DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Tensions are escalating again near the Strait of Hormuz after a ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran and another was attacked and sank near the coast of Oman. The incidents reported on Thursday came as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim to the waterway. Another Iranian official says Tehran has a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S. The British military says the ship seized near the UAE was moving toward Iranian territorial waters. The seizure comes as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
WASHINGTON – Dr. Marty Makary’s resignation from his post atop the Food and Drug Administration is widening a leadership gap that already existed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Makary’s Tuesday departure leaves the FDA with only an acting commissioner. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has an acting director. And there’s no Senate-confirmed surgeon general a year and a half into Republican President Donald Trump’s second term. Critics say the level of upheaval at HHS and the lack of scientific expertise among its leadership are concerning. HHS hasn’t responded to a Wednesday request for comment.
– The Associated Press
