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The United States promotes an alternative route through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has recommended ships stranded in the area route through Omani waters south of where ships usually transit the waterway. The Joint Maritime Information Center said Monday the U.S. had set up an enhanced security area and anticipated high traffic volume passing through the alternative route.听鈥� The Associated Press
Our coverage: In Iran鈥檚 blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Beijing sees lessons for Taiwan

Court blocks mailing of abortion pill, teeing up a Supreme Court appeal.听A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a federal rule allowing mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail. The move significantly curtails access to the drug nationwide and particularly in states that have banned abortion. The panel ruled that the Republican-led state of Louisiana was likely to prevail in its challenge to a 2023 Biden administration rule, which removed a requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person.听鈥� Reuters

The White House tells Congress Iran war is 鈥榯erminated.鈥�听President Donald Trump declared in a letter to congressional leaders Friday that a ceasefire had ended hostilities against Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a U.S. president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it, asking Congress for authorization, or seeking a 30-day extension. The 60-day clock ended May 1. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have contended the resolution violates the Constitution because it sets limits on the president鈥檚 powers as commander-in-chief. 鈥� Reuters
Our coverage:听Congress presses Hegseth on Iran war justification, spending, and conduct

OPEC+ countries decides on a modest oil production increase. Seven countries in the OPEC+ grouping of oil-producing countries 鈥� including Saudi Arabia and Russia 鈥� agreed to a modest increase in production starting in June as part of a commitment to 鈥渕arket stability.鈥� The move is mostly symbolic, because Iran is blocking the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world鈥檚 trade in oil and natural gas typically passes. 鈥� AP

Spirit Airlines is shutting down operations.听The ultra-low-cost airline known for its bright yellow planes and deep discount fares said Saturday it has started winding down operations. It said all its flights have been canceled and customer service is no longer available. The airline had been struggling financially since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising costs and debt. Efforts to secure a government bailout failed, leaving about 17,000 jobs at risk.听鈥� AP
Our coverage:听Trump鈥檚 move to bail out Spirit Airlines sparks Republican criticism

Cherie DeVaux becomes the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. History was made Saturday at Churchill Downs as Golden Tempo made Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner. The longshot won by a neck at the wire. Ms. DeVaux, who has saddled 298 winners in 1,802 career starts, joined Jena Antonucci, who trained Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes, as the only female trainers to win Triple Crown races. 鈥� Reuters

Rising grocery bills have become a driver of decreased affordability, even more than housing or gas. Since 2020, U.S. grocery prices have risen by almost one-third, outpacing inflation and adding a hurdle to meeting this basic need.

Since听the overturning of Roe v. Wade four years ago, abortions in the United States have actually increased, with the rise of abortion medication sent through the mail. Now, a nationwide ruling put the issue back before the Supreme Court 鈥� and on the campaign trail.

Citizens of Ghana, Kenya, and several other African nations are ending up on the front lines in Ukraine as Russia looks overseas to bolster its armed forces. Some governments are now sounding the alarm.听

Similar to what's happening in African countries, many Nepalis have been drawn into the Ukraine war with misleading promises of high-paying, noncombat roles.听Some have been captured as prisoners of war, and their testimonies offer important听intel for militaries 鈥� and comfort for families back home.

In its daily use of social media (three hours, 32 minutes on average), Latin America leads the world. Over the past quarter century, it has nearly tripled the number of people attending university and cut poverty by about half. This list of notable trends could go on, regardless of concerns about crime, corruption, and caudillo-style rulers. Together, however, they might help explain this latest news:

Last year, the region saw the greatest improvement in key indicators of democracy, such as political participation and civil liberties, compared with Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. In fact, it was the only region to improve.

And Latin America did so after seeing nine years of decline on the index of democracy compiled annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). More than half of the region鈥檚 countries raised their scores in 2025. Bolivia stood out for its election of a centrist presidential candidate after nearly 19 years of a descent into deep political polarization. (Colombia had the sharpest decline, mainly due to political violence.)

Perhaps part of the reason for the shift is a rise in conservative leaders who exhibit an unusual bent for reforms more than for power.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 Latin America is a region where the tone and substance of some political events would not seem out of place in Texas or Nebraska; where mainstream political leaders speak glowingly of fiscal discipline and police crackdowns; and where demands for social justice seem to have been superseded, at least for now, by invective against narcoterrorists and socialist dictators,鈥� wrote Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, in Foreign Affairs.

The region鈥檚 relative democratic success helps bolster the index鈥檚 key global finding: A slide in democracy has paused for the first time in nearly a decade. 鈥淭he evidence is more promising than not,鈥� the EIU declared, even as it pointedly criticized a democratic decline in the United States.

A critical dynamic in the current trends is the rise and impact of political participation, aka civic engagement. One factor might be young people鈥檚 intense use of social media. In fact, last year鈥檚 pro-democracy uprising in Nepal, led by Generation Z protesters, was triggered by a government ban on popular social media platforms. A similar stirring is underway in Russia as the Putin regime tightens its grip on digital freedoms.

For all its flaws, social media and its popularity reflects a passion for individual freedom while also providing a place for connection. 鈥淭raditional means of political participation have not enabled significant political change,鈥� the EIU stated. For Latin America 鈥� a region known for its culture of community and personal interactions 鈥� a surge in mobile connectivity might now be reshaping the political landscape.