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U.S. strikes Iran again as peace talks continue. And, more people are going hungry now than during the height of the pandemic

Plus, why historians believe a painting of George Washington praying may not have happened.

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May 28, 2026 7:00am EDT

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May 28, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. As more individuals are diagnosed with colorectal cancer at younger ages, the American Cancer Society has begun recommending blood tests as an additional method for screening adults age 45 and older. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

President Donald Trump (2nd-L) speaks as (L-R) Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy listen during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

U.S. forces shot down Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz and struck an area along Iran’s coast overnight, according to a U.S. official who spoke to NPR. In retaliation for the attack on Bandar Abbas, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says this morning it targeted the American base that launched the attack. U.S. and Iran peace talks continue.

🎧 It is difficult to determine if a deal is imminent, but all signs suggest that President Trump is pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran instead of more war, NPR’s Aya Batrawy tells Up First. The president has just shared a draft of the Iran deal with Israel's prime minister and several regional leaders, according to a person familiar with the matter who is not authorized to speak publicly. The interim deal would extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait, but it would not include details on Iran's nuclear program. Iran has said there would be no deal with the U.S. without the war in Lebanon also coming to an end. Israel, a key U.S. ally, has expressed that it doesn't favor making a deal with Iran and wants to continue its war in Lebanon. Israel has issued evacuation warnings for Tyre, one of Lebanon's largest cities, deepening the conflict that has already displaced more than a million people in the country.

The director-general of the World Health Organization is expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo today, as the country struggles to contain an Ebola outbreak. Officials say there are more than 1,000 suspected cases and over 200 suspected deaths in the country. Congo's neighboring countries, Rwanda and Uganda, have closed their borders.

🎧 WHO's director-general has described eastern Congo as the site of a "catastrophic collision of disease and conflict," and reporter Emmet Livingstone says catastrophic sums up the situation. The region is suffering from militia violence and extreme poverty. The outbreak's epicenter is a remote gold-mining town called Mongbwalu, where health workers and NGOs face significant challenges. Some residents don't believe Ebola exists, and there have been violent attacks on hospitals and isolation tents. There are also certain areas of the town that have now become no-go zones. Livingstone spoke with Dr. Esther Sterk, a tropical disease specialist for Doctors Without Borders in Mongbwalu, who told him that hospitals and NGOs in the area are struggling to keep up with the scale of the outbreak.

More people in the United States are experiencing hunger now than during the COVID-19 pandemic six years ago, according to a survey released yesterday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The New York Fed periodically surveys Americans about their food security, inquiring about whether they skip meals, depend on food donations or receive federal assistance for groceries. Replies from the most recent survey, conducted in February, show 10% of families nationwide reported missing meals due to a lack of food, and nearly 16% relied on food donations. For families earning less than $50,000 a year, food insecurity rates were nearly double, with almost 20% having to skip meals or go without food.

A Google software engineer has been charged with leveraging confidential company information to make $1.2 million on the prediction market site Polymarket. This marks the second known case of the federal government filing criminal charges against someone for allegedly using insider information on a prediction market site. Michele Spagnuolo, an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland, was arrested yesterday and is facing charges of commodities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and other counts for allegedly placing bets on search trends based on internal Google data that tracked user searches. Operating under the username AlphaRaccoon, the 36-year-old allegedly placed a number of bets on Google's most-searched person for 2025 and knew the outcomes of these wagers before the trading public did, according to prosecutors.

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Church and state

"The Prayer at Valley Forge", a 1975 painting by Arnold Friberg done for America's bicentennial celebration. It depicts former President George Washington kneeling in the snow with his hands clasped next to a white horse.

First Freedom Art Company

This week at NPR, we're going to explore the increased intermixing of God and government in a new series we're calling Church and State. It's an idea that has been gaining momentum through the first and second Trump administrations, not only within U.S. politics but also throughout American culture, in songs and paintings, schoolbooks and worship events infused with faith and politics.

The Trump administration is using a painting that depicts George Washington praying to argue that the Founding Fathers were devout Christians. Historians question whether the moment in the painting actually occurred. The image has appeared in social media posts for the Defense Department, the Department of Labor, the Department of Homeland Security and more. It is even for sale on a federal government website that celebrates America's 250th anniversary. Many conservative evangelicals have adopted the 1975 Arnold Friberg painting, "The Prayer at Valley Forge," as a rebuke to mainstream historians. Nicholas Shrum, a doctoral student researching Latter-day Saint identity in America, says that some historians point out that Washington was an Anglican and not a weekly churchgoer. The former president was also vague about his faith, never explicitly naming Jesus Christ, according to some historians. Members of the administration have framed such viewpoints as secular attacks on the Christian beliefs of the Founding Fathers. Read more about Christians' and historians' perspectives on this painting.

Picture show

Palestinian girls train in jiu jitsu in the refugee camp of Bourj el Barajneh in South Beirut. One girl lying on the ground smiles up at another girl on top of her.

Aline Deschamps for NPR

Martial arts coach Mirella Atallah is using combat sports to empower women in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. The training held in the makeshift gym at the camp helps redefine the norms for how girls and women should behave. As participants complete a two-month course in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, they confront and overcome adversity. Atallah considers the sport more than just self-defense. She says it helps the women and girls use their voices, which can be a challenge for those who were raised to be quiet, among other things. Atallah estimates that she has taught about 1,500 pupils worldwide this year. Take a look at photos of the community and read about how they're learning more than just self-defense.

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Is the world ending, or does it sometimes just feel like it?

Are We Doomed? investigates the greatest risks facing society, the planet, and our species. What’s real? What’s hype? And how do we actually make it out alive?

Nuclear war. Asteroids. Autocracy. Rogue AI. Climate-driven pandemics. Angry hippopotamuses. Teeth clenched, curiosity engaged, quips ready, this “slightly narrative” podcast, from public radio journalist Ben Bradford and distributed by the NPR Network, explores everything from the existential and the unexpected to the overblown. Wild true stories, forgotten moments in history, surprising science, and a surprising amount of hope — listen to Are We Doomed?, available on all podcast platforms.

Listen Now ➔

3 things to know before you go

A postcard with an image of a woman singing into a microphone and a band behind her.

Ricci Shryock/NPR

1

In this week’s edition of Far-Flung Postcards, NPR’s Ricci Shryock brings greetings from Praia, Cape Verde, where music is an integral part of daily life. Every April, the capital city hosts two international events: the Atlantic Music Expo and the Kriol Jazz Festival. A few weeks after those concerts wrapped, the country was named the African Capital of Culture for 2028.

2

New York and New Jersey attorneys general announced yesterday that they are investigating ticketing practices by the international governing body for soccer and the upcoming World Cup matches, amid complaints about high ticket prices. (via Gothamist)

3

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who grew up in Ohio, is set to purchase a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians. (via WVXU)

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