Israel launched strikes on Lebanon's capital, Beirut, after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday. It was already having far-reaching consequences: Safe havens in the Mideast like Dubai have seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of airline passengers are stranded around the globe; oil prices shot up; and U.S. allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wouldn't rule out U.S. troops on the ground in Iran, but declared the United States would not be dragged into an “endless” war. Hegseth held the Trump administration's first news briefing Monday since Saturday's strikes. Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil refinery came under a drone attack on Monday, with defenses downing the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Strikes across Iran's capital Tehran on Monday hit several areas of the city. Scores of people were fleeing Beirut's southern suburbs early Monday after Israel launched a series of strikes in retaliation for missiles fired across the border by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows a F/A-18F Super Hornet preparing to make an arrested landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel Monday, March 2, 2026. Mourners take cover while air-raid sirens warn of incoming missiles launched by Iran toward Israel during the funeral of Sarah Elimelech and her daughter Ronit who were killed in an Iranian missile attack, in Beit Shemesh, Israel, Monday, March 2, 2026. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The war in the Middle East spiraled further Monday as Israel and the U.S. pounded Iran in a campaign that U.S. President Donald Trump said would likely take several weeks. Tehran and its allies hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states and targets critical to the world's energy production. Safe havens in the Mideast like Dubai have seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of airline passengers are stranded around the globe; oil prices shot up; and U.S. allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones. With no sign of the conflict abating anytime soon, Trump said Monday that the operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.” He said U.S. forces were determined to destroy Iran's missile capabilities, wipe out its naval capacity, stop the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that Iran cannot continue to arm and fund allied groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes. “This was our last, best chance to strike -- what we're doing right now -- and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” Trump said. All of these came under attack on Monday. U.S. Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely and are in stable condition. The Gulf state of Qatar meanwhile said its air force had shot down two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. As several airstrikes hit Iran's capital of Tehran, the top security official Ali Larijani vowed on X: “We will not negotiate with the United States.” AP correspondent Sam Mednick reports from the Beit Shemesh region in Israel on Iran's deadly retaliatory strikes on Israel. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group also targeted Israel, which responded with strikes on Lebanon, killing more than two dozen people. It offered no timeline for restoring its production. European natural gas prices surged by 40% in response. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack from drones, with defenses downing the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Several ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil trade passes and where Iran has threatened attacks. “The attack on Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran's sights,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at the risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. Long-haul carriers Etihad and Emirates restarted limited flights Monday. Reza Najafi, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters that airstrikes targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment site on Sunday. “Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” he said. Israel has said that it is targeting the “leadership and nuclear infrastructure.” Iran's government news outlet said Monday that Tehran's Golestan Palace, a UNESCO-listed heritage site, was damaged in U.S.–Israeli strikes on Sunday. Hezbollah said it fired missiles on Israel early Monday in response to Khamenei's killing and “repeated Israeli aggressions.” It was the first time in more than a year that the militant group has claimed an attack. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Associated Press journalists in Beirut were jolted awake by loud explosions that shook buildings and shattered windows. “We will end this campaign with not just Iran being struck but with Hezbollah suffering a devastating blow,” he said. Rescue services in Israel said several locations have been hit by Iranian missiles, including Jerusalem and a synagogue in Beit Shemesh. It claimed another drone attack on Sunday against a U.S. air base in Iraq's north. The U.S. military said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran's ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy's headquarters had been “largely destroyed.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the U.S. is not engaged in a nation-building effort in Iran, and there is a clear mission. It's not completely clear what the U.S. objectives are. But he also listed various grievances dating back to Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and urged Iranians to “take over” their government. There have been no signs yet of any such uprising. The American leader, however, has also signaled he would be open to dialogue with Iran's new leadership — which could be chosen soon. In an indication that the conflict could draw in other nations, Britain, France and Germany said Sunday they were ready to work with the U.S. to help stop Iran's attacks. Tehran's streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes. The paramilitary Basij force, which has played a central role in crushing recent nationwide protests, set up checkpoints across the city, according to witnesses. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. About one in four Americans, but a majority of Republicans, say they approve of the U.S. military strikes on Iran ordered by President Donald Trump, according to a new poll. The national survey, conducted Saturday and Sunday by Reuters/Ipsos in the hours after the start of "Operation Epic Fury" by American and Israeli forces on Iran that resulted in the killing of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also indicates about half believe Trump is too willing to use military force. Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed said they approved of the strikes, with 43% disapproving and nearly three in 10 not sure. Smoke rises over the city after the Israeli army launched a second wave of airstrikes on Iran in Tehran on Feb. 28, 2026. The vast majority of Democrats, 73%, disapproved of the strikes, with only seven percent saying they approved. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago," Trump said in an interview Monday with the New York Post when asked about the new survey. A map of Western strikes against Iran. The joint U.S.-Israeli operation is expected to carry on for days, with officials telling Fox News that Israel is targeting Iranian leadership, while the U.S. is attacking military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an "imminent threat." Iran has retaliated against Israel and other nations in the region. Trump on Sunday warned against Iranian retaliation, saying that if Iran were to "hit very hard," they would be met with "a force that has never been seen before." The attack on Iran follows strikes Trump has ordered in recent months against Venezuela, Syria, and Nigeria. President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Iran following an Israeli strike in Tehran on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Nearly nine in 10 Democrats, six in 10 independents, and nearly a quarter of Republicans said Trump was too willing to use military force. Trump, in his interview with the New York Post, emphasized that "it's not a question of polling. You cannot let Iran, who's a nation that has been run by crazy people, have a nuclear weapon." "I think people are very impressed with what is happening, actually," Trump insisted. Trump's overall approval in the new survey stands at 39%, down a point from the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-February. Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. People watch from a rooftop as a plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. The president of Iran's soccer federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the United States following the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment of his country. “What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raised the risk of regional instability. Iran has been drawn in Group G at the World Cup and is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing the first round against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Fans from Iran were already banned from entering the U.S. in the first iteration of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration. FIFA did not immediately reply to an email from The Associated Press over the current situation regarding Iran's participation in the World Cup.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. KC Concepcion, a former Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver, fired back at criticism over the way he speaks after he was mocked while talking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. Concepcion admitted in a post on his Instagram Stories on Sunday night that he has battled a stuttering issue for much of his life. Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion runs for a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 8, 2025. If you have a speech impediment, there is nothing wrong with us," he said. This is a part of me. I wanna be a role model for those who may be scared to speak up, who may be afraid and not confident in yourself. "This weekend has taught me a lot about myself and people out there in this world. I appreciate everyone who supports me and has reached out to me after these interviews. Don't let (an) outside person's thoughts, opinions get in the way of you being great, of achieving something in life. I am blessed to be in this position that I am in, and I want to help give back to those who are scared to speak up, who aren't as confident. Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 28, 2026. "God had blessed my life in a way I couldn't even imagine in this past year. More than 80 million people around the world, including about 3 million Americans, deal with stuttering, according to The Stuttering Foundation. Athletes like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and George Springer have been open about stuttering issues in the past. Concepcion hopes to hear his name called when the NFL Draft takes place in the spring. Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko hugs wide receiver KC Concepcion before the Miami Hurricanes game during the first round of the CFP National Playoff at Kyle Field on Dec. 20, 2025. The former Aggies star had 61 catches for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Seattle Storm player Erica Wheeler told Fox News Digital about her decision to partner with OnlyFans, and gave a scathing message to fans who may disagree with her decision. Barclays Center in Brooklyn will play host to one of the fastest growing women's sports leagues in the world, as Unrivaled, the three-on-three basketball league, plays their semifinals on Monday night. But she co-founded this special league alongside fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier, and they're set to make history on Monday night. The semifinals will be the first time Unrivaled will be played in an arena that houses a WNBA, and the second time ever it's ventured outside its home base in Miami. Li Yueru, Arike Ogunbowale, Breanna Stewart, Alanna Smith and Veronica Burton of the Mist celebrate and pose for a team photo after defeating the Vinyl during the Unrivaled 2026 game at Sephora Arena on Feb. 27, 2026 in Medley, Florida. The first time was quite historic, as Unrivaled made its first tour stop in Philadelphia last month, and what happened was an astonishing feat: 21,490 fans showed up for the highest-attended women's basketball regular season game ever. "We're both just really proud of where this league started, honestly where it was before we even had a blueprint to where it is now," Stewart explained to Fox News Digital when asked if herself and Collier ever get a chance to reflect on how quickly this league has grown. "It's more than just hype what we have at Unrivaled. It's reported that an average $222,222 salary is what players are getting on top of another unique piece of this league – equity. "It's incredibly important," Stewart said about the big paydays for those playing in Unrivaled. "Having equity in a league that you're playing in, knowing that literally we grow as the league grows, and vice versa. It makes players really want to be involved and invested from a year-round perspective. I think that what we're most proud of is we have the highest-average salary in all of women's sports league. Breanna Stewart and Coco Gauff attend an Unrivaled match between Phantom and Rose at Wayfair Arena on Jan. 31, 2025 in Medley, Florida. "We're paying the players what they deserve, paying the players adequately and trying to make sure every year that's going up a tremendous amount." The game held at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia last month was not only an all-time attendance record for a pro women's basketball regular season game, but also the biggest mark in a professional basketball game, both men's and women's. In short, momentum is an understatement for this league that is setting a new bar for women's sports, especially in basketball, where Stewart and many others are hoping the WNBA and WNBPA can figure out a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of a pivotal 2026 campaign, which starts in May. Before then, Stewart knows her Liberty fans will show up Monday night in Brooklyn, where the basketball capacity at Barclays Center is 17,732. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) warms up prior to game two of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on Sept. 17, 2025. Stewart has joined Throne SPORT COFFEE, becoming the first female athlete to partner with the brand that prides itself on being much more than just a coffee provider. It just seems really natural and fitting for me," she told FOX Business in an exclusive interview about the partnership. "I think that being an athlete, being a mom, there's so many reasons why we constantly need caffeine. But to have it in a healthy way, and also have the protein in it — every time I walk in the gym, I'm having one. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Jess McClain is a decorated American runner who has made the podium in several events over the course of her career and was looking to score a victory at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta over the weekend. McClain was leading the race with about two miles remaining. But her race was thrown off course as she was led off the path by a media vehicle, according to Athletics Illustrated. Jessica McClain (USA) placed eighth in the women's marathon in 2:28:32 during the World Athletics Championships at National Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025. McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were all thrown off. Jessica McClain placed fourth in the women's race in 2:25:46 during the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials on Feb. 3, 2024. "As Race Director, I take full responsibility for what occurred. Athletes should never have to make a split-second decision between following a pace vehicle or trusting the official course. "We are conducting a full review to determine exactly how and why the vehicle left the course to strengthen safeguards moving forward." The organization said that protests were denied and a jury of appeals found that "the event did not meet USATF Rule 243 and that the course was not adequately marked at the point of misdirection. The results order of finish as posted is considered final." Emily Infield (left) is congratulated by Jessica McClain after winning the women's 10,000m in 31:43.56 during the USATF Championships at Hayward Field on July 31, 2025. McClain finished fourth in the 2025 Half Marathon Championships and eighth in the World Athletics Championships. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. A bizarre situation occurred during a men's college hockey game between the UConn Huskies and the Massachusetts Minutemen. The Huskies and Minutemen were in the midst of an overtime period after being tied 3-3 in regulation at the Mullins Center in Hadley, Massachusetts. Joey Muldowney #8 of the UConn Huskies skates against the Maine Black Bears in the second period during NCAA men's hockey in the Hockey East Championship at TD Garden on March 21, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts. Huskies defenseman Kai Janviriya guided the puck back down the ice and was getting ready to possibly send his team home with a victory. No team scored in the overtime period. The Huskies and Minutemen went into a shootout and Massachusetts was able to pick up a point in the shootout round after seven rounds. The Massachusetts Minutemen stand in a line before a game against the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks during NCAA men's hockey at the Tsongas Center on Jan. 27, 2023 in Lowell, Massachusetts. UConn had a 3-2 lead in the third period when Jake Percival scored early in the frame following a power play. But UMass responded with the equalizer from forward Jack Musa. Pucks staked spelling out Ohio are placed on the Ohio State Buckeyes bench before a men's college hockey game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans on Feb. 27, 2026 at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan. The two teams sit in fourth and third place respectively in the Hockey East conference. Providence is leading the conference with a 17-5-1 record and 51 points. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can't do it on our own. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? How scientists (and the rest of us) are finding 16,000 new species a month. When the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus published Systema Naturae in 1735, he set out to classify every living thing on Earth — inventing the naming system we still use today and personally describing more than 10,000 species of plants and animals. A weekly dose of stories chronicling progress around the world. Nearly three centuries later, with satellites mapping every continent and AI models that can identify a bird by its song, you might assume we'd pretty much finished the job Linnaeus started. Surely we've cataloged our roommates on this planet. Scientists estimate we've identified somewhere around one-tenth of all species on Earth — meaning for every species with a name, roughly nine more are waiting in an unsampled river or an unexplored cave. Or even a museum drawer where they've been gathering dust for decades. A quarter of new species descriptions involve specimens more than 50 years old. As the University of Arizona ecologist John Wiens put it: “It's a poorly known planet that we live on.” And now many of that planet's residents are in trouble. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, and that extinction rates are at least tens to hundreds of times higher than the background norm. The race to describe what's out there has real stakes. A study published in December in Science Advances by Wiens and colleagues analyzed 1.9 million species from the Catalogue of Life and found that between 2015 and 2020, scientists described more than 16,000 new species per year — the highest rate in the 270-year history of modern taxonomy. Wiens argues that 15 percent of every species known to science has been discovered in just the past two decades. This was supposed to be going the other direction. Earlier research had suggested that the rate of species description peaked around 1900, back when naturalists in pith helmets were tramping through the tropics and shipping specimens back to European museums in wooden crates. “Some scientists have suggested that the pace of new species descriptions has slowed down and that this indicates we are running out of new species to discover,” he told ScienceDaily. Genome sequencing costs have plummeted from $95 million per human genome in 2001 to hundreds of dollars by the early 2020s — dropping faster than Moore's Law for long stretches of time. That cost drop has made DNA barcoding cheap enough for widespread use, allowing researchers to distinguish species that look identical to the naked eye but are genetically distinct. A single water sample can reveal dozens of species, including rare ones that traditional surveys would miss entirely. In 2025, researchers analyzing archived aerosol filters reconstructed biodiversity data for more than 2,700 genera from airborne eDNA collected over 34 years. In 2023, two Australian citizen scientists helped discover Inimia nat, an entirely new genus of mantis — the first of its subfamily named since before the moon landing. The Ocean Census, a 10-year initiative launched in 2023, has identified 866 likely new marine species across 10 expeditions. A single month-long Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition off the coast of Chile may have turned up more than 100 new species: corals, glass sponges, squat lobsters. (Some estimates find only about 10 percent of marine species have been described, which makes the ocean less a frontier than an entire undiscovered country.) In Japan, an undergraduate named Yoshiki Ochiai found a new man-o'-war species on Gamo Beach — a popular surf spot in Sendai — and brought the creature to the lab in a plastic bag. And sometimes, we can even find species we'd thought had already gone extinct Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, one of only five living egg-laying mammals, was rediscovered in 2023 after not being seen since 1961 — captured on the last day of an Oxford expedition into the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia. A study from Wiens's own lab found that the proportion of threatened species among newly described ones has risen from 11.9 percent (for species described in the 18th century) to 30 percent today, and is projected to reach 47 percent by 2050. The Tapanuli orangutan, described in 2017, was listed critically endangered immediately with fewer than 800 individuals. Every new bird species described in Brazil's Atlantic Forest between 1980 and 2010 was already threatened. According to Kew Gardens, three in four undescribed plant species are estimated to be threatened with extinction before anyone even names them. One study estimated that dark extinctions could substantially increase known bird extinction numbers. The IPBES estimates more than 500,000 species have too little habitat left for long-term survival, making them effectively dead species walking (or crawling, or flying). Even as scientists describe new species at record rates, the tropical habitats where most undiscovered species live are being destroyed fastest. The golden age of species discovery isn't a nostalgic label for the era of Darwin and Wallace. It's happening now, in sequencing labs and on surf beaches and through the cameras of millions of ordinary people. Linnaeus described 10,000 species in a lifetime of work. We're now finding that many every seven months. The question is whether we can keep accelerating before the things we haven't yet found disappear for good. A version of this story originally appeared in the Good News newsletter. Here at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country. Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change. We rely on readers like you — join us. Apply here to receive a free annual Membership, made possible by another reader. William Foege helped give us a world without smallpox. We're marking his death by letting measles come back. Around the world, energy is becoming abundant — there's just one problem. Why another big swing at health care reform is coming.

In rural New Hampshire, a community health center shuttered. All these providers cited President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy agenda package, which slashed more than $1 trillion in federal support for health care, as a factor in their decisions. The legislation, known as the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” is expected to leave millions more Americans without coverage and to cut vital financial support for hospitals – a combination that could force already cash-strapped providers to pull back on services and staffing, leaving patients with fewer places and longer waits for care, particularly in emergency rooms. But Republicans hoping to tout the legislation as a point in their favor in November are confronting an escalating political backlash to the emerging consequences of those cuts, as lawmakers who supported it take the blame. Many hospitals, particularly those in rural areas or who treat a lot of underserved patients, have been struggling financially for years, contending with rising expenses, workforce shortages, an aging population and federal reimbursement rates that don't cover the cost of care. Nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed or stopped providing inpatient care since 2005, according to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research. The “big, beautiful bill” will increase that fiscal strain, experts say. Other provisions push up that figure to a total of 10 million. But when many of those folks get sick, they will still show up at hospitals, who must provide emergency care even if they won't get reimbursed. In addition, the “big, beautiful bill” curtailed states' ability to levy taxes on health care providers, which help states fund their share of Medicaid, and to offer special payments to beef up the reimbursement rates for hospitals and other providers, among other uses. These provider taxes and state-directed payments also boost federal Medicaid funding that states receive. “Our health care system was already fragile and now the largest cuts in health care history are going to disintegrate it further,” said Vaishu Jawahar, director of policy programs at Protect Our Care, a left-leaning advocacy group. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative-leaning American Action Forum, argued that “there's nothing that says Medicaid always has to look like the original program,” and said Republicans want less systemic dependence on it. “Republicans have always viewed Medicaid as a targeted, low-income safety net program for health insurance for those who cannot get it on their own,” he said. And so this just represents the collision of those views.” The package also created a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, which is intended to prompt states and their rural providers to enact lasting changes that will put them on a more sustainable financial path. And the rural fund doesn't do anything to help urban hospitals. St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in rural Lavonia, Georgia, closed its labor and delivery unit, as well as its obstetrics and gynecology center, last fall. Expectant mothers now must drive about 30 minutes to the nearest hospital with labor and delivery services or about an hour to St. Mary's hospital in Athens, which still operates a maternity ward. St. Mary's said in a statement that it spent 18 months trying to recruit more doctors, create partnerships and pursue other funding as it contended with an aging population and a declining number of births. “Recent Congressional cuts to Medicaid solidified this decision,” the hospital said. Maternal care is already strained in Georgia, said Whitney Griggs, director of health policy at Georgians for a Healthy Future, an advocacy group. Sen. Jon Ossoff, the lone Democrat running for reelection this year in a state Trump won in 2024, has pointed to St. Mary's decision on the campaign trial. “In Lavonia, St. Mary's Hospital, they've announced they will no longer provide obstetric services to delivering mothers because of decisions made by politicians,” Ossoff said in Atlanta last September. In Georgia promoting the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last August, Vice President JD Vance slammed Ossoff's opposition to the legislation, saying he was “allegedly worried about people getting kicked off their health care.” The President of the United States made a promise, a sacred promise that the only people who are going to lose access to health care are illegal aliens who shouldn't be in this country to begin with,” Vance said. MercyOne is part of Trinity Health, which said in a statement to CNN that “the recent and future government funding policy changes” are expected to reduce its annual revenue by $1.5 billion. That is forcing it to make changes “to ensure long-term sustainability and future growth,” including cutting positions in its billing and collections department by 10.5% across Trinity Health. “You know, I'm in the elderly category,” she said. GOP Rep. Zach Nunn is seeking reelection there after winning in 2024 by just under 4 points, and his leading Democratic challenger, Sarah Trone Garriott, has focused her criticism on his vote for the “One, Big Beautiful Bill Act” and its changes to Medicaid. “It's a bad time for health care here in Iowa's 3rd congressional district, and it's Zach Nunn's fault,” Trone Garriott said in a social media video. “First MercyOne announced they were closing their Ottumwa clinic because of federal Medicaid cuts. Now MercyOne Des Moines is announcing layoffs this March, because again, federal Medicaid cuts.” This month, Nunn wrote on his House blog that he met with patients and providers at Ottumwa Regional Health Center “to hear directly from those on the front lines,” touting $209 million allocated to his state through the OBBBA's $50 billion “Rural Health Transformation Fund.” “The message was clear and consistent: workforce shortages are stretching staff thin, operating costs continue to climb, and rural hospitals can't keep carrying the burden alone,” he said. Ammonoosuc, which has four remaining centers that provide primary care, behavioral health and other medical services to 26 towns, is facing a $500,000 annual loss in revenue from the bill, mainly because fewer of its patients are expected to have Medicaid coverage due to the new work requirements. As a federally qualified health center, it will continue to provide care, but it won't know how much the patients will be able to pay. “It buys time for us to look at other revenue opportunities consistent with our mission, but it won't come close to addressing the impact of the bill's disinvestment in our friends, family and neighbors through Medicaid,” he said. After states began expanding Medicaid to more low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act in 2014, the uninsured rate fell, which led to a decline in hospitals' uncompensated care costs in those states, said Cindy Mann, a partner at Manatt Health and former Obama administration official. “If you have a patient base which is mostly Medicaid, Medicare and the uninsured — which is really a lot of the safety net hospitals — there's nowhere to go to, there's no cushion, there's no cost shift that can make that up.” In Maine, Northern Light Health's executives knew they had to factor into their multi-year plan the increased financial pressures that the “big, beautiful bill” would bring. The health system, which operates nine hospitals, a medical group, nursing homes and several dozen primary care locations in the state, is projecting a $27 million annual drop in revenue from the package, said chief financial officer James Rohrbaugh. That's largely because 34,000 Mainers are expected to lose Medicaid coverage later this year and next. The looming revenue decline led Northern Light Health to make some major moves last year, including significantly cutting staff, improving its payment collection and consolidating doctors' offices. It also closed one of its money-losing hospitals, though Rohrbaugh said that decision predated the legislation. Now, the health system is looking for other ways to become more fiscally sound – and it hopes to use some of the $190 million that Maine is receiving from the Rural Transformation Health Program this year to help it do so. “I see that as a big opportunity,” he said of the program. “The plan for the rural transformation funds is to help figure out how to make sure health care is sustainable in rural areas.” Going forward, more hospitals and providers will have to contend with shrinking reimbursements and higher uncompensated care costs as the provisions of the “big, beautiful bill” start to take effect. “They will have to determine whether they can continue offering all their current services or have to shutter some or shift them to other providers,” said Lucas Swanepoel, vice president for public policy at the Catholic Health Association, which represents Catholic hospitals, long-term care facilities and other providers. “The coming year or two will be really telling,” he said. “This is a time like we have not seen in health care before, where we've got competing pressures,” she said, discussing the impacts of the sweeping legislation. “We've always had competing pressures, but this is more acute than I have seen it in my career.” Mendrzycki emphasized the difficulty of simultaneously contending with Medicaid cuts and reductions in provider taxes. “It's totally untenable, and it's – we've never, I don't think, had a time like this, in at least the time that I have been in healthcare, where both of those things are coming. Holtz-Eakin said Republicans, and Collins especially, should point to the Rural Transformation Fund, though he acknowledged its limitations. “There's an enormous amount of discretion by (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz) in allocating – so there's like $10 billion you have that goes out from the total of $50 billion. One would hope that that might be showing up in Maine and she could point to it and say, this is what I did for you,” he said.

Three US fighter jets crashed in Kuwait on Monday due to an “apparent friendly fire incident,” the US military said in a statement. Kuwaiti air defenses accidentally shot the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets down late Sunday evening ET time. All six crew members ejected safely, US Central Command said. The jets were flying in support of the military operation against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury. Kuwait's defense ministry had said in the early hours of Monday morning that “several” US fighter jets crashed but did not specify exactly how many or what had caused it. The statement comes after videos geolocated by CNN showed a fighter jet crashing in Kuwait and a pilot parachuting to the ground. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. “During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the CENTCOM statement said. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.” “Relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations,” Kuwait's defense ministry spokesperson Col. Said Al-Atwan said in the statement. “The crews were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care,” he said. Al-Atwan said Kuwait was in “direct coordination” with US authorities. One video geolocated by CNN shows a fighter jet crashing over Kuwait near a US air base. Other videos geolocated by CNN appear to show a fighter jet pilot on the ground in Kuwait after ejecting from an aircraft. In another video, the pilot is seen standing up as bystanders look on, with thick black smoke billowing in the distant background. The crashes come during heavy bombardment on Gulf nations as part of an expanding war with Iran. It also comes as smoke has been seen over the area surrounding the US Embassy in Kuwait. It is notable when US fighter jets crash overseas and often triggers an investigation. In 2024, a US ship “mistakenly fired” upon a F/A-18 operating from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. A list put out by CENTCOM on Sunday showing the assets employed thus far included F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, A-10 attack aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, refueling aircraft, counter-drone systems, Navy aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers. More than 1,000 targets have been struck, the CENTCOM release on Sunday said, adding that the military is focusing on military targets like command and control centers, Iranian Navy ships and submarines, Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps headquarters and more. This story has been updated with additional details.

“Sinners” won best ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild's 32nd Actor Awards setting up a potential nail-biter finale in two weeks at the Academy Awards. Delroy Lindo, from left, Miles Canton, Wunmi Mosaku, Omar Benson Miller, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Lola Kirke, Francine Maisler, and Michael B. Jordan accept the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for “Sinners” during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Michael B. Jordan accepts the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for “Sinners” during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Amy Madigan accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role for “Weapons” during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Host Kristen Bell performs during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Noah Wyle poses in the press room with the awards for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series and outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for “The Pitt” during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. After a near awards-season sweep by “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners” won best ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild's 32nd Actor Awards on Sunday, shaking up the Oscar race and setting up a potential nail-biter finale in two weeks at the Academy Awards. But the win Sunday, in a Netflix-streamed ceremony at the Shine Auditorium in Los Angeles, flipped that awards-season script. Writer-director Ryan Coogler, whose “Black Panther” triumphed at the guild's awards in 2019, became the first filmmaker to steer two ensembles to the guild's top prize. “From the bottom of our hearts, to the bottom of your hearts, thank you so much for everything,” said Delroy Lindo, who spoke on behalf of the film's cast. Moments earlier, Michael B. Jordan also won best male actor, upsetting the category favorite, Timothée Chalamet, and handing the 39-year-old Jordan the most significant prize of his acclaimed career. Even Jordan looked shocked as the audience rose to its feet and Viola Davis, the award's presenter, celebrated. Michael B. Jordan accepts the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for “Sinners” during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. “I wasn't expecting this at all,” said Jordan, who reflected on starting out as actor before he paused to appreciate the moment. As expected, Jessie Buckley won best female actor for her performance in “Hamnet.” But the other actor races have been harder to call. On Sunday, Sean Penn (who didn't attend) won best supporting male actor for “One Battle After Another” and Amy Madigan won best supporting female actor for “Weapons.” Partway through her winding and charming acceptance speech, she looked down at the statuette. Catherine O'Hara posthumously won best female actor in a comedy series for her performance as a movie executive in the showbiz satire “The Studio.” O'Hara died at the age of 71 on Jan. 30 from a blood clot in the lungs. Rogen said O'Hara “showed that you could be a genius and you could be kind.” Seth Rogen accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series for “The Studio” on behalf of Catherine O'Hara during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. “If you have people in your lives who don't know her work,” Rogen said, “show them O'Hara dancing to Harry Belafonte in ‘Beetlejuice,' show them O'Hara hurting her knee in ‘Best in Show' and doing that amazing thing where she hobbles around, and tell the people as they are laughing that that's Catherine O'Hara and we were lucky that we got to live in a world where she so generously shared her talents with us.” The Actor Awards were the biggest Hollywood bash since Paramount reached an agreement to acquire Warner Bros. The merger, which awaits regulatory approval, sent shock waves through Hollywood. Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos, whose company lost out to Paramount competing bid, walked the red carpet in jeans. The win for “Sinners” insures that Warner Bros. will head into the Academy Awards with the two clear best pictures favorites in it and “One Battle After Another” — an awards-season coup for a studio set to be sold. Harrison Ford was honored with the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, a prize presented with warm sarcasm by Woody Harrelson. “I'm in a room with actors, many of whom are here because they've been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I'm here to receive a prize for being alive,” said Ford, who called it “the half point” of his career. Ford teared up for much of his speech, reflecting on a career that he noted was “not an overnight success.” He called the award “very encouraging.” “I'm indeed a lucky guy,” said Ford. Lucky to have work that challenges me.

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Washington. President Donald Trump holds up a fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. The White House is seen Sunday March 1, 2026, in Washington, ahead of the arrival of President Donald Trump. WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings Sunday that U.S. intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the U.S., three people familiar with the briefings said. All three people insisted on anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” he said in a video message after launching strikes on Iran. Senior Trump administration officials, who like others were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, had told reporters Saturday that there were indicators that the Iranians could launch a preemptive attack. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Sunday night. Details of the briefing were first reported by Politico. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will brief the full membership of Congress on the U.S. military operation against Iran, the White House said Sunday. Rubio also was slated to brief Hill leadership Monday, the same day Hegseth and Caine are planning a press conference about the operation. The military operation came after authorities from Israel and the U.S. spent weeks tracking the movements of senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and shared information that allowed the strikes to be carried out in a surprise daylight attack, according to an Israeli military official and another person familiar with the operation. The eventual barrage of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran came so quickly that they were nearly simultaneous — with three strikes in three locations hitting within a single minute — killing Khamenei and some 40 senior figures, including the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the country's defense minister, the Israeli military official said Sunday. The official said a variety of factors created a golden opportunity to take out much of Iran's leadership, like weeks of training and monitoring the movements of senior figures as well as intelligence in real-time before the attack began that key targets were gathered together. Striking by day also gave an additional element of surprise, said the official, who said so many major, rapid-fire strikes were critical to keep key officials from fleeing after the first strike. The official said Israel closely cooperated with its U.S. counterparts and had used a similar tactic at the beginning of last June's war — which resulted in the killing of several senior Iranian figures. The details about the strikes came as the conflict entered its second day, with Trump saying in a video message Sunday that he expected it would continue until “all of our objectives are achieved.” He did not spell out what those objectives were. The Republican president also said the U.S. military and its partners hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems and nine warships, “all in a matter of literally minutes.” The U.S. regularly shares intelligence with allies including Israel. “No tears will be shed over their leadership being eliminated, but always the question is: OK, what next?” Warner said. A senior White House official said Iran's “new potential leadership” has suggested it is open to talks with the United States. That official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said Trump has indicated he's “eventually” willing to talk but that for now the military operation “continues unabated.” The official did not say who the potential new Iranian leaders are or how they made their alleged willingness to talk known. Separately, Trump told The Atlantic that he planned to speak with Iran's new leadership. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said Sunday, declining comment on the timing. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.

Stone statues stand over a waterless fountain by a vast, largely empty hotel at the semi-abandoned “Life in Venice” housing complex in Qidong, on China's east coast, Feb. 5, 2026. But in recent years the remote, partially abandoned complex has drawn unlikely new residents like Sasa Chen, a burned-out young Chinese woman who until recently worked a high-earning finance job in Shanghai, China's bustling commerce hub. Experts say Chen is part of a broader trend that has seen a growing number of young people across China migrating to small towns and cities, taking advantage of cheap real estate prices that have been plummeting since the COVID pandemic. It's a stark reversal from previous generations that prized upward mobility. Most large Chinese companies, especially high-paying tech firms, requires a work schedule of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, a grueling lifestyle popularly known as the 996 culture. Under the intense pressure, some young professionals have called it quits altogether and joined a resistance movement called “ lying flat ” — shunning careers and capitalism for a “low-desire life.” Some are redefining their dreams to focus on rest and relaxation, much like what some young adults in the West are doing under what they call FIRE: “Financial Independence, Retire Early.” Home prices at the massive “Life in Venice” development have more than halved since the downturn in China's property market a few years ago, and a lunch of noodles or a rice dish costs under three dollars in the neighborhood's restaurants. The bargain prices have benefited young people like Chen willing to live in remote but affordable housing now available across the country. Chen describes it as the perfect life: a sea view, clean air, and cheap rent. “Life in Venice” was envisioned in the early 2010s as a weekend resort for wealthy residents from nearby Shanghai, providing a luxurious yet peaceful life by the sea. But demand for the vast complex's 46,000 units cratered after China's debt-fueled property market popped. The developer, real estate giant Evergrande, went bankrupt in 2024. Today the site is a ghost town, with many villas just empty shells. But she had never liked the idea of working. After three years, she began plotting her escape from the drudgery of China's white-collar workforce. Her plan was to save up and find somewhere to live with rent so low she could live off returns on her investments. Last year, her dream came true: Chen saved 2 million yuan ($290,000) and found a spacious apartment at “Life in Venice”. With such low rent, she calculates she can live there for the rest of her life without ever having to work again. Though “Life in Venice” doesn't have a branch of her favorite sour soup hotpot restaurant, door to door delivery, or proximity to major hospitals, her new residence has plenty of conveniences like a grocery store and eateries. Chen used to dread the grind of her nine-to-six job, which she said “felt like marching to my own death.” Now, she wakes at 10 a.m. every day, filling her days with cooking, chilling, and long walks on the beach. “I never believed that work is the meaning of life,” Chen said. “My ideal state of life is not to work and stay at places that I like.” Like Chen, scores of young Chinese people have left big cities. While there's no available data about how many have left the Chinese workforce in recent years, figures show that from 2019 to 2024, Beijing lost 1.6 million people in their twenties and early thirties — around the total population of Philadelphia — according to China's capital statistic office. “People are quitting this competition, this very clear, linear, upward career track,” said Xiang Biao, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany. As the economy slows, young Chinese are struggling to find jobs. Some, like 29-year-old Ban Zhao, are rejecting the corporate rat race altogether. Last summer, Ban moved from a bustling commercial city on China's east coast to a small town in China's southwestern Yunnan province. Tucked away in a lush valley, the town is famed for fresh, clean air and healing hot springs. There, for just 800 yuan a month ($110) Ban rents an apartment with three bedrooms, one of which she converted to a yoga studio. She and her boyfriend work less than 20 hours a week, offering yoga classes online to make ends meet. Some are flocking to places like Hegang, a cold and remote coal mining city in northeastern China famous for shockingly cheap housing prices. Apartments there are now cheaper than cars, making sales easy for realtor Yang Xuewei. Yang has sold more than 100 bargain-priced apartments to clients across the country — and even to some foreigners who contacted Yang after watching his online virtual tours. “I can only say that living in Hegang is easy.” Chen Zhiwu, a University of Hong Kong finance professor, said higher living costs and fewer job opportunities in bigger cities are driving people to move to cheaper places. “Young people are facing reality and thinking hard about their futures.”