By Jade Walker

Nearly all the members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have resigned after the Trump administration denied a “substantial number” of Fulbright awards to people who had already been selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. According to the board, which selects students, scholars, teachers and others to participate in the prestigious cultural exchange program, the government also put 1,200 other foreign Fulbright recipients under “an unauthorized review process” that could lead to rejection from the program. The award’s “proud legacy has depended on one thing above all: the integrity of the program’s selection process based on merit, not ideology, and its insulation from political interference. That integrity is now undermined,” the former board members wrote in a statement.

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Firefighters work at the scene of a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Tehran. Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters

Israel-Iran

Israel has launched an unprecedented attack on Iran that targeted its nuclear program and military. Israel's 200 fighter jets hit dozens of targets and reportedly damaged the country's primary nuclear enrichment facility. Nuclear scientists and key military leaders — including the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s highest-ranking military officer and an aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — were killed. During the “large-scale strike," Iranian civilians reportedly felt the ground shaking and heard repeated explosions. Multiple videos showed flames and smoke billowing from buildings across Tehran. In response, Khamenei has vowed that Israel will face “severe punishment for the attacks.” Israeli citizens have already begun to prepare by closing schools and securing medical facilities. Overnight, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israeli territory in what is expected to be the first stage of a much larger counter-attack. 

Air India crash

At least 290 people died when an Air India jet crashed soon after departure from an airport in Ahmedabad, India, yesterday. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was en route to London when it crashed, hitting a hostel for doctors. The death toll includes 241 passengers and crew on Flight AI171 as well as people on the ground. Only one passenger, a British national, survived. Three officials from India’s National Disaster Response Force said the flight recorder had been located. According to Boeing, this was the first major incident involving a 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered into service in 2011. However, the aerospace giant has had to deal with numerous safety incidents in the last several years, including fatal crashes and quality issues.

DOGE cuts

The GOP-led House narrowly passed some of the federal spending cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sought to make unilaterally. The vote on Thursday to cancel $9.4 billion in federal spending for foreign aid and public broadcasting looked like it was going to fail. Then, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York and Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, both of whom had initially voted no, changed their votes in the final moments. If approved by the Senate, the legislation would cut $8.3 billion for US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs that provide humanitarian assistance, including health care, disaster aid and hunger relief. The bill would also slash $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Full Congressional approval would codify the DOGE cuts into law so that they can’t be reversed by the next administration, and would help to insulate the Trump administration from legal challenges.

Immigration protests

Hours after a district court judge ruled that President Donald Trump had unlawfully federalized thousands of members of California’s National Guard and ordered him to return control of the troops to the state, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals put that ruling on pause. California Gov. Gavin Newsom had sued Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the president called the troops into federal service to quell the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. In his ruling, senior US District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump had not satisfied any of the requirements that must be met to call up a state’s National Guard and that the demonstrations did not constitute an insurrection. A panel of three judges from the 9th Circuit will hold a hearing on the issue next week. 

Extreme weather

Torrential rains swept through San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, triggering flash floods that swept away 15 vehicles and claimed the lives of at least five people. The rains were so sudden and heavy that the San Antonio River rose from about 3 feet to over 25 feet in just two hours. Ten people had to be rescued from trees and bushes about one mile from where they entered the water, a San Antonio Fire Department official said. Authorities are continuing to search for two people who are still missing. 

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Hats off to the first American pontiff

Or should we say "hats on"? Pope Leo XIV showed his allegiance to one Chicago sports team this week by donning a baseball cap during an appearance at the Vatican.

Hey look! It’s a new dinosaur.
Scientists have identified a previously unknown species that fills an early gap in the fossil record of tyrannosaurs. The 86-million-year-old dinosaur has been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis (the “dragon prince of Mongolia”).

‘Jaws’ celebrates semi-centennial
It’s been 50 years since the release of the original summer blockbuster — and going to the beach hasn’t been the same since. To commemorate the film's upcoming anniversary, NBC plans to air a shark-ton of “Jaws”-related content.

‘Levitating’ with happiness
Singer Dua Lipa is positively thrilled by the ring on her left hand, particularly since it was placed there by her new fiancé, actor Callum Turner. 

Great idea or gross mistake?
Instant ramen maker Cup Noodles is releasing a limited edition flavor that’s sure to appeal to Gen Z, young millennials and anyone who follows TikTok trends.

Which popular TikTok personality left the US this week after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas?

A. MrBeast

B. Addison Rae

C. Charli D’Amelio

D. Khaby Lame

$3.48 million

That’s how much a collection of historic gold coins fetched at auction in Paris this week. The coins, many of which date back centuries, were recovered from the wall of a house in France after the owner died in 2024. 

“Weakening the standards now is indefensible from a public health standpoint and a betrayal of EPA’s mission. The agency’s mission is to protect public health and the environment, not to expose people to more toxic pollution.”

— American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer, on the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to scrap two major federal regulations that limit air pollution and planet-warming emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants.

See this elusive squid for the first time
Scientists captured the first live sighting of the Gonatus antarcticus from 7,000 feet below the ocean’s surface.

5 Things AM is edited by CNN's Andrew Torgan and Fadel Allassan.

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