A Pennsylvania-based snack food manufacturer has pulled certain potato chip products from store shelves nationwide due to potential allergen contamination.
Utz Quality Foods, LLC, which operates as a division of Utz Brands, Inc., announced the voluntary withdrawal of select Zapp’s and Dirty brand potato chip varieties from the U.S. market. The company’s Hanover, Pennsylvania headquarters made the decision after learning that a flavoring ingredient containing dried milk powder may not have been properly disclosed on product packaging.
The recall specifically targets limited varieties of both chip brands, though the company has not yet provided a complete list of affected products or lot numbers. Consumers with milk allergies or lactose sensitivities could face serious health risks if they consume the recalled items without knowing about the undeclared dairy ingredient.
Food safety officials typically recommend that anyone who has purchased potentially affected products should check their pantries and discard any matching items. Customers seeking refunds or additional information are advised to contact the manufacturer directly.
This type of allergen-related recall has become increasingly common in the food industry as manufacturers work to ensure accurate labeling and protect consumers with food sensitivities.
Crude oil markets retreated Tuesday following a successful U.S. naval operation that helped break Iran’s blockade of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz waterway. The development came after oil prices had surged as much as 6% in Monday’s trading session.
The United States initiated a new military mission Monday focused on restoring shipping access through Hormuz. Shortly afterward, shipping giant Maersk announced that its U.S.-flagged vessel Alliance Fairfax successfully navigated through the strait while under protection from American military forces, providing relief from immediate supply shortage concerns.
July Brent crude contracts dropped 68 cents, or 0.6%, to $113.76 per barrel at 0100 GMT, following Monday’s 5.8% gain. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude declined $1.59, or 1.5%, to $104.83, after Monday’s 4.4% increase.
“The successful escorted exit of the Maersk-operated vessel has helped ease some immediate supply disruption fears,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
“It shows that limited safe passage is possible under current conditions and helps chip away at some of the worst-case supply disruption fears. However, it’s still very much a one-off event rather than a full reopening,” he said in an email.
However, Iran responded to the American initiative with military strikes throughout the Gulf region Monday as both nations compete for control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf to international markets. The waterway normally transports oil and natural gas equivalent to roughly 20% of worldwide daily consumption.
Multiple commercial ships reportedly sustained damage in the region, while Iranian forces targeted a major oil facility in the United Arab Emirates, causing significant fires. This naval intervention marks the most serious escalation in the conflict since a truce was established four weeks earlier.
Washington is working to restore Hormuz shipping operations to address severe disruptions to international energy markets that began when Iran largely sealed the waterway following the start of U.S.-Israeli military action on February 28.
Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth warned Monday that physical oil shortages will soon emerge globally due to the Hormuz blockade.
Goldman Sachs reported Monday that worldwide oil inventories are nearing eight-year lows because of the supply interruptions, with analysts expressing concern about the rapid depletion rate while access remains limited.
“With the world rapidly burning through commercial stockpiles, strategic reserves, and crude held in floating storage, the underlying supply squeeze remains a potent tailwind for oil prices,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.
State officials in California are demanding transparency regarding a Trump administration arrangement that compensates an energy company for abandoning its offshore wind development plans.
The California Energy Commission announced Monday it has served Golden State Wind with an administrative subpoena. The company had proposed a floating wind energy facility off the state’s central coastline.
Officials want access to records and details surrounding the firm’s recent arrangement with federal Interior Department officials. The deal provides financial compensation in return for the voluntary surrender of the company’s offshore wind development rights.
“The Trump administration is recklessly spending billions of taxpayer dollars on backroom deals that would turn back the clock on innovation,” stated CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Californians deserve immediate answers about the nature of this payout. Taxpayer dollars should be used to build a sustainable energy future, not to pay to make projects disappear.”
The current administration is allocating close to $2 billion to persuade energy firms to abandon offshore wind developments across the United States. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has argued that companies purchased lease rights for projects that could only succeed with substantial government subsidies when they made bids in 2022 during Joe Biden’s presidency.
This approach emerged after federal courts blocked President Trump’s attempts to halt offshore wind development through executive orders. Officials have announced three such agreements to date.
The initial arrangement, revealed in March, provides French corporation TotalEnergies with $1 billion – essentially reimbursing their lease costs for wind projects off North Carolina and New York – contingent on redirecting that investment toward fossil fuel ventures. Last week’s announcements detailed how Golden State Wind and Bluepoint Wind accepted lease terminations worth nearly $900 million combined, with requirements to match those funds in fossil fuel investments.
Ocean Winds, a partnership between EDP Renewables and French energy company Engie, holds ownership stakes in both Golden State and Bluepoint operations. Bluepoint Wind represented an early-stage offshore development planned for waters off New Jersey and New York.
Ocean Winds declined to discuss the subpoena Monday, stating the company avoids commenting on ongoing or potential legal proceedings.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office informed Golden State Wind that the state expects possible litigation involving federal officials and parties involved in lease buyouts that affect California’s energy requirements and offshore wind initiatives. The state has committed approximately $100 million toward offshore wind development to accelerate clean energy adoption and combat climate change.
Congressional Democrats are also conducting their own investigation. Representatives Jared Huffman of California, who leads Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, are requesting information about the TotalEnergies arrangement.
Nuclear safety inspectors confirmed Monday that weather tracking equipment at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility was knocked out of service following a drone attack.
The facility, which houses six reactors and stands as Europe’s biggest nuclear power station, fell into Russian hands during the initial phase of Moscow’s invasion that began in February 2022. Since then, both Ukrainian and Russian forces have repeatedly blamed each other for military actions that threaten the safety of the facility, which sits close to active combat zones.
In a post on X, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that its inspection team had examined the station’s External Radiation Control Laboratory one day after Russian plant operators reported the drone strike.
“Team observed damage to some of the lab’s meteorological monitoring equipment which is no longer operational,” stated the IAEA, which serves as the United Nations’ nuclear oversight body.
The agency noted that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had made another urgent request “for maximum military restraint near all nuclear facilities to avoid safety risks.”
The facility, which currently generates no power, has endured multiple drone attacks since the war began. Plant administrators reported Sunday that while damage occurred, it remained limited and did not disrupt other operations.
A critical external power connection needed to maintain cooling systems for nuclear fuel has remained offline since late March, and the IAEA announced last week it was working to negotiate a temporary halt in fighting to enable repair crews to restore the line.
Grossi has conducted multiple inspections of the Zaporizhzhia facility since Russian forces took control, and the IAEA maintains permanent monitoring teams at Zaporizhzhia as well as Ukraine’s three other operational nuclear plants.
With eight teams remaining in the NBA postseason, one franchise has clearly separated itself from the competition in the eyes of oddsmakers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been installed as strong betting favorites to capture their second consecutive NBA championship as the conference semifinals kicked off Monday evening.
Both DraftKings Sportsbook and BetMGM have listed the Thunder at -145 odds to claim the NBA Finals crown. The San Antonio Spurs, who earned the Western Conference’s second seed behind Oklahoma City, hold the next-best championship odds at +370 (DraftKings) and +375 (BetMGM).
Oklahoma City’s dominant campaign began with an impressive 24-1 record to open the regular season, ultimately leading to the league’s top mark of 64-18. The Thunder continued their excellence into the playoffs, becoming the only team to complete a first-round sweep by defeating the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns 4-0.
San Antonio could present the most significant challenge to Oklahoma City’s title aspirations should the regional foes meet in the Western Conference championship series. The two teams faced each other five times during the regular season due to their matchup in the NBA Cup semifinals, with the Spurs claiming victory in four of those encounters.
From the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons have emerged as the leading contenders, though third-seeded New York carries significantly better odds than top-seeded Detroit following the Pistons’ struggle against Orlando. Detroit was forced to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the eighth-seeded Magic.
New York stands at +900 to win the championship at both major sportsbooks. The Knicks are also favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, with +135 odds at DraftKings and +150 at BetMGM.
Detroit’s championship odds sit at +1800 (DraftKings) and +1700 (BetMGM), while their Eastern Conference odds are listed at +260 and +250, respectively.
Complete DraftKings championship odds as of May 4, 8 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City (-145), San Antonio (+370), New York (+900), Detroit (+1800), Cleveland (+2200), L.A. Lakers (+2800), Philadelphia (+4000), Minnesota (+7000).
BetMGM championship odds as of May 4, 8 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City (-145), San Antonio (+375), New York (+900), Detroit (+1700), Cleveland (+2000), L.A. Lakers (+2500), Philadelphia (+3500), Minnesota (+8000).
A Chinese pharmaceutical company focused on developing cancer treatments is preparing to go public on the Hong Kong stock exchange, with plans to raise as much as $117 million, according to financial documents obtained by Reuters.
Impact Therapeutics plans to sell 41.98 million shares with prices ranging from HK$19.75 to HK$21.75 per share, which translates to approximately $2.52 to $2.78 in U.S. dollars.
The fundraising total could potentially reach $134 million if investment banks exercise their option to purchase additional shares beyond the initial offering.
Several major investors have already committed to purchasing shares, including technology giant Tencent and five other cornerstone investors, who together plan to buy approximately $35.7 million worth of stock.
The company has scheduled May 11 as the date to finalize share pricing, with trading expected to commence on May 13 on the Hong Kong exchange.
Venezuela’s central banking authority reported Monday that the nation experienced a decline in monthly inflation during April, with rates dropping to 10.6% compared to the 13.1% recorded in March.
However, the broader economic picture remains challenging, as the central bank’s website shows inflation has accumulated to 90% through the first four months of 2026. Reuters analysis of the banking data indicates the annual inflation rate has reached 611.86%.
During a state television appearance, acting central bank president Luis Perez expressed optimism about the country’s economic trajectory. “Our economy is healthy; it’s doing well,” Perez stated, while forecasting that inflation could drop into single digits for May.
Addressing concerns about data manipulation, Perez emphasized the bank’s commitment to accurate reporting. “We don’t cook the books,” he declared during the interview.
Perez also revealed that following Venezuela’s renewed relationship with the International Monetary Fund last month, the country has designated current Vice President for Economic Affairs Calixto Ortega to serve as its representative and governor to the international organization.
Warren Buffett’s investment giant Berkshire Hathaway has reportedly identified General Re Chairman Charlie Shamieh to take the reins of its massive insurance operations, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday.
Sources familiar with the succession planning told the Journal that Shamieh is being positioned to lead Berkshire’s extensive insurance division once current head Ajit Jain chooses to step down from his role. Jain, who is 74 years old, has been a key figure in the company’s insurance business for decades.
The Wall Street Journal’s reporting cited unnamed individuals with knowledge of the internal discussions. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the succession plan, and Berkshire Hathaway has not yet provided a response to requests for comment about the reported leadership transition.
The potential change would mark a significant shift in leadership for one of Berkshire Hathaway’s most important business segments under Buffett’s corporate umbrella.
Motorists traveling on Route 54 will encounter periodic lane restrictions affecting traffic in both directions between Madison Avenue and Dukes Avenue.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports these temporary lane closures will remain in effect until 7 a.m.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution while navigating through the work zone area.
A major Australian scientific testing company announced Tuesday that cybercriminals breached portions of their computer network, leading to brief operational interruptions before security teams successfully contained the attack.
The company, ALS, which conducts scientific analysis for commodities, food products, and pharmaceutical industries, described the incident as causing a ‘temporary disruption’ to certain business functions. Quick response efforts by their security personnel helped bring most systems back online.
ALS has notified Australia’s Cyber Security Centre about the breach and is collaborating with customers, government officials, and regulatory agencies to determine whether any sensitive information was accessed or stolen during the attack.
Company officials declined to specify when the security breach occurred or provide additional details about the timeline of events.
According to ALS, their information technology and cybersecurity personnel immediately responded to what they characterized as malicious digital intrusion, receiving assistance from outside incident response experts during the containment process.
This cyber attack comes just one week after Australia’s banking oversight agency issued warnings that financial institutions are falling behind in keeping pace with rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technologies.
The regulatory body expressed concerns that new AI systems, including Anthropic’s Mythos platform, could potentially make cyberattacks more frequent and sophisticated.
SAN ANTONIO — Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards received medical clearance to take the court Monday evening for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio, making his comeback just 10 days following a hyperextended left knee injury.
The All-Star guard was initially projected to sit out at least the opening two contests in San Antonio, but the 6-foot-4 player accelerated his recovery process to participate in the series opener.
“He’s in,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Finch indicated that Edwards will face playing time limitations.
Edwards received approval to rejoin team workouts on Saturday and his status was elevated to questionable on Sunday’s injury listing. He participated fully in Monday morning’s shootaround session and earned final approval following pre-game warmups.
The injury occurred on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round matchup with Denver, when Edwards sustained both a bone bruise and hyperextension to his left knee.
Minnesota also suffered the loss of Donte DiVicenzo in that same Game 4 contest due to a torn right Achilles tendon, yet managed to capture the following two games against Denver to secure their advancement.
Edwards was absent from Game 6 while undergoing injury treatment.
During the regular season, Edwards posted averages of 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists across 61 contests. In three matchups against San Antonio this season, he averaged 36.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
Minnesota held a 2-1 regular season record against the Spurs.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, who received Defensive Player of the Year honors on April 20, was sidelined for the first regular season meeting with Minnesota due to a left calf strain. Wembanyama posted averages of 34 points and 8.0 rebounds in two contests against the Timberwolves, including a 39-point performance in a 126-123 victory on January 17 during the teams’ final regular season encounter.
A former corrections officer has admitted his role in the deadly beating of an inmate at a New York state prison, accepting an 11-year prison sentence as part of a plea agreement reached Monday.
Caleb Blair, who previously worked as a guard at Mid-State Correctional Facility near Utica, entered his guilty plea to manslaughter charges just as his trial was about to begin. Blair had originally been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the March 1, 2025 death of 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, making his case the most severe among the officers involved.
According to prosecutors, Nantwi endured a brutal assault consisting of 69 individual strikes from corrections officers who attacked him with fists, boots, and batons during multiple beatings. The young man died from severe head trauma and additional injuries. Blair was identified as one of two guards responsible for inflicting the fatal head wounds on Nantwi, who was serving a five-year term for engaging in a shootout with police officers.
The violent incident began when Nantwi resisted being handcuffed during a routine prisoner count, court documents revealed.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who handled the prosecution, confirmed that Nantwi’s family supported the plea arrangement.
“I’m satisfied that justice was done,” Fitzpatrick stated during a phone conversation with The Associated Press following the court proceeding. “There has to be systemic changes in the facilities regarding relationships between (corrections officers) and incarcerated individuals, and I hope that people just don’t turn the page.”
Defense attorney William Sullivan said his client took full responsibility for his conduct. Sullivan noted that Blair had maintained an unblemished record as a corrections officer without any disciplinary issues and had military service with the National Guard overseas.
“It was a terrible combination of eight minutes, six minutes, in that cell that ruined an otherwise exemplary life,” Sullivan explained. “If you had a daughter and Caleb Blair came home to ask for her hand, you’d be proud.”
The court scheduled Blair’s sentencing for June 17.
Legal representatives for Nantwi’s family emphasized that the relatives’ primary concern was ensuring accountability for his death.
“Most of the defendants here are going to jail. And hopefully the impact of that will resonate throughout the state prisons, which for far too long have tolerated and turned a blind eye to violence against inmates,” lawyers Earl Ward and Katie Rosenfeld wrote in their statement.
Jonah Levi, the second former officer whom Fitzpatrick identified as delivering head blows to Nantwi, was convicted of manslaughter and additional charges by a jury last month despite denying the accusations. He is awaiting his sentencing hearing.
Another ex-guard, Craig Klemick, entered a guilty plea on Friday to charges of filing false documentation, a charge typically used when someone lies in official incident reports. Multiple other former guards have also accepted plea deals, leaving just one remaining case for trial.
The original indictment from last year named 10 corrections officers, with six facing assault charges related to Nantwi’s beating. The remaining four were accused of orchestrating a cover-up that involved submitting fraudulent reports, attempting to plant a homemade weapon, and removing blood evidence from Nantwi’s cell.
The fatal assault took place during an unauthorized work stoppage by numerous officers, which prompted the governor to deploy National Guard personnel to maintain facility operations. Nantwi’s death occurred just months after Robert Brooks was beaten to death at another prison located directly across from Mid-State.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that electronic refund payments for certain Trump administration tariffs will begin May 12, pushing back the start date by one day from previous projections.
The customs agency revealed the updated timeline in a communication to shipping companies, announcing new status tracking systems that will allow businesses to monitor their refund claims as they move through the approval process.
Last week’s Court of International Trade ruling had indicated refund distributions would commence around May 11, though officials did not provide an explanation for the slight delay to May 12.
The refund program stems from a Supreme Court decision that found former President Trump exceeded his executive powers when he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose certain trade penalties. The 1977 sanctions legislation was ruled inappropriate for tariff implementation by the nation’s highest court.
Customs officials estimate the total value of refundable collections could reach $166 billion, representing tariffs collected under the disputed emergency powers framework during the Trump presidency.
Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, revealed extensive financial connections to CEO Sam Altman during court testimony Monday, including a personal stake in the artificial intelligence company valued at nearly $30 billion.
The disclosure came as part of ongoing legal proceedings in a California courtroom, where Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pursuing a lawsuit against the ChatGPT creator. Musk claims the organization violated its original mission by transforming from a charitable nonprofit into a profit-driven enterprise.
During his testimony, Brockman confirmed his ownership interest in OpenAI approaches $30 billion in value – a figure that had not been publicly revealed before. Legal representatives for Musk argued these financial arrangements may have influenced Brockman’s decision-making and compromised his ability to act independently from Altman.
The court learned that in 2017, Altman provided Brockman with an ownership percentage in Altman’s family investment office, valued at $10 million during that period. This same year marked discussions among OpenAI leadership, including Musk and Brockman, about restructuring the organization as a for-profit entity to fund expensive computational resources needed for artificial intelligence development.
Email correspondence presented in court showed communication between Altman and Jared Birchall, who manages Musk’s family office operations. Birchall informed Musk about the compensation arrangement in writing.
“One thing worth mentioning now is that he compensated Greg on the side by giving him a percentage ownership of Sam’s personal family office,” Birchall stated in the message, suggesting the agreement might mean “Greg is going to have a greater allegiance to Sam as a result of this arrangement.” Musk responded by forwarding the message to Brockman with two question marks.
When questioned about his loyalty to Altman, Brockman responded, “I don’t know I would say it quite like that.”
Additional financial entanglements emerged during Monday’s proceedings. Brockman acknowledged owning shares in Cerebras, an artificial intelligence chip manufacturer, including periods when OpenAI considered acquiring the company. OpenAI announced plans this year to purchase substantial quantities of Cerebras processors.
Brockman also confirmed investment in Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion startup where Altman has committed hundreds of millions in funding. Altman recently resigned from Helion’s board of directors in March as the companies explored potential collaboration opportunities.
The legal battle, now in its second week, centers on Musk’s allegations that OpenAI leadership secured his $38 million in contributions and assistance by promising to maintain a nonprofit structure focused on safe artificial intelligence development. Musk contends they subsequently abandoned this commitment to pursue personal financial gain through for-profit operations.
The lawsuit seeks $150 billion in damages and demands the removal of both Altman and Brockman from their executive positions. Musk’s legal claims include breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment.
OpenAI has countered that Musk’s motivations stem from his desire to control the organization and resentment over the company’s achievements following his departure from the board in 2018. The company maintains that Musk showed little concern for safety protocols during his involvement and is now attempting to benefit his competing venture, xAI, which has struggled to match OpenAI’s market penetration.
The trial’s outcome could significantly impact OpenAI’s future direction. The company triggered widespread interest in generative artificial intelligence following ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022, subsequently raising more than $100 billion from investors to fund research staff, computing infrastructure, and expansion plans ahead of a potential public offering that could reach trillion-dollar valuations.
California energy regulators launched an investigation Monday into a Trump administration agreement that resulted in a $120 million payment to terminate an offshore wind development project along the state’s central coastline.
State officials are demanding details about the substantial government payment to assess whether any laws were broken in the transaction.
The lease payment reimbursements, which came with requirements for fossil fuel investments, represent part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign to undermine America’s emerging offshore wind sector over the past year.
The California Energy Commission announced it had served a subpoena on Golden State Wind LLC, a collaborative venture between Ocean Winds and Reventus Power, a London-based offshore wind investment company. Ocean Winds operates as a joint enterprise involving France’s ENGIE and Portugal’s EDP Renewables.
“Californians deserve immediate answers about the nature of this payout,” stated CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to build a sustainable energy future, not to pay to make projects disappear.”
The state has established an objective to deploy 25 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2045 as part of its climate change mitigation strategy. California officials noted they have committed over $100 million toward developing necessary port facilities and transmission infrastructure for offshore wind projects.
Representatives from Golden State Wind and the Interior Department did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
NEW YORK, May 4 – A parade of A-list celebrities walked the red carpet Monday evening at New York’s prestigious Met Gala while demonstrators gathered outside to voice opposition to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ major financial backing of the exclusive event.
Notable attendees making their grand entrances included recording artists Sam Smith and Doja Cat, along with acclaimed actress Nicole Kidman at the fashion industry’s most exclusive annual gathering.
Lauren Sanchez Bezos, wife of the tech billionaire, was spotted among the evening’s earliest arrivals at the yearly fundraising event benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which has gained worldwide recognition for its elaborate fashion displays and celebrity guest list.
The Bezos couple served as primary event sponsors through a contribution that media sources report reached $10 million, earning them honorary chair positions. This significant financial involvement sparked calls for boycotting the gala due to concerns about economic disparity and labor practices.
Demonstrators positioned themselves outside the museum wearing vibrant clothing while displaying letters that spelled out “tax the rich” alongside banners proclaiming “resistance red carpet” and “eat the rich.”
The evening’s anticipated guest list featured major names including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Kim Kardashian. While individual tickets carry a $100,000 price tag, most celebrity attendees receive invitations as honored guests.
Internet sensation Emma Chamberlain made an early appearance for photographers wearing a form-fitting outfit with floor-length sleeves, while La La Anthony showcased a jewel-encrusted gown.
The 2024 event embraced the theme “Fashion is Art,” encouraging attendees to view their bodies as artistic canvases.
French social media influencer Lena Mahfouf turned heads in a sculptural top designed to resemble silver hands paired with a flowing bottom portion.
Actress Gwendoline Christie created another memorable moment upon arrival, sporting an elongated crimson dress complemented by elaborate feathered headwear and a realistic facial covering.
Chicago Sky officials announced Monday they have released rookie guard Hailey Van Lith, who was selected 11th overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The 24-year-old first-year player posted 3.5 points and 1.6 assists per game across 29 appearances without making a start during her inaugural professional season.
During preseason action, Van Lith contributed 12.5 points and 4.5 assists over two contests for Chicago, which begins regular season play Saturday against the Portland Fire.
Chicago selected the 5-foot-9 Van Lith as their top pick following her outstanding college basketball journey that included stops at Louisville, LSU and TCU. She earned All-American honors and claimed both Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards after posting 17.9 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game with the Horned Frogs during the 2024-25 campaign.
The Sky made additional roster moves Monday, releasing forwards Maddy Westbeld (16th overall pick) and Aicha Coulibaly (22nd selection), both 2025 draft choices. Westbeld contributed 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds across 26 games as a rookie, while Coulibaly did not appear in any contests.
All WNBA franchises must finalize their rosters by Thursday at 5 p.m. ET ahead of Friday’s regular season opener.
The Dallas Wings also made significant cuts Monday, parting ways with six players including veteran guard Lindsay Allen.
Allen, 31, brings eight seasons of WNBA experience across 214 career games with six different teams, most recently appearing in 31 contests (nine starts) for the Connecticut Sun in 2025. The veteran guard holds career averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 assists but could not earn a roster position with Dallas after joining the organization last month.
Dallas also released Rayah Marshall, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Amy Okonkwo, Grace Berger and Costanza Verona.
Berger joined the Wings mid-season through multiple seven-day contracts and finished with 3.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 18 games (13 starts). Okonkwo averaged 11.0 points per game but participated in only eight contests late in the season.
Motorists traveling along Route 13 will encounter periodic lane restrictions during overnight construction work between two key intersections.
DelDOT reports that both northbound and southbound lanes of Route 13 will experience intermittent closures from Hyetts Corner Road to American Legion Drive as crews continue construction activities.
The lane restrictions are expected to remain in effect until 6:00 AM, after which normal traffic patterns should resume.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when passing through the work zone area.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department took action Monday to halt a nearly six-year-old legal case where Minnesota state officials accused major oil corporations and a petroleum industry group of misleading residents about climate change impacts.
Federal attorneys submitted court documents in Minneapolis federal court contending that greenhouse gas emission regulation falls under federal jurisdiction rather than state authority, and accused Minnesota of attempting to wrongfully extend its policy decisions nationwide.
“The Constitution does not tolerate such a conflict,” Justice Department attorneys argued in the filing. “Nor does it allow Minnesota to national its regulatory powers.”
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison initiated the state court case in June 2020, targeting ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute, and Flint Hills Resources (a Koch subsidiary) for alleged consumer fraud and misleading business practices. More than 15 additional states have pursued comparable legal actions, including Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
Ellison released a statement Monday dismissing the Justice Department’s intervention as without merit.
“The American people deserve a Department of Justice that fights for us, and it’s a tremendous shame that Trump’s DOJ would rather sell us out to Big Oil,” Ellison said.
The Associated Press attempted to reach media representatives from ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute Monday but received no immediate responses. When Ellison filed suit in 2020, ExxonMobil representatives called the case groundless. The American Petroleum Institute stated at that time that the energy sector delivers dependable power to American consumers while significantly reducing environmental impact.
Trump has advocated for expanding domestic energy output. In February, the administration eliminated a scientific determination that has long served as the foundation for U.S. greenhouse gas regulation and climate action efforts, representing the Republican president’s most forceful attempt to dismantle climate policies. The Environmental Protection Agency rule eliminated a 2009 government finding called the endangerment determination that concluded carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose threats to public health and safety.
The Justice Department’s court filing represents another source of tension between the Trump administration and Minnesota leadership. Relations have been strained since January, when federal immigration agents fatally shot two Minneapolis residents in separate incidents during an enforcement operation in the city. Federal authorities conducted multiple searches in April related to an investigation of publicly funded children’s programs, further intensifying conflicts.
Motorists traveling on US Route 113 should expect delays tonight as construction crews have shut down left lanes in both directions along a key stretch of the highway.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that left lanes are blocked on Route 113 between Avenue of Honor and Delaware Avenue as work continues on the roadway.
The lane closures affect traffic moving in both the northbound and southbound directions, with the restrictions scheduled to lift at midnight tonight.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when passing through the construction zone.
Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp delivered disappointing financial results on Tuesday, falling short of analyst projections while pointing to Middle East tensions as a factor affecting customer finances through elevated energy costs.
The country’s second-biggest home loan provider posted first-half net earnings of A$3.41 billion ($2.44 billion), which came in below the A$3.47 billion consensus forecast from Visible Alpha. The weaker performance stemmed from increased credit loss provisions and reduced Treasury earnings.
Credit impairment expenses climbed to A$443 million from A$250 million in the previous year, as the bank adopted a more conservative economic perspective, implemented additional portfolio protections, and saw a rise in problem loans.
Bank CEO Anthony Miller indicated the institution maintains strong positioning to handle Middle East conflict effects, though while customer stress has decreased, the bank chose a “prudent approach” in boosting its reserves.
“The war in the Middle East is presenting challenges for some customers and the economic impact of the conflict will continue through the year,” the bank stated.
“The disruption to energy supply chains has driven a rise in prices and we’re seeing this flow through to businesses and households.”
Nevertheless, the bank’s broader credit health stayed steady, with troubled loans dropping to 1.16% of total exposure, down 20 basis points year-over-year, while home loan payments delayed beyond 90 days decreased 19 basis points to 0.64%.
Australian residential lending, not including Westpac’s RAMS division, expanded 7% in the first six months, while commercial lending surged 16%, boosted by property, infrastructure and industrial activity.
The bank’s net interest margin, a crucial profitability indicator, declined three basis points to 1.89% from 1.92% the prior year, pressured by competitive lending markets, higher credit provisions and reduced Treasury revenue.
Westpac’s common equity tier 1 ratio, which measures financial cushion, reached 12.42% at period-end versus 12.24% twelve months earlier.
The financial institution announced an interim dividend payment of 77 Australian cents per share, up from 76 Australian cents in the comparable period.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reached an agreement with federal securities regulators to pay a $1.5 million penalty, bringing to a close allegations that he delayed reporting his initial Twitter stock acquisitions in 2022.
The resolution was announced Monday in Washington D.C. federal court, with a trust established in Musk’s name responsible for paying the civil penalty. Under the terms, Musk does not acknowledge any wrongdoing and will retain the estimated $150 million he allegedly gained from the delayed disclosure.
The agreement must receive approval from U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, who previously denied Musk’s attempt to have the case thrown out in February.
This settlement marks the end of a contentious seven-year period of legal confrontations between Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which began in September 2018 when regulators accused him of securities fraud for posting on social media that he had “secured” financing to take Tesla private.
That earlier dispute resulted in Musk paying a $20 million penalty, agreeing to have Tesla attorneys review certain social media posts beforehand, and stepping down from his position as Tesla’s chairman.
“Mr. Musk has now been cleared of all issues related to the late filing of forms in the Twitter acquisition, as we said from the outset he would be,” stated his attorney Alex Spiro.
The SEC chose not to provide comment on the settlement.
According to the agency’s January 2025 legal filing, Musk’s 11-day postponement in announcing his initial 5% ownership in Twitter during late March and early April 2022 allowed him to purchase more than $500 million worth of additional shares at below-market prices before ultimately revealing a 9.2% stake.
Federal regulators had sought both a financial penalty and repayment of the $150 million they claimed he improperly gained at other investors’ expense.
Musk maintained the delay was unintentional and claimed the SEC was infringing on his constitutional rights to free expression by pursuing the case.
The lawsuit was filed just six days before former President Joe Biden’s term ended and Donald Trump took office. Current SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has been shifting the agency’s enforcement approach.
“It’s an embarrassing day for the SEC,” commented Amanda Fischer, who previously served as chief of staff to Gary Gensler during his tenure as SEC chairman under the Biden administration. She suggested the settlement “should cause the public to question whether the SEC is protecting White House insiders at the expense of ordinary investors.”
Musk previously headed the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, focusing on reducing federal spending, before departing the role last May.
Robert Frenchman, an attorney with the Dynamis law firm in New York, characterized the $1.5 million fine as a “modest sum for the richest person on the planet” but noted it could discourage similar violations by other executives.
“That is a statement to the market that the rules apply to everyone, even to Elon Musk,” he explained.
Musk finalized his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022. He subsequently merged Twitter into his artificial intelligence venture xAI, which was then incorporated into his space exploration company SpaceX. Forbes currently estimates Musk’s net worth at $789.9 billion.
Both parties announced settlement discussions on March 17, just one day after SEC enforcement director Margaret Ryan unexpectedly resigned after serving slightly more than six months in the position.
Ryan’s resignation reportedly followed internal disagreements with other agency officials regarding enforcement strategies, according to sources familiar with the situation.
A representative for Ryan did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
According to someone knowledgeable about the settlement terms, Musk’s penalty represents the highest amount ever imposed by the SEC for this category of violation.
This matter is distinct from another civil lawsuit where a San Francisco jury determined on March 20 that Musk had misled Twitter shareholders following his buyout announcement.
In that class action suit, investors alleged that Musk deliberately raised concerns about Twitter being flooded with fake accounts and automated bots as a strategy to force renegotiation of the purchase price or abandon the deal entirely.
The shareholders contended that Musk’s public statements drove down Twitter’s stock value, causing them financial harm when they sold shares at reduced prices. They estimate potential damages could reach $2.5 billion.
Musk’s legal team, including Spiro, is seeking dismissal of that case or requesting a new trial, arguing the verdict was “the result of bias and prejudice toward a polarizing defendant.”
The leader of American Airlines’ pilot union has commended United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby for displaying the type of forward-thinking leadership that American desperately needs, following Kirby’s recent merger proposal between the two carriers.
Allied Pilots Association President Nick Silva sent a message to union members on Monday expressing that Kirby’s approach demonstrated “bold vision” and could prove “transformative” for travelers, local communities, and American Airlines flight crews.
Though Silva’s communication fell short of formally supporting a potential merger between United and American, he leveraged the discussion to voice ongoing concerns about American’s current management team. The airline’s leadership has faced mounting criticism from labor groups regarding the company’s disappointing financial results.
American Airlines has not yet provided a response to requests for comment regarding Silva’s statements.
United announced last month that it had abandoned efforts to pursue a combination with American after the competing airline refused to participate in discussions following United’s initial overture. American has maintained that joining forces with United would harm market competition and negatively impact consumers.
The image-sharing social media company Pinterest saw its stock price climb 15% in after-hours trading Monday after announcing revenue projections for the upcoming quarter that surpassed analyst expectations.
The platform’s positive outlook stems from continued advertiser investment and recent technological improvements, including enhanced artificial intelligence features in its Performance+ advertising platform that streamline ad creation and improve audience targeting precision.
These technological advances, combined with efforts to court smaller businesses, are helping offset reduced spending from major advertisers who have cut back due to increased expenses from trade disputes and global tensions.
“Large advertisers remain important for stability but are not the primary growth driver,” stated Lenny Zéphirin, principal and analyst at The Zéphirin Group.
While demand from smaller businesses shows improvement for Pinterest, Zéphirin noted it continues to fluctuate with trade policy changes and broader economic conditions.
The earnings announcement follows Elliott’s recent disclosure of a $1 billion investment in Pinterest, supporting the company’s advertising strategy and backing a new $3.5 billion stock buyback initiative.
Pinterest faces ongoing competition from well-funded rivals including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms, as major brands reduce platform spending amid rapid AI transformation in digital advertising and tariff-related cost pressures affecting profit margins.
Other social platforms are similarly investing in AI for growth acceleration. Reddit recently projected strong revenue increases powered by AI-enhanced advertising technology.
In February, Pinterest finalized its purchase of tvScientific, expanding advertiser reach from social media into connected television and accessing additional advertising budgets.
The company projects second-quarter revenue ranging from $1.13 billion to $1.15 billion, exceeding the $1.11 billion analyst consensus compiled by LSEG.
Pinterest reported 631 million global monthly active users at the end of the first quarter, representing growth from 570 million users during the same period last year.
First-quarter revenue increased 18% to $1.01 billion, surpassing analyst estimates of $966.25 million.
Motorists traveling through Dover should expect traffic delays on West North Street as lane restrictions continue through the early morning hours.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that the roadway between Saulsbury Road and Banning Street is experiencing periodic lane closures that will remain in place until 6:00 AM.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes when possible or allow extra travel time when navigating through the affected area. The intermittent nature of the closures means lanes may open and close throughout the restriction period.
A sports journalism podcast has been awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting following its investigation into alleged financial misconduct by the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.
Pablo Torre’s “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast received the prestigious honor Monday for its examination of the NBA team’s financial dealings with star player Kawhi Leonard. The investigation has sparked an ongoing league inquiry into potential salary cap violations.
“We are honored to have been named the winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting!” the podcast announced on its official social media account.
The award-winning investigation, published last September, focused on Leonard’s $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a California sustainability company that has since filed for bankruptcy. Torre’s reporting suggested the deal may have violated NBA financial regulations.
Pulitzer Prize judges praised the work as a “pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism.”
Both Leonard and the Clippers organization have rejected allegations of wrongdoing. Leonard has stated he never received the full payment amount from the company, while the team has expressed confidence in the league’s investigation process, which involves an independent firm.
The financial connections run deeper than the endorsement deal. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration, and the organizations announced a $300 million business partnership in September 2021. This partnership was established roughly one month after Leonard agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $176 million with the team.
The Clippers terminated their business relationship with Aspiration after two years, citing contract violations. Meanwhile, Aspiration’s co-founder Joseph Sanberg entered a guilty plea in August on federal wire fraud charges. Federal prosecutors accused him of stealing $248 million from investors and lenders, stating that “Aspiration’s financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received.”
Torre’s show, which produces three episodes weekly, has tackled numerous high-profile investigations since launching in 2023. Past reporting has examined Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to Harvard University, Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition technology usage, and alleged coordination among NFL teams.
The 40-year-old journalist’s podcast operates under Meadowlark Media and holds licensing through The Athletic, a subsidiary of The New York Times Company. Torre previously worked at Sports Illustrated and ESPN.
Drivers traveling on northbound U.S. Route 13 should expect delays as construction work continues to impact traffic flow in the area.
The Delaware Department of Transportation has implemented a right lane closure on the northbound side of the highway, affecting the stretch between Hamburg Road and Federal School Lane.
The lane restriction will remain active until 6 a.m., after which normal traffic patterns are expected to resume.
Motorists are advised to plan for additional travel time and exercise caution when navigating through the construction zone.
Delaware Department of Transportation crews are conducting construction work that has resulted in lane restrictions on Route 72, affecting traffic flow between Brookhill Drive and Bellevue Road.
The construction activity has forced officials to close the right travel lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions along this corridor.
According to DelDOT, the lane closures will remain active until 6:00 AM, when normal traffic patterns are expected to resume.
Drivers traveling through this area should anticipate possible delays and consider using alternate routes if available. Motorists are advised to exercise caution when approaching the work zone and to follow posted signs and flagging personnel directions.
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons have rewarded head coach J.B. Bickerstaff with a new contract following the franchise’s breakthrough playoff performance this season.
The organization announced the extension Monday but did not disclose financial terms or the length of the new agreement.
Since taking control of the team at the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign, replacing Monty Williams, Bickerstaff has compiled a 104-60 record during regular season play while guiding Detroit to two postseason berths.
After falling in the opening round last year, the Pistons dominated this season with a conference-leading 60-22 mark. They capped off their remarkable turnaround Sunday with a 116-94 victory over Orlando, securing their first playoff series triumph since 2008.
When Bickerstaff inherited the franchise in autumn 2024, the Pistons were coming off back-to-back seasons as the league’s worst team, including a dismal 14-68 campaign in 2023-24.
The transformation has been dramatic for a Detroit squad that had endured consecutive years at the bottom of the NBA standings before Bickerstaff’s arrival.
The Pistons will face an intriguing matchup Tuesday evening when they host Cleveland in their second-round opener. Bickerstaff previously led the Cavaliers from late in the 2019-2020 season until the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
OAKLAND, Calif. — During court proceedings on Monday, OpenAI president Greg Brockman revealed that his ownership interest in the artificial intelligence company has reached a value of approximately $30 billion.
Brockman, who serves as the chief deputy to CEO Sam Altman, made the revelation while providing testimony in a legal battle focused on how the company transformed from its 2015 origins as a nonprofit organization largely backed by Elon Musk into today’s profit-driven enterprise valued at $852 billion. The executive also stated he never put his own money into the company initially.
The massive valuation of Brockman’s holdings would place him among the world’s wealthiest individuals according to Forbes rankings, with riches similar to those of Melinda French Gates.
Musk’s legal challenge claims that Altman and Brockman betrayed him by abandoning the San Francisco-based company’s original purpose of serving as a responsible guardian of groundbreaking technology. The complaint argues they secretly pivoted toward profit generation without Musk’s knowledge.
Just before the trial commenced, OpenAI’s legal team attempted to introduce text messages Musk sent to Brockman two days prior to proceedings. Court documents indicate Musk initially reached out about potential settlement discussions.
However, when Brockman responded suggesting both parties should withdraw their legal claims, Musk reportedly replied with a threatening message: “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be.”
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the case, rejected the text message exchange as admissible evidence.
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — A criminal court in Mauritania’s capital has handed down four-year prison sentences to two female opposition legislators who criticized President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani on social media and made allegations of racial discrimination, according to their legal representatives who spoke with The Associated Press on Monday.
The charges against lawmakers Marieme Cheikh Dieng and Ghamou Achour included “attacking the symbols of the state” and “calling for gatherings with a view to undermine public security” following their social media activity last month that targeted the president.
Through multiple social media messages, the two legislators demanded Ghazouani’s ouster and claimed the country’s Arab-controlled judicial system discriminates against Black residents and people descended from enslaved populations, treating them as inferior citizens.
Three defense attorneys — Mohamed Ould Ahmed Miske, Yaghoub Ould Sèïf and Moctar Ould Ely — verified the court’s decision to the AP. Officials from the government have remained silent regarding the convictions.
This West African country has faced ongoing criticism from human rights organizations for violations and the enduring presence of slavery practices. Throughout history, Arab and Amazigh ruling classes held Black populations from the northwestern Sahara region in bondage.
While Mauritania became the final nation globally to ban slavery in 1981, advocacy organizations report the practice persists today. The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates approximately 149,000 individuals remain in contemporary slavery within this country of fewer than 5 million residents.
Following the court’s ruling, Biram Dah Abeid, who leads the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement coalition, denounced the proceedings during a press briefing. He described the trial as unfair and driven by political motives, praising the convicted women as “heroes” and “sincere fighters against injustice.”
Both legislators belong to this coalition organization, which lacks official party registration but formed an alliance with the legally recognized Sawab party to secure their electoral victories.
A deadly vehicle attack in Leipzig, Germany has claimed two lives and left three people with severe injuries after a driver intentionally struck pedestrians in a crowded shopping district on Monday, according to German officials.
The 33-year-old German suspect was apprehended at the scene and now faces murder and attempted murder charges, prosecutors announced. Additional victims suffered minor injuries in the attack, authorities confirmed.
This incident adds to a troubling pattern of vehicle-ramming attacks that have occurred globally in recent years. Last summer, 37 people were hurt when a driver steered onto a sidewalk and struck a crowd near a Los Angeles nightclub. In 2024, a similar attack at a sports facility in southern China resulted in 35 deaths.
Major vehicle-ramming incidents include:
LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2025 — A minimum of 37 individuals suffer injuries when a vehicle strikes a crowd gathered outside a Los Angeles nightclub. Law enforcement reports that witnesses then turned on the driver, who was shot and wounded. A 29-year-old suspect later faces numerous attempted murder charges for what prosecutors describe as an intentional assault on the crowd. Legal proceedings remain ongoing.
LONDON, May 26, 2025 — A 53-year-old British citizen drives his minivan through a group of Liverpool soccer supporters celebrating their team’s Premier League victory, transforming celebratory cheers into screams of panic and injuring over 45 individuals.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 26, 2025 — Multiple murder charges are filed against a suspect after an Audi SUV races down a blocked street lined with food trucks, striking festival attendees and causing 11 fatalities. Thirty-two additional people sustain injuries in the incident. The 30-year-old suspect reportedly had a documented history of mental health struggles, officials state.
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 1, 2025 — A minimum of 15 people lose their lives and dozens sustain injuries when a Texas resident drives into pedestrians in New Orleans’ busy French Quarter at 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Federal investigators name 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar as the perpetrator, who dies during an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement.
MAGDEBURG, Germany, Dec. 20, 2024 — No fewer than five people die and over 200 suffer injuries when a vehicle crashes into a Christmas market in eastern Germany. A 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor who supports Germany’s far-right AfD party is taken into custody.
ZHUHAI, China, Nov. 11, 2024 — A 62-year-old man drives into people working out at a sports facility in southern China, resulting in 35 deaths. Officials report the perpetrator was distressed over his divorce proceedings. He admits guilt to endangering public safety through dangerous methods and receives a death sentence.
WAUKESHA, Wisconsin, Nov. 21, 2021 — Six individuals die and dozens suffer injuries when a man drives his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee. Darrell Brooks Jr., who entered the crowd following an altercation with his former girlfriend, received a life sentence without possibility of parole.
LONDON, Ontario, June 6, 2021 — Four Muslim family members are killed when an attacker strikes them with a pickup truck. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau describes it as “a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred.” White nationalist Nathaniel Veltman receives a life prison sentence.
TORONTO, April 23, 2018 — Alek Minassian, 25, operates a rental van into predominantly female pedestrians on Yonge Street, Toronto’s primary thoroughfare, killing 10 and injuring 16. Minassian informs police of his membership in an online “incel” community of sexually frustrated men. He receives a life sentence.
NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2017 — Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan, operates a pickup truck onto a busy New York City bike path, causing eight deaths. He receives terrorism convictions and 10 life sentences plus 260 years imprisonment.
BARCELONA, Spain, Aug. 17, 2017 — A perpetrator drives a van into people on the Spanish city’s busy Las Ramblas boulevard, killing 14 and wounding others. The Islamic State group takes responsibility. Multiple members of the same extremist organization conduct a similar assault in the nearby resort town of Cambrils, resulting in one death.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 12, 2017 — During a “Unite the Right” demonstration, white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. operates his car into a group of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring dozens. Fields serves a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.
LONDON, June 19, 2017 — Darren Osborne, radicalized by far-right ideology, operates a van into worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, killing one man and injuring 15. Osborne receives a life prison sentence.
LONDON, June 3, 2017 — Three perpetrators drive a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before attacking people with knives in nearby Borough Market. Eight people die, and police shoot the attackers dead.
LONDON, March 22, 2017 — Khalid Masood drives an SUV into people on Westminster Bridge, killing four, then fatally attacks a police officer guarding the Houses of Parliament with a knife. Masood is shot dead.
MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 20, 2017 – Six people die and over 30 sustain injuries when a car strikes lunchtime crowds at a pedestrian mall. James Gargasoulas is determined to have been experiencing drug-induced psychosis and receives a life sentence.
BERLIN, Dec. 19, 2016 — Anis Amri, a rejected asylum-seeker from Tunisia, drives a stolen truck into a Christmas market in the German capital, killing 13 and injuring dozens. The perpetrator dies days later in a shootout in Italy.
NICE, France, July 14, 2016 — Tunisian-born French resident Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel operates a rented truck along a packed seaside promenade in the French Riviera resort on Bastille Day, killing 86 people in the most devastating attack of its type. Police kill him, but eight others receive prison sentences for assisting in orchestrating the attack.
STILLWATER, Oklahoma, Oct. 24, 2015 — A woman drives a car into a crowd at an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, killing four people, including a toddler, and injuring many others. Adacia Chambers, who entered a no contest plea to over 40 felony charges, serves four concurrent life sentences for the deaths.
APELDOORN, Netherlands, April 28, 2009 – Former security guard Karst Tates operates a car into parade spectators attempting to strike an open-topped bus carrying Dutch royal family members. Six people die, and Tates succumbs to injuries the following day, leaving his complete motivation unknown.
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, March 3, 2006 — University of North Carolina graduate Mohammed Taheri-Azar operates an SUV into a crowd at the university, slightly injuring nine people, in what he describes as retaliation for Muslim deaths overseas. He receives up to 33 years imprisonment.
SANTA MONICA, California, July 16, 2003 — An 86-year-old man crashes into a farmers’ market, killing 10 people and injuring dozens of others. He received probation after conviction on 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Doris Fisher, the retail pioneer who helped launch the Gap clothing empire more than five decades ago, has passed away at age 94.
Fisher passed away Saturday while surrounded by loved ones, according to a Gap company representative who made the announcement Monday. No details were provided regarding the cause of her passing.
The retail journey began in 1969 when Fisher and her husband Don launched their business following Don’s difficulty finding properly fitting jeans during a shopping trip, the company reports. Their first location opened as a modest storefront on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, selling exclusively men’s Levi’s denim and music records.
From those humble beginnings, the Fisher brand grew into a worldwide retail powerhouse that transformed casual American style, popularizing everything from khaki pants and denim to basic tees and coordinated knitwear collections.
Today’s Gap empire includes additional brands Banana Republic and Old Navy, with combined annual revenue exceeding $15 billion across international markets.
Well-known investor Michael Burry has completely divested from his GameStop holdings after the company’s CEO Ryan Cohen announced an acquisition deal involving eBay, according to a Monday report from the Wall Street Journal.
The financial news outlet confirmed that Burry has liquidated his entire stake in the video game retailer following Cohen’s business transaction announcement.
Delaware State Police have launched a death investigation following the fatal injury of an elderly corrections inmate at a New Castle County psychiatric facility.
Authorities were called to Delaware Psychiatric Hospital on DuPont Highway in New Castle around 6:00 p.m. on April 19, 2026, following reports of an assault. According to investigators, 73-year-old Fred O’Neal III, who was serving a sentence, got into a fight with another inmate at the facility. O’Neal sustained life-threatening injuries during the incident and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he subsequently passed away.
O’Neal’s body has been transferred to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy to establish how he died and what caused his death.
Detectives with the Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Anyone who has been affected by crime or sudden loss can reach out to the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center for support. Help is available around the clock by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461) or sending an email to [email protected].
The hospitality sector is experiencing unexpected challenges as the World Cup draws near, with reservation numbers falling significantly short of industry expectations.
According to a survey conducted by an industry trade organization, almost 80 percent of participating hotels indicate their current booking levels are trailing behind anticipated figures. This development raises concerns given that only a few weeks remain until the tournament begins.
The shortfall in reservations presents a troubling scenario for the hotel industry, which typically sees substantial increases in occupancy during major international sporting events. Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri stands ready as one of the venues that will welcome World Cup matches this summer.
The gap between projected and actual bookings suggests that either travel patterns have shifted or demand forecasts may have been overly optimistic for this year’s tournament.
International health authorities announced Monday that a deadly hantavirus outbreak has struck passengers aboard a luxury cruise vessel stationed off the West African coastline, with the majority of travelers hailing from Britain, the United States, and Spain.
According to the World Health Organization’s latest update, the situation has escalated to include multiple casualties and critical cases. “As of 4 May 2026, seven cases (two laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases) have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms,” WHO officials stated.
The health emergency unfolded on what was supposed to be a luxury vacation for the international passengers, turning the cruise into a medical crisis that has prompted immediate response from global health authorities.
LOS ANGELES — Board members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are preparing to examine a preliminary contract agreement reached with major studios and streaming platforms this week.
The tentative agreement, revealed on Saturday, requires approval from SAG-AFTRA’s board followed by ratification through a membership vote. Should both steps proceed as anticipated, Hollywood will sidestep a recurrence of last year’s devastating strikes by actors and writers that severely disrupted the entertainment business. This round of contract talks proceeded smoothly without significant conflict, making work stoppages unlikely from the start.
Both SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a combined announcement regarding the preliminary agreement. The Alliance serves as the bargaining representative for Hollywood’s leading studios, streaming companies, and production firms.
According to their joint announcement, contract specifics will remain confidential until union board members complete their evaluation.
A source with knowledge of the discussions revealed to The Associated Press that negotiators agreed to a four-year contract term rather than the traditional three-year standard. The individual requested anonymity as they lacked authorization to discuss the matter publicly.
Key union objectives during negotiations centered on strengthening safeguards against artificial intelligence technology that could generate digital performers or replicate actual actors’ appearances. The performers also sought enhanced long-term compensation for program reruns, commonly called residuals within the industry.
During a pre-negotiation interview with the AP, SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin emphasized the union’s commitment to maintaining previous strike victories.
“There is no going back,” he said.
Astin noted that studio executives were “sending signals of wanting stability, of wanting to work as partners.”
Studio representatives similarly expressed measured confidence about achieving an equitable agreement.
Approximately six weeks of discussions led to the final deal. Talks commenced on February 9 but paused temporarily while studios focused on writer negotiations, which also resulted in a four-year contract extension beyond their typical three-year terms.
The existing SAG-AFTRA agreement expires on June 30. Contract discussions frequently approach or exceed deadlines, even during years without labor disputes.
With actor negotiations concluded, AMPTP representatives can now turn their attention to upcoming Directors Guild contract talks. These discussions, scheduled to begin May 11, will mark the first negotiations under new guild president Christopher Nolan.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Communities throughout Israel came together to observe Lag BaOmer, a joyous occasion in Jewish tradition that unites people in celebration and cultural customs. The holiday occurs on the 33rd day during a seven-week span connecting Passover to Shavuot, offering a celebratory break within what is typically a time of mourning.
Throughout Israel, the most recognizable feature of this holiday involves bonfires that illuminate the darkness as families and friends come together in outdoor gatherings to enjoy music, share meals, and celebrate community bonds.
The celebration was captured in a collection of photographs assembled by Associated Press photo editors.
EDMONTON, Alberta — A separatist movement in Canada’s Alberta province announced Monday that it has delivered nearly 302,000 petition signatures calling for a referendum on independence from Canada, significantly surpassing the threshold needed to force provincial consideration of such a vote.
Stay Free Alberta, the organization behind the effort, required 178,000 verified signatures to compel the province to move forward with referendum proceedings.
Provincial Premier Danielle Smith has previously stated that a verified petition would result in a referendum being held, though she has expressed personal opposition to the oil-rich province’s departure from Canada.
Mitch Sylvestre, who leads Stay Free Alberta, delivered the petition signatures to the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton Monday, arriving with a convoy of seven trucks carrying the documentation.
“We’re happy with the number,” Sylvestre stated. He noted that signature verification procedures involved multiple reviews of most petition documents.
The delivery drew more than 300 supporters who gathered outside the elections office, displaying Alberta’s provincial flag and shouting “Alberta strong.”
The independence effort may encounter legal obstacles this week, as an Edmonton judge is anticipated to decide on a lawsuit filed by several Alberta First Nations groups. These Indigenous communities argue that provincial separation would breach existing treaty agreements.
Smith has criticized past federal Liberal administrations for enacting policies that she claims have restricted Alberta’s oil production and export capabilities, resulting in billions in lost revenue for the province. She has also expressed opposition to federal interference in provincial matters.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s federal administration has not yet issued a response to Monday’s petition submission.
Political battles over congressional district boundaries have intensified across the country as November’s midterm elections approach, following a Supreme Court decision that reduced federal voting rights protections and allowed states more freedom to alter districts previously designed to protect racial minority representation.
While congressional districts are normally redrawn once per decade using new census information, an unprecedented wave of mid-decade map changes has emerged. This trend began when former President Donald Trump encouraged Texas GOP leaders last year to redraw House districts to benefit Republican candidates in the midterms. California Democrats responded with their own strategic redistricting efforts, prompting additional states to follow suit.
Already, eight states have enacted new House district maps, with several others weighing similar changes. Republican strategists estimate they could capture as many as 13 additional House seats through new boundaries in Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democratic leaders believe they might secure up to 10 extra seats from redrawn districts in California, Utah and Virginia.
However, these projections rely on previous election results continuing into November. Traditionally, the sitting president’s political party loses congressional seats during midterm contests. Democrats require only a small number of seat gains in November to take House control away from Republicans, which would strengthen their ability to challenge Trump’s agenda.
At least three state legislatures are currently meeting to evaluate proposals for new House district boundaries.
Louisiana’s current delegation includes two Democrats and four Republicans. Republican Governor Jeff Landry delayed the May 16 congressional primary to give state lawmakers time to modify House districts following an April 29 Supreme Court decision that eliminated a majority-Black congressional district. Multiple legal challenges have been filed in both federal and state courts, arguing that Landry overstepped his authority by suspending the primary elections.
Alabama currently sends two Democrats and five Republicans to the House. Republican state leaders want to return to a House map approved in 2023 but never implemented, which could help the GOP capture another seat. The existing map was court-ordered and intended for use through the 2030 census. State officials have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn that directive based on the Louisiana redistricting ruling.
Tennessee’s delegation consists of one Democrat and eight Republicans. Republican Governor Bill Lee has convened lawmakers for a special session to examine a new House map that would divide a Black-majority district in Memphis and boost Republican odds of gaining another seat. The candidate filing deadline has already passed for primaries scheduled for August 6.
Eight states have adopted new House districts since last summer. Six chose to redistrict voluntarily, one was mandated by state constitutional requirements, and another acted under court directive.
Texas currently has 13 Democrats and 25 Republicans in its House delegation. Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed revised House boundaries into law last August that could help Republicans secure five more seats. The Supreme Court cleared the new districts for use in this year’s elections in December and has since reversed a lower court ruling that blocked the map for being “racially gerrymandered.”
California’s delegation includes 43 Democrats and nine Republicans. Voters approved revised House districts in November that were drawn by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and could help Democrats win five additional seats. The Supreme Court permitted the new districts for this year’s elections in February, rejecting appeals from Republicans and the Justice Department who claimed the districts improperly favored Hispanic voters.
Missouri sends two Democrats and six Republicans to the House. Republican Governor Mike Kehoe signed revised House boundaries into law last September that could help Republicans gain one more seat. A Cole County judge ruled the new map is valid while election officials determine whether a referendum petition meets constitutional standards and contains sufficient valid signatures. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected claims that mid-decade redistricting violates state law and will hear arguments in May regarding allegations that new districts violate compactness rules and should be suspended pending the potential referendum.
North Carolina’s delegation has four Democrats and 10 Republicans. The Republican-controlled General Assembly gave final approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat. A federal court panel denied a request in November to prevent the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.
Ohio currently has five Democrats and 10 Republicans in its House delegation. A bipartisan panel with a Republican majority voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republican chances of winning two more seats. The state constitution mandated new districts before the 2026 election because Republicans had previously approved the prior map without adequate Democratic support following the last census.
Utah’s delegation includes no Democrats and four Republicans. A judge imposed revised House districts in November that could help Democrats win a seat after ruling that lawmakers had bypassed anti-gerrymandering standards approved by voters when creating the previous map. Both a federal court panel and the state Supreme Court rejected Republican challenges to the judicial map selection in February.
Virginia sends six Democrats and five Republicans to the House. Voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 authorizing new House districts supported by Democrats that could help the party win up to four additional seats. The state Supreme Court allowed the referendum to proceed but has not yet determined whether the effort is legal, considering an appeal of a Tazewell County judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid due to procedural violations by lawmakers.
Florida’s delegation consists of eight Democrats and 20 Republicans. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on May 4 that he had signed revised House districts that improve GOP chances of winning four more seats. A court challenge argues the new map violates a state constitutional provision that prohibits districts from being drawn to favor or disadvantage a political party.
College-bound students are submitting standardized test scores at significantly higher rates during this admissions cycle, even though many universities continue to offer test-optional policies.
Data shows that student submissions of SAT and ACT scores have increased by 10% when compared to last year’s application period. This trend suggests that despite having the choice to apply without test scores, many students believe including their standardized test results strengthens their college applications.
The increase comes as numerous higher education institutions across the country maintain policies that allow prospective students to apply for admission without submitting standardized test scores, a practice that became widespread during the pandemic.
NEW YORK — A comprehensive investigation by The Associated Press examining how governments worldwide use advanced surveillance technology has earned the news organization a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
The award recognized the work of AP reporters Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau, and Aniruddha Ghosal, plus independent journalist Yael Grauer, for what judges described as “an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance.” The series examined China’s expanding monitoring systems and revealed how U.S. Border Patrol secretly tracks American drivers through license plate data.
“This complex and difficult reporting, done by journalists across several continents, embodies the true spirit of the AP: leveraging our global footprint and deep expertise to tell important, impactful stories,” stated AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace. “It comes at a critical time when the immense and growing power of U.S. tech companies — and their increasingly complex relationship with governments — is in the spotlight and of immense public interest.”
The three-year investigation involved analyzing thousands of documents and conducting extensive interviews. Reporters discovered that American corporations helped establish the framework China now uses to monitor and control its population, with some companies actually promoting their technology’s surveillance features as marketing advantages.
“This was sweeping and deeply impactful reporting, the kind of work that highlights the unique strengths of AP’s global, multiformat newsroom,” Pace told staff members via email. She serves as one of the Pulitzer Board’s newest appointees.
The investigation also examined how multiple U.S. presidential administrations permitted technology companies and China to circumvent rules designed to prevent Chinese access to sensitive materials, including sophisticated computer processors.
Within the United States, reporters uncovered that Border Patrol agents were covertly operating an intelligence system using license plate data to monitor drivers’ movement patterns beyond just border crossings. When algorithms flagged certain travel behaviors as suspicious, drivers could face traffic stops and potential arrest.
AP noted the challenges journalists faced while pursuing this story, including harassment and behind-the-scenes pressure from sources attempting to prevent publication.
The multimedia project featured extensive photography and video components, with significant contributions from AP photographer David Goldman and visual journalists Marshall Ritzel and Serginho Roosblad.
Additional reporting came from Michael Biesecker and Sam Mednick, who examined how major U.S. technology companies discretely provided Israel with enhanced capabilities to identify and target suspected militants in Gaza and Lebanon through expanded artificial intelligence and computing resources.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A dual citizen of El Salvador and Mexico who sustained multiple gunshot wounds during an immigration enforcement operation entered a not guilty plea Monday to federal assault charges, according to prosecutors.
Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez faces a federal grand jury indictment handed down Friday charging him with two counts of using a deadly weapon to assault a federal officer and one count of destroying government property.
Defense attorney Patrick Kolasinski maintains that Mendoza became frightened and attempted to escape when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers surrounded his vehicle, stating his client had no intention of harming anyone. Kolasinski also challenges official assertions that Mendoza was a suspected gang member sought by El Salvador authorities for murder-related questioning.
According to his attorney, court records from El Salvador show Mendoza was cleared of murder charges there, and he has consistently denied any gang affiliation. Kolasinski stated that Mendoza arrived in the United States in 2019 with a clean criminal background.
Federal prosecutors announced Monday that Mendoza has opted for a jury trial, with a status hearing scheduled for July 27.
The defendant continues his recovery following multiple surgical procedures to treat various gunshot injuries, including damage to his jaw, according to his legal counsel.
The Department of Homeland Security maintains that ICE personnel discharged their weapons in self-defense after Mendoza attempted to strike them with his vehicle. According to DHS, officers were executing a targeted enforcement action against the 36-year-old on April 7 in Patterson, located approximately 75 miles southeast of San Francisco.
This incident represents one of several officer-involved shootings during heightened immigration enforcement efforts focused on detaining and removing undocumented individuals. The case joins others where federal officials face scrutiny over circumstances, particularly instances where video footage has contradicted initial official statements.
Actress Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni have reached an agreement to resolve their contentious legal fight connected to their 2024 movie “It Ends With Us.”
The settlement was finalized Monday, preventing a scheduled trial concerning Lively’s allegations that Baldoni worked with publicists to deliberately damage her public image after she privately confronted him about sexual harassment during filming.
Both parties issued a joint statement saying: “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind. … It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
Baldoni, who both directed and acted alongside Lively in the film, had rejected allegations of harassment or coordinating any reputation attack. He maintained that Lively fabricated the behavioral complaints as part of a scheme to gain creative authority over the production.
The agreement allows both parties to sidestep a courtroom battle that would have exposed Hollywood’s darker aspects and potentially created additional damaging disclosures.
Recent court decisions had already eliminated some legal claims from both sides.
Judge Lewis J. Liman threw out Lively’s sexual harassment allegations in early April, determining she couldn’t pursue them under federal statutes because she worked as an independent contractor, not an employee, during the film’s production.
The same judge had earlier dismissed Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios’ lawsuit accusing Lively and her spouse, “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
“It Ends With Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s popular 2016 book, hit theaters in August 2024 and performed better than anticipated at the box office.
According to Lively’s legal filing, Baldoni made unwelcome remarks about her physical appearance during production, crossed physical boundaries while shooting intimate scenes, and insisted on nudity during a childbirth scene despite her objections.
Baldoni maintained his actions fell within standard creative filmmaking practices.
When dismissing the harassment claims, the judge recognized the complicated nature of the situation, observing that creative professionals “must have some amount of space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment.”
The planned trial would have centered on Lively’s assertion that Baldoni and the studio sought revenge for her harassment complaints by employing publicists to turn public opinion against her. Her legal team claimed this effort included recruiting a “digital army” to create false negative social media content about Lively and providing “manufactured content to unwitting reporters.”
The legal documents stated the goal was to “retaliate against Ms. Lively by battering her image, harming her businesses, and causing her family severe emotional harm.”
Baldoni’s attorneys argued that Lively was the one strategically damaging Baldoni’s public reputation, partially by using assistance from her celebrity connections.
Lively gained recognition in the 2005 movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the television series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, later appearing in films such as “The Town” and “The Shallows.”
Baldoni performed in the television comedy “Jane the Virgin,” helmed the 2019 movie “Five Feet Apart,” and authored “Man Enough,” a book questioning conventional masculine stereotypes.
A defendant charged with a deadly firebomb assault on supporters of Israeli hostages in Colorado is scheduled to enter a guilty plea this week, court filings reveal.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman could receive a life sentence without parole if a judge accepts his admission of guilt for the June 1 incident in Boulder’s downtown area, according to documents his legal team submitted Sunday in the corresponding federal case.
Initially, Soliman had entered a not guilty plea after being charged with hurling two incendiary devices at demonstrators gathered at a pedestrian shopping area. An elderly woman, 82, who sustained injuries during the assault subsequently passed away. Twelve additional people were wounded.
Federal officials identify Soliman as an Egyptian citizen residing unlawfully in the United States. According to investigators, he spent a year preparing the assault and was motivated by his goal “to kill all Zionist people.”
The defendant faces numerous state criminal charges, including homicide and multiple counts of attempted homicide.
In the federal case, Soliman maintains his innocence regarding hate crime allegations. His legal representatives indicate prosecutors are weighing whether to pursue capital punishment in that matter. Last August, Soliman’s defense team stated he was willing to admit guilt to federal charges in exchange for life imprisonment.
The Associated Press attempted to reach Soliman’s legal counsel in both proceedings. His federal public defenders wrote in Sunday’s filing that the assault “was profoundly inconsistent” with Soliman’s previous behavior and “came as a total shock to his family.”
Prior to the incident, Soliman resided with his family in a small Colorado Springs apartment. He had held various minimum-wage positions after arriving in America from Kuwait in 2022 with his spouse and five children, his lawyers stated. The marriage ended in divorce this past April, according to his attorneys.
Shannon Carbone from the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, handling the state prosecution, refused to discuss Soliman’s planned guilty plea, citing judicial restrictions on prosecutor statements.
“From the very first day, our office has been committed to fighting for justice in this case,” Carbone stated in an email, noting that County Attorney Michael Dougherty will speak about the matter after Thursday’s court appearance.
According to investigators, Soliman admitted his intention was to kill approximately 20 people participating in the regular demonstration at Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian area. However, he deployed only two of the more than 24 incendiary devices he carried while shouting, “Free Palestine!” Authorities said he explained that fear stopped him because he had never previously harmed anyone.
Federal prosecutors claim the victims were chosen due to their perceived or real ties to Israel. However, Soliman’s federal defense attorneys argue hate crime charges are inappropriate because evidence demonstrates his actions were driven by anti-Zionist beliefs rather than religious hatred.
Under federal statute, attacks motivated by political opposition do not qualify as hate crimes.
State prosecutors have documented 29 victims from the incident. Thirteen suffered physical harm, while others present are classified as victims due to potential danger. A canine was also hurt in the attack, leading to animal cruelty charges against Soliman.
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities shot someone Monday afternoon in the area surrounding the Washington Monument, according to Secret Service officials.
Details about the individual’s medical status and what led to the shooting near the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue remained unclear in the immediate aftermath.
Secret Service officials urged the public to stay away from the location while emergency responders handled the situation, which occurred close to the White House during President Donald Trump’s small business gathering.
Authorities temporarily secured the White House while investigating what happened. Secret Service agents moved reporters who were positioned outside into the briefing room, while Trump’s scheduled event proceeded without disruption.
According to Vito Maggiolo, a spokesperson for the D.C. Fire and EMS Department, emergency medical teams took an adult male to a local hospital and provided care to what appeared to be a teenage male who sustained minor injuries. Maggiolo directed additional inquiries to police officials.
The shooting brought numerous law enforcement officers to the scene, occurring just over one week following an attempted breach at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by an armed individual carrying guns and knives. Authorities have filed charges against Cole Tomas Allen in connection with that incident, which resulted in injuries to a Secret Service officer.
Crude oil costs soared beyond the $100 per barrel threshold Monday as Iran maintains its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, even as the United States works to restore normal shipping operations. The energy crisis sent Treasury bond yields climbing while pulling stock markets into negative territory.
Market analyst Jamie McGeever warns that consumers, businesses and investors should prepare for inflation to hit 4%. With price increases already running above the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal for an extended period, the current energy crisis will likely push inflation even higher in coming months.
Monday’s market activity showed significant regional variations. Asian markets outside Japan posted their strongest performance in a month with a 2.8% gain, led by South Korea’s KOSPI index which surged 5% to record highs. European markets moved in the opposite direction, falling 1% in their worst session in a month. U.S. markets also declined, with the Dow Jones dropping 1%.
Within the S&P 500, energy was the sole sector posting gains with a 0.9% increase, while all other ten sectors fell. Materials led the decline at -1.6%, followed by industrials at -1.2%. Individual stock movements included GameStop falling 8.5%, eBay rising 5%, UPS dropping 10%, FedEx declining 9%, Micron Technology gaining 6%, and Oracle up 5%.
Currency markets saw the Japanese yen weaken back to 157 against the dollar, with the U.S.-Iran conflict supporting dollar strength. India’s rupee hit a new low, while Bitcoin temporarily reclaimed the $80,000 level for the first time since late January.
Bond markets experienced significant moves as U.S. yields jumped approximately 6 basis points across all maturities. Two-year and ten-year yields reached their highest levels since late March, while the 30-year yield climbed above 5% for the first time since July.
Commodity markets reflected the geopolitical tensions, with Brent crude spiking 5% and West Texas Intermediate up 3%. Gold moved lower by 2%.
Artificial intelligence spending forecasts continue reaching new heights, according to major Wall Street firms. Morgan Stanley analysts now project the five largest U.S. technology companies will spend over $800 billion on AI infrastructure this year, rising to $1.1 trillion next year. Goldman Sachs expects total AI infrastructure investment to reach $7.6 trillion by 2031.
Corporate earnings expectations are also climbing dramatically. First quarter earnings are projected to grow 27.8% compared to the same period last year, according to LSEG Data & Analytics. The full-year 2026 growth forecast stands at 22.6%. These projections have nearly doubled from 14.4% on April 1, representing the highest growth expectations since late 2021.
In merger and acquisition news, GameStop has proposed a surprising $56 billion cash and stock offer for eBay. The former meme stock favorite, which gained fame during trading frenzies five years ago, is attempting to acquire the online retailer that is nearly four times its size, raising questions about financing and whether eBay might attract other suitors.
Looking ahead, markets will focus on Middle East developments, energy price movements, Australia’s interest rate decision, and economic data from Indonesia and Hong Kong. Key U.S. data releases include job openings, trade figures, and service sector activity. Federal Reserve officials and European Central Bank leaders are scheduled to speak, while major companies including AMD, Pfizer, and KKR report earnings.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reached an agreement with federal regulators to pay $1.5 million in penalties over allegations he delayed reporting his early Twitter stock purchases in 2022.
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed the civil case in January, claiming Musk violated disclosure rules by waiting 11 days beyond the legal deadline to report his initial 5% stake in the social media company, now called X. According to the lawsuit, this delay occurred in late March and early April 2022.
Federal regulators alleged the billionaire’s failure to promptly announce his investment allowed him to purchase more than $500 million worth of additional Twitter shares at lower prices before the market knew of his involvement.
Under the settlement terms announced Monday in Washington D.C. federal court, a trust associated with Musk will pay the penalty without acknowledging any wrongdoing. The agreement does not require him to return the estimated $150 million he allegedly saved through the delayed disclosure.
Musk previously defended himself by claiming the delay was unintentional and argued that the SEC was infringing on his constitutional right to free speech by pursuing the case.
The billionaire entrepreneur ultimately acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022.
According to sources familiar with the agreement, Musk’s penalty represents the highest fine ever imposed by the SEC for this particular type of violation.
Legal experts suggested that proving the SEC’s demand for the $150 million in alleged savings would have been challenging in court proceedings.
This settlement marks the latest chapter in Musk’s ongoing disputes with securities regulators, which began in September 2018 when he was charged with fraud for tweeting that he had “secured” financing to take Tesla private.
That earlier case resulted in a $20 million fine, requirements for Tesla attorneys to review certain social media posts, and Musk stepping down as Tesla’s board chairman.
The resolution came three months after U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan denied Musk’s attempt to have the case dismissed. Court records show both parties began settlement discussions on March 17.
The SEC initiated this lawsuit just six days before former President Joe Biden’s term ended and Donald Trump returned to office. The agency’s current leadership under Chairman Paul Atkins has been adjusting enforcement strategies and priorities.
Milwaukee has welcomed back two key offensive players as outfielder Jackson Chourio and first baseman Andrew Vaughn return from the 10-day injured list on Monday, just in time for their series against St. Louis.
To make room on the roster, the team sent outfielder Blake Perkins down to Triple-A Nashville while utility player Greg Jones was designated for assignment.
The 22-year-old Chourio is set to make his first appearance of the season after dealing with a hairline fracture in his left hand sustained during March’s World Baseball Classic.
During his rehabilitation stint in Nashville, Chourio appeared in three games, recording one hit in six at-bats while drawing three walks. Though he exited his final rehab game after fouling a pitch off his left ankle, X-rays showed no damage and won’t postpone his major league return.
The young outfielder has shown remarkable consistency in his brief MLB career, posting nearly identical numbers across his first two seasons: 21 home runs, 79 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a .275 batting average in his 2024 rookie campaign, followed by 21 homers, 78 RBIs, 21 steals and a .270 average in 2025.
Vaughn provided a significant boost to Milwaukee’s lineup last season following his early-season acquisition from Chicago, but Opening Day brought misfortune when he fractured a hamate bone in his left hand, sidelining him since then.
The 28-year-old first baseman completed three rehabilitation games in Nashville, collecting two hits in 11 at-bats including one double. Throughout his major league career spanning 675 games since 2021, Vaughn maintains a .253 batting average with 86 home runs and 340 RBIs.
The players being moved out struggled offensively this season, with Perkins managing just a .109 average and five RBIs across 19 games. Jones performed even worse, hitting .095 with one RBI in 11 appearances. The utility player has now played for three different organizations in as many years, having brief tenures with Colorado in 2024 and Chicago in 2025 before joining Milwaukee.
Data analytics firm Palantir Technologies announced Monday it has increased its yearly revenue projections after surpassing quarterly financial expectations, reflecting heightened interest in its software solutions from both federal agencies and private sector clients.
The increased adoption of artificial intelligence technology in military operations has created greater demand for software systems like those created by Palantir, which assist defense organizations in processing information and making rapid tactical decisions.
The company has adjusted its fiscal 2026 revenue expectations upward to a range of $7.65 billion to $7.66 billion, a significant increase from previous projections of $7.18 billion to $7.20 billion.
Additionally, Palantir has boosted its yearly projections for domestic commercial revenue to exceed $3.22 billion, up from earlier estimates of $3.14 billion.
The company operates two main divisions: its government segment provides data analysis and artificial intelligence software to military and intelligence organizations, while its commercial arm offers enterprise AI solutions that help businesses integrate information and streamline operational processes.
“The United States remains the center, the constant core, of our business. And that business is erupting,” Chief Executive Alex Karp stated in a shareholder communication released Monday.
First-quarter revenue totaled $1.63 billion for the period ending March 31, surpassing the $1.54 billion average projection compiled by LSEG analysts.
The firm reported that income from domestic commercial clients surged 133% to $595 million, while government customer revenue climbed 84% to $687 million.
Adjusted earnings per share reached 33 cents during the first quarter, exceeding analyst predictions of 28 cents. Company stock prices rose nearly 1% during after-hours trading.
Reuters previously reported in March that Palantir’s Maven AI platform will receive official Pentagon program status, securing long-term deployment of the company’s targeting technology throughout U.S. military branches.
The company also recently obtained a $300 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture last month.
Management projects second-quarter revenue between $1.797 billion and $1.801 billion, exceeding analyst estimates of $1.68 billion.
Lattice Semiconductor Corporation announced Monday its intention to purchase AMI, a company specializing in artificial intelligence cloud services and platform management, in a transaction valued at $1.65 billion.
The acquisition marks a major move by the semiconductor company to expand its presence in the artificial intelligence software sector. The deal was disclosed as part of the company’s strategic growth initiatives.
Motorists traveling on Interstate 95 should expect delays this morning as construction crews continue work that requires intermittent lane closures in both the northbound and southbound directions.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that lanes are being temporarily closed between the toll plaza and Exit 1 as part of ongoing construction activities. Traffic restrictions affect vehicles heading in both directions along this stretch of the major highway.
The construction-related lane closures are expected to remain in effect until 7 a.m. today. Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when navigating through the work zone area.
Motorists traveling on Route 1 should plan for potential delays today as construction work continues near the Garfield Parkway intersection.
Delaware Department of Transportation officials report that both northbound and southbound lanes of Coastal Highway are experiencing alternating lane restrictions due to ongoing construction activities. The lane closures are scheduled to remain in effect until 3:30 PM today.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when passing through the work zone. Consider alternate routes if possible to avoid potential traffic backups in the area.
Drivers traveling northbound on State Street should expect delays this afternoon due to construction activity at the DuPont Highway intersection.
DelDOT reports that the right turn lane is currently blocked off as crews work in the area. The lane closure is scheduled to last until 2:30 PM today.
Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes if possible to avoid potential traffic backups in the construction zone.
Motorists traveling on northbound Route 13 should expect delays today as construction crews have closed one lane between Garrisons Lake Bridge and West Fairways Circle.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports the lane restriction will remain active until 4:30 PM this afternoon. Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when passing through the work zone.
Traffic may experience slowdowns during peak travel hours as vehicles merge into the remaining open lane. Motorists should consider alternate routes if possible to avoid potential congestion in the area.
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Former Attorney General Eric Holder recently spoke with NPR about concerns that a new Supreme Court decision could significantly reduce African American representation in Congress.
Holder, who currently leads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, expressed alarm about a recent high court ruling that changes how longstanding voting rights protections are interpreted under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
According to data from Holder’s organization, between 12 and 19 congressional seats in Southern states that currently serve as majority-minority opportunity districts could be threatened by this judicial interpretation.
The Supreme Court’s decision represents a shift in how courts will evaluate voting rights cases, potentially making it more difficult to maintain districts where minority voters have historically been able to elect their preferred candidates.
Holder’s comments highlight growing concerns among civil rights advocates about the future of minority political representation as redistricting battles continue across the nation.
Motorists traveling on northbound Route 13 in Sussex County should expect delays due to construction work affecting traffic flow in the area.
DelDOT reports that the left lane on Sussex Highway northbound is currently closed between Waller Road and Airport Road (Route 488) as crews perform construction activities.
The lane restriction is expected to remain in place until 8 PM today, according to state transportation officials.
Drivers are advised to use caution when approaching the work zone and allow extra travel time for their commute through this section of the highway.
SHENDI, Sudan — Sudan’s military forces successfully intercepted an unmanned aircraft targeting Khartoum’s primary airport on Monday, preventing any damage or injuries, according to airport authorities. The incident represents another escalation in Sudan’s devastating civil conflict, which has now entered its fourth year and brought the nation to a breaking point.
The attempted strike occurred just three days after the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group conducted a fatal drone assault that killed at least five civilians when it struck a passenger vehicle near Khartoum on Saturday.
According to airport authorities, Sudan’s air defense systems brought down the incoming drone as it approached from the southern direction on Monday, resulting in no harm or infrastructure damage. Military leadership verified that their forces had successfully neutralized the threat.
A military source informed The Associated Press that the unmanned aircraft originated from a bordering nation, though no additional specifics were provided. All sources requested anonymity as they lacked authorization to speak with journalists.
Operations at Khartoum International Airport experienced a temporary halt following the incident, though officials announced flights would recommence after standard security inspections. The airport’s progressive return to service last year represented a significant milestone in attempts to restore normalcy to Khartoum, which served as the primary battleground when hostilities erupted between government forces and the RSF in April 2023.
This past February marked only the second occasion a commercial aircraft had touched down at the facility since the conflict began.
While Khartoum has experienced relatively few RSF assaults since military forces regained control last year, the capital has witnessed intermittent attacks in recent weeks.
The ongoing warfare has claimed a minimum of 59,000 lives, according to data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, an independent monitoring organization. However, humanitarian organizations warn the actual death count may be significantly higher due to restricted access across Sudan’s expansive territory.
The United Nations reports that 12 million people have been forced from their homes due to the conflict, while portions of Sudan now face famine conditions.
HAVANA (AP) — Cuban authorities have introduced the capital city’s initial pair of modular housing units constructed from converted shipping containers, marking a significant development in a metropolis where formerly grand buildings are falling apart.
This weekend, government leaders including President Miguel Díaz-Canel assembled to present the residences to two single mothers: one woman had resided in a shelter for over a decade, while the other was living in just one room with her two teenage children, state media reported.
According to media accounts, construction teams completed the dwellings within a month using leftover materials from tourism development projects, technology created by Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, and containers that had previously transported solar panel components from China.
On Saturday, authorities announced that Cuba faces a shortage of more than 800,000 housing units, with Havana experiencing the most urgent crisis.
Twenty-nine-year-old beautician Yurieska Artunet Martí, who resides in Havana’s historic district, was compelled to relocate from her previous apartment when it deteriorated completely. She continues to occupy the same building and floor, but now lives in the rear section that remains upright — at least temporarily.
“Everybody here in Havana lives in fear,” she said as she looked up at her rotting ceiling and disintegrating walls. They shelter Artunet Martí, who is four-months pregnant, and her three children, ages 7 months, 1 and 5.
Wall plaster drops onto their sleeping area during the night, she explained.
Artunet Martí lacks the financial means to relocate. Two months prior, she was compelled to shut down the beauty salon she operated from her residence, where customers had to navigate deteriorating stairs, avoid broken wood, and step around a large opening where an elevator previously functioned.
“People stopped coming because of the building’s condition,” she said.
The celebrated residences in Old Havana, featuring architectural styles from Spanish Colonial to Cuban Baroque, are notorious for collapsing, particularly following heavy rainfall, occasionally resulting in fatalities among residents.
Statistics from the government in 2020 revealed that the island nation of approximately 10 million inhabitants possessed 3.9 million residences, with almost 40% rated as fair or poor quality. Insufficient upkeep, severe economic difficulties, and harsh weather conditions are responsible.
The upper levels of Artunet Martí’s building remain vacant; all residents were relocated to shelters for their protection.
“What are we going to do?” she said. “We know we’re in danger, but we have to accept reality.”
In a different section of historic Havana, 60-year-old Carlos Sablón described how part of his building’s third level caved in during nighttime hours. Sablón was viewing television when it occurred but recognized what had transpired.
“It’s quite damaged by time,” he said of the building’s infrastructure as he looked out his second-story window and onto a tiny, crumbling courtyard.
The third floor was unoccupied during the collapse, but emergency responders evacuated all other tenants. Without means to afford alternative housing, Sablón, an engineer, returned to his unit. Since it remained undamaged, he restored electricity and water service for himself and several other residents who remained.
“You’re always going to be afraid,” he said as he lamented that no one ensures the safety of homes in Havana.
“This is the one I fear the most,” Sablón said of his apartment building, which he believes will keep collapsing. “I hope it’s not when someone is walking by.”
A few blocks from Sablón’s location lives 63-year-old Magalys Caro. She remains restricted to one room, an improvised kitchen area, and a bathroom in her building’s front portion. She previously inhabited a company building that allowed her to move in after her adjacent home was destroyed during a hurricane.
However, her current residence also presents dangers.
“The back there has collapsed,” Caro said as she pointed to a spacious, open-air area behind her.
“I’ve been living here in these poor conditions for about 10 years,” Caro said. “Nothing gets resolved. The Housing Department does nothing.”
During Saturday’s ceremony revealing Havana’s initial two modular residences, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz recognized that the shipping container conversion program could be accelerated.
“It is not moving at the desired pace,” he said, adding that the work is underway.
Delilah Díaz Fernández, housing director general at Cuba’s Ministry of Construction, announced that over 2,000 containers designated for residential conversion have received approval, with approximately 700 currently undergoing transformation.
“The program … holds immense potential and is here to stay,” she said, adding that as new containers arrive, they will be considered for eventual housing.
According to Díaz Fernández, the program will primarily benefit individuals who lost their residences due to severe weather or structural failures.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials are blaming Pakistan for deadly cross-border strikes that reportedly claimed three civilian lives and injured 14 others on Monday, highlighting ongoing tensions between the neighboring countries despite recent diplomatic efforts.
According to Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, who posted on X, the strikes also leveled two educational facilities, two places of worship, and a medical clinic in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan.
Pakistani Information Ministry officials quickly disputed these claims in their own social media response, pointing to previous cross-border gunfire originating from Afghan soil that targeted Pakistan. These earlier incidents in March and April resulted in nine civilian deaths, including women and children, in Bajaur district within Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Pakistani ministry characterized the Bajaur incidents as evidence of the “Afghan regime’s reckless and shameful actions.” Officials also questioned the authenticity of damage photos accompanying Afghanistan’s latest accusations, noting that undamaged rooftops and limited destruction patterns were “inconsistent with artillery impact” and suggested possible fabrication.
The two nations have been locked in deadly border conflicts for months, resulting in hundreds of casualties since late February when Afghanistan initiated cross-border operations in response to Pakistani aerial bombardments on Afghan soil.
Pakistan maintains that Afghanistan provides safe haven for militant groups responsible for terrorist activities within Pakistani borders, particularly the Pakistani Taliban organization known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. This group operates independently from but maintains ties with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, which assumed control of the country in 2021 following the withdrawal of American-led forces. Afghan authorities reject these accusations.
Chinese mediators facilitated discussions between Afghan and Pakistani representatives in western China during early April. Both nations committed to avoiding further escalation and working toward a “comprehensive solution,” according to Beijing’s statements. However, border skirmishes have persisted, though with reduced severity compared to pre-negotiation levels.
NEW YORK — This year’s Pulitzer Prize winners in the arts include an unconventional World War I story and a theatrical exploration of women’s liberation movements from decades past, officials announced Monday.
Daniel Kraus claimed the fiction award for “Angel Down,” an innovative novel about World War I written entirely as one continuous sentence. The drama prize was awarded to Bess Wohl for “Liberation,” which examines the feminist consciousness-raising circles of the 1970s.
Monday’s announcement also recognized several works exploring American history. The history prize went to Jill Lepore for “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution,” while Amanda Vaill earned the biography award for “Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution.” Yiyun Li received recognition in the memoir category for “Things in Nature Merely Grow,” her raw examination of losing two sons to suicide. The general nonfiction prize was awarded to Brian Goldstone for “There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America.”
In other categories, Juliana Spahr’s “Ars Poeticas” won the poetry prize, and Gabriela Lena Frank received the music award for “Picaflor: A Future Myth,” a symphonic piece drawing inspiration from Andean folklore and California’s wildfire crisis.
Kraus, 50, has built a varied career spanning fantasy, horror and young adult literature, including partnerships with directors George Romero and Guillermo del Toro. Prize officials described “Angel Down” as “a stylistic tour-de-force that blends such genres as allegory, magical realism, and science fiction into a cohesive whole, told in a single sentence.”
Wohl’s theatrical work brings together feminists from various backgrounds as they confront issues including sexism, internalized prejudices, domestic violence and traditional gender expectations. The production moves between different time periods, and includes a scene where six performers appear nude at the start of the second act. The recognition comes just one day before Tony Award nominations are revealed, with “Liberation” anticipated to receive a nod for best new play.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals delivered stronger-than-anticipated first-quarter earnings on Monday, powered by explosive growth in revenue from its newest cystic fibrosis medication.
The genetic condition affects the body’s ability to regulate salt and water movement within cells, resulting in serious breathing difficulties and digestive complications including chronic coughing, breathing troubles, and nutritional deficiencies.
Sales of the company’s latest cystic fibrosis treatment, Alyftrek, skyrocketed to $424.4 million during the first three months of the year, representing a dramatic 687% jump from the $53.9 million recorded in the same quarter last year. The once-daily triple-drug combination received regulatory approval in December 2024.
While maintaining its leadership position in cystic fibrosis treatments, the Boston-headquartered pharmaceutical company continues exploring new therapeutic areas. The firm is focusing expansion efforts on Casgevy, its gene therapy targeting sickle cell disease and a blood disorder called transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia, alongside Journavx, an innovative pain medication that doesn’t contain opioids.
However, revenue from the company’s established CF treatment Trikafta fell short of Wall Street projections, generating $2.35 billion versus analyst forecasts of $2.64 billion, based on LSEG data.
Company executives maintained their full-year revenue projections between $12.95 billion and $13.1 billion.
Since Journavx entered the market in March of last year, pharmacies have dispensed over 1 million prescriptions. During the first quarter of 2026, prescription volume surpassed 350,000, producing $29 million in revenue, according to company officials.
Total quarterly revenue climbed 8% to reach $2.99 billion, slightly below the $3.02 billion analysts had projected.
Adjusted earnings per share came in at $4.47, surpassing Wall Street expectations of $4.31 per share.
WASHINGTON, May 4 – Former President Donald Trump expressed enthusiasm Monday about an anticipated encounter with Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for later this month, indicating he plans to emphasize America’s dominance in artificial intelligence during their discussions.
Trump stated he is eager for the upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart, where he intends to highlight the United States’ leadership position in AI technology as both nations continue to work through ongoing disputes related to trade and technological competition.
Media conglomerate Paramount Skydance announced Monday that its pre-tax profits increased during the first quarter, driven by operational efficiency measures and stronger performance from its streaming and film studio divisions, which helped counterbalance weaker television results.
The entertainment company warned that second-quarter revenue will likely fall short of Wall Street projections, pointing to the absence of major blockbuster releases such as “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” and NCAA Final Four basketball coverage.
The company’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization reached $1.16 billion for the quarter, representing a 59% jump compared to the same period last year, boosted by the Paramount-Skydance combination. Total revenue grew modestly by 2% to $7.35 billion.
The profit gains stemmed from expense reductions following the corporate merger and an 11% surge in streaming revenue.
These financial results mark the first reporting period since Paramount completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a strategic move designed to enhance the company’s scale in entertainment production by leveraging Warner’s extensive content library.
Management projects second-quarter revenue will range between $6.75 billion and $6.95 billion, falling below analyst forecasts of $7.07 billion based on LSEG data.
In an effort to strengthen its streaming platform, Paramount began airing Ultimate Fighting Championship events in January, contributing to Paramount+ reaching 79.6 million total subscribers during the first quarter.
The company indicated that subscriber growth for the streaming service will remain relatively flat in the upcoming quarter as it phases out approximately 2 million international bundled accounts.
Paramount reported adjusted earnings of 23 cents per share for the first quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of 15 cents per share.
Language-learning app Duolingo delivered solid first-quarter financial results but indicated it’s taking a more cautious approach to future growth, choosing to emphasize user satisfaction and platform enhancements rather than quick revenue gains.
The company’s approach represents a strategic pivot toward improving the user experience and maintaining long-term customer loyalty instead of pursuing immediate financial returns, as it channels resources into platform quality and user interaction to expand its subscriber base.
“We are making long-term bets, and the returns on the investments we’re making are going to be 2027 and beyond,” CFO Gillian Munson told Reuters.
Market analysts are closely watching whether Duolingo can maintain its successful track record of converting free users into paying customers through its freemium business model, especially as booking growth shows signs of deceleration.
The educational technology company generated $292.0 million in revenue during the first quarter, surpassing analyst projections of $288.5 million according to LSEG data, with subscription services continuing to fuel the majority of its income.
The platform saw its daily active user count climb 21% to reach 56.5 million, while paying subscribers grew by the same percentage to 12.5 million, demonstrating sustained user involvement worldwide.
Overall bookings increased 14% to $308.5 million in the first quarter, exceeding Visible Alpha’s estimates of $301.7 million.
The company kept its annual revenue projection largely unchanged, estimating approximately $1.21 billion for the full year, which aligns with analyst forecasts and represents roughly 16% growth. For the upcoming second quarter, Duolingo anticipates revenue of about $295.5 million, slightly above the $294 million estimate.
Management expects booking growth of approximately 10.5% for the year, with a more gradual pace anticipated in the second quarter before gaining momentum in 2026.
The company’s strategic plan focuses on growing its user community and increasing user involvement, targeting 100 million daily active users by 2028. Duolingo has been allocating significant resources toward platform enhancements, especially in speech recognition capabilities and artificial intelligence-driven features including its premium Duolingo Max subscription tier.
Although these investments are anticipated to fuel long-term expansion, they involve short-term compromises. The company indicated that profit margins may decrease later this year as artificial intelligence feature usage grows.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has issued its latest weekly assessment of crop development and agricultural conditions nationwide.
The Crop Progress and Condition Estimates report provides farmers, agricultural businesses, and industry analysts with current data on planting advancement and the overall health of crops across the country.
These regular updates from NASS help track seasonal agricultural progress and provide valuable information for understanding national food production trends.
With the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season fast approaching, running from June through November with the most dangerous storms typically striking between August and October, local officials are urging Delaware residents to begin their emergency preparations now.
Rehoboth Beach Police Chief Keith Banks and 911 Communications Manager Nicholas Priddy recently traveled to Orlando, Florida, to participate in the 2026 National Hurricane Conference from March 30 through April 2. The yearly gathering connects emergency response professionals, weather experts, and law enforcement officials from throughout the nation to exchange proven strategies, receive specialized training, and enhance their ability to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and reduce the impact of major storms.
The specialized education and hands-on experience these officials received will help guarantee our local area is equipped to act swiftly and protect citizens when dangerous weather threatens the region.
Local authorities recommend residents begin taking these essential safety measures: • Create or refresh your disaster supply kit including water, non-perishable food, prescription drugs, flashlights, and fresh batteries • Establish a household emergency response plan with clear communication methods • Monitor reliable weather reporting services and local emergency notifications • Bring in loose outdoor furniture and check your property insurance policies • Familiarize yourself with designated evacuation paths and nearby emergency shelters
Taking action now to prepare could prove crucial when severe weather strikes. Remain vigilant and stay prepared.
DETROIT — Detroit Tigers ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, a two-time American League Cy Young Award recipient, will undergo a surgical procedure to extract loose bodies from his elbow following his removal from Monday’s scheduled start versus the Boston Red Sox.
Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch informed the media that the southpaw experienced discomfort in his elbow on Sunday, coming just days after a concerning moment during his outing against the Atlanta Braves. Medical examinations on the 29-year-old pitcher, who is slated to enter free agency following next season, revealed the presence of loose bodies requiring surgical removal. The procedure has not yet been scheduled.
No timeline has been established for Skubal’s return to action.
The initial elbow discomfort occurred during last week’s matchup with Atlanta, though Skubal remained in the contest. After delivering a 2-2 pitch to Matt Olson, he was seen massaging his left arm, prompting both the team trainer and Hinch to visit the mound. Following a single warmup throw, Skubal determined he could continue and proceeded to strike out three consecutive batters to conclude his outing.
In that performance, he surrendered five hits while recording seven strikeouts and issuing no walks.
A United Airlines flight carrying 231 passengers came within feet of a major disaster Sunday when the aircraft collided with a delivery truck and light pole while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The Boeing 767, arriving from Venice, Italy, managed to strike the semitrailer on the New Jersey Turnpike during its final approach before successfully completing its landing. The truck driver, who was operating a bakery delivery vehicle, received treatment at a local hospital for minor injuries, while all passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Aviation safety specialist Steve Arroyo, a former United pilot with extensive experience on the same runway, emphasized how close the situation came to tragedy. “A major catastrophe was avoided by feet,” Arroyo explained. “Had it been another five feet lower, eight feet, I mean, no more than 10 feet, that plane would have been all over the New Jersey Turnpike.”
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday that officials have upgraded their classification of the event from an incident to an accident due to the severity of aircraft damage, though specific details about the damage remain undisclosed.
Audio recordings from air traffic control suggest the collision may have created an opening in the aircraft’s fuselage, though neither United Airlines nor federal investigators have verified this information. The flight crew chose to contact the control tower by telephone after landing rather than discussing damage details over radio communications.
More than thirty minutes following the collision, air traffic control recordings captured a conversation between a controller and ground personnel. “They felt something over the threshold and there’s a hole in the side of the airplane,” the controller stated.
Dashboard camera footage from the delivery truck captured the moment of impact and shows the vehicle appearing to roll onto its side. Given that commercial trucks typically measure 13.5 feet in height, the aircraft was flying extremely low during its approach.
Federal investigators arrived Monday to conduct interviews with the flight crew and begin their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision. The NTSB typically releases preliminary findings approximately one month after such incidents and has announced no plans for press briefings regarding this accident.
The aircraft utilized Runway 29 for landing, which spans 6,726 feet and represents the airport’s shortest landing strip. This runway typically sees use only during periods of strong winds, such as the conditions present Sunday afternoon when gusts reached 31 mph. Newark’s two other runways extend 11,000 feet in length.
Arroyo noted that investigators will examine the crew’s preparation for landing on the shorter runway, including their use of flight control systems and cockpit navigation equipment. These systems assist pilots in maintaining proper approach angles before transitioning to visual landing procedures.
“It’s one of the most challenging approaches in the world,” Arroyo observed. “The margin of error is extremely low.”
Former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti, who previously worked with both the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration, said he cannot recall another incident involving a commercial airliner striking a vehicle. While similar collisions have occurred with smaller aircraft, airline jets have not been involved in comparable accidents. Guzzetti suggested investigators may also consider whether crew fatigue from the transatlantic flight contributed to the incident.
Federal officials have instructed United Airlines to preserve both cockpit voice recordings and flight data recorders for examination. The airline has placed the flight crew on administrative leave pending completion of the investigation.
A recent conversation between NPR’s Ailsa Chang and Stanford education economist Thomas Dee explored new research examining the consequences of cellular device restrictions in educational settings.
The discussion centered on Dee’s latest findings regarding what transpires when educational institutions implement policies prohibiting student use of mobile phones during school hours.
The research provides valuable insights into how these technological restrictions affect student behavior, academic performance, and the overall learning environment in schools across the country.
ABUJA, Nigeria — Following recent anti-immigration demonstrations in South Africa, Nigerian officials announced Monday they will bring home 130 citizens who have requested to leave the country voluntarily.
Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu called the evacuation a voluntary initiative and indicated additional citizens are expected to request assistance in returning to Nigeria. She characterized the repatriation as a response to escalating tensions.
During a Monday diplomatic meeting, Odumegwu-Ojukwu conveyed Nigeria’s “profound concern” to South Africa’s acting high commissioner regarding the treatment of Nigerian nationals.
While the recent demonstrations targeting immigrants did not result in any Nigerian fatalities, migrants have faced ongoing hostility in South Africa, where they are frequently blamed for contributing to the nation’s unemployment crisis.
South African leadership has denounced the violent incidents and pledged to take strong action against “xenophobic acts.”
In a separate development, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola engaged in telephone discussions with his Nigerian counterpart to address “challenges posed by irregular migration” and explore potential solutions to underlying issues.
The diplomatic tensions intensified following the deaths of two Nigerian citizens in encounters with South African law enforcement last month. Following Monday’s diplomatic session, Nigeria’s foreign ministry spokesman confirmed the country has demanded a thorough investigation into these fatalities and is seeking collaboration “in providing autopsy reports” to the victims’ families.
Moscow’s Defense Ministry announced Monday a temporary halt to combat operations in Ukraine scheduled for Friday and Saturday in observance of the 81st anniversary commemorating Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, while simultaneously issuing warnings of severe consequences should Kyiv interfere with the Victory Day observances.
Military officials released a statement expressing hopes that Ukraine “will follow suit” during Russia’s most significant national holiday. Ukrainian leadership has not yet responded to the announcement.
Russian officials made the decision last week to significantly reduce the scale of their traditional military display in Moscow’s Red Square due to security concerns about potential Ukrainian strikes. Ukraine has been conducting aerial drone operations targeting locations deep within Russian territory as a response to the invasion that has continued for more than four years.
The Defense Ministry issued stark warnings that any Ukrainian attempts to interfere with Saturday’s commemorative events would result in a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv.” Officials cautioned civilians and foreign embassy personnel about “the need to leave the city promptly.”
Russian leader Vladimir Putin previously discussed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire for Victory Day during a telephone call with U.S. President Donald Trump last week.
The Kremlin has historically utilized the elaborate Victory Day military display to demonstrate its armed forces capabilities and international influence, serving as a significant source of national pride for many years.
However, this year’s parade in the Russian capital will proceed without the typical display of tanks, missiles and other military hardware for the first time in almost twenty years. Several smaller commemorative events scheduled throughout the country have also been reduced in scope or completely cancelled due to security considerations.
The Second World War continues to represent one of the few unifying elements in Russia’s complicated history during the Communist era. The Soviet Union suffered 27 million casualties during what they termed the Great Patriotic War from 1941-45, representing an enormous loss of life that continues to influence the national consciousness.
Putin, who has maintained control over Russia for more than 25 years, has transformed Victory Day into a cornerstone of his leadership and has attempted to use the commemoration to provide justification for the conflict in Ukraine.
The previous year’s parade marking the 80th anniversary brought the largest gathering of international leaders to Moscow in ten years, featuring prominent attendees including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Putin had previously announced a 72-hour suspension of hostilities beginning May 7, 2025, and government officials restricted mobile internet access in Moscow for several days to prevent Ukrainian drone strikes.
NEW YORK — Major news organizations including The Associated Press and Reuters claimed top honors at Monday’s 2026 Pulitzer Prize ceremony, with their investigative journalism taking center stage.
The Associated Press earned the international reporting prize for a comprehensive investigation revealing how American corporations have helped build China’s extensive citizen surveillance and monitoring network. The three-year investigation involved analyzing thousands of documents and conducting extensive interviews.
The AP’s reporting also uncovered how multiple presidential administrations permitted technology companies and Chinese officials to circumvent rules designed to prevent China from obtaining sensitive materials like sophisticated computer chips.
Reuters captured recognition for examining Trump’s expansion of presidential power through federal government resources and supporter networks to target political opponents, according to award judges.
Reuters claimed a second prize in the restored beat reporting category for their coverage of social media company Meta.
The Minneapolis-based Minnesota Star Tribune won the breaking news award for their coverage of a tragic mass shooting at a local Catholic school last year.
Award judges commended the newspaper’s “thoroughness and compassion” while reporting on the devastating incident in their community. The shooting occurred during the school’s opening Mass of the academic year, resulting in two children’s deaths and injuries to more than a dozen others. The gunman was later discovered dead from an apparent suicide.
Monday’s Pulitzer announcement via livestream occurred just over a week following a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, where an armed individual breached a checkpoint and engaged in gunfire with Secret Service personnel. The suspect faces charges for attempting to assassinate Trump, who was making his first presidential appearance at the event.
The journalism Pulitzers recognize 2025 work by American news websites, newspapers, magazines, and wire services across text, photography, and audio formats. Video and graphics may supplement entries, with television and radio station websites eligible when focusing on written content.
Monday’s ceremony also recognized achievements in literature, music, and theater.
Established through newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer’s estate, the awards debuted in 1917. Recipients earn $15,000, while the distinguished public service winner receives a gold medal.
The Columbia University-based Pulitzer Board makes final selections. Julie Pace, The Associated Press’ executive editor, recently joined the board.
California’s insurance department is pursuing millions of dollars in fines against State Farm following an investigation that uncovered widespread violations in the company’s handling of wildfire victim claims.
Ricardo Lara, the state’s Insurance Commissioner, announced Monday that investigators discovered hundreds of legal violations by the insurance giant while processing claims from last year’s devastating Los Angeles-area fires.
The probe began in June after survivors of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires complained that California’s biggest home insurance provider was stalling payments and mismanaging claims related to property damage and smoke contamination.
“Our investigation found that State Farm delayed, underpaid, and buried policyholders in red tape at the worst moment of their lives. That is unacceptable, and we are taking decisive action to hold them accountable,” Lara said in a statement.
The twin blazes proved catastrophic, claiming 31 lives and wiping out more than 16,000 buildings across the region.
Investigators examined 220 randomly selected State Farm claims and discovered nearly 400 violations, including insufficient payments and sluggish claim processing. State Farm handled over 11,000 wildfire claims, representing approximately one-third of all filed claims, according to state data. Officials estimate thousands of policyholders may have been impacted by these illegal practices.
An administrative judge will determine the final penalty amount before Lara gives final approval.
State Farm represents the second insurance company facing state enforcement action over wildfire claim handling. Regulators are also pursuing remedies against the FAIR Plan for rejecting smoke damage claims. This insurance pool, funded by major private insurers, provides coverage to property owners unable to secure private insurance due to high-risk locations.
State Farm has not yet responded to requests for comment on the allegations.
Delaware’s Department of Transportation celebrated the conclusion of its seventh annual bridge design challenge, which brought together nearly 400 students from schools statewide to Polytech High School on Friday, May 1, 2026.
The competition drew participation from 130 teams representing 397 students across 27 educational institutions throughout Delaware. Students spent the entire day engaged in practical engineering challenges designed to foster enthusiasm for mathematics, science, and engineering career paths.
This annual event serves as both an educational opportunity and a recruitment tool, encouraging young minds to consider future professions in technical fields that are crucial to Delaware’s infrastructure development and maintenance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared Monday that his nation will implement a halt in fighting starting at midnight on Tuesday, May 5th.
In a message posted to Telegram, Zelenskiy indicated that Moscow has failed to respond to Ukraine’s previous requests for a cessation of hostilities. He explained that Ukraine is moving forward with the decision because it considers “human life is incomparably more valuable than the ‘celebration’ of any anniversary.”
“In this regard, we announce a regime of silence starting from 00.00 on the night of May 5 to May 6,” the Ukrainian leader stated.
Zelenskiy did not specify how long the ceasefire would last, but indicated that Ukraine would “act symmetrically from the specified moment.”
President Donald Trump used his social media platform on Monday to criticize current interest rate levels, declaring them excessive. This latest statement continues the president’s sustained campaign over recent months advocating for reductions to the federal base rate.
Investment banking firm Goldman Sachs issued a warning Monday that worldwide petroleum reserves are nearing their lowest point in nearly eight years, with the rapid pace of inventory decline raising red flags as Middle East conflicts continue disrupting key shipping lanes.
Crude oil values surged approximately 6% Monday following Iranian attacks on multiple vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that also ignited a United Arab Emirates petroleum facility. The escalation marked the most serious incident since a truce was established four weeks prior, as President Donald Trump’s efforts to deploy U.S. naval forces to clear shipping lanes triggered heightened tensions.
According to Goldman Sachs analysts, current worldwide petroleum inventories equal roughly 101 days worth of global consumption and may drop to 98 days by month’s end.
The financial institution noted that while total international reserves are “unlikely to hit minimum operational levels this summer, the speed of depletion and supply losses in some regions and products is concerning.”
Goldman’s assessment indicates that international commercial refined petroleum product stockpiles have decreased from 50 days of demand prior to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran to the current level of 45 days. The bank emphasized that readily available refined product reserves are rapidly approaching critically low thresholds.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was released from a Brasilia hospital on Monday following a surgical procedure on his right shoulder that took place last Friday, according to his physician Brasil Caiado who spoke with members of the media.
The operation was designed to address a long-standing medical issue that had been generating ongoing discomfort and restricting his range of movement.
Through a social media posting, Bolsonaro’s spouse verified that he had returned to his residence. Since the end of March, the former leader has been permitted to remain under humanitarian house arrest, following a Supreme Court justice’s approval of an initial three-month period based on health considerations.
The 71-year-old Bolsonaro has been carrying out a 27-year prison term since November after being convicted of conspiring to stage a coup following his electoral defeat in 2022 to the nation’s current leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Delaware State Police are looking into a deadly crash that claimed the life of a local man Saturday evening in Hartly.
The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on May 3, 2026, when a Ford F-350 pickup truck was heading north along Butterpat Road near Bear Pond Road. According to initial findings from investigators, the truck’s driver lost control while attempting to navigate a bend in the roadway. Police say the driver tried to correct the vehicle’s path but was thrown from the truck since he wasn’t buckled in. Authorities believe the driver’s side door wasn’t securely latched when the accident occurred. The empty pickup kept moving north before finally stopping in a nearby field.
The victim, identified as a 31-year-old Hartly resident, was declared dead at the crash site. Police are not releasing his identity while they work to inform his relatives.
Butterpat Road remained shut down for about four hours as investigators examined the scene and cleanup crews worked to clear the area.
The Delaware State Police Troop 3 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash. Officials are asking anyone who saw what happened or has relevant information to reach out to Sergeant M. Long at (302) 698-8518. Tips can also be shared through private messages on the Delaware State Police Facebook page or by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.
Those affected by crime or sudden loss can find support through the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center, which provides round-the-clock assistance via their hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). Support is also available by emailing [email protected].
New Jersey State Police have confirmed that a United Airlines commercial aircraft collided with a light pole and caused damage to a truck during its approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday.
The incident involving the passenger jet occurred as the aircraft was attempting to land at the New Jersey airport, according to authorities.
Officials have not yet released details about potential injuries or the extent of damage to the aircraft or ground equipment involved in the collision.
NEW YORK — Manhattan’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre was forced to shut down Monday after an electrical fire erupted backstage, temporarily halting performances of the hit Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon.”
The flames originated in an electrical utility room and resulted in “substantial damage” throughout the historic venue, New York Fire Department Assistant Chief David Simms reported. Fire investigators are still working to determine what sparked the blaze.
“Everyone has been safely removed from the theater,” ATG Entertainment, which owns the facility, announced in an official statement. “We will keep all parties abreast of this developing situation.”
Theater officials have not yet announced when the 1,108-seat venue might reopen. Representatives for “The Book of Mormon” production have not responded to requests for comment, though the musical was scheduled to perform again Tuesday evening.
According to Simms, the fire primarily affected the theater’s fourth floor and a backstage area housing lighting systems and hanging chandeliers. Firefighting efforts also resulted in water damage throughout parts of the building.
Crews faced initial challenges containing the flames due to the theater’s complex network of catwalks and stage rigging, Simms explained, though they ultimately gained control of the situation. One firefighter sustained minor injuries during the response.
“The Book of Mormon” ranks among Broadway’s most enduring productions, having staged over 5,000 performances since its Eugene O’Neill Theatre debut in 2011.
The venue itself dates back to 1925 and has welcomed numerous acclaimed productions over the decades, including “Sweeney Todd,” a revival of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and the rock musical “Spring Awakening.”
The entrepreneur who brought the Roomba vacuum into millions of homes is now working on his next breakthrough: an artificial intelligence-powered robotic companion that could serve as an alternative to traditional pets.
Colin Angle introduced his four-legged prototype, named the Familiar, during a presentation on Monday. The device resembles a bulldog-sized creature featuring gentle eyes and bear-like ears and paws, designed with touch-responsive synthetic fur that encourages interaction through petting and hugging.
“We chose a form factor that’s not a human, not a dog, not a cat, because we wanted to steer away from all of those preconceptions,” explained Angle, who now heads Familiar Machines & Magic after serving as the long-time chief executive of iRobot, the company behind Roomba.
This type of realistic robotic companion would have been impossible when Angle helped establish iRobot in 1990 or when the original Roomba debuted in 2002, thanks to recent advances in artificial intelligence technology.
While other companies have attempted similar projects – including Sony’s Aibo robotic dog from the late 1990s that was revived in 2018 – Angle believes his creation offers capabilities that “simply hasn’t existed before.”
“The challenge is to make something that’s not a watch-me toy,” Angle explained during an Associated Press interview. “This is about having something that you want to hug, you want to pet. When it’s happy, that makes you happy. And it is large enough or mobile enough to follow you to the kitchen or drag you off the couch and take a walk.”
The robotic companion produces emotional, animal-like vocalizations without speaking words. However, it features audio sensors that function as “ears” and an AI system capable of understanding and learning from human speech. The technology leverages recent breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence similar to ChatGPT, allowing the robot to modify its responses based on interactions with its human companions.
“I couldn’t have done this six months ago,” Angle noted.
Angle guided iRobot for twenty-five years, transforming Roomba into the first mainstream household robot. However, fierce competition, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, eventually challenged the company’s market position. Angle resigned from his leadership roles in 2024 following Amazon’s decision to abandon its acquisition plans for the struggling Massachusetts-based company.
Familiar Machines emerged shortly afterward and operated secretly in Woburn, Massachusetts until Monday, when Angle demonstrated one of his Familiar prototypes in New York at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference.
While commercial availability remains distant, Angle sees retired individuals as a primary market, particularly those who have moved beyond the typical pet-owning years.
“Not because people suddenly stop enjoying pets, but the fear and obligation of caring for them are such that people are very reluctant to get new pets at older ages,” Angle observed.
Unlike most robotics engineers who draw inspiration from science fiction, Angle’s concept stems from folklore traditions, including witches’ cats, wizards’ owls, and the animal companions featured in Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” book series.
“It’s an archaic, ancient word,” Angle said. Surprisingly, he discovered he could also secure trademark protection for the name.
Angle has assembled a team of distinguished robotics experts, including Marc Raibert, who pioneered robot movement and established Boston Dynamics, creator of the four-legged Spot robot, and Cynthia Breazeal, who developed the robot head Kismet and later the desktop speaker robot Jibo, early experiments in giving robots social capabilities.
Many of these collaborators studied together at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and share doubts about the current trend toward sleek humanoid robots designed to walk and move like people but currently lack practical physical capabilities.
Among these advisers is Maja Matarić, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California who helped establish the field of socially assistive robotics twenty-five years ago, focusing on robots that could provide social and emotional support to people.
Upon first encountering Angle’s prototype, she reported that she “immediately got down on the ground near it and had to hug it and pet it, then started to play with it to see what it would do.”
The robot’s ability to appear endearing rather than unsettling will be crucial. Matarić explained that decades of human-robot interaction research demonstrate that a robot that is “cute, personalized and vulnerable is much more appealing and lovable than the alternative.” She suggested it could prove especially valuable in nursing facilities or for mental health emotional support.
Matarić added that AI developments have made it more feasible to expand the technology’s reach to general consumers.
“Before generative AI, robots could not readily understand what people were saying,” she explained.
Mirum Pharmaceuticals announced Monday that their investigational medication volixibat successfully achieved its primary objective in a clinical trial focused on alleviating intense itching experienced by patients suffering from a rare liver condition.
The research involved 158 participants who received either volixibat at a dosage of 20 mg twice per day or a placebo treatment. Researchers focused their primary analysis on 111 patients experiencing moderate to severe itching symptoms, while an additional 47 participants with mild symptoms were evaluated in a separate analysis.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis, commonly referred to as PSC, is a condition that triggers inflammation and creates scar tissue in the bile ducts, causing them to narrow. This process results in bile accumulation, damage to the liver, and can progress to complete liver failure.
Among the primary study group, participants taking volixibat experienced a reduction in itching severity scores of 2.72 points compared to their baseline measurements, while those receiving placebo saw only a 1.08-point decrease. This created a statistically meaningful difference of 1.64 points favoring the experimental treatment, according to Mirum’s findings.
The pharmaceutical company stated that these outcomes demonstrate volixibat’s potential to become the initial approved therapy specifically targeting cholestatic pruritus in PSC patients.
“The takeaway here is very straightforward – trial is clearly positive & data is in line with expectations,” commented Evercore ISI analyst Gavin Clark-Gartner.
Mirum has arranged a preliminary meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for summer 2026 and intends to submit their application for regulatory approval during the latter half of that year.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The military leader serving as Mali’s president has stepped into the role of defense minister following the death of the previous minister in devastating coordinated strikes by extremist and separatist forces that shocked the West African country, officials announced Monday.
A presidential decree broadcast on state television revealed that Assimi Goita will continue his presidential duties while simultaneously overseeing defense operations. Former military chief of staff Gen. Oumar Diarra has been appointed to serve as his deputy in the defense role.
The leadership change follows the tragic death of Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Camara on April 25, who was killed when a suicide bomber targeted his residence in Kati, a military garrison community located near Mali’s capital city of Bamako.
Kati and Bamako were among multiple locations struck by fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM and affiliated with al-Qaida, working alongside rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front, a separatist organization led by Tuareg forces. The synchronized assault represented one of the most extensive coordinated operations the nation has experienced in more than ten years.
The extremist fighters and separatist forces successfully captured numerous strategic towns and military installations during their offensive.
Mali’s government has operated under military control since leaders seized power through a 2020 takeover, pledging to improve security conditions as extremist violence escalated. Following their rise to power, the military government shifted toward Russia for security assistance, leading to the departure of traditional partners including France and United Nations peacekeeping forces.
However, security experts indicate that Mali’s safety situation has deteriorated further since the military takeover, with unprecedented levels of attacks and civilian casualties resulting from both Islamic militant operations and government military actions.
Goita’s appointment to the defense position occurs amid rising tensions following the detention of military members, civilians, and political figures suspected of connections to the separatists and militants behind the recent attacks.
On Saturday, armed individuals kidnapped a former Malian government minister who had criticized the junta from his residence, according to family members who spoke with The Associated Press on Sunday.
JNIM fighters have escalated pressure on the military administration by establishing a blockade surrounding Bamako beginning last week, creating roadblocks and security checkpoints that restrict movement.
Transportation companies informed the AP that while the blockade initially disrupted travel across multiple routes last week, the armed groups have now focused their efforts on blocking only the connection between Bamako and the western city of Kayes, leaving other roads connecting the capital to various parts of the country mostly accessible.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Several board members of La Nación, a prominent Costa Rican newspaper, have had their United States entry visas canceled, sparking new allegations that America is collaborating with Costa Rica’s government to silence critics through immigration penalties.
The newspaper’s board of directors announced in a front-page statement Sunday that the affected executives discovered their visa cancellations through reports in government-friendly media outlets.
La Nación has consistently challenged outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, who maintains close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and has committed to accepting up to 100 deportees monthly from third countries as part of Trump’s expanded deportation initiatives.
The publication, which Chaves has repeatedly attacked since it reported sexual harassment allegations during his 2022 presidential race, stated that American officials provided no explanation for canceling the visas.
The U.S. State Department has not yet responded to requests for comment.
“We fully recognize that the United States, like any sovereign state, has the power to determine the terms of entry into its territory,” La Nación said. “However, it is unprecedented in Costa Rica’s recent history for visas to be revoked from members of the board of a general-interest and independent newspaper.”
This action appears to represent another example of the Trump administration using immigration policies to target political adversaries, drawing harsh criticism from Costa Rican opposition groups and press freedom advocates who are demanding explanations from both governments.
“If this decision is based on their critical stance toward this government, it would be yet another troubling signal for our democratic system,” the organizations said in a statement, adding that failing to provide transparent information would “constitute an unacceptable form of complicity.”
Mauricio Herrera, a journalist and former Costa Rican communications minister from 2015 to 2018, made stronger accusations, stating “there is no doubt that the cancellation of visas for its board of directors is in response to a request from the Costa Rican government.”
“The sanction seeks to intimidate those who dare to dissent and exercise their freedom of expression,” Herrera told The Associated Press.
Multiple prominent figures in Costa Rica have experienced visa cancellations, as conservative President Chaves’ confrontational leadership approach has faced criticism for undermining democratic principles.
In the previous year, the U.S. canceled the visa of Nobel Prize winner and former Costa Rican President Óscar Arias, a vocal Trump critic, along with his brother Rodrigo Arias, who served as legislative president and believed Chaves requested the U.S. action.
Opposition legislators including Francisco Nicolás from the centrist National Liberation Party and independent Cynthia Córdoba, both known for criticizing Chaves, have also seen their U.S. visas canceled recently, as has Constitutional Court Judge Fernando Cruz, a migrant rights defender who was prevented from traveling to the U.S. last month to receive recognition from Northwestern Law School.
Chaves, who has worked closely with the Trump administration on accepting deportees from various nations and extraditing suspected drug traffickers to the U.S., will step down Friday when President-elect Laura Fernández takes office.
America and several Gulf Arab nations are collaborating on a fresh United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at criticizing Iran’s interference with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, who announced the effort Monday.
The ambassador indicated that discussions on this new proposal will occur throughout this week. This latest diplomatic push follows Russia and China’s decision last month to block an earlier resolution that Washington had hoped would rally global support for keeping the vital shipping lane open.
Waltz explained during a media briefing that the United States is working alongside Bahrain to develop this resolution, with additional contributions from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The proposed measure would call on Iran to halt its attacks against commercial vessels and stop attempting to collect fees from ships passing through the strait. Additionally, the resolution would demand that Iran cease deploying sea mines in the waterway and reveal where existing mines have been placed.
According to Waltz, this latest draft represents a “narrower effort” compared to the previously unsuccessful resolution and comes during an active ceasefire with Iran. “This is much more focused on mining international waterways and on tolling, which all of the economies of the world are affected by, particularly those in Asia,” he said.
MOSCOW, May 4 – On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary halt to military operations against Ukraine scheduled for May 8-9, coinciding with commemorations marking the end of World War II and Nazi Germany’s defeat, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
The Defense Ministry stated it expects Ukrainian forces to observe the same pause in fighting, while issuing a stern warning about potential consequences. Officials threatened to launch extensive missile attacks targeting central Kyiv should Ukraine attempt to interfere with Victory Day commemorative events.
“Despite the capabilities at our disposal, Russia has previously refrained from such actions on humanitarian grounds,” the ministry declared in an official statement, while emphasizing readiness to respond if the temporary truce is violated.
The ministry also issued evacuation advisories, stating: “We are warning the civilian population of Kyiv and staff at foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city in a timely manner.”
Multiple media sources confirmed Monday that the Carolina Panthers have brought former NFL safety Mike Adams onto their coaching staff in an assistant role.
The 45-year-old Adams launched his professional football career in 2004 with San Francisco and spent two seasons (2017-18) playing for Carolina. Throughout his 16-year career spanning 228 games, he recorded 935 tackles and 30 interceptions while suiting up for San Francisco (2004-06), Cleveland (2007-11), Denver (2012-13), Indianapolis (2014-16), Carolina, and Houston (2019).
During his time with Indianapolis, Adams earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2014 and 2015.
Adams will start his coaching journey through the Bill Walsh coaching fellowship program, which aims to increase diversity among NFL coaching staffs. His responsibilities will include working with players during offseason training programs and throughout training camp.
SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury University’s women’s lacrosse program has earned the right to host the initial rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament, the NCAA announced Monday morning.
The Sea Gulls, currently ranked seventh nationally, have qualified for their 22nd straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 26th overall berth in the national championship event.
This marks another milestone for the consistently successful Salisbury women’s lacrosse program, which will welcome visiting teams to compete on their home turf during the tournament’s opening stages.
Delaware Governor Matt Meyer has unveiled a new streamlined permitting program designed to fast-track essential development projects throughout the First State.
The Permitting Accelerator represents a key component of Meyer’s broader JobsFirst program, which seeks to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles, accelerate vital construction projects, and produce tangible benefits for Delaware residents and the business community.
This new accelerator program will concentrate on high-priority developments across four critical sectors: residential housing, energy infrastructure, broadband expansion, and general infrastructure improvements. Officials indicate the program is now entering its initial implementation phase.
DOVER — Nearly 400 Delaware students showcased their engineering skills during the Delaware Department of Transportation’s seventh annual bridge building contest, held at Polytech High School on Friday, May 1, 2026.
A total of 397 students formed 130 teams representing 27 schools from across Delaware for the daylong competition. The hands-on event challenges participants to tackle engineering problems while promoting interest in mathematics, science, and engineering fields.
DelDOT designed the program to motivate middle and high school students to explore real-world challenges and consider future careers in civil engineering and transportation industries.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks announced Monday they have brought aboard Masai Ujiri, the former Toronto Raptors executive, to serve as team president and alternate governor.
The 55-year-old Ujiri previously oversaw the Raptors organization during their championship run in 2018-19, when Toronto captured the NBA title with Kawhi Leonard after acquiring the star from San Antonio.
Ujiri steps into the role previously held by Nico Harrison, who was dismissed from his general manager position last November. Harrison’s tenure ended roughly nine months after orchestrating the controversial trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that proved detrimental to Dallas.
The new president spent 13 years with Toronto’s organization before being let go as president and vice chairman this past June. He initially joined the Raptors as executive vice president and general manager.
According to the team’s announcement, Ujiri will oversee all basketball-related operations while collaborating with franchise leadership on strategic planning for the Mavericks’ future.
Michael Finley, a former Dallas player, and Matt Riccardi had been sharing general manager duties since Harrison’s departure. The duo orchestrated the February trade sending Anthony Davis to Washington. The injury-prone big man had been the primary asset Dallas received in the problematic Doncic transaction.
Ujiri takes charge of a franchise now built around Cooper Flagg, who earned Rookie of the Year honors after being selected first overall in last summer’s draft. Dallas secured Flagg despite having only a 1.8% probability of winning the top lottery selection. The team holds a 6.7% chance in the upcoming draft lottery.
Despite missing playoff action for two consecutive seasons, the Mavericks could return to postseason contention. The franchise reached the 2024 NBA Finals with Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way before falling to Boston in five games.
Should Ujiri retain Irving, Dallas would feature two former Duke standouts in Irving and Flagg. The rookie sensation guided the Blue Devils to the Final Four while becoming only the fourth first-year player to claim Associated Press men’s player of the year recognition.
Irving and Flagg have yet to share the court together, as Irving missed the entire campaign after suffering an ACL injury in March 2025.
The roster also includes another Duke product in center Dereck Lively II, though he has battled various injuries throughout his three-year career.
Additional core players include four-time champion Klay Thompson, who rebounded from early struggles to post strong three-point numbers and finish fourth in NBA history for made three-pointers. Forward P.J. Washington played a crucial role during the Finals run, while Naji Marshall emerged as a reliable scorer on an injury-riddled squad.
Federal prosecutors are revealing new details about the mental state of the man they say ignited the catastrophic Palisades Fire that devastated Los Angeles communities earlier this year.
Court documents show that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was frustrated about having no New Year’s Eve plans and expressed rage toward society before allegedly setting the fire that would claim 12 lives. The defendant has entered a not guilty plea to charges related to starting what authorities call one of California’s most devastating wildfire disasters.
The massive blaze erupted on January 7, 2025, consuming hillside communities in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. However, federal authorities allege Rinderknecht initially set a fire on January 1 that smoldered undetected in underground root systems for nearly a week before resurging with deadly force.
A June 8 trial date has been scheduled for Rinderknecht. His legal team argues he’s being made a scapegoat to cover up the Los Angeles Fire Department’s inability to completely put out the original blaze.
The prosecution’s case strategy was outlined in an April 29 pre-trial document from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which provides insight into Rinderknecht’s alleged mindset during the critical timeframe.
Court filings indicate that on New Year’s Eve, witnesses observed Rinderknecht driving dangerously while working Uber shifts in the Palisades area. Passengers told investigators he appeared “angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being ‘pissed off at the world,’” according to the prosecution memo.
The documents reveal that Rinderknecht discussed accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilante justice with his passengers. During a January 24 interview with investigators, when questioned about potential motives for Palisades arson, Rinderknecht allegedly “responded that it would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as ‘we’re basically being enslaved by them,’” and again brought up Mangione’s alleged actions.
Prosecutors also claim Rinderknecht was dealing with romantic relationship troubles and was upset about his canceled New Year’s Eve arrangements.
Defense attorney Steve Haney responded via email Sunday, stating: “My client maintains his innocence as he has from the beginning and we look forward to clearing his name at trial. The offered motive that my client started a fire on NYs Eve because he did not have date speaks for itself.”
During a March press conference, Haney demanded his client’s release from custody, citing evidence he believes proves Rinderknecht’s innocence. The attorney referenced deposition testimony from a firefighter who said he observed smoldering ground on January 2 and warned supervisors about remaining hot spots. This testimony emerged from litigation filed by fire victims against the city.
However, a battalion chief testified that he conducted four perimeter walks of the burned area throughout the day and confirmed all hot spots were extinguished.
Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore, who took the position in October, has expressed concern about the conflicting firefighter accounts and ordered an independent investigation into how the January 1 fire was managed.
Haney maintains this crucial evidence was unavailable to the defense team when the indictment was issued.
CINCINNATI (AP) — The legendary WKRP call letters have made their way from television fiction to radio reality in Cincinnati as of this Monday.
Co-owner Jeff Ziesmann reports that listeners are thrilled about the station’s adoption of the famous call letters from the beloved CBS comedy series, just in time for Monday’s morning commute programming.
“Our phones have been mobbed this morning, as I’m sure you can imagine,” Ziesmann said.
The WKRP identifier now covers three broadcasting locations across Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio, which all share the same programming through simulcasting. These stations will maintain their existing adult-hits music format featuring songs from the 1960s through 1980s with a special focus on 1970s hits, previously known under “The Oasis” branding.
Station ownership secured these call letters through a charitable contribution to a North Carolina nonprofit organization that had held the WKRP designation since 2014 for their low-power radio operation. According to Ziesmann, federal broadcasting rules allow his full-power station to use identical call letters because the North Carolina WKRP-LP operates under different regulatory classifications.
Ziesmann clarified that the nonprofit contribution wasn’t a direct transaction for the call letters themselves, but rather purchased the opportunity to petition the FCC for those call letters with the North Carolina organization’s support.
The original “WKRP in Cincinnati” television series aired from 1978 through 1982, featuring stars like Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman, Tim Reid and Richard Sanders, who portrayed the hapless news reporter Les Nessman.
Sanders responded to the news in character, writing via email: “I have spoken with Les Nessman regarding the resurrection of WKRP in Cincinnati. After the failure of his dream to replace Walter Cronkite on the CBS evening news, he is hopeful that he can resume his duties as the News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and Farm Report Director at WKRP.”
“I think we can all hope that WKRP will return to the airwaves with more music and Les Nessman,” Sanders added, referencing a beloved catchphrase from the comedy series.
A fragile three-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran reached a dangerous breaking point Monday as American military forces launched an operation to escort trapped commercial vessels through the blocked Strait of Hormuz.
The crisis escalated when the United Arab Emirates reported coming under attack for the first time since the early April truce began, while British maritime officials confirmed two cargo ships were burning near UAE waters.
Tehran denounced the American-led naval escort mission as a breach of the delicate ceasefire agreement. Despite President Donald Trump’s Sunday announcement of ‘Project Freedom,’ only two US-flagged merchant vessels successfully passed through the waterway with military protection, according to American officials.
Shipping companies and financial markets are expressing growing concern over Washington’s limited operational details. Maritime industry leaders question which crews and cargo owners would risk potential Iranian attacks.
For more than two months since hostilities began, Iran’s control over this vital shipping lane has trapped hundreds of commercial vessels and tens of thousands of crew members in the region.
The maritime bottleneck has created a massive backup of essential global commodities including oil, natural gas, fertilizer and other critical supplies. This strategic chokehold has given Iran significant leverage while damaging international economies and potentially affecting the Republican administration’s prospects in upcoming midterm elections.
Monday saw oil markets climb as uncertainty persisted around both the strait’s status and the American military intervention, which Trump characterized as a humanitarian mission to assist nations that have remained ‘neutral and innocent’ during the conflict.
Although European nations and other allies have expressed anxiety about the strait situation and received Trump’s appeals for assistance, no other countries appeared to participate in Monday’s operations.
Pentagon officials revealed the mission would deploy guided-missile destroyers, over 100 aircraft and 15,000 military personnel, though specific deployment strategies were not disclosed.
Trump issued a stern warning that any interference with the escort operation ‘will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.’
American military commanders reported destroying six small Iranian patrol boats that were attacking civilian ships. They also said Iranian forces fired missiles and deployed drones against vessels under US protection.
Iran has effectively sealed the waterway by launching attacks on various ships during the past two months, while demanding that non-US and non-Israeli vessels pay transit fees for passage.
Maritime safety experts continue worrying about Iranian naval mines scattered throughout the shipping channel as companies evaluate the new American protection program.
Iranian military leadership declared Monday that vessels must still coordinate transit plans with Tehran authorities, warning that ‘any foreign military force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,’ according to state media reports.
Iran’s official IRNA news service dismissed Trump’s strait reopening strategy as part of his ‘delirium.’
Iranian media outlets claimed their forces attacked an American warship southeast of the strait, alleging it was ‘violating maritime security and navigation norms.’ US military officials, who have maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports for weeks, rejected these claims.
The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center continues rating the threat level around the strait as critical, despite issuing earlier guidance about the new American escort program.
Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer for the Baltic and International Maritime Council, a major shipping industry organization, said no official operational guidelines or specifics have been provided to commercial operators.
‘Without consent from Iran to let commercial ships transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz, it is currently not clear whether the Iranian threat to ships can be degraded or suppressed,’ Larsen stated.
Larsen raised questions about the mission’s long-term viability versus its potential as a short-term operation, warning of a ‘risk of hostilities breaking out again’ if the effort proceeds.
The Joint Maritime Information Center has directed ships to use Omani territorial waters for strait crossings, noting that American forces have established an ‘enhanced security area.’ Officials cautioned that traveling near traditional shipping routes ‘should be considered extremely hazardous due to the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.’
The center advised ship captains to maintain close coordination with Omani port authorities ‘due to anticipated high traffic volume.’
SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury University’s men’s lacrosse squad has earned the right to host upcoming rounds of the NCAA Division III tournament after securing a historic milestone for their conference.
The Sea Gulls, currently ranked second nationally, captured the Coastal Lacrosse Conference’s very first automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Tournament when the bracket was announced Sunday night by the NCAA.
This tournament appearance marks the 36th year in a row that Salisbury has qualified for the NCAA championships and represents the program’s 42nd overall tournament berth.
The university will serve as host site for both the second and third rounds of the national tournament, bringing high-level collegiate lacrosse competition to the Salisbury campus.
Chicago Sky management announced Monday they have released rookie guard Hailey Van Lith, who was selected as their first-round draft choice in 2025.
The 24-year-old guard struggled during her debut season, posting averages of 3.5 points and 1.6 assists across 29 appearances without earning a single start.
All WNBA franchises must finalize their rosters by Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, just one day before the regular season kicks off on Friday.
During Chicago’s preseason play, Van Lith showed promise with 12.5 points and 4.5 assists per game over two contests. The Sky begin their campaign Saturday against Portland in what marks the inaugural game for the expansion Portland Fire franchise.
Chicago selected Van Lith as the 11th overall selection in 2025 following her impressive college basketball journey that took her through Louisville, LSU, and TCU.
Standing 5-foot-9, Van Lith earned All-American honors and claimed both Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards after posting 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game during her final collegiate season with the Horned Frogs in 2024-25.
