Partial government shutdown ends, DHS funding restored
On April 30, the U.S. government’s 76-day partial shutdown officially ended when the House of Representatives voted to fund legislation for the Department of Homeland Security — excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service. The bill will fund these departments until Sept. 30.
The recent shutdown was the second of Trump’s second term, and his fourth across his two terms. It is also the longest government agency shutdown in U.S. history, beginning Feb. 14.
Hantavirus breaks out on cruise ship, multiple deaths reported
On May 2, the MV Hondius cruise ship reported an outbreak of a fatal strain of hantavirus, which can cause severe respiratory failure and kidney illness. With 147 passengers on board, the ship attempted to dock in Cape Verde, but was denied due to contamination concerns. The current outbreak of hantavirus is of the Andes strain, the only strain capable of human-to-human transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Tuesday, three deaths have been reported from the seven cases identified aboard the ship. Hantavirus spreads through contact and exposure to rodents, specifically their urine, saliva, and other excrement. Common symptoms of hantavirus include high fever, lack of blood flow, internal bleeding, and respiratory complications. Currently, hantavirus has a mortality rate of 35%.
According to the World Health Organization, hantavirus could have spread aboard the cruise ship through passengers having direct contact with rodents while in one of the stops on its voyage. The MV Hondius departed from Argentina on April 1, with multiple scheduled stops in the South Atlantic.
On Tuesday, the Spanish Ministry of Health granted the MV Hondius permission to dock in the Canary Islands. MV Hondius docked in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday, where dozens of passengers disembarked. Evacuation procedures are expected to continue for the remainder of the passengers aboard the ship until Monday.
Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy, announces permanent shutdown
On May 2, Spirit Airlines indefinitely paused all operations and filed for liquidation following increased fuel prices and substantial financial loss. Amid the United States’ war with Iran, fuel prices have increased exponentially due to global oil supply disruptions and reduced production.
Spirit Airlines’ decision is a result of its lack of financial resources and the substantial amount of debt it has accrued since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, Spirit Airlines filed for its first bankruptcy, claiming over $2.5 billion in debt. In August 2025, Spirit Airlines reported $8.1 billion in debt and filed for bankruptcy again.
The airline announced its permanent closure in a statement on its website.
“The wind-down follows the Company’s extensive and comprehensive efforts to restructure the business and pursue transactions to strengthen Spirit’s financial position and create a sustainable path forward,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, despite the Company’s efforts, the recent material increase in oil prices and other pressures on the business have significantly impacted Spirit’s financial outlook. With no additional funding available to the Company, Spirit had no choice but to begin this wind-down.”
Passengers who had tickets for a future Spirit Airlines flight have received full refunds. Competing airlines such as Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways Corporation, and Southwest Airlines are offering reduced ticket prices to individuals who have proof of a Spirit Airlines ticket.
House committee questions Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about Epstein affiliations
On Tuesday, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick voluntarily appeared before closed-door House committee investigations after being named over 100 times in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
While under questioning from Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen during the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting in February, Lutnick stated, “I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him.”
Lutnick claimed on a podcast in October 2025 that, although he was neighbors with Epstein in New York City, the two stopped speaking in 2005. Contrary to his previous statements, updates to the Epstein files last February revealed that Lutnick had drinks with Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 and visited his island for lunch in December 2012.
After the files were initially released by the Department of Justice in November 2025, Congress’ passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act resulted in an ongoing discovery of the files in waves as they were released. Emails contained information that Lutnick had invited Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2015, received $50,000 from Epstein at an honorary dinner in 2017, and messaged Epstein about a neighborhood building project in 2018.
James Comer, House Oversight Committee chairman, oversaw the questioning and stated that his concern was that Lutnick had not been “forthcoming” and that “he wasn’t 100% truthful with whether or not he had been on the island.”
Virginia Rep. James Walkinshaw accused Lutwick of complicating his testimony after the hearing.
“What we heard was hours of testimony where Lutnick was attempting to redefine the meaning of the word ‘I,’” Walkinshaw said.
Due to Lutnick’s reported conduct, Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said, “Howard Lutnick should resign. … He was evasive, nervous, and dishonest.”
In February, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed that Lutnick “remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary.”
US forces launch strikes amid ceasefire with Iran
The U.S. Armed Forces said they attacked military sites in Iran on Thursday in retaliation to Iranian attacks on U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz. The ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran is still in place, but President Donald Trump threatened more attacks if Iran did not agree to the peace deal.
Iranian missiles, drones, and boats attacked three American destroyers in the strait, according to the U.S. Central Command. In response, CENTCOM targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, such as “missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.”
On May 6, the Iranian military accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire by firing on an Iranian oil tanker heading toward the strait. The Iranian military said that it retaliated by attacking the U.S. military vessels in the strait.
Before the exchange of fire, Iranian officials were negotiating a proposal with the U.S. to lift the blockade on Iranian ships and ports and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. As the three-month-long conflict continues, major oil transit routes remain blocked, affecting global supply of oil and energy prices.
