American forces launched strikes on Iran this afternoon in response to the downing of an Army attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. “The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” the U.S. military said in a statement. Here’s the latest.
Hours before the attacks, President Trump accused Iran of shooting down the American aircraft and promised to strike back. Both of the U.S. crew members, the pilot and the gunner, were rescued within two hours of the crash by a remotely piloted aquatic drone, a military spokesman said. The advanced helicopter had been taken down by an Iranian one-way attack drone, a U.S. official said.
The strikes came after Israeli forces pounded southern Lebanon in their fight against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia, despite a new U.S.-brokered cease-fire.
For more: American and Iranian negotiators have zeroed in on four major elements of a nuclear agreement that U.S. officials say would grind the program to a halt for 15 years or so.
Maine voters weigh in on a crucial race
As this newsletter hits your inbox, voting is still underway in the four states holding primary elections. But there is little doubt in today’s highest-profile contest. In Maine, Graham Platner is widely expected to win the Democratic primary and become a key part of his party’s efforts to regain control of the Senate. He would face Susan Collins, a veteran Republican.
Still, it will be interesting to see how broadly voters embrace Platner after a series of damaging reports about his personal history. My colleagues on the ground there talked to Mainers, and we’ll follow the results here as they come in.
Meet the Artemis III astronauts
NASA announced the four astronauts that it plans to send into space next year as part of its effort to return humans to the moon. The rare all-male crew includes Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas. Here’s what to know about them.
The Artemis III mission is expected to orbit Earth and test rendezvous and docking maneuvers with one or two lunar landers. Experts are still hopeful that NASA will reach the lunar surface by 2028, but that could be largely at the whims of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
For more: The Artemis III astronauts will be getting a new look, courtesy of Prada.
The F.D.A. clears a sunscreen ingredient long used abroad
The Food and Drug Administration paved the way for American companies to begin using a compound that has long been a part of popular sunscreens in Europe and Asia.
Dermatologists said the ingredient, bemotrizinol, offers advantages over other sunscreen compounds currently on the market: It is better for sensitive skin than some other ingredients, and sunscreens with it are more “cosmetically elegant.”
In other health news, a federal government study found that the health risks of alcohol accelerate after one drink a day.
More top news
Many New Yorkers are bummed after the Knicks lost last night to the Spurs. But the latest postcard from my colleague Jessica Testa, a Knicks fan, points me to something worth smiling about:
Recently I paid $30 for an airbrushed “New York Knicks” T-shirt, spotted on a sidewalk rack. I have no regrets. The dot of the “i” was a tiny basketball!
But that’s how finals fever works: It is deeply intertwined with consumerism. Suddenly I’m contemplating a Karl-Anthony Towns charm key chain ($98). Or a sticker of a pigeon in Knicks gear ($3). My colleague Jonah Bromwich owns an “I Hart NY” shirt, and his toddler has a Josh Hart tee.
With apologies to the official N.B.A. store, the best merch is bootleg and primitive. It comes from the heart. See: “Brunson, egg & cheese,” or “Please win before I die.”
TIME TO UNWIND
Sting never gave up on his musical
In 2014, Sting couldn’t save “The Last Ship,” his Broadway musical inspired by his childhood in an English shipbuilding town. It closed after 105 performances and lost some $15 million. But Sting still loved the show, so he refused to leave it in the past.
After a recent run of performances in Europe and Australia, a revised version of “The Last Ship” is back in New York tonight for the start of its limited run at the Metropolitan Opera. “My entire life has gone into this work,” said Sting, who is again starring in the show.
She plans to swim the entire California coast
Catherine Breed will step into the ocean next month just north of the California-Oregon border and begin swimming along the rugged Pacific coastline. Between 80 and 126 days later, she aims to reach the California-Mexico border and become the first human to accomplish such a feat. Along the way, she will be vulnerable to sharks, venomous jellyfish and storms.
Breed, 33, is attempting the 900-mile swim to promote ocean conservation, inspire others, set a record and have an extraordinary adventure. “It would be the equivalent of somebody running a marathon every day for months,” one of her mentors said.
Prom night is always evolving. But some things never change.
Each spring, a new generation of high schoolers takes part in the all-American rite of passage known as prom. To see what it’s like now — for teens who have never known a world without smartphones — my colleague Priya Krishna talked to prom-goers in California, New Jersey, Ohio and elsewhere.
The high schoolers told Priya about filming TikTok videos in the outfits, going to the dance with friends instead of dates and eating vegetarian Vietnamese food for dinner. But some traditions persist: the flowers, the fancy clothes and the anticipation for what’s next. In Huntsville, Ala., they even danced to the “Cha Cha Slide” and “Y.M.C.A.” Take a look.
Have a marvelous evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow — Matthew
Philip Pacheco was our photo editor.
We welcome your feedback. Reach us at evening@nytimes.com.
