May 25

CENTCOM sinks IRGC vessels near Bandar Abbas, citing ceasefire violation

CENTCOM struck two IRGC mine-laying vessels in a restricted zone near Bandar Abbas on May 25-26, 2026, sinking both ships and destroying a shore-based SAM site in what it described as self-defense. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, who was in Doha conducting peace negotiations at the time, condemned the strikes as a gross violation of the April 8 ceasefire and suspended the talks. Iran declared the ceasefire formally violated and threatened to resume uranium enrichment above 60 percent.

Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy

Federal Judge Amit Mehta sentences Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the January 6 attack. This is the second-longest sentence imposed for a January 6 defendant. Judge Mehta says Rhodes presents an ongoing threat to the country and that he was prepared to use force to stop the transfer of power.

SCOTUS Sackett ruling guts Biden Waters of the US rule sharply narrows Clean Water Act protections

The Supreme Court rules 9-0 (with five justices in a controlling concurrence) in Sackett v. EPA that the Clean Water Act protects only those wetlands with a continuous surface connection to navigable waters, dramatically narrowing federal wetland and waterway protections. The Biden EPA had finalized a new WOTUS rule in January 2023 using the broader "notable nexus" test. The Sackett ruling effectively invalidates main portions of the Biden rule and requires a new, more limited definition. The ruling reduces federal protections for approximately half of the nation's wetlands and 51% of stream miles that had been covered under prior interpretation. Environmental groups call it the most damaging Clean Water Act ruling in history.

Biden signs policing executive order limiting chokeholds and expanding body cams

On the second anniversary of George Floyd's murder, President Biden signs Executive Order 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices, after Congress failed to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The order, limited to federal law enforcement, prohibits chokeholds and carotid restraints except when deadly force is authorized, limits no-knock warrants, requires federal officers to de-escalate situations, expands body camera use and requires timely footage disclosure, bans military equipment transfers to local police, creates a federal law enforcement accountability database tracking misconduct, and directs federal grants to incentivize state and local police adoption of similar reforms.

Tennessee restricts how public schools teach race and bias

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a law restricting how K-12 schools may teach concepts related to race, bias, and responsibility for past injustice. Teachers and civil-rights advocates warned that the law could chill lessons on slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil-rights movement.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on George Floyd neck for 9 minutes 29 seconds

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on the neck of 46-year-old George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd dies. Bystander video goes viral. Protests erupt across the United States and in cities worldwide, becoming the largest civil rights protest movement in American history. The Minneapolis Police Department fires all four officers involved the day after Floyd's death. Chauvin is later convicted of murder. The protests force a national reckoning with police brutality and racial justice.

Thiel Foundation announces its first 20 Under 20 fellowship class

The Thiel Foundation announced 24 inaugural Thiel Fellows in May 2011, paying each $100,000 over two years to drop out of or skip college and build startups. The program, originally branded '20 Under 20,' recruited from Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. The fellowship created a Thiel-loyal cohort of founders and signaled an explicit anti-credentialing stance that later shaped his political recruiting.

AG-designate Richardson appoints Archibald Cox as Watergate special prosecutor

Attorney General-designate Elliot Richardson appointed Harvard Law professor Archibald Cox as Watergate special prosecutor on May 25, 1973, after promising the Senate broad independence for the role. Cox's authority covered all offenses arising from the 1972 election involving the president, White House staff, or presidential appointees. He could be dismissed only by Richardson for "extraordinary improprieties," making him nearly impossible to remove. Nixon would demand Cox's firing five months later after Cox subpoenaed the White House tapes.