Monday May 18
Prayer service at the National Mall attracts thousands
A daylong prayer service took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Sunday. The service was described as “a rededication of our country as One Nation under God,” according to the Associated Press. The event focused on Christianity’s ties to U.S. history.
Top Republicans were featured on the schedule, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Many attendees wore Trump hats and patriotic colors. The event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership supported by the White House, the AP reported.
During the event, opposing demonstrations occurred by groups, such as the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a group that pushes for a complete separation of church and state, and Faithful America, a Christian organization, according to the AP.
Tuesday May 19
3 dead after attack on a San Diego mosque
Three men were killed after two teenagers attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego, Monday. The two teenagers later took their own lives, the AP reported. The teenagers, who were aligned with white supremacist views, held over 30 firearms and ammunition in homes associated with the teens.
Police were searching for the teens before the shooting, as one of their mothers called the police Monday morning, worried her son was suicidal and had left home. The search became more urgent when police learned the teenager was dressed in camouflage, had taken weapons from the home and was with an acquaintance, according to the AP.
The attackers shot Amin Abdullah, a security guard for the mosque, but the guard used his radio to start the lockdown procedure and continued to fire at the attackers until he was fatally shot. The two other victims were Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, according to the AP.
Wednesday, May 20
Senate bill to end conflict in Iran advances
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill aimed at ending U.S. involvement in the conflict in Iran, according to the AP.
Senate Democrats have been organizing consistent votes on war powers resolutions, which would require President Donald Trump to either gain congressional approval for U.S. actions in Iran or remove U.S. troops from Iran. On Tuesday, the vote tally of 50-47 highlighted that a growing number of Republicans are voting against the conflict, according to the AP.
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-LA, supported the legislation for the first time after he lost a recent primary in which Trump supported Cassidy's opponent. Cassidy said moving forward, he will carefully consider how to vote on priorities of the Trump administration, according to the AP.
Thursday May 21
RFK Jr. fires leaders of the preventive health program
In a letter dated May 11, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. informed two doctors in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force they were immediately removed from their appointments before the end of their multiyear term, according to the AP.
The panel was created in the 1980s and looks at the most recent research on preventive healthcare, such as the use of statins to prevent heart attacks. The task force then gives a letter grade to the research, displaying its strength, according to the AP.
Kennedy’s letter does not clarify the reason behind the doctors’ termination; however, some health experts worry it was done to put less qualified political appointees in the position, the AP reported.
Friday May 22
GOP postpones vote on Iran War resolution
House Democrats scheduled a vote on the war powers resolution for Thursday, which would require Trump to receive congressional approval for U.S. actions in Iran or remove U.S. troops from Iran. However, House Republicans did not have the votes to defeat the bill and instead decided to postpone the vote until June, according to the AP.
House Republican Leader Steve Scalise, R-LA, claimed the delay is to give absent representatives the chance to vote on it, while Democratic leaders claim Republicans were “cowardly” for pulling the vote, according to the AP.
A president has 60 days to engage in a conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of military force, according to the War Powers Resolution Act of 1973. The conflict in Iran has lasted more than *0 days, according to the AP.
Sunday May 24
Trump tells representatives “not to rush into a deal” on Iran War resolution
Regional officials shared the U.S. and Iran are nearing a deal that would end the war in Iran, open the Strait of Hormuz and force Iran to give up its stock of highly enriched uranium, the AP reported. Trump announced he told representatives not to*rush into a deal.
The U.S. has currently blockaded Iranian ports, and Trump promised the blockade will remain in full effect until an agreement is “reached, certified and signed,” according to the AP.
An official familiar with the negotiations said that the fate of Iran’s uranium is subject to further talks. The official said some of the stock is likely to be diluted, while the rest would be given to a third country. Russia has offered to take the resources, according to the AP.
