The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran looks increasingly shaky after new drone claims and fresh threats near the Strait of Hormuz.
Plus, the death toll rises after the paper mill implosion in Washington state, with more workers still missing. Recovery crews continue searching through the debris as investigators try to determine what triggered the blast.
And NASA lays out an ambitious new moon strategy that goes far beyond planting flags.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, May 28, 2026.
US and Iran trade strikes as White House says peace deal remains unresolved
The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is looking more fragile Thursday after both sides exchanged new strikes overnight.
The U.S. military said it shot down four Iranian attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz, then targeted a ground control site in Bandar Abbas that officials said was preparing to launch a fifth.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it responded by targeting the U.S. air base used to launch those strikes.
The new exchange comes as the White House pushes back hard on Iranian state media reports claiming a draft peace agreement has already been reached, calling those reports a “complete fabrication.”
President Donald Trump said he’s in no rush.
“Their Navy is gone, as I’ve said a thousand times, their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone. Everything’s gone, and they’re negotiating on fumes. But we’ll see what happens. Maybe we have to go back and finish it. Maybe we don’t. They thought they were going to outwait me, you know, ‘We’ll outwait him. He’s got the midterms.’ I don’t care about the midterms.”
President Donald Trump
The U.S. has also sanctioned Iran’s new Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body created by Tehran to enforce shipping rules around the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran declared its support for Oman after Trump warned the country not to attempt to assert control over the strait.
DOJ launches probe into E. Jean Carroll, examining possible perjury claims
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into writer E. Jean Carroll, the woman who won a multi-million-dollar civil judgment against Trump.
Multiple news outlets reported the investigation will focus on whether Carroll lied under oath during testimony in her civil cases against Trump.
One of those cases centered on Carroll’s sexual assault allegations against the president. The other involved defamation claims after Trump repeatedly denied her accusations.
A jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages last year.
Trump has been trying to overturn that verdict at the Supreme Court, but the justices have now delayed deciding whether to take the case multiple times.
Sources also told CNN and ABC News that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the investigation after serving as one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys in the civil cases.
No survivors expected as recovery crews search Washington paper mill following chemical implosion
Officials said two workers have been confirmed dead in the paper mill disaster in Washington state, and they no longer expect to find nine others alive. The search has now moved to a recovery operation after a massive chemical tank collapsed Tuesday at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the incident could become one of the deadliest industrial accidents in state history.
The tank was filled with what’s known as “white liquor,” a caustic chemical mixture used in paper production. Officials said more than half a million gallons spilled during a shift change, leaving workers with serious burns and respiratory injuries.
Some of the chemicals reached the Columbia River, but environmental testing so far has not found an immediate threat to drinking water or air quality.
Recovery crews are moving slowly through the wreckage due to ongoing safety risks at the site, while federal investigators try to determine what caused the tank to fail.
Jill Biden describes 2024 debate fear, saying she feared husband had stroke
Former first lady Jill Biden opened up about how alarming her husband’s 2024 debate performance was from her perspective, saying that at one point she thought he might be having a stroke.
In a new interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, Jill Biden said she was “frightened” as she watched the president struggle during his June 2024 debate against Trump.
The performance set off a wave of panic within the Democratic Party. The onslaught of doubts ultimately led former President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race just weeks later.
Jill Biden, former first lady: “I wasn’t horrified, I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never.“
Reporter: “Or since?”
Jill Biden: “Yes. Or Since.“
Reporter: “You’ve never seen him like that?”
Jill Biden: “Never, no.“
Reporter: “What happened?”
Jill Biden: “I don’t know what happened. As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.“
At the time, the White House attributed the president’s raspy voice and stumbles to a cold and exhaustion. But the debate reignited questions about Joe Biden’s age, health and ability to continue his campaign, especially as pressure mounted within his own party.
Joe Biden withdrew from the race less than a month after the debate and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
The full interview with Jill Biden is scheduled to air on CBS News Sunday.
YouTube expands AI disclosures
YouTube announced it will roll out more prominent labels for videos created or heavily altered using artificial intelligence. The company said the goal is to ensure viewers can tell right away when realistic-looking content was generated with AI.
YouTube already requires creators to disclose AI-generated content, but the company said it’s now developing tools to automatically detect and label some videos.
“For long-form videos, the label is moving from the description to a prominent spot just below the player. And for shorts, it’ll be an overlay right on the video itself. The goal here is context at a glance. If it looks real but was made with AI, viewers will know immediately,” Rene Ritchie, head of editorial at YouTube, said.
The platform said videos won’t be demoted or de-monetized simply because they use AI. YouTube said the change is about transparency, not punishment.
It comes as social media platforms are dealing with a flood of realistic AI-generated video, music and images that can be harder for users to spot.
NASA details long-term moon plans, outlining rovers, drones and lunar base
NASA announced astronauts could return to the moon as soon as 2028 as part of a much broader plan to eventually build a sustainable base on the lunar surface. It unveiled new details this week showing how landers, rovers and even drones could work together near the moon’s south pole.
Landers built by Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin would deliver lunar terrain vehicles — essentially moon buggies — while drones developed by Firefly Aerospace would map the lunar surface and scout future landing sites.
NASA said lessons learned from the recent Artemis II fly-around mission are helping to prepare for longer stays and more complex operations on the moon.
“Everything we tested and learned on Artemis II — the systems, the teamwork, the operational tempo — feeds directly into our ability to build a sustainable foothold on the moon. With a moon base, our Artemis astronauts will stay longer, explore farther and conduct the kinds of science that advances exploration itself. Understanding how humans operate off world, how we build infrastructure and how we prepare for Mars.”
Lori Glaze, NASA’s exploration systems development mission directorate
NASA expects to spend about $20 billion over the next several years on its lunar program. The second phase of the plan, extending into the early 2030s, includes building permanent infrastructure on the moon, such as power systems and, eventually, living quarters for astronauts.
The next major step is Artemis III, which is currently targeted for 2027.
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How much tech do schools need? Parents seek new limits
After decades of pushing to bring technology into schools, parents are now leading the charge to take tech out again. Student learning outcomes have shifted, and not in a positive way. The most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics shows a drop in reading and math scores.
While some of the setbacks may be attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are placing at least partial blame on the use of computers in the classroom. Citing research that indicates that “old-school” methods like taking notes by hand or choosing print books over digital versions result in greater retention and comprehension, parents are organizing to reduce or remove digital devices from classrooms.