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Stalled ships near the Strait of Hormuz amid President Donald Trump's Iran war threaten more than just oil markets as scientists warn idling vessels could trigger an invasive species "super-spreader event," according to reports on Tuesday.More than 1,500 ships have sat idle in the trade channel since the conflict began on Feb. 28 and experts revealed that organisms growing on hulls and hitchhiking on the vessels could devastate global ecosystems once trade resumes, USA Today reported."If you had to sort of design a worst-case scenario, it would look a lot like this," Mario Tamburri, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the study’s lead author, told USA Today. "It’s a perfect storm."When ships don't move for days or weeks, microbes, algae and other marine organisms can colonize the submerged parts of the vessel. Experts warned that after 10 days these organisms can hit the "rapid growth phase.""These organisms, when introduced to other ecosystems, can cause a wide array of consequences, from outcompeting native species to damaging infrastructure to introducing pathogens harmful to marine life and, sometimes, humans," according to USA Today.Tamburri called the situation unprecedented, adding that the high number of ships, estimated at about 1,500 vessels sitting along the trade route, could harbor "organisms that thrive in the Middle East waters, such as the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf."The organisms can adapt to areas that see extreme seasonal changes. Areas most at-risk for spreading these colonizers are near the strait and with similar high salinity and high temperature conditions, including ports in Southeast Asia and India. These are at higher risk compared to other locations, Tamburri said. He cautioned Singapore, an international hub for commercial shipping, could be a high risk."Those organisms can withstand extremes," Tamburri said. "They’re tolerant organisms, which makes them good candidates for invasions when they go to a new location."

Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summerThree lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are undergoing treatment, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as the big cats struggle in Japan’s high levels of humidity.Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40C in recent weeks, qualifying for the new “cruelly hot day” designation. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump's erratic eruptions as Congress lay "prostrate" before him have led the United States to the "brink of catastrophe" — and it's up to voters to stop it, a furious opinion writer argued Sunday.New York Times columnist David French issued this dire warning to American voters ahead of the midterm elections, when Democrats could feasibly reclaim the House and begin checking Trump's power."Our future may depend in part on American voters deciding to give Congress a spinal transplant," wrote French. "But that requires us to do something that democracies have rarely, if ever, done successfully — see the catastrophe coming and act decisively."The catastrophe, as French sees it, is the looming threat of World War as Trump struggles to control the situation in Iran — and himself."Trump 'erupted' at members of his national security team over the Iran War," wrote French. "He thought he could topple a vicious, deeply embedded authoritarian regime with a few targeted airstrikes and a fantasied popular uprising."French raised alarms about Iran's continued strikes on American bases and its partners across the region, noting they may be receiving assistance from Russia and China to improve the effectiveness of their drone attacks. Iranians proved American planes and bases are more vulnerable than we realized, costs are beginning to mount and resources to dwindle, French argued. "The Trump administration has put forward two contradictory messages — that there’s no shortage of missiles in the American inventory and that the shortage is Joe Biden’s fault (because he helped to arm Ukraine and launched airstrikes against the Houthis)," French wrote. "And Trump is raging." French urged voters to sit up and pay attention rather than accept Trump assurances they can "sit back and relax." He warned the U.S. has not been so close to world war since the end of the Cold War, and argued its leaders in the White House were unfit to navigate the nation on a course to peace. "The American government is led by the worst rulers in the modern history of the United States," he wrote. "Congress, the only branch of government that possesses the power to intervene, has been prostrate before the president."French concluded that if the next Congress is not prepared to challenge Trump, there is a chance " a terrible war swallows the world."

President Donald Trump hyped up a planned U.S. attack on Iran Saturday night – one with “power not seen since World War II” – before revealing he’d called off the attack citing a new agreement with the Middle East nation.“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters [sic] of a deal has been agreed to,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.”The Trump administration and Israeli officials were reportedly considering launching what would be “one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date” targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, multiple inside sources told CBS News. Trump’s claim of being asked by “other Middle Eastern countries” aligns with Axios’ reporting Saturday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had privately pleaded with Trump Saturday to hold off on the attack.Trump has insisted countless times that the Strait of Hormuz – the crucial shipping waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil trade historically flowed – was “open,” despite evidence to the contrary. His announcement Saturday marks the latest instance of Trump claiming as such.“The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

President Donald Trump proclaimed on his Truth Social platform Thursday that he has reached a solution for the Gaza war."Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza," said Trump. "This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY." He called the agreement a "critical step" toward "Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people," while ensuring Israel's security."This is a major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan," Trump continued. "The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.""One year ago there was a violent raging war, humanitarian crisis and hostages kept in brutal captivity," the president continued. "We have made historic progress and there is still much work to do ... the threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild! Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON THIS AMAZING DEVELOPMENT, THAT EVERYBODY SAID COULD NEVER BE ACHIEVED!"Trump has been trying to resolve the Israeli occupation of Gaza since taking office.He came into the conflict fully on the side of Israel, and still largely wants a solution that gives Israel everything it wants while making bombastic threats against Hamas, but has recently grown more frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With Ohio’s Haitian refugees losing their protected status Monday, Springfield’s large population has begun being terminated from their jobs, a pastor who works with the community said on Tuesday.Without legal status, their work permits become invalid. They also face being forced to return to a nation that the International Rescue Committee says is “in the grip of an overwhelming humanitarian crisis.”Right now, gangs control Haiti. Kidnapping, murder, and rape are rampant. And the pastor, Carl Ruby, said one Springfield 12-year-old faces having to return to a place where he saw animals feeding on murdered corpses when he was just five.‘Thousands of people are now going to die violent deaths,’ says attorney for Ohio Haitian community“They’re just terrified for their physical safety,” Ruby said during a virtual press conference. “Many of them have already been traumatized… Some of them have been in prison. Some of them have been tortured. Some have been beaten. Some had been raped. Nearly all of them have seen friends or family members killed.”And some of those families — those who have had children since coming to the United States — face an excruciating choice: whether to take their children with them into the violent chaos that is Haiti or leave them behind in a relatively peaceful, prosperous place where their children’s citizenship gives them the right to stay.More than 330,000 Haitians have received temporary-protected status since an earthquake devastated the impoverished Caribbean country in 2010. Once in the United States, their status has been renewed as conditions in Haiti continued to deteriorate.Early last year, Ohio’s then-Attorney General Dave Yost and 27 other Republican state AGs wrote a letter to the Trump administration stressing the word “temporary” in temporary protected status.They claimed without evidence that it was safe for some with protected status to return to those home countries and urged a review.Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in November announced that she was terminating protected status for Haitians who had qualified, including about 45,000 in Ohio and roughly 15,000 in Springfield.Lawyers for the Haitians sued, arguing that Noem had failed to follow the 1990 law creating temporary protected status. It requires that the government conduct a mandatory review of conditions in a group’s home country to certify that it’s safe to return before forcing them to go.Lower courts blocked the termination.But in June, in a 6-3 ruling the U.S. Supreme Court reversed them, ruling that the TPS law itself barred most court challenges to the way its provisions were or were not applied.Attempt to halt imminent deportations of Haitians and Syrians blocked in US SenateThe court didn’t bar constitutional challenges, however, and SCOTUS Blog on Tuesday reported that some of those are in the works.But for Haitians in Ohio, that might seem a thin reed on which to lean. They and many others are bracing for a mass-deportation such as those conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in other regions. Ruby, the Springfield pastor, said no such operation has happened yet.“It could happen as soon as this week,” he said. “What we’re hearing from other reporting is that they’re planning on deporting them directly back to Haiti. There have been cases in the community where they have been picked up one day. Sent to a detention center the next day. And on the third or the fourth day they’re back in Haiti. It’s obviously not safe for them to go there.”The pastor added that jobs and support services are almost nonexistent when deportees get to Haiti.In addition to terror over what might happen in Haiti are worries about what’s next for Springfield.Ruby said that he and his colleagues have been working for the past 18 months to build “a very large coalition of faith leaders not only here in Springfield, but across the state of Ohio and across the nation who will stand with us if we have anything like what took place in Minneapolis.”He was referring to a mass-enforcement operation last winter in which masked ICE officers shot and killed two protestors, both of them citizens. Analysis of videos taken at the scene showed that neither protester posed the threat that Trump administration officials claimed after the shootings.Ruby stressed that he and other faith leaders want any protests of ICE enforcement actions to be peaceful, and that protesters have to be ready for the possible consequences of civil disobedience, such as going to jail.Gov. Mike DeWine has criticized some of his Republican colleagues for falsely demonizing Springfield’s Haitian immigrants.On Tuesday, his spokesman reiterated a statement DeWine issued last month when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling that effectively revoked their protected status.“Today’s decision is a legal decision,” DeWine said. “As I have stated in the past, the policy to remove these individuals from this country is a mistake.”DeWine later added, “The situation in Haiti could hardly be much worse. The violent gangs run most of the country. The government barely functions. And, the economy is in shambles.”Lynn Tramonte, founder of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, questioned whether DeWine would instruct the Ohio Highway Patrol not to assist ICE in enforcement operations.In the past, the Highway Patrol has worked with U.S. Border Patrol to apprehend undocumented immigrants, the American Immigration Council reports.Dan Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary, didn’t answer directly when asked if the Highway Patrol would assist ICE with enforcement operations in Springfield.Tramonte said DeWine could do more to help Haitians who suddenly find themselves without status.“The governor might claim he is powerless to do anything in the face of federal agents invading our state to take our people, but here are two things he can do,” Tramonte said in a text message.“He can instruct the Highway Patrol not to assist ICE in the enforcement of civil immigration laws. That’s not their job and they shouldn’t have to get involved. He can also underscore the same point for local police who often seem to think they should be on the hunt for immigrants instead of focusing on crime.”

The Trump administration State Department is issuing a mea culpa for using a bizarre map of Africa that mislabeled every country that was highlighted."A video of the presentation given at the AIDS 2026 conference in ⁠Rio de Janeiro ... shows the errant map displayed halfway during a presentation about the State Department’s new health agreements," reported The Guardian, noting the original image was caught by Reuters.The map highlights Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, and Cameroon all in completely the wrong parts of the continent, and often with made-up borders that don't resemble the real ones. Nigeria, for instance, was depicted as in the middle of the Sahara Desert instead of its correct position on the Gulf of Guinea, while Mozambique was depicted where Ethiopia is near the Horn of Africa, instead of its real location in the southern part of the continent.In response to the viral controversy, a State Department spokesperson apologized, per The Washington Post."This was an unfortunate error caused by a team member who hastily altered the slide deck immediately before the presentation at the AIDS 2026 Conference," said the spokesperson. "We take full responsibility for the confusion and misrepresentation it caused for attendees, including our African partners." The statement did not clarify how these "hasty alterations" could have led to the fictional borders as well as the mislabeled locations.The State Department has endured a number of recent humiliations, including Brazil denying visas to two high-ranking Trump administration officials over allegations of election meddling.

President Donald Trump erupted Wednesday following a surprise Iranian attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan earlier that morning, vowing to respond with a curse-laden threat.“We are going to beat the f------ s--- out of them,” Trump told Fox News, according to Trey Yingst. “We'll be hitting them hard, they're going to get a beating.”Following a brief lull in strikes between the United States and Iran, the U.S. Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan came under fire early morning Wednesday from a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles. No casualties have been reported as of Wednesday morning.“So clearly, the United States is going to respond to what the president described as a 'surprise attack,' he says U.S. forces had just minutes to shoot down these incoming Iranian ballistic missiles,” Yingst said. “The president says he has reviewed video of the shoot down, and it was U.S. forces conducting this operation to defend that area. He said it was real time, they were calling out coordinates and ensuring that none of this incoming Iranian fire got through.”Iran’s Revolutionary Guard acknowledged it had launched strikes at the U.S. base, according to the Associated Press, setting the stage for another round of escalation between the United States and Iran.“Again, President Trump telling Fox News 'we are going to beat the f-ing S out of them,' and that U.S. strikes will take place against Iran in response to the surprise attack overnight against U.S. forces in Jordan,” Yingst said."We are going to beat the f****** s*** out of them"- Trump in response to Iran's suprise attack on US base in Jordan pic.twitter.com/aDuzi9j1bB— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) July 29, 2026