America in Brief

Ship hits Brooklyn Bridge; bomb explodes in California; first New Jersey rail strike in 40 years end; storms ravage Midwestern and Southern states.

A Mexican Navy training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, sits stranded after hitting the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17, 2025. Kyle Viterbo/AP Photo

Mexican Navy Ship Hits Brooklyn Bridge

A Mexican navy ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend, leaving two dead and 19 injured.

The Cuauhtémoc, a Mexican tall ship used for training, had been visiting New York City on a global goodwill tour and was departing for Iceland when it struck the Brooklyn Bridge late May 17 on the East River.

The vessel, with 277 people on board, was leaving the harbour when it reportedly lost power and drifted into the bridge, breaking all three of its masts.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that the 140-year-old bridge “sustained no damage,” and no one on the bridge was hurt.

Damage to a building after an explosion near a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif., on May 17, 2025. Eric Thayer/AP Photo

Bomb Explodes in California

A bomb exploded near a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on May 17 in what authorities have described as a domestic terrorist attack.

One person was killed and four were injured in the blast at a car park near the clinic.

The FBI identified the suspect as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus. He was found dead near the scene, next to a 2010 silver Ford Fusion that had been carrying the bomb when it exploded.

Akil Davis, assistant director at the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said at a press conference that the bureau believes the suspect was trying to livestream the event as it happened.

An “anti pro-life manifesto” allegedly connected to the suspect is in the FBI’s hands, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X.

A screen displays a rail service disruption warning at Penn Station after NJ Transit's locomotive engineers went on strike at midnight in New York City, on May 16, 2025. Jeenah Moon/Reuters

First New Jersey Rail Strike in 40 Years Ends

A New Jersey rail strike ended May 18 after three days of disruption that affected 100,000 daily commuters in the New York City metropolitan area. It was the state’s first rail strike in 40 years.

Union workers said the strike was a result of months of failed negotiations over wage disputes between New Jersey Transit and the union.

NJ Transit is one of the largest rail networks in the United States, connecting commuters between New York City and New Jersey to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.

People examine debris after a tornado struck Sunshine Hills outside of London, Ky., on May 18, 2025. Michael Swensen/Getty Images

Storms Ravage Midwest and South, Killing 28

Severe storms and tornadoes ripped through the Midwest and South over the weekend, killing 28 people.

Kentucky and Missouri were hit hardest on May 16, as a tornado flattened homes and tossed cars along a 150-mile stretch, leaving towns devastated and resembling bomb sites.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed 18 deaths in his state on May 17, declared a state of emergency, and deployed emergency crews to search for the missing and assist more than 100,000 residents left without power.