May 5, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. Only six weeks remain until the World Cup kicks off, and hotels in most host cities face a major issue: Bookings are falling short of projections. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

The Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran

Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. military said it shot down incoming drones and missiles and sank six Iranian small boats yesterday as it launched an operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The incident threatened the fragile, month-old ceasefire between the two countries. Iran also fired on the United Arab Emirates, an American ally, and set off a major fire at the country's largest oil storage facility. The attack marks the first time Iran has attacked the Emirates since the ceasefire began.

🎧 Adm. Brad Cooper, head of Central Command in the Middle East, says the military has set up a "defensive umbrella across the Strait of Hormuz” to escort ships through the waterway. Cooper said the U.S. forces' defensive package has multiple layers, including ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne units, early warning and electronic warfare. NPR's Greg Myre tells Up First that the approach worked yesterday for two commercial ships, but it will have to be on a larger scale and support a steady stream of traffic to be successful. Myre says that as the operation continues, some key things to watch for are whether a large number of ships try to pass through the Strait and whether the U.S. can keep them safe.

It is primary day in Ohio and Indiana, and two very different decisions that Republicans made on gerrymandering will be on display. In Indiana, President Trump is seeking to oust incumbent Republican state senators whose votes helped defeat a redistricting plan. Ohio lawmakers had to create new maps because multiple earlier versions were either rejected by the courts or adopted without bipartisan support since 2021. The current map features some minor adjustments to the state's boundaries, and not all of the changes favor the Republicans.

🎧 State senate primaries are typically sleepy affairs that are focused on local issues. But NPR’s Tamara Keith says that AdImpact data shows nearly $7 million has been spent on TV ads in these Indiana primaries. Indiana state Sen. Jim Buck tells Keith that the money spent this cycle is unprecedented. He says that for previous campaigns, spending $150,000 on his race would be a lot. This time, more than a million has been spent on ads calling him a "Republican in Name Only." Keith spoke to Marty Obst, a longtime Republican consultant in Indiana. He's involved in the effort to oust Republican incumbents and tells Keith that the president is the leader of the party, and Republicans need to fall in line or there will be consequences.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito imposed a one-week pause on significant changes to how the abortion pill mifepristone can be prescribed. An appeals court last week said the Food and Drug Administration must revert to rules that the pill must only be prescribed in-person. The Supreme Court's ruling temporarily restores nationwide telehealth access to the medication.

🎧 Medication abortion today accounts for 60% of all abortions in the U.S., most of them using mifepristone, according to longtime health policy journalist Julie Rovner. The drug is also used to treat miscarriage. Rovner says last week's ruling from the appeals court came as a surprise, in part because the Trump administration had asked the lower court to put the case on hold until the FDA finished a review of mifepristone’s safety.

➡️ Here's what to know about how medication abortions work, how safe they are and how patients can access them.

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Living better

Illustration of a person looking off into the horizon thinking about their future.

Mar Hernández for NPR

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

The number of centenarians is expected to quadruple by 2054. MIT AgeLab director Joe Coughlin says planning for aging requires more than just saving for retirement. He and his collaborators developed a comprehensive tool called the Longevity Preparedness Index to help people assess life decisions beyond savings alone. The quiz is free online and takes around 15 minutes to complete. Each person’s score is determined by answers across eight domains, including relationships with family, friends and community, health and daily activities.

➡️ Awareness is the first step. The survey includes uncomfortable questions, such as whether you know who you would want to be your care provider if needed. Answering questions about life transitions can reveal the challenges you could face.
➡️ Savings are still important. One of the hardest challenges people face is deciding if they can afford their cost of living. For people who want to age in place with caregiving support, nonmedical caregiving like meal preparation and housekeeping can cost, on average, $80,000 a year.
➡️ Planning ahead can help reframe aging. By proactively anticipating and adapting to the inevitable physical changes of aging, people are able to envision the possibilities. The goal is not just to live longer but also to enhance the quality of your life.

Picture show

Singer Lisa at the 2026 Met Gala. She wears a form-fitting glittery dress. Her outfit has a mannequin's arms attached, holding up a long white cloth behind her.

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

The stars were out last night, donning striking and extravagant outfits as they ascended the Met Gala's staircase to mark fashion’s biggest night. The event raises funds for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. This year’s co-chairs were Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour. The 2026 Gala dress code was “Fashion is Art.” Stars like Bad Bunny, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway and more got creative with their attire. Take a look at some of the glitzy and glamorous looks from the evening.

3 things to know before you go

Collage of Blake Lively (left) and Justin Baldoni (right). Both are seen from the shoulders up.

1

Actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their nearly two-year legal dispute yesterday.

2

The 2026 Pulitzer Prizes were announced yesterday, celebrating 24 winners across journalism and the arts. Among those honored was author Daniel Kraus for his book Angel Down and staffers and contributors at The Washington Post, Reuters and Associated Press.

3

Kansas City’s next big opera star is a 12-year-old dog. The lucky pooch makes his big debut this weekend at Lyric Opera of Kansas City in their new production of “Of Mice and Men." Meet some of the four-legged actors that audition for the role. (via KCUR)

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen

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