, has driven oil prices higher and sparked fears of a volatile summer, with experts warning of potential global economic disruption. US officials claim Iran's inability to clear erratically laid mines in the waterway further complicates reopening efforts, impacting global energy security.
The UK government has put its plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on hold, following strong criticism from President Trump, who called the deal 'an act of great stupidity' due to its potential impact on a vital US-British military base.
The Trump administration unveiled renderings for a 250-foot 'Triumphal Arch' that would loom over the Potomac, taller than the US Capitol and Lincoln Memorial, drawing criticism from Rep. Don Beyer as a taxpayer-funded vanity project that would 'choke traffic' and 'block our skyline'.