What happened
The U.S. military last night conducted a fresh wave of airstrikes against Iranian targets as retaliatory attacks between the two nations increase.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for attacks on a U.S. refuelling facility at the Omani port of Duqm, as well as attacks on American bases in Qatar and Jordan. Tehran also said it had shut the Strait of Hormuz and struck commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway. The latest exchange follows fresh U.S. airstrikes on 140 Iranian military targets.

Who said what
Iran accused the U.S. of undermining diplomatic efforts, saying American attacks had “rendered futile” recent negotiations. The two nations have “traded fire and recriminations,” said The New York Times. Both have accused the other of violating the terms of the ceasefire and “leaving the region suspended between war and peace.” As the war “heats up” again, CNN said, U.S. weapon stocks “remain significantly depleted,” risking the military’s “ability to fight” any “future war.”

What next?
In a written statement, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen since the Feb. 28 death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that “vengeance” for his father’s killing “is the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out”.

What happened
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has revealed that a fall at his Washington home last month led to a hospital stay. His announcement ends a “weekslong silence” that had “spurred speculation about his condition,” The Wall Street Journal said.

The 84-year-old senator said he briefly lost consciousness after the incident but did not break any bones or suffer a concussion, stroke, heart attack or other serious injury. He was later diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia.

Who said what
McConnell acknowledged the delay in explaining his condition, saying: “Folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.” McConnell’s injuries were “minor” and he “responded rapidly” to pneumonia treatment, his attending physician said. The Kentucky senator “has faced a string of health concerns in recent years that have caused some to question his ability to serve in the legislature,” The Hill said.

What next?
McConnell said he remains focussed on completing his Senate work before retiring when his current term ends in January.

The number of births among women ages 35 to 39 in the U.S. last year was up by 90% from 1990, according to latest CDC data. And in 2023, births among women 40 and up exceeded teen births for the first time in the country’s history. As these numbers increase, more late-in-life mothers are facing postpartum while also entering the perimenopause period. This means confronting the “bewildering convergence of two mind- and body-altering hormonal events,” said The Washington Post — the post-pregnancy period and the transition years of perimenopause marked by “hormonal instability.”

With women waiting to have kids later in life because of “changing cultural norms and a boom in fertility medicine,” it’s “no wonder” mothers are becoming “more likely to hit perimenopause while in postpartum,” said OB-GYN Jessica Shepherd to Self. 

But there’s a “dearth of knowledge” about the intersection of the stages, said OB-GYN Suzanne Fenske to the Post. This is only made worse by the fact that the U.S. “offers minimal postpartum care,” said the outlet.

Women’s health concerns are “systemically dismissed,” and women have been “socialized to downplay their experiences,” said the Post. Thankfully, that’s changing, in part because physicians are more outspoken on social media and awareness is spreading to “mainstream pop culture.”

Postpartum and perimenopausal mothers are also “finding one another” and “building a sense of connection around their shared experience,” said the Post. Online forums and group chats can be a “lifeline” for moms who might “otherwise feel alienated in spaces dominated by younger parents.”