First Thing: Trump flip-flops on Hormuz toll and threatens Iran’s civilian infrastructure

A screengrab from a video said to show an Iranian missile being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. Photograph: Sepahnews.com/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A screengrab from a video said to show an Iranian missile being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. Photograph: Sepahnews.com/AFP/Getty Images First Thing: Trump flip-flops on Hormuz toll and threatens Iran’s civilian infrastructure US president says power plants and bridges could be targeted, which would probably constitute war crimes. Plus, the bear that raided an elderly couple’s fridge, and a stolen cat involved in a bank robbery Good morning. Donald Trump has threatened to expand US strikes on Iran next week to target civilian infrastructure including power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal. Trump made similar comments in March. Destroying civilian infrastructure such as power and water facilities would be illegal under international humanitarian law and would probably constitute a war crime. The US president, meanwhile, has U-turned on a threat that ships would have to pay a 20% fee to the US for “security” in the Strait of Hormuz. He said he had decided to scrap the toll “based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, and touted “massive” investments. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports. How have Democrats responded to renewed hostilities? Senate Democrats blocked the advancement of a must-pass defense bill. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, said his party could not support advancing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as long as the fighting continued. Top House Democrats, meanwhile, have vowed to oppose a bid to cut US military aid to Israel as the party grapples with a rebellion among their voters over the party’s support for the Middle Eastern ally. ICE pauses vehicle stops after deadly shootings in Texas and Maine View image in fullscreen A makeshift memorial for Joan Sebastian Guerrero, who was fatally shot by ICE agents in Biddeford, Maine. Photograph: Ryan Murphy/Getty Images Federal immigration officials have been instructed to stop pulling over vehicles until further notice, according to a homeland security source, after two recent deadly shootings in Texas and Maine during which officials shot and killed immigrants in vehicles. Federal immigration officials, including officers with ICE and Customs and Border Protection, have shot and killed 11 people since January 2025. Five people fatally shot by ICE officials were in their vehicles. In most of the cases, DHS claimed people “weaponized” their vehicles against federal law enforcement officers, leading the officials to shoot. Claims by DHS officials were later disputed after footage of the separate incidents cast doubt on the department’s claims. Meta used AI to tag workers who took leave to be laid off, lawsuit claims View image in fullscreen The lawsuit points to Meta’s workforce reduction of about 8,000 employees earlier this year. Photograph: Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Dozens of Meta employees have sued the social media company over claims that it used artificial intelligence tools to tag workers for mass layoffs. The workers allege that those AI tools targeted them after they asked for protected or maternity leave or disability accommodation. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in the northern district of California, points to Meta’s workforce reduction of about 8,000 employees earlier this year. What does the lawsuit claim? “Meta did not assemble the termination list through the considered judgment of managers who knew the work,” reads the 71-page complaint. Instead, the 26 workers listed in the lawsuit allege the company used AI systems “to score, rank and select employees for inclusion on the list”. A Meta spokesperson disputed the allegations, saying in an email to the Guardian: “These claims lack merit.” In other news … View image in fullscreen Mahmoud Khalil. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP Mahmoud Khalil is to sue Trump officials and pro-Israel groups over a “conspiracy” to target him and others as punishment for their support of Palestinian rights. The sudden death of the US senator Lindsey Graham and concerns over Mitch McConnell’s health have generated online conspiracy theories linking the events to Russia, Covid vaccines and the Clintons, among others. Cyclospora outbreaks causing diarrhea in the US are expected to continue through August, federal health officials have said as they scour the food supply chain for the culprit. Thousands have flocked to see the brief and rare blooming of corpse flowers in California, the world’s largest and most odorous flowering plants. Maryland police have arrested an alleged bank robber who was wielding a stolen cat and “tried to use her as an accessory”. Stat of the day: Florida executes one of its oldest prisoners in state’s 10th lethal injection this year View image in fullscreen A gurney used for lethal injections. Photograph: Ben Gray/AP Dennis Sochor, a 74-year-old convicted murderer, was pronounced dead at 6.16pm after a three-drug injection at Florida state prison near Starke. He was convicted of killing Patricia Gifford on 1 January 1982 hours after meeting the 18-year-old woman at a New Year’s Eve party. Her body has never been found. A family statement said: “He had 45 years to return Patty’s remains to us, but he cruelly chose not to.” Well Actually: Help, my sunscreen stings! What should I do? View image in fullscreen How do you make sure sunscreen actually works? Photograph: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images Discomfort is no reason to give up sun protection, and Madeleine Aggeler finds out what you should do if your sunscreen stings and how do you make sure sunscreen actually works. She also has some tips if you are one of those people who finds hot weather makes them cranky – I am, for sure – including being proactive about managing our own temperature. Don’t miss this: Rising number of Afghan girls being sold into child marriage View image in fullscreen A young girl in Afghanistan. Photograph: Fariba Akbari/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Afghanistan is seeing a resurgence in underage brides and mothers as desperate families sell their children in order to eat. The trend is driven by Taliban policies legalising the practice and forcing girls out of school, combined with a deepening humanitarian crisis. The Guardian and Zan Times spoke to families with daughters under nine who were traded into marriage to settle debts … or this: Shipwrecks of Shackleton and Scott recreated in 3D digital form after deep sea expedition View image in fullscreen An initial, low-resolution rendering of the 3D model of the wreck of Quest. Photograph: Martin Hartley / Canadian Geographic “To see a very large ship in the abyss, and to realise you are among the first humans to see it, and to realise that it is largely intact, is a powerful experience. We’re scanning these wrecks and collecting thousands of high-resolution 3D images. We’re seeing these ships magically appear through this process in front of us on the screen,” said John Geiger, the head of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS). “It’s just mind-boggling.” Climate check: California faces highest shark numbers in years as great whites head north View image in fullscreen A great white shark. Photograph: By Wildestanimal/Getty Images California is set to see one of its sharkiest summers in a decade, with large numbers of juvenile great whites already on a reverse vacation from the warm waters of Mexico to cooler pastures along the western United States because of the impact of El Niño. Last Thing: Japan officials hunt bear that raided couple’s fridge amid string of break-ins View image in fullscreen A black bear in Iwate prefecture, northern Japan Photograph: Yoshihiro Sato Authorities are searching for a bear that sneaked into the home of an elderly couple and raided their fridge, amid concerns it may be behind 14 break-ins across a Japanese town in the past fortnight. “It’s unusual for a bear to break into the same place multiple times,” said Shiho Chida, a bear specialist with the nature division in Iwate prefecture, where the town lies. “It’s possible this is the same animal, so we want to capture it as soon as possible.” If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com Explore more on these topics US news First Thing newsletter news Share Reuse this content