Edition · SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026
Today's five.
Sunday, May 24, 2026. 5 briefs — three national, one local, one state — analyzed from across the spectrum.
POLITICS · WORLD
What will Trump do next with Iran?
A U.S.-Iran deal appears close but contested: Trump declared Saturday that an agreement to end the roughly two-month conflict is "largely negotiated," citing progress on opening the Strait of Hormuz and a productive call with Qatari and Saudi leaders. Iran's IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency pushed back, saying the strait would remain under Tehran's control and dismissing Trump's characterization as "incomplete and inconsistent with reality." The standoff began after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, followed by a 38-day military campaign, a fragile ceasefire, and weeks of stalled negotiations. The dispute has unsettled global energy markets, regional stability, and Trump's domestic political standing.
POLITICS
Trump administration expands Ebola travel restrictions to green card holders
The Trump administration announced two significant immigration policy changes this week. First, it expanded existing Ebola-related travel restrictions to temporarily bar lawful permanent residents — green card holders — who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days from entering the United States. Second, in a separate move, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that foreign nationals temporarily in the U.S. who wish to apply for green cards must now leave and complete the process from their home countries, reversing a policy in place for more than half a century that allowed applicants to remain in the U.S. throughout the entire process. Immigration lawyers and aid groups have expressed confusion and concern over the latter change, which could affect visa holders, spouses of U.S. citizens, refugees, and asylum seekers facing potentially years-long backlogs abroad.
BRIEF
Princeton Cannibal Killer Found Dead in Jail Cell
Matthew Hertgen, 31, the New Jersey man found not guilty by reason of insanity for the killing and mutilation of his 26-year-old brother Joseph inside the family's Princeton-area home, was found dead inside Mercer County Jail on May 8 in what authorities are treating as an apparent suicide. The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office confirmed the death, though an official cause has not been released. Hertgen had previously attempted to hang himself in the same facility just days after his February 2025 arrest. He was formally found not criminally responsible by a Mercer County Superior Court judge on March 19, meaning he faced civil commitment rather than criminal sentencing at the time of his death.
POLITICS
Secret Service kills man who opened fire at White House security checkpoint
A man approached the security checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, pulled a weapon from his bag, and opened fire. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing the gunman; a bystander was also wounded in the exchange. President Trump was inside the White House at the time. Dozens of shots were reported heard from the property, and the White House was placed on lockdown. Officials subsequently identified the deceased gunman, though details of his identity were not included in initial reports. The incident raises fresh scrutiny of security protocols at one of the most heavily guarded sites in the country.
POLITICS
‘Dangerous and Disturbing’: Yet another shooting near President worries Republicans
Republican leaders allied with President Trump expressed alarm following another shooting incident in the vicinity of the president, calling the situation "dangerous and disturbing." The incident marks at least the second such episode to raise security concerns among Trump's political allies. The strong reaction from Republicans underscores growing unease within the party over the adequacy of protective measures surrounding the former and current president. The repeated nature of these incidents is intensifying calls for scrutiny of security protocols, with allied leaders signaling the pattern represents a serious and escalating threat that demands immediate attention.