Dow surges

on Iran hopes

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks surged to their best day since last spring as doubt swung back to hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran. The S&P 500 leaped 2.9% Tuesday for its largest gain since May. Just a day before, worries about the war had sent the main measure of Wall Street’s health more than 9% below its all-time high set early this year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,125 points, or 2.5%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 3.8%.

Weather on

NASA’s side

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Everything seems to be going NASA’s way as the countdown proceeds toward a launch of astronauts’ first trip to the moon in more than half a century. Officials said Tuesday that the rocket is doing well on its Florida pad and the weather looks promising.

The four astronauts assigned to the Artemis II mission will become the first lunar visitors since Apollo 17 in 1972. They’ll zip around the moon without landing or even orbiting and come straight back. The launch team will begin fueling the 32-story rocket this morning for an evening send-off.

Hegseth lifts

suspensions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the suspensions of two U.S. Army helicopter pilots who hovered next to entertainer Kid Rock’s swimming pool while he clapped and saluted over the weekend have been lifted.

Hegseth said in a social media post that there was “No punishment. No Investigation. Carry on, patriots.”

The crews were suspended from flying pending a investigation of their actions, a U.S. Army spokesperson had said on Tuesday.