1 U.S. Sinks Six Iranian Boats; Two Ships Pass Strait of Hormuz
A U.S. Navy admiral said Monday that U.S. forces have sunk six small Iranian boats for trying "to interfere" with efforts to protect commercial ships attempting to pass the Strait of Hormuz. Admiral Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command also said that U.S. forces also "defeated" multiple Iranian cruise missiles and drones fired at protected ships. He said two U.S. tankers safely made it through the waterway on Monday under this protection. Iran disputed this account, USA Today reported. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Monday that the United States will co-draft a Security Council resolution with Bahrain and others to "hold Iran to account" for its actions in the strait, CBS News reported. Earlier Monday, the Iranian military had threatened to attack U.S. forces if they attempted to implement U.S. President Donald Trump's "Project Freedom" to bring ships trapped in the Persian Gulf out through the Strait of Hormuz.
2 Secret Service Exchanges Gunfire With Armed Suspect Near White House
Secret Service officers exchanged gunfire with an armed man near the National Mall in Washington yesterday afternoon, wounding the suspect and injuring a juvenile bystander in an incident that briefly prompted a partial evacuation of the White House North Lawn. According to Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn, a plainclothes officer first spotted a suspicious individual who appeared to be carrying a firearm. Uniformed officers then made contact with the suspect, who fled on foot and fired in their direction. Officers returned fire and struck him, after which he was taken to a hospital for treatment. A male juvenile who was struck by a bullet was also hospitalized and is expected to survive. Quinn said evidence indicates the boy was hit by the suspect's gunfire, not the officers'. Quinn said he could not confirm whether yesterday's shooting was connected to the president or directed at the White House.
3 Spirit Airlines Says Most Ticket Holders Have Been Reimbursed
Spirit Airlines says it has processed refunds for most customers who bought tickets with a credit or debit card before the carrier suddenly shut down Saturday. A small percentage of refunds are still being processed, but customers who paid with cash, a travel voucher, or Spirit loyalty points are in a trickier spot: cash refunds and point transfers to other airlines are not guaranteed under federal law in a bankruptcy, and Spirit says those cases will be sorted out through the bankruptcy process. United Airlines said it rebooked roughly 14-thousand stranded Spirit customers and is offering discounted Spirit fares through May 16th. JetBlue also moved quickly, adding 11 new routes from Fort Lauderdale and offering a status match to Spirit frequent flyers.