A South Korean government official says Iran was most likely responsible for an attack on one of their country’s cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports from Yonhap news agency on Thursday.
The senior foreign ministry official told reporters that Seoul is reviewing intelligence information provided by the United States regarding the May 4 incident involving HMM’s Namu vessel. The attack sparked a fire and caused damage to the ship’s lower stern hull.
“Once we go through the investigation and present the evidence, I trust that the Iranian side will respond in an appropriate way,” the official said.
The foreign ministry has not yet verified the official’s statements made to reporters.
Investigation teams from South Korea have traveled to Dubai, where the damaged Namu is currently docked for inspection before repairs begin. The experts are conducting detailed forensic analysis of the vessel’s damage.
Iranian officials have previously rejected claims they were involved in the attack, which involved a powerful strike to the ship’s side. Iran has not issued further statements while Seoul continues its investigation.
Shortly after the incident occurred, the U.S. President said Iran had attacked the South Korean ship and called on Seoul to participate in American-led initiatives to protect maritime traffic in the strait.
Demonstrations erupted across several areas of Cuba’s capital city on Wednesday night as residents expressed their anger over recurring electrical blackouts by banging pots and pans in the streets, a Reuters witness reported.
The protests took place in various neighborhoods throughout Havana despite a heavy police presence in the area. Hundreds of people participated in the demonstrations, voicing their frustration with the ongoing power outages that have been affecting the city.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski was forced to exit Wednesday night’s contest against the San Diego Padres due to leg cramping, marking his second early departure in just three outings.
The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher had dominated through seven innings without allowing a run, giving up just four hits to the visiting Padres. When he stepped onto the mound to prepare for the eighth inning, Misiorowski called for medical staff, who examined his right leg before the team decided to remove him from the game.
Milwaukee’s coaching staff pulled Misiorowski before he could deliver a single pitch in the eighth frame.
Following the contest, Misiorowski explained that cramping in his right quadriceps forced his exit. This marks a repeat of issues that plagued him during his May 1 outing against Washington, when he departed after 5 1/3 no-hit innings due to right hamstring cramping.
“Probably the exact same (issue) as last time, but it was the quad this time instead of the hamstring,” he said. “Nothing we haven’t seen before. It’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go.”
Milwaukee held a 1-0 advantage when Misiorowski departed and maintained that edge until the ninth inning with two outs and no runners on base. However, reliever Abner Uribe allowed a single and issued a walk before Padres left fielder Gavin Sheets connected on a three-run home run, securing a 3-1 win for San Diego.
Before his departure, Misiorowski recorded 10 strikeouts, bringing his major-league-best total to 80 for the season. He allowed four hits while issuing no walks during his seven-inning stint.
The Atlanta Braves continue to discover fresh methods for securing victories on the baseball diamond.
Their consistent success has made them the initial Major League Baseball franchise to achieve 30 wins this season.
Atlanta enhanced their league-leading record to 30-13 following another exciting victory on Wednesday evening, mounting a three-run rally in the eighth inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-1.
Mike Yastrzemski entered the game as a substitute and delivered a crucial pinch-hit double that brought home the go-ahead run, while versatile player Mauricio Dubón followed up with a two-run home run into the Chicago bullpen area to seal the Cubs’ fate.
Combined with another solid outing from their relief pitchers, who each contributed one scoreless inning from four different relievers, this squad appears poised to dominate the NL East division well before summer arrives.
Atlanta currently holds a nine-game advantage over second-place Washington and maintains a double-digit lead over all other teams in their division.
“There’s no egos here,” said Yastrzemski, who delivered his first home run of the season during the previous evening’s 5-2 triumph over the Cubs. “Nobody feels like they own any piece of this team. We’re all pulling on the same rope together, the same direction. Whatever opportunities come for you that day, that’s good enough.”
Although standout performers like Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, Chris Sale and Ozzie Albies are enjoying exceptional seasons, several lesser-recognized players are also making substantial contributions.
This group includes Dubón, who joined the team from Houston during the offseason in exchange for journeyman Nick Allen and has stepped up whenever called upon.
Dubón began the campaign playing shortstop while Ha-Seong Kim rehabilitated from an injury but currently finds himself primarily in the outfield, even assuming the leadoff position in the batting order while former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. remains sidelined with an injury.
The game-winning home run demonstrated the level of trust the Braves and their first-year skipper, Walt Weiss, place in their multi-position player.
“In years past for me, I would’ve gotten pinch-hit right there and they wouldn’t let me hit,” Dubón said. “But I ended up putting up a two-run homer. I think it’s that confidence he gives you when you’re playing.”
Dubón remains driven by his selection in the 26th round — the 773rd pick overall — during the 2013 draft.
“I’m trying to prove people wrong,” he said, breaking into a satisfied smile. “I’ve been doing that for a while now.”
Weiss, who assumed control after longtime skipper Brian Snitker stepped down following a disappointing 2025 season, has Atlanta firmly positioned for a postseason return.
While he avoids focusing on the broader picture, he cannot help but feel pleased with how his managerial career has begun.
“I’m so engrossed with the day to day,” Weiss said. “You want to attack each day the best you can, and these guys are doing that. They confront every challenge that comes our way.”
Yastrzemski, similar to every other player on the team, remains ready to contribute whenever the situation demands.
“Some days your role is going to be a cheerleader. Keep everyone in a good mood, pull for the guys, bring somebody a water when they’re thirsty,” he said. “Those things, it’s real. When you see that happening with other guys, you can’t help but do it yourself.”
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials report that Russian forces unleashed a devastating aerial bombardment on the nation’s capital during the early hours of Thursday, wounding a minimum of four civilians.
The head of Kyiv’s Military Administration Tymur Tkachenko confirmed that destruction occurred throughout six separate districts of the city. Tkachenko stated that Russian forces were launching both ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft against the capital, causing harm to homes and essential infrastructure.
The Darnytsia district experienced severe devastation when a multi-level apartment complex suffered a partial collapse, creating a split through the middle of the structure and trapping residents beneath debris. Ukraine’s Emergency Service reported successfully pulling at least 10 individuals from the wreckage.
Rescue teams worked at the location to locate additional survivors while smoke from the bombardment continued rising from the debris pile.
Tkachenko reported that in the Dnieper district, an unmanned aircraft struck the top of a five-floor apartment building. Additional structural damage occurred to another building located in the Dniprovskyi district.
Residents throughout the capital heard multiple explosions during the early morning hours of Thursday.
This assault occurred just hours following an unusual midday strike on Kyiv that resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals, as reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy stated that the previous attack utilized no fewer than 800 drones. He described the multi-hour bombardment as designed to inflict maximum “pain and grief” on the population.
SEOUL, May 14 – South Korean memory chip manufacturer SK Hynix is approaching a historic $1 trillion market valuation, following Samsung Electronics’ recent achievement of the same milestone, as artificial intelligence demand positions South Korea as a central player in Asia’s AI surge.
The company’s stock price has surged over 200% this year, building on an impressive 274% gain in 2025, fueled by AI-driven demand for standard memory chips and specialized high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips that power AI servers.
Should SK Hynix reach the trillion-dollar mark alongside Samsung, South Korea would achieve the distinction of being the first nation beyond the United States to host multiple trillion-dollar corporations.
“The market is running on FOMO sentiments, especially on AI-related names in Japan and Korea,” said Fabien Yip, market analyst at IG in Sydney.
Samsung achieved Korea’s inaugural trillion-dollar company status earlier this month, though Taiwan’s TSMC maintains its position as Asia’s most valuable company with a market cap exceeding $1.83 trillion.
These three semiconductor manufacturers and their unprecedented earnings have highlighted their essential function in the worldwide AI infrastructure network.
South Korea’s primary KOSPI stock index has experienced dramatic growth, reaching all-time highs as international investors of all sizes have invested heavily in chip companies.
The index has gained more than 86% this year, following a 75% surge in 2025 that marked its best yearly showing since 1999. From the beginning of 2025, the KOSPI has led global major stock markets in performance.
SK Hynix, valued at under $100 billion just 16 months ago, now approaches the market capitalizations of retail behemoth Walmart and Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company of renowned investor Warren Buffett.
During Thursday’s trading, SK Hynix shares declined 0.48% while Samsung climbed over 3% to reach a new record, within a broader market that gained 0.9% and remained close to this week’s record peak. SK Hynix’s market capitalization stood at approximately $948 billion, calculated using Wednesday’s closing price and currency exchange rate.
Officials from three major U.S. public pension funds are raising alarm bells about SpaceX’s planned corporate governance structure, calling it “extreme” and urging changes before the company’s anticipated public stock offering.
In a letter sent Wednesday to SpaceX leadership, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, and California Public Employees’ Retirement System CEO Marcie Frost expressed strong objections to the company’s proposed setup.
“We are writing to express our serious concerns with the reported novel and extreme governance structure and provisions SpaceX is planning to disclose in its registration statement,” the officials wrote in their correspondence to Musk, which Reuters obtained.
The three pension leaders – who manage retirement funds representing some of the nation’s largest public pension systems – took issue with the extensive authority granted to Musk within the company’s structure. Their concerns include his voting control over company stock, his ability to veto his own removal as CEO, and various litigation protections, including required arbitration for shareholder disputes.
SpaceX’s public debut is projected to become the largest initial public offering on record, with the company seeking to raise $75 billion and achieve a $1.75 trillion market value.
The pension officials described the proposed structure as potentially “the most management-favorable governance structure ever brought to the U.S. public markets at this scale.” Their letter referenced reporting from Reuters and other news outlets about SpaceX’s confidential filing with securities regulators.
The letter also highlighted concerns about Musk’s involvement across multiple companies. His leadership roles at Tesla, X, xAI, the Boring Company and Neuralink, along with substantial compensation arrangements at SpaceX and Tesla, create a situation where these companies are “in the unusual position of essentially competing against one another” for his attention and focus.
“Long-term shareholders, under the reported governance structure, will have no independent board majority, no functioning derivative remedy and no entitlement to true judicial review through which to address the conflicts that this concentration of roles will inevitably produce,” the pension leaders stated.
These same officials have previously raised similar concerns about insider influence at other publicly traded companies, including Meta Platforms and Tesla.
SpaceX has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
According to Reuters reporting, SpaceX has requested early inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index, which could set a precedent for other technology companies with concentrated insider control.
Should SpaceX gain admission to major stock indexes, the New York and California pension systems would automatically acquire shares through their passive investment allocations.
The letter outlined numerous governance concerns beyond the dual-class share structure. Under the reported arrangement, Musk could only be removed from his CEO or chairman positions through a vote by Class B shareholders – votes he controls through his super-voting shares.
SpaceX also intends to adopt controlled-company status, which would allow it to avoid requirements for a majority-independent board or independent compensation and nominating committees while Musk serves in his multiple executive roles.
Additionally, the company has moved its incorporation to Texas, where recent legislation permits companies to require shareholders to own up to 3% of outstanding stock before pursuing derivative lawsuits. Given SpaceX’s expected valuation, this threshold would require billions of dollars in holdings – an amount likely only achievable by Musk himself, according to the pension officials.
SpaceX would also break new ground as the first major U.S. company to mandate arbitration for shareholder claims under federal securities laws within its corporate documents, removing the class-action options typically available to investors.
The pension leaders referenced Musk’s regulatory track record as part of their evaluation, including his 2018 SEC settlement regarding “funding secured” social media posts and a proposed $1.5 million settlement reached in May addressing allegations he failed to properly disclose his Twitter investment in 2022. They also mentioned a March jury decision finding him liable for defrauding Twitter shareholders during the acquisition, which Musk is currently appealing.
The letter raised additional concerns about transactions between related parties, noting SpaceX’s reported all-stock purchase of xAI in February and Tesla’s reported $2 billion investment in SpaceX during the first quarter – deals completed before SpaceX had public shareholders or an independent review process.
Combined, DiNapoli, Frost and Levine oversee retirement systems managing more than $1 trillion in assets.
In their correspondence, the pension leaders recommended several changes: implementing one-share, one-vote policies or establishing sunset provisions for super-voting shares within seven years; creating a majority-independent board and separating CEO and chairman roles; removing provisions that protect Musk from termination without his consent; eliminating mandatory arbitration; and requiring independent approval for related-party transactions involving Musk’s other companies.
“Precisely because SpaceX is poised to occupy a position of systemic importance in the public markets, and to become, through index inclusion, an unavoidable holding in our portfolios, its governance must at least adhere to the baseline protections upon which long-term institutional capital depends, rather than seeking to diminish them,” they concluded.
The three officials have requested a meeting with Musk and his advisers to discuss their concerns.
The world’s leading contract semiconductor manufacturer has significantly increased its forecast for the global chip industry, now predicting the market will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to presentation materials released ahead of a technology symposium on Thursday.
TSMC’s new projection surpasses its earlier estimate of $1 trillion for the same timeframe, with artificial intelligence serving as the primary catalyst for this dramatic growth.
The company’s breakdown shows artificial intelligence and high-performance computing will dominate the market, representing 55% of the $1.5 trillion total. Mobile devices are anticipated to capture 20% of the market share, while automotive applications will account for 10%.
To meet this surging demand, TSMC announced plans to accelerate its expansion timeline for 2025 and 2026, with nine phases of wafer manufacturing facilities and advanced packaging operations scheduled for completion by 2026.
The semiconductor giant expects to dramatically increase production capacity for its cutting-edge 2-nanometer and next-generation A16 processors, targeting a compound annual growth rate of 70% between 2026 and 2028.
TSMC’s advanced packaging technology, known as CoWoS (Chip on Wafer on Substrate), is projected to grow at a compound annual rate exceeding 80% from 2022 through 2027. This packaging method is essential for AI processors, including those created by Nvidia.
The company forecasts that demand for AI accelerator wafers will multiply eleven times from 2022 to 2026.
International Expansion Plans
In Arizona, TSMC’s first manufacturing facility is already operational. The company plans to begin equipment installation for its second facility in the latter half of 2026, while construction continues on a third plant. Work on a fourth facility and the location’s first advanced packaging operation is set to commence this year.
TSMC projects Arizona production will increase 1.8 times year-over-year by 2026, achieving quality levels matching those at its Taiwan operations. The company has also acquired additional land in Arizona for future development.
In Japan, the first facility is currently producing 22-nanometer and 28-nanometer products at full capacity. Plans for the second Japanese plant have been enhanced to include 3-nanometer technology due to strong market demand.
Construction of TSMC’s German facility remains on schedule, with plans to manufacture 28-nanometer and 22-nanometer technologies initially, followed by 16-nanometer and 12-nanometer capabilities.
Motorists traveling on I-495 will need to slow down as transportation authorities have implemented a temporary speed reduction due to current weather conditions.
The speed limit along the highway has been lowered to 55 miles per hour as rain creates potentially dangerous driving conditions for commuters and travelers.
Officials made the decision to reduce speeds as a precautionary safety measure while wet weather persists in the area. Drivers are advised to exercise additional caution and maintain appropriate following distances while the temporary speed restriction remains in effect.
The Miami Dolphins have locked up their star running back De’Von Achane with a lucrative four-year contract extension valued at $64 million, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The source, who requested anonymity since the team hasn’t officially announced the agreement, confirmed that $32 million of the deal is guaranteed money.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz was the first to break news of the extension.
With an annual average of $16 million, Achane now ranks as the third-highest paid running back in the league, trailing only Saquon Barkley at $20.6 million and Christian McCaffrey at $19 million per year.
The talented back posted impressive numbers in 2025, accumulating a personal-best 1,350 rushing yards across 238 attempts while topping the league with an average of 5.7 yards per carry. His outstanding performance earned him his inaugural Pro Bowl honor. Achane found the end zone eight times on the ground and added four touchdown catches, while his 488 receiving yards placed him fourth among all running backs.
In just three NFL seasons, Achane has compiled 3,057 rushing yards, setting a franchise record for any Dolphins player in their opening three campaigns. His 1,277 career receiving yards represent the second-best total among Miami running backs during their first three seasons since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
“He’s dynamic,” new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said in March. “I mean there’s plays that you’re not even blocked right for and he gets 6 or 7 yards. His vision, his acceleration, the way he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he’s so hard to defend.”
While Miami has been conducting a major roster overhaul that involved releasing or trading numerous veteran players — including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan made it evident that Achane was not on the trading block.
Selected in the third round from Texas A&M, Achane joins an exclusive group of just seven running backs since 1970 who have recorded 20 or more rushing touchdowns and 10 receiving touchdowns within their first three professional seasons.
“He’s obviously very important to what we’re doing,” Sullivan said last month amid contract talks with Achane, “and it’s all part of it. It’s part of professional sports. We’ll get where we need to be one way or the other.”
A Colorado Rockies outfielder made baseball history Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh by executing an extremely rare defensive play that hadn’t been seen in over a decade.
Jake McCarthy accomplished the first unassisted double play by a left fielder in Major League Baseball since 2013 during the Rockies’ matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The unusual play unfolded when McCarthy sprinted toward home plate to field a dropping line drive hit by Bryan Reynolds, securing the catch while running at full speed for the inning’s second out.
With Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz positioned near third base after starting the play at second, the 28-year-old McCarthy kept running toward the infield and touched second base to complete the double play and end the inning.
According to statistics from the Elias Sports Bureau, no left fielder had turned an unassisted double play since Jonny Gomes achieved the feat on July 31, 2013.
Colorado went on to defeat Pittsburgh by a score of 10-4.
Visual documentation has surfaced showing diplomatic discussions between former President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to China.
The images capture moments from high-level conversations between the two world leaders, providing a glimpse into international diplomatic proceedings.
The photographs document the meeting between the American and Chinese officials during the official visit.
Asian financial markets posted strong gains Thursday as artificial intelligence enthusiasm continued to drive investor sentiment, while attention turned to a critical diplomatic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping.
The American president is entering a series of discussions with China’s leader in Beijing, seeking to achieve economic victories, preserve a delicate trade agreement, and address challenging issues including the Iran conflict and weapons sales to Taiwan.
According to Michael Strobaek, global chief investment officer at Lombard Odier, maintaining current conditions might be the best outcome possible from a Trump-Xi encounter.
“I think that, amid the uncertainties around the Middle East ceasefire, that may be enough for now,” said Strobaek, noting expectations are low and groundwork for any major diplomatic breakthroughs appears thin.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DRIVES MARKET GAINS
Asian equity markets demonstrated strong performance, with MSCI’s comprehensive Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan climbing 1.2%, remaining close to last week’s record high.
Japan’s Nikkei reached a fresh all-time high as information revealed AI-related demand helped boost Japanese company profits. Seoul’s KOSPI advanced 1.7%, bringing its 2026 performance to a remarkable 88%.
SK Hynix, among Asia’s leading AI-focused companies, approaches the $1 trillion market capitalization milestone, positioning itself to become South Korea’s second company after Samsung to achieve trillion-dollar status. SK Hynix shares have surged more than 200% this year.
European market indicators suggested a positive opening while U.S. stock futures gained 0.23%.
However, market experts warn that rising oil costs and stalled Middle East peace negotiations could revive inflation concerns.
“Markets are trying to run two playbooks at once: AI and earnings says buy growth, but geopolitics and energy priced are quietly re-writing the inflation trajectory in the background,” said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo.
“While today’s session may still follow the AI momentum, a macro reality check remains likely from the Trump-Xi meeting.”
Brent crude futures showed minimal movement at $105.76 per barrel during early trading, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures traded at $101.14 per barrel. Energy prices continue significantly above pre-conflict levels, stoking global inflation fears.
INFLATION FIGURES STRENGTHEN DOLLAR
Currency markets saw the U.S. dollar gain strength as traders anticipated the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate action would be an increase following unexpectedly high inflation readings this week.
U.S. producer prices recorded their largest increase since early 2022, after Tuesday’s consumer price information demonstrated annual inflation accelerated at its quickest rate in three years.
Elevated inflation and robust employment figures have prompted some market participants to consider the possibility of a rate increase during the first half of next year, despite many economists and analysts still viewing a rate reduction as the central bank’s probable next step.
The euro traded at $1.1716, approaching its weekly low. Sterling stood at $1.35282, positioning the dollar index, which tracks the U.S. currency against six others, at 98.458 in early sessions.
The yen traded at 157.88 per U.S. dollar, maintaining trader vigilance for potential Tokyo intervention following recent dramatic movements that sources indicate resulted from official action to support the weakened currency. The two-year yield reached 3.9708%, declining 1.9 basis points but remaining near the 1-1/2-month peak from the previous session. The benchmark 10-year yield stood at 4.4629%, having approached nearly a one-year high on Wednesday.
International airlines are seizing opportunities in India’s booming aviation sector as Air India struggles with massive flight reductions caused by Middle East conflicts and Pakistan’s airspace restrictions.
The ongoing Iran conflict and Pakistan’s ban on Indian carriers using its airspace have forced Air India to slash thousands of flights, creating openings for competitors like Lufthansa Group and Cathay Pacific to expand their presence in one of the world’s most rapidly expanding aviation markets.
Data from OAG reveals that foreign carriers now control 58.4% of India-origin international scheduled flights during March through May, compared to 51.2% during the same period last year. Meanwhile, Air India’s international departures from India dropped 17.5% year-over-year to 6,404 flights in the March-May timeframe, with the airline announcing additional cuts for June through August on Wednesday, affecting European and North American routes.
These setbacks represent a significant challenge to Air India’s goals of establishing itself as a major global carrier through fleet expansion with new widebody aircraft, cabin improvements, and additional direct connections to Europe and North America.
“The war has attacked every leg of Air India’s transformation plan,” stated Linus Benjamin Bauer, global managing partner at aviation consultancy BAA & Partners.
The Tata Group and Singapore Airlines-owned Air India has yet to achieve profitability since its government sale in 2022, with sources indicating the group expects record losses exceeding $2.12 billion for fiscal 2025-26. International operations generate more than 60% of the group’s revenue, according to a second source. Both sources requested anonymity as the financial information remains confidential.
In a May 1 staff communication, departing Air India CEO Campbell Wilson described how the “massive rise” in jet fuel costs “together with airspace closures and longer flying routes, has caused many of our international flights to become unprofitable.”
Pakistan’s airspace ban on Indian airlines, implemented in April 2025 due to diplomatic disputes, has forced expensive route changes. Air India declined to respond to inquiries from Reuters.
International air travel demand has surged in India, and despite frequent customer complaints about its aging fleet, Air India has traditionally been preferred for direct connections to key markets.
Air India’s scheduled European departures declined 5.1% year-over-year during March-May, while U.S. routes experienced a dramatic 77.4% drop in scheduled flights, according to Cirium route data.
While Emirates maintained steady operations with 2,196 India-origin flights in March-May, European carriers showed notable growth. Swiss, a Lufthansa subsidiary, increased its India departures by 39% to 247 flights during March-May, while Amsterdam-based KLM grew 19.5% to 294 scheduled flights.
Swiss’s expansion centered primarily on the Delhi-Zurich route, where scheduled flights jumped 76% to 155 during the period. The carrier added a second daily Delhi-Zurich service and reported “seeing very strong demand from India to Europe, and especially to the U.S.”
KLM confirmed increased Indian passenger traffic on its flights amid the Middle East crisis.
Cathay Pacific scheduled 588 India-to-Hong Kong flights during March-May, representing a 19% increase from the previous year. Cathay CEO Ronald Lam told Reuters in late March that numerous Indian travelers previously connecting through Middle Eastern hubs were now routing to the U.S. via Hong Kong.
However, bilateral aviation agreements may limit further expansion by foreign carriers, similar to restrictions that have constrained Gulf airlines’ growth in India.
Airlines are launching extensive marketing efforts to attract Indian customers, with German carrier Lufthansa illuminating Mumbai’s famous Sea Link bridge with its branding in March.
Air India’s challenges intensified when Dubai imposed daily flight limits on foreign carriers at its airports in March.
The Indian carrier has also encountered difficulties on U.S. routes, where some flight times have extended by nearly five hours due to airspace limitations.
On Wednesday, the airline suspended Delhi-Chicago service and reduced other U.S. routes for June-August. It had previously discontinued Delhi-Washington flights and services from Bengaluru and Mumbai to San Francisco since last year, allowing American Airlines and United Airlines to strengthen their India-U.S. market positions.
“Air India can still attract bookings when it offers lower fares,” explained Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators. “But when its fares are similar to foreign airlines and routings are longer, passengers tend to prefer foreign carriers.”
The American dollar strengthened Thursday, supported by rising U.S. Treasury yields as investors bet the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates this year, while ongoing Middle East tensions between the U.S. and Iran prompted investors to seek safe-haven assets.
Market attention centered on a crucial summit between Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping taking place Thursday in Beijing, where the U.S. President seeks to achieve economic victories, preserve a delicate trade agreement and address challenging matters including the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Before the summit, China’s offshore yuan maintained its position near a three-year high, trading at 6.7860 against the dollar with minimal movement.
Barclays analysts predicted the onshore yuan would remain stable in the short term, which would “also help ease the path of discussions between the U.S. and China.”
“However, pushback by the authorities, via fixings and intervention, suggests limited patience with rapid appreciation,” they added.
Currency traders have driven the yuan higher in anticipation of the Trump-Xi summit, expecting agreements between the world’s two biggest economies.
Across broader markets Thursday, the dollar maintained stability, keeping the euro unchanged at $1.1716 and positioned for a 0.57% weekly decline, its steepest drop in two months.
The British pound traded at $1.3527, heading toward an approximately 0.8% weekly loss, partly due to domestic political instability.
Measured against a currency basket, the U.S. dollar reached 98.46, climbing 0.63% for the week. It declined 0.04% versus the yen to 157.83, as traders watched for potential Japanese government intervention to support their weakening currency.
The dollar has gained momentum from emerging domestic inflation pressures, with Wednesday’s data revealing U.S. producer prices recorded their largest jump in four years during April.
This followed Tuesday’s numbers showing another substantial rise in consumer prices last month, pushing the annual inflation rate to its fastest pace in three years.
“The inflation data we received this week certainly won’t be welcomed by FOMC officials, including incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh,” said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Warsh as Fed Chair on Wednesday, placing the 56-year-old lawyer and financier in charge of the U.S. central bank.
“We forecast that the FOMC will have to start a tightening cycle from December this year, and we forecast three hikes in the cycle for now,” said Kong.
Markets now assign a 31.8% probability to a Fed rate increase in December, rising from just over 16% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Shifting rate expectations and inflation concerns have pushed U.S. Treasury yields upward, with longer-term yields reaching their highest points since mid-2025 overnight.
The two-year yield stood at 3.9750%, near Wednesday’s 1-1/2-month peak, while the benchmark 10-year yield reached 4.4669%, approaching a one-year high from the previous session.
Among other currencies, the Australian dollar approached a four-year high at $0.7255, supported by expectations of aggressive domestic rate policies.
SEOUL, May 14 – South Korea’s Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol warned Thursday that a planned work stoppage by Samsung Electronics employees could seriously damage the nation’s economic performance, export activity and financial markets.
The technology company and its labor union were unable to come to terms on salary negotiations Wednesday, leading organized workers to announce plans for an 18-day work stoppage beginning May 21.
A federal jury in Brooklyn has found a 64-year-old man guilty of operating an unauthorized Chinese government facility from an unremarkable office building in Manhattan’s Chinatown district.
Lu Jianwang was found guilty Wednesday of serving as an unregistered foreign agent and destroying evidence by erasing text messages that federal prosecutors claimed contained directives from Beijing to target, harass and threaten pro-democracy activists. The jury cleared him of a conspiracy charge.
The week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court highlighted tensions between American concerns over China’s suppression of dissidents and defense arguments that prosecutors transformed a well-intentioned Chinese American community leader’s administrative oversight into a criminal case.
“A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed, its sinister purpose disrupted, and its founder held accountable for blatantly disregarding the law and our country’s sovereignty,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.
Following the verdict, Lu addressed supporters in his native Fujianese dialect but refused to take questions from the media. His attorney, John Carman, announced plans to appeal.
Carman argued that federal prosecutors transformed a routine paperwork matter into an international espionage drama. The foreign agent conviction stems from Lu’s failure to notify the U.S. government about his activities on China’s behalf, which his legal team maintains was restricted to assisting Chinese diaspora members with renewing their Chinese driver’s licenses.
“This is not espionage. This is not spying. This is not intelligence gathering,” Carman said while standing with Lu outside the courthouse. “He wasn’t charged with any of that.” The underlying message of the prosecution’s case, Carman argued, was that Lu “associated with a lot of Chinese people.”
“Is that window dressing or dressing up a paperwork case? A hundred percent,” Carman said.
Lu, a decades-long U.S. citizen who also uses the name Harry Lu, remains on bail pending sentencing, which hasn’t been set.
He could receive up to 10 years in prison for the foreign agent charge and up to 20 years for evidence destruction.
Prosecutors alleged that Lu and co-defendant Chen Jinping created the Chinatown facility in 2022 following Lu’s attendance at a ceremony in his home province of Fujian, where China’s Ministry of Public Security announced plans to establish 30 covert police stations worldwide.
China’s communist leadership utilizes these facilities to surveil individuals it considers threats to its agenda, Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette Rangel argued during Tuesday’s closing statements.
Throughout the trial, jurors viewed a prominent sign from the Chinatown site reading: “Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York USA.” They also heard from Xu Jie, a Chinese dissident, activist and YouTuber residing in California whom prosecutors claimed was targeted by Lu’s operation.
“The police station wasn’t the defendant’s idea or initiative, this was the Chinese government,” Rangel told jurors during her closing argument. “This was the Chinese government’s plan and the defendant made it happen.”
Chen admitted guilt in December 2024 to conspiring to act as a foreign agent.
Lu’s defense team maintained the facility functioned as a community center where individuals could remotely renew their Chinese driver’s licenses without returning to China during COVID-19 travel limitations.
Carman noted that people also gathered there for ping-pong and mahjong games. However, prosecutors argued that even if Lu’s sole connection to China involved driver’s licenses, that would still constitute a legal violation.
The Manhattan facility, located between a hotel, spa and coffee shop, operated within offices shared with the America ChangLe Association, a community group that Lu and his brother, Jimmy, helped manage. The organization identified itself on tax documents as a “social gathering place for Fujianese people.” ChangLe translates to “eternal joy,” Carman explained.
“Harry’s motives were pure. Harry’s support in the community is enormous for a reason — not because he’s some underworld operative,” Carman said. “His support is there because he’s helped a lot of people in the 45 years that he’s been in the United States of America, becoming a citizen and reaching out to members of his community to help them.”
The FBI, prompted by a report from an organization tracking Chinese transnational repression, searched the Chinatown facility on Oct. 3, 2022. The following day, prosecutors said, Lu confessed to FBI agents that he created the outpost, maintained contact with his handler through WeChat and had erased those communications.
The messages, some recovered through phone screenshots, demonstrated he was “in lockstep with what the Chinese government tasked him to do,” Rangel said.
Cuba’s energy minister announced Wednesday that the Caribbean nation has completely depleted its diesel and fuel oil supplies, leaving the capital experiencing the most severe power outages in decades as U.S. sanctions continue to restrict fuel imports to the island.
“We have absolutely no fuel (oil), and absolutely no diesel,” Energy Minister Vicente de la O stated during a government media appearance, describing the national power system as being in a “critical” condition. “We have no reserves.”
The minister reported that power outages have intensified significantly over recent weeks throughout Havana, with numerous districts experiencing darkness for 20 to 22 hours each day. This development adds to the mounting difficulties facing residents who are already dealing with severe shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
According to de la O, the country’s electrical system is now running exclusively on domestic crude oil, natural gas and renewable energy sources.
While Cuba has added 1,300 megawatts of solar energy capacity during the previous two years, much of this power generation is being lost due to electrical grid instability caused by the fuel crisis, the minister explained, which diminishes both efficiency and total power output.
The nation’s leading energy official indicated that Cuba is continuing efforts to secure fuel imports despite the sanctions, though he noted that increasing worldwide oil costs and shipping expenses related to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran are creating additional complications for these procurement efforts.
“Cuba is open to anyone that wants to sell us fuel,” the minister stated.
Both Mexico and Venezuela, which previously served as major oil suppliers to Cuba, have halted fuel shipments to the island following an executive order issued in January 2026 that threatens tariffs against any nation providing fuel to the communist-governed country.
Since December, only one major oil vessel, the Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin, has successfully delivered crude oil to Cuba, offering brief assistance to the island during April.
These latest power disruptions in Havana and other areas occur as the U.S. fuel embargo against Cuba reaches its fourth month, severely impacting public services throughout the Caribbean island home to nearly 10 million residents.
The United Nations recently condemned the fuel blockade as illegal, stating it has hindered the “Cuban people’s right to development while undermining their rights to food, education, health, and water and sanitation.”
Italian tennis player Luciano Darderi secured his spot in the Italian Open semifinals after defeating Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6(5) 5-7 6-0 in an exhausting three-hour battle that concluded in the early morning hours of Thursday.
Coming off an impressive upset victory against second seed Alexander Zverev in his previous match, the Italian maintained his strong form during the late-evening quarter-final match on Campo Centrale, where enthusiastic spectators remained despite weather delays that pushed the schedule well into the night.
Play was temporarily halted during the first set when smoke from fireworks at the adjacent Stadio Olimpico drifted over the tennis venue. The nearby stadium was hosting the Coppa Italia final between Inter Milan and Lazio, and the smoke reduced court visibility while briefly affecting the tournament’s electronic line-calling technology.
After competition resumed, Darderi mounted a comeback from a 2-5 deficit in the tiebreak to capture the opening set before his supportive home crowd.
The 18th seed seemed poised for a quick victory after jumping ahead 3-0 in the second set, but Jodar mounted an impressive comeback to even the match. The Spanish player saved two match points, held serve to reach 5-5, then broke serve again before closing out the set to force a deciding third set.
The demanding second set appeared to exhaust 19-year-old Jodar in the final set, as he lost serve twice while Darderi regained command to secure the victory.
“I think it’s the best win of my career because of the crowd and everything here in Rome,” Darderi said in his on-court interview.
“First time in the semi-finals, it’s a dream to play here. It was difficult because we started around 11, the court was very slow … I just kept fighting and I’m very happy about that.”
Darderi’s semifinal opponent will be Casper Ruud, who defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-1 1-6 6-2 in Wednesday’s earlier action.
Ruud dominated early, cruising through the first set before rain halted the match for nearly two-and-a-half hours early in the second set.
The extended break allowed Khachanov to reset and shift momentum, with the Russian evening the match after recording 11 winners and just one unforced error in the second set.
Ruud regained his composure in the final set and thrilled spectators by executing a spectacular tweener shot while securing his victory and reaching the Rome semifinals for the first time since 2023.
Crude oil markets saw modest gains Thursday as traders looked ahead to a crucial diplomatic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for later in the day, with ongoing tensions over the Iran conflict weighing on investor sentiment.
Brent crude futures climbed 13 cents, representing a 0.12% increase to reach $105.76 per barrel at 0015 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures gained 12 cents, also up 0.12%, to trade at $101.14.
The Thursday gains followed significant declines the previous day when both major oil benchmark contracts dropped amid investor concerns over potential U.S. interest rate increases. Brent crude futures tumbled more than $2 per barrel on Wednesday, while WTI futures decreased by over $1.
The U.S. president arrived in Beijing Wednesday evening and is scheduled for multiple discussions with Xi, seeking to achieve economic victories, preserve a delicate trade agreement, and address challenging topics including the Iran war and arms sales to Taiwan.
Although Trump has indicated he doesn’t believe Chinese assistance is necessary to conclude the Iran conflict, the president is still anticipated to request Xi’s help in ending the expensive and unpopular war. However, market experts believe he’s unlikely to receive the backing he seeks.
“Failure to make meaningful progress on reopening the strait could leave the US with few options other than renewed military action,” IG analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.
Iran has apparently strengthened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, establishing agreements with Iraq and Pakistan for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas from the area.
China remains Iran’s largest oil purchaser despite sanctions pressure from the Trump administration.
Over 80% of Iran’s exported oil headed to China in 2025, with Chinese independent refiners capitalizing on discounted U.S.-sanctioned crude.
Political organizer Denise Powell has secured a victory against State Sen. John Cavanaugh in the Democratic primary for Nebraska’s second congressional district, a race that drew significant attention from political observers.
Powell’s win positions her as the Democratic candidate for the congressional seat in what has been characterized as a closely monitored political contest in the district.
The leaders of the United States and China began their highly anticipated summit Thursday in Beijing, with observers predicting limited progress on major disputes involving Iran conflict, commercial relations, technology issues and Taiwan.
Trump hopes to focus talks on trade and deals for China to buy more agricultural products and passenger planes, setting up a board to address their differences and avoid a repeat of the trade war ignited last year after Trump’s tariff hikes.
Xi will likely bring up America’s decision to sell weapons to Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. Trump in December authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, but has not yet moved forward with delivery.
The primary objective for the two-day diplomatic gathering centers on maintaining stability between the nations. Trump plans to depart Friday afternoon following a final private session with Xi.
The ongoing Iran conflict will probably feature prominently in discussions. Before the meetings began, Trump had hoped China would leverage its significant influence to pressure Iran into accepting American conditions to end the two-month conflict or reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, though he has moderated those expectations before the summit.
Trump touched down in Beijing Wednesday evening, with formal summit activities commencing Thursday.
China’s leader will formally receive Trump in a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, followed by official discussions between the two nations.
Cultural activities are also planned, including a stop at the Temple of Heaven, before concluding the day with a formal state dinner.
While the visit promises elaborate ceremony and symbolic gestures, neither country has revealed specific outcomes Trump might achieve from the meetings.
Military officials have recovered the body of the second American soldier who disappeared in Morocco after falling from a cliff while on a recreational hiking trip.
The recovered remains belong to Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, age 19, from Taveres, Florida. She was the second U.S. service member who plunged off a cliff during the hiking excursion in Morocco.
Last week, authorities had already found and recovered the remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., who died in the same tragic incident.
Both soldiers were participating in recreational activities when the fatal accident occurred during their time in the North African nation.
BEIJING (AP) — President Donald Trump began Thursday’s activities marking the most intensive phase of his China visit, engaging in a summit anticipated to showcase elaborate ceremonies and symbolic gestures while offering limited prospects for significant advances on critical matters including trade disputes, U.S.-Taiwan relations, or the conflict in Iran.
Trump’s arrival Wednesday evening featured an ornate welcoming ceremony, with his convoy passing beneath numerous American and Chinese flags while skyscrapers displayed illuminated Chinese text proclaiming “Beijing Welcome.” Following the reception, the Republican leader proceeded to his accommodations without scheduled public appearances.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping was scheduled to conduct meetings with Trump Thursday at the Great Hall of the People, which serves as a legislative headquarters for the communist administration and hosts significant cultural and social gatherings on Tiananmen Square’s western edge.
Their bilateral discussions will precede Trump’s visit to the Temple of Heaven — a 15th-century religious site representing the connection between celestial and earthly realms. Both leaders will participate in a formal state dinner.
Friday’s agenda includes planned working sessions over tea and lunch between Trump and Xi.
White House representatives have maintained that Trump’s journey aims to achieve tangible outcomes, indicating potential announcements regarding trade matters, possibly including Chinese agreements to purchase American soybeans, beef, and aircraft. Administration officials also seek to establish a Board of Trade with China for addressing commercial disputes between the nations.
However, both governments have not provided specific details about potential outcomes from the three-day diplomatic mission, particularly as Beijing’s strong economic connections to Iran may create complications.
The president’s Beijing visit occurs while Iran continues influencing his domestic priorities and raising concerns about potential U.S. economic weakness during the election period preceding November’s midterm elections — where Republicans aim to retain Congressional control.
The U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran has resulted in the practical shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving oil and natural gas vessels stranded and causing energy costs to surge, threatening worldwide economic stability.
Extended time with Xi — particularly amid spectacular settings — will provide substantial opportunity for Trump to address multiple challenging subjects. These encompass Iran and trade issues, along with Taiwan and potential three-nation nuclear weapons agreements involving Washington, Beijing, and Russia.
Nevertheless, advancement beyond diplomatic courtesies — and extensive mutual praise between Trump and Xi, who have publicly exchanged effusive compliments for years — may prove difficult to achieve.
“Neither side will make much progress on the two major foreign policy issues,” predicted Jim Lewis, a tech policy fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. “Trump will press the Chinese to help him on Iran. They’ll be unwilling. The Chinese will press Trump to make concessions on Taiwan. We’ll see what we get out of that.”
In Washington, war politics became more complex Wednesday when Senate Republicans again prevented Democratic legislation aimed at ending Iranian hostilities — though Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski opposed her party, becoming the third Republican senator voting against continuing the conflict.
China purchases the most Iranian oil globally, yet Trump has minimized suggestions that he will pressure Xi to increase efforts against Iran regarding strait reopening — despite White House officials indicating he will privately advocate this position to China’s leader.
The president also states that U.S. economic pressures will not weaken American negotiating positions with Iran during the current fragile ceasefire. When asked while departing the White House whether ordinary Americans’ financial stability influences Iranian negotiations, Trump replied, “Not even a little bit.”
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump stated, suggesting that “every American understands” this stance.
The administration has struggled maintaining consistent messaging regarding inflation and warfare.
Vice President JD Vance emphasized at Wednesday’s news conference that Trump remained “laser focused” on inflation while disputing Trump’s statements that U.S. economic concerns were irrelevant to war resolution.
“Well, I don’t think the president said that,” Vance responded when questioned about the remarks. “I think that’s a misrepresentation of what the president said.”
Taiwan’s situation remains prominent, given China’s displeasure with U.S. weapons sales to the self-governing island that Chinese authorities consider part of their territory.
The Trump administration approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan while delaying delivery. Trump has also shown increased uncertainty regarding Taiwan — raising questions about potential reduced support for the island democracy.
Taiwan leads global chip manufacturing, creating components vital for artificial intelligence development. Trump has pursued trade agreements with Taiwan to encourage domestic chip production.
Trump personally contacted Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, inviting him aboard Air Force One during an Alaska refueling stop en route to Beijing — joining numerous CEOs from technology, defense, finance, and agriculture sectors in the delegation. Additional officials include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with Trump’s son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Elon Musk, the SpaceX leader who previously directed Trump’s federal workforce reduction efforts, also traveled to China.
The U.S. and China established a trade agreement last year that reduced mutual tariff threats. White House sources report ongoing discussions and shared interest in extending this arrangement, though announcement timing during Trump’s visit remains uncertain.
Trump indicated he will request Xi provide American companies increased Chinese market access, encouraging his counterpart to “‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic.” He also seeks extending agreements allowing continued Chinese rare earth mineral exports to the U.S., encouraging China to avoid limiting global supplies in response to Trump’s threatened tariffs.
Senior American officials have stated Trump will propose U.S., China, and Russia signing agreements limiting each nation’s nuclear weapon stockpiles — a concept Beijing has previously questioned.
Political activist Denise Powell has secured the Democratic nomination for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District following a competitive primary election that concluded Wednesday. The race centered around the district’s unique electoral significance in presidential contests.
The district, located in the Omaha area, represents a major Democratic target this election cycle, particularly with Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon stepping down from his position. The area draws national attention during presidential campaigns because Nebraska stands as one of only two states that divides its electoral votes. Since 2008, the 2nd District has supported Democratic presidential candidates on three occasions, creating what’s known as a “blue dot” within a predominantly Republican state.
Powell emerged victorious over state Sen. John Cavanaugh and multiple other Democratic candidates in a tight contest that remained undecided until Wednesday. Her general election opponent will be Brinker Harding, an Omaha City Council member who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement and faced no primary opposition.
Following her victory, Powell released a statement saying, “This country and Nebraska are worth fighting for — and I’m ready to spend the next six months working for every vote and sharing my vision for Nebraska so we can finally have a representative in Congress who will serve us. It’s time to be brave.”
Within Democratic circles, some voiced concerns that a Cavanaugh victory could have threatened the district’s “blue dot” designation, as his departure from the state legislature might have enabled Republicans to modify Nebraska’s electoral vote distribution system.
The 81-year-old former New York City mayor made his first appearance back on his conservative talk show Wednesday night following a serious bout with viral pneumonia that landed him in the hospital earlier this month.
Opening “The Rudy Giuliani Show,” the host told viewers he was recovering but acknowledged he wasn’t completely back to full health yet. His illness in early May was severe enough to require critical care and ventilator support at a Palm Beach, Florida medical facility.
News of his hospitalization prompted widespread support and positive messages from prominent political figures from both sides of the aisle.
“I have to thank everyone who sent me prayers and good will,” he said during the broadcast. He expressed particular appreciation for his family members, the hospital staff who cared for him, and U.S. President Donald Trump, who he said reached out by phone during his illness.
“It feels good to be back,” he told his audience before taking the show’s first commercial break.
This wasn’t his first recent health scare – he was hospitalized last September following a vehicle accident in New Hampshire that left him with a broken vertebra and additional injuries.
Following his eight years leading New York City, a period marked notably by the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, the longtime Republican made an unsuccessful White House bid in 2008 and later served as Trump’s personal lawyer and advisor.
He became a prominent voice supporting the president’s claims of irregularities in the 2020 election, which Democrat Joe Biden won. Trump and his supporters were unsuccessful in dozens of court cases alleging misconduct, and multiple recounts, examinations and verification processes found no evidence of substantial irregularities or mistakes.
Two former Georgia election workers successfully sued him for defamation, receiving a $148 million court award. During efforts to collect that judgment, the former federal prosecutor was held in contempt and faced proceedings this winter regarding his asset ownership.
He eventually reached an agreement allowing him to retain his residences and personal items, including treasured World Series rings, in return for undisclosed payments and agreeing to cease making negative statements about the former election workers.
Trump announced last year that he was presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Allegiant Air announced Wednesday that it has finalized its acquisition of Sun Country Airlines, completing a major consolidation between two budget carriers during a challenging period for low-cost aviation companies after Spirit Airlines recently ceased operations.
The Las Vegas-headquartered airline confirmed the transaction was completed following necessary regulatory clearances and shareholder approval. The acquisition, first revealed in January, carries a total value of approximately $1.5 billion when including debt obligations.
“Today marks a defining moment in Allegiant’s history as we officially join forces with Sun Country,” stated Allegiant CEO Gregory Anderson, noting that the merged carrier will be better positioned to provide expanded access to budget-friendly air travel.
The consolidation occurs while airlines and passengers face significant challenges from escalating jet fuel prices linked to Middle Eastern conflicts, resulting in increased ticket prices and additional fees industrywide. These cost pressures particularly impact budget carriers, which have limited capacity to offset rising operational expenses.
Spirit Airlines felt these pressures most severely. The ultra-low-cost airline ceased operations on May 2 after operating for 34 years, with its closure hastened by surging fuel costs following years of financial difficulties, substantial debt burdens, multiple reorganization attempts and persistent cash flow challenges.
In this challenging environment, Allegiant and Sun Country believe their combination provides additional revenue opportunities. Beyond passenger service, Sun Country contributes cargo operations for Amazon, along with charter services for athletic teams, gaming establishments and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The expanded airline network should provide passengers with increased travel options, particularly in smaller and medium-sized markets, utilizing approximately 195 aircraft to serve nearly 175 cities across more than 650 routes.
Travelers should not anticipate immediate operational changes. Both carriers will maintain separate operations for now, with customers continuing to book flights, check in and handle travel arrangements using existing systems.
The integration process will require significant time, according to Allegiant. Eventually, the unified company will operate under the Allegiant brand and maintain Las Vegas as its headquarters, while expanding service options and connections throughout the enlarged route network.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, currently Sun Country’s home base, will continue serving as a key operational hub for the airline.
A New Jersey man admitted in federal court Wednesday that he deliberately crashed his vehicle into a major Jewish religious headquarters in Brooklyn, acknowledging to the judge that his intention was to harm the sacred site.
Dan Sohail, 36, drove his car into an entryway of the crowded Brooklyn synagogue five times in a row this past January, first removing barriers and warning bystanders to get out of his path, according to federal authorities. The attack resulted in approximately $19,000 in property damage that he is required to reimburse.
The Carteret, New Jersey resident settled his case without facing hate crime charges, instead entering a guilty plea to deliberately destroying religious property. While the maximum penalty could reach three years imprisonment, federal guidelines suggest a sentence of up to six months, according to both prosecutors and Sohail’s attorney, Mia Eisner-Grynberg.
Judge Eric N. Vitaliano has not scheduled sentencing yet. Sohail has remained in custody since his arrest and has already spent more than three months incarcerated.
Present in the courtroom during the guilty plea, Chabad Rabbi Yaacov Behrman expressed frustration about the potential for what he viewed as insufficient punishment.
“The message needs to be sent loud and clear that attacking a synagogue will be met with serious consequences,” Behrman, a Chabad spokesperson, told reporters afterward. “That message was not heard in court today.”
Initially, Sohail told law enforcement that he had lost control of his car and accidentally pressed the accelerator with his heavy footwear. However, during Wednesday’s federal court proceeding in Brooklyn, he admitted he traveled from New Jersey “and intentionally damaged the building” because it serves as the Chabad headquarters.
Dressed in a tan jail uniform, the bearded defendant with unkempt hair calmly informed Judge Eric N. Vitaliano that he executed his attack “by driving into the door.”
The facility located at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn houses both a synagogue and administrative offices, and contained roughly 2,000 people during the incident, Behrman reported. Nobody sustained injuries, and authorities found no weapons in Sohail’s vehicle.
Sohail’s “dangerous conduct was a targeted attack on the religious liberty and peace of worship to which every American is entitled,” the Justice Department’s civil rights division chief, Harmeet Dhillon, said in a statement.
Dhillon added that Sohail’s guilty plea sends a clear message that the Justice Department “will not tolerate acts of hatred and violence against religious institutions.”
Deliberately damaging religious property does not qualify as a hate crime under federal statutes. Sohail had been facing state-level hate crime accusations, but those charges were dismissed earlier as the federal case moved forward.
During a previous court appearance in March, Eisner-Grynberg revealed that Sohail was undergoing conversion to Judaism and had previously visited the Chabad Lubavitch location. Several weeks prior to the attack, authorities said, he had participated in a social event at the Chabad headquarters, where surveillance footage captured him dancing alongside Orthodox men.
Individuals familiar with Sohail, including relatives and Chabad rabbis, have indicated he showed no signs of antisemitic sentiment but struggled with psychological problems. At the March proceeding, prosecutor Eric Silverberg recognized “very significant mental health concerns” regarding Sohail.
The incident happened on the 75th anniversary of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson assuming leadership of the Lubavitch movement and sparked immediate alarm throughout the city. Schneerson passed away in 1994 but continues to be honored worldwide. Law enforcement has maintained an almost continuous presence around the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters for many years.
The location was central to the Crown Heights riots in 1991, when Black neighborhood residents attacked Jews following a child’s death caused by a vehicle in Schneerson’s convoy. In 2014, a mentally unstable individual entered the synagogue and stabbed a rabbinical student, injuring him, before being fatally shot by police.
Eleven passengers aboard a private aircraft that plummeted into Atlantic waters off Florida’s coast were successfully pulled to safety following a dramatic rescue operation, according to U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force officials who spoke Wednesday.
“For all those people to survive is pretty miraculous,” said Air Force Major Elizabeth Piowaty, who commanded one of the rescue aircraft, during a media briefing held the day following Tuesday’s ocean crash.
The twin-engine turboprop aircraft was traveling from the Bahamas carrying 11 adults when it plunged into the ocean approximately 80 miles from Melbourne, Florida. An emergency beacon activated during the crash alerted Coast Guard officials to the incident.
Major Piowaty’s HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, designed for combat search and rescue operations, was conducting training exercises when the emergency call came in, prompting her crew to immediately respond to the rescue mission.
The major reported that her team located the life raft just as storm clouds were moving in, and they dropped supplies including food, water and extra flotation devices to help the crash victims until water rescue teams could arrive.
“The survivors had already been in the raft for about five hours, and we could tell just by looking at them they were in distress, physically, mentally, emotionally,” said Air Force Captain Rory Whipple, one of the pararescuers who participated in the briefing.
A rescue helicopter crew from the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing, operating from a base near Melbourne, ultimately lifted the survivors to safety using a hovering aircraft. The rescued passengers were then transported to Melbourne Orlando International Airport to receive medical care.
Captain Whipple noted that rescue crews managed to extract all 11 crash survivors using nine separate hoist operations, finishing the mission with only five minutes of fuel remaining before they would have needed to either refuel in mid-air or make an emergency landing.
Neither Air Force nor Coast Guard representatives had immediate details regarding the severity of injuries or medical status of those rescued.
Officials from the Bahamas are conducting an investigation into what caused the crash, though the aircraft reportedly suffered engine problems, according to Coast Guard information. The agency stated that the plane had departed from Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and was traveling toward Freeport on Grand Bahama Island, a flight path covering roughly 100 miles.
Professional golfer Nelly Korda believes she has developed a new tool in her competitive arsenal as she works to extend her current winning streak throughout the busy LPGA Tour season — her mental approach.
The 27-year-old has captured victory in three of her initial six tournaments in 2026 while placing second in the remaining three competitions. This impressive performance has propelled her back to the top position in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings as the tour arrives in Cincinnati for the Queen City Championship this week.
This resurgence follows a disappointing 2025 campaign that concluded without earning a single tournament win.
Following her triumph in the season’s first major at the Chevron Championship, Korda honored her pledge to compete in Mexico. She claimed victory in that tournament as well before taking the previous week off from competition.
“You need to give your body a break because you played two weeks in a row with all the travel, too,” Korda explained on Wednesday. “You’re getting ready for a big summer ahead, so it’s like you can’t rest too much or the body doesn’t feel 100%.”
“I think everyone gets into that middle of the season when you travel a lot, play a lot. You don’t have too many weeks where you can rest, especially going into kind of the part of the season right now where we have kind of all the majors stacked up.”
Korda achieved six victories during a seven-tournament span in early 2024. She subsequently failed to make the cut in three straight events, including two major championships. After another underwhelming performance, Korda eventually regained her competitive edge with a second-place showing at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open.
The situation appears remarkably similar two years later, with a dominant Korda preparing for the year’s second major at the U.S. Women’s Open beginning in June. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship concludes the month three weeks afterward before the tour travels to Europe for the Evian Championship prior to the Women’s Open.
The golfer believes she is more equipped to sustain her excellent performance this time.
“My patience, for sure,” Korda responded when questioned about the strongest aspect of her current game. “Mentally being on the golf course, just really enjoying it, knowing that I am going to make mistakes and that it’s OK. It’s not going to ruin my round. That it’s OK to bounce back.”
“In the past I’ve been very scared to make mistakes, and that’s locked me up a little bit. So just kind of trying to stay free on the golf course, knowing my swing is not going to be perfect every week. Maybe to the outside they don’t see as precise of what I see, the detailing of my golf swing.”
“For me, as long as I stay mentally fresh, that’s the most important.”
Korda leads a 144-competitor field at Maketewah Country Club this week. The course layout features par-3 holes that conclude both the front and back nine.
“It’s definitely a very unique golf course,” Korda noted. “But it’s also fun to sometimes switch it up and play something you normally don’t.”
NEW YORK, May 13 – The chief executive of GameStop, Ryan Cohen, delivered a message to eBay’s leadership on Wednesday, arguing the online marketplace shouldn’t turn down his massive $56 billion acquisition offer without proper consideration and that investors should have the opportunity to review it.
In correspondence addressed to eBay’s board chairman, Cohen indicated he had sought a meeting with the company’s directors, but his request was turned down, according to the letter obtained by Reuters.
Cohen’s communication came just one day following eBay’s Tuesday decision to turn down his combined stock and cash acquisition bid.
Motorists traveling on S. DuPont Highway should expect delays as construction crews have temporarily shut down left turn lanes at the Willow Grove Road intersection.
The lane closures on US 13 are part of ongoing construction work in the area and will remain in place until 6AM, according to traffic officials.
Drivers are advised to plan alternate routes or allow extra travel time when passing through this section of the highway during the closure period.
Drivers traveling along US 13 should expect delays as construction crews have temporarily shut down left turn lanes at the W. Lebanon Road intersection.
The lane closures on S. DuPont Highway are part of ongoing construction work in the area. Traffic restrictions will remain active until 6 a.m., according to transportation officials.
Motorists are advised to plan alternate routes or allow extra travel time when passing through this section of the highway.
Drivers traveling on S. DuPont Highway should expect delays as construction crews have temporarily shut down left turn lanes at the Old North Road intersection.
The lane closures on US 13 are part of ongoing construction activities in the area and will remain in place until 6 AM, according to traffic officials.
Motorists are advised to plan alternate routes or allow extra travel time when passing through this section of the highway.
Despite coaching the Vegas Golden Knights for just over six weeks, John Tortorella brings extensive experience as this marks his sixth NHL franchise and he approaches his 22nd anniversary of winning the Stanley Cup.
Even with all that background, he remains curious about a fundamental aspect of playoff competition.
“I’m not sure what’s better: experience or youth, when you have no clue what’s going on?” Tortorella said. “They don’t understand the pressures of it because they don’t know. Or the experience.”
Tortorella’s squad demonstrated the benefits of seasoned play, securing a 3-2 series advantage against the largely inexperienced Anaheim Ducks with an overtime victory Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, the younger Buffalo Sabres defeated the Canadiens in Montreal to level their best-of-seven matchup at 2-2.
Two additional opportunities await to examine Tortorella’s inquiry.
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)
Series: Tied 2-2
Right when Buffalo appeared to be struggling, they netted the first goal within seven minutes of Game 4 and survived an evening filled with video reviews and penalty calls. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff expressed frustration with opposing players “going down easy” and hoped for additional embellishment penalties, though he praised his youthful roster’s response.
“We battled through all that,” Ruff said Wednesday. “We got to make sure we’re in there but at the same time not taking anything stupid and putting our team at a disadvantage. It’s a fine line right now, but I think there’s a way to juggle around it.”
The Canadiens experienced postseason action last year, falling to Washington in five first-round contests. Several players remain from 2021 (with Phillip Danault returning), when they made an unlikely journey to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Tampa Bay.
Team captain Nick Suzuki, among those veterans, attributed their recent loss to unfortunate circumstances and appears prepared for Game 5.
“We knew we had to go to Buffalo anyway,” Suzuki said. “We’re a good road team. We’ve shown that all year, so we’ve go do it again and bring it back home.”
While some Sabres players have postseason experience, the franchise is participating for the first time since 2011 following the conclusion of the league’s longest playoff absence. The newcomers have performed among Buffalo’s top contributors and appear to embrace the experience.
“As a kid, this is what you dream of, playing playoff hockey,” said Josh Doan, who tops the team’s series scoring with six points. “There’s nothing you trade it in the world for, getting the opportunity to do this.”
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)
Series: Vegas leads 3-2
Tortorella hopes experience prevails since the Golden Knights possess abundant amounts. The team recognizes this advantage.
“We’re a pretty comfortable group in there, and there’s a lot of players in there who’ve been through it and had a lot of success and won,” Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “We’re an older team, and it’s that feeling that no moment is too big.”
Vegas will play without top defensive pairing member Brayden McNabb, who received a suspension for his illegal check that injured Ducks center Ryan Poehling.
Despite losing Poehling, Anaheim possesses numerous experienced players, including championship winners Alex Killorn and John Carlson, along with players like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba who have advanced deep into playoffs. However, the Ducks’ foundation centers on youthful energy, quickness, and remaining unfazed by pressure.
“I’m pretty excited to see what we all got,” 23-year-old center Mason McTavish said. “It’s our first time with our backs against the wall. I’m excited for us to kind of show everybody what we got.”
Head coach Joel Quenneville, who earned three championship rings during his Chicago tenure, has sufficient experience that Tuesday’s game recalled a comparable Game 5 situation from 11 years earlier at Anaheim. During his Blackhawks days, they overcame this exact disadvantage while capturing their third title in six seasons.
“(We have) a lot of younger guys that they’ve been fine the whole playoffs and nothing seems to change their demeanor or their approach,” Quenneville said. “We’ll come back home and focus on the next game and know we’re right in the thick of things.”
Regarding the concept that young teams must experience defeat before achieving victory, Quenneville responded, “I’m not ready for that.”
A former mayor from a small Kansas community was arrested by federal immigration officials on Wednesday following his admission last year that he participated in elections without U.S. citizenship.
Joe Ceballos, a Mexico-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was apprehended during a scheduled appointment at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Wichita, Kansas, his lawyer Jess Hoeme confirmed. The attorney stated that Ceballos is now concerned about potential deportation.
The 55-year-old stepped down from his position as Coldwater’s mayor in December as he faced state criminal charges for casting ballots as a non-citizen. During his 2025 citizenship application process, Ceballos confessed in an interview that he had participated in voting, unaware that permanent residents with green cards are not eligible, Hoeme explained.
Criminal charges were filed against Ceballos for illegal voting, but he entered a guilty plea in April to reduced misdemeanor charges through an agreement with the Kansas attorney general. His situation has captured the Trump administration’s focus and rallied local supporters, with some displaying placards that read “We Support Mayor Joe” and “ICE Out” while Ceballos entered the federal facility in Wichita.
“Let Joe go!” supporters shouted.
“Thinking what could happen — it’s just kind of crazy,” Ceballos told reporters. “Obviously nervous. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know where they’re going to take me and what I can and can’t do inside there.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond immediately to requests for comment via email.
Trump and fellow Republicans have been highlighting concerns about non-citizen voting since the start of the 2024 presidential campaign. Studies, including those conducted by Republican election officials, indicate such incidents are uncommon.
During this year, Trump has been urging Congressional Republicans to approve the SAVE Act, which would mandate documented citizenship verification for voter registration and participation.
The current administration has also substantially enhanced a Homeland Security program designed to verify citizenship status. At least 25 states, primarily under Republican leadership, have utilized this system to audit their voter registration databases.
Ceballos arrived in the United States from Mexico with relatives when he was 4 years old. Hoeme indicated that legal representatives will attempt to secure his release on bond through an immigration judge.
The attorney explained that Ceballos, at 18 years old, was prompted to register for voting immediately during an educational field trip to the Comanche County courthouse. In previous media interviews, Ceballos has stated that he supported Republican candidates.
He secured the mayor’s office twice in Coldwater, a community of 700 residents, and previously served as a city council member. Ceballos earned re-election in November but stepped down after state Attorney General Kris Kobach filed charges for unqualified voting and election perjury.
Kobach’s office ultimately negotiated a settlement with Ceballos. He admitted guilt to disorderly election conduct, which Hoeme characterized as a misdemeanor comparable to disturbing the peace.
“He has not been convicted of any kind of voter fraud. It should not have impacted his immigration status,” Hoeme said. “The Trump administration and ICE have doubled down on nonsense that he is a criminal.”
Ceballos has maintained strong community support in Coldwater, where a local newspaper advertisement in The Western Star urged residents to back him.
“He’s kind of got to live the American dream, to come from absolutely nothing and build up — I don’t know about wealth — but to build up a business and have a job and be a productive part of society,” longtime friend Ryan Swayze told Wichita station KAKE-TV.
Political opposition leaders in the Dominican Republic voiced strong criticism Wednesday regarding a newly signed pact with the United States that would allow the Caribbean nation to temporarily house deportees from other countries, arguing the arrangement compromises national sovereignty and lacks sufficient transparency.
The Dominican Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that the non-binding memorandum of understanding would permit the country to temporarily accept a restricted number of third-country nationals who have clean criminal backgrounds before they are sent back to their nations of origin.
This arrangement represents the most recent in a series of similar pacts between the Trump administration and various nations across Latin America and Africa, which have faced widespread criticism. These third-country deportation programs, requiring millions in funding, form part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s broader immigration enforcement strategy that involves sending migrants to nations other than their countries of origin.
“This agreement represents a surrender of our national sovereignty,” Manolo Pichardo, from the opposition Fuerza del Pueblo party, told The Associated Press.
“It subordinates Dominican interests to the geopolitical priorities of major Western powers and their strategic allies,” Pichardo added.
Former Dominican Foreign Minister Andrés Navarro raised concerns about the apparent secrecy surrounding the pact and urged the government to release the complete memorandum so citizens can fully comprehend its implications.
“What has been published says practically nothing,” Navarro said Tuesday.
Navarro explained that although he backs maintaining and enhancing ties with the U.S., he seeks assurance that the pact won’t compromise Dominican sovereignty.
The Dominican Foreign Ministry maintained the pact “will be carried out in accordance with national law and the country’s international obligations, without altering Dominican immigration policy or current border control and management procedures.”
The ministry stressed that the arrangement excludes children and nationals from neighboring Haiti, which occupies the same Caribbean island of Hispaniola alongside the Dominican Republic.
The U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Leah Campos, stated on Instagram that “this short-term memorandum of understanding allows the United States to remove and repatriate third-country nationals more quickly, while respecting Dominican law, the country’s sovereignty, and current border procedures.”
She highlighted that the U.S. is working alongside the Dominican Republic to address transnational crime and drug trafficking, combat terrorism, and advance regional stability and prosperity.
Eleven people who survived a plane crash off Florida’s coast spent five agonizing hours floating in the ocean on a life raft Tuesday, unable to contact rescuers and uncertain whether anyone would find them. The group huddled beneath a tarp as storm clouds gathered overhead.
Military search and rescue teams eventually spotted them from above, according to officials who spoke at a Wednesday press conference.
“You could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress — physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Air Force Capt. Rory Whipple, a combat rescue specialist who jumped into the water and swam to the survivors. “You have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there, not knowing if someone was going to rescue them.”
Officials said the Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop was traveling from Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco island in the Bahamas to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport when the engine failed Tuesday. The pilot brought the aircraft down in waters approximately 50 miles off Vero Beach, Florida, and successfully evacuated all 10 passengers onto a yellow life raft. Three people sustained minor injuries.
Air Force Reserve Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty praised the pilot’s emergency response, noting concerns about ocean swells and the need to reduce speed as much as possible before impact.
“I’ve not known anyone to survive a ditching in the ocean,” said Piowaty, who commanded a HC-130J Combat King II plane that assisted with the rescue. “From what I’ve seen, for all those people to survive is pretty miraculous.”
The aircraft’s emergency beacon notified the U.S. Coast Guard of its position. Fortunately, the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing had a crew conducting training exercises in a HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter nearby. Officials redirected that crew to assist with the search operation.
After finding the survivors, Piowaty’s aircraft flew overhead and delivered a survival package containing two extra rafts, food and water. This allowed the group to spread out more comfortably. The HH-60W crew, including Whipple, then lifted each person to safety despite 3- to 5-foot ocean swells. They rescued the final survivor just minutes before the helicopter would have needed to return for fuel.
Piowaty reported no trace of the crashed aircraft was found.
Emergency medical teams were waiting when all 11 survivors arrived at Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Medical officials said everyone was in stable condition.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced it will conduct an investigation into the crash.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick retreated from earlier statements about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged blackmail activities during questioning by House lawmakers last week.
The House Oversight Committee released interview transcripts on Wednesday showing Lutnick walking back claims he made on a podcast last year about the convicted sex offender. Lutnick had previously stated that Epstein engaged in blackmail, but told lawmakers he was merely guessing.
“I had no personal information. I was just speculating for a podcast,” Lutnick said during his testimony, describing his subsequent encounters with Epstein as “meaningless and inconsequential.”
The interview came after Epstein case files contradicted Lutnick’s podcast statements that he was determined to avoid Epstein following a disturbing 2005 visit to the financier’s residence with his wife.
Lutnick, who lived near Epstein in New York City for years, repeatedly minimized their relationship during questioning. He told lawmakers that after Epstein displayed a massage table and made sexual comments during the 2005 house tour, he and his wife decided to stay away from him.
However, records show Lutnick had additional contact with Epstein over the years, including email exchanges and two face-to-face meetings. The former head of Cantor Fitzgerald also unknowingly invested in the same business venture as Epstein in 2013, learning of Epstein’s involvement only when case files became public recently.
Lutnick described a 2012 Caribbean vacation where Epstein’s staff invited his family to lunch on the private island. “We sat outside, had lunch. It was boring. We left,” he told the committee.
He also acknowledged a brief 2011 visit to Epstein’s residence to discuss construction scaffolding, calling that meeting “meaningless and inconsequential.”
When Democrats questioned why he met with Epstein after deciding to avoid him, Lutnick said he couldn’t recall his family’s reasoning for the island visit.
Following the interview, Democratic lawmakers criticized Lutnick’s responses and called for his resignation. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, posted on social media: “If a Cabinet Secretary lies to the American public, they should no longer serve in that position. Mr. Lutnick should resign or be fired.”
The White House has maintained support for Lutnick, who has been part of the Republican president’s inner circle for years. The president has consistently denied awareness of Epstein’s crimes and stated he severed ties with him years ago.
Lutnick represents the highest-ranking current administration official, aside from President Donald Trump, to appear in the Epstein case files. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges.
The committee also released transcripts from an interview with Tedd Waitt, Gateway computers cofounder who dated Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the early 2000s. Maxwell is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in helping Epstein traffic girls.
Waitt told lawmakers he was unaware of any sexual abuse by either Epstein or Maxwell during their relationship. He described meeting Epstein only briefly on a few occasions, calling those encounters “very brief and unintentional.”
Waitt said he never went to Epstein’s home, used his aircraft, or visited his private island. He characterized Epstein as “somewhat arrogant” and “off-putting.”
WASHINGTON — Congressional backers of Ukraine assistance legislation achieved a key milestone Wednesday by gathering enough signatures to circumvent Republican leadership and mandate a House floor vote in upcoming weeks.
The proposed measure aims to solidify American support for Ukraine through approval of more than $1 billion in security assistance while providing an additional $8 billion through loan arrangements. Advocates have been urging President Donald Trump to take stronger action against Russia while increasing support for Ukraine.
The effort secured 218 signatures on a discharge petition initiated by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, which will compel a House vote. Though the bill faces long odds of becoming law, the vote will establish lawmakers’ positions regarding Ukraine support.
The petition received backing from 215 Democrats and two Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Rep. Kevin Kiley, an Independent from California, provided the crucial final signature needed to trigger the vote. Kiley stated the legislation would help bolster Ukraine’s position to pursue lasting peace.
“We must also send a strong message that Russian support for Iran’s targeting of U.S. military assets will not be tolerated,” Kiley said in a statement explaining his support for the petition.
However, Speaker Mike Johnson expressed reservations about the vote’s timing.
“I’m talking with some of the sponsors of that right now,” Johnson said. “… The latest news out of Russia is that it looks like the war is scaling back, scaling down, coming to a conclusion. I think Vladimir Putin said that himself in the last few days, and so this would be a good time for Congress to see how that pans out. So I’m going to be talking to my colleagues about that.”
Trump indicated Tuesday he anticipates Moscow and Kyiv will soon negotiate an agreement to halt hostilities.
“The end of the war in Ukraine I really think is getting very close,” Trump said as he left the White House for a summit in Beijing. “Believe it or not, it’s getting closer.”
Putin declared in a weekend address that his invasion of Ukraine is potentially “coming to an end.”
However, on Wednesday, Russia launched at least 800 drones in an extensive daylight assault throughout Ukraine, resulting in at least six deaths and injuring dozens, including children, in one of Moscow’s most prolonged attacks during the 4-year-old conflict, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported.
Fitzpatrick disagreed that the conflict is approaching resolution and stated the only circumstance under which he would oppose the Meeks measure would be if Russia withdrew its military forces from Ukraine.
“There’s people dying as we speak, so no, the war is not winding down,” Fitzpatrick said.
Meeks emphasized it was time for legislators to declare their positions publicly.
“Members of Congress, some tell me that they are supportive of Ukraine. Well, we’re going to finally get a vote on the floor to make that determination,” Meeks said.
He predicted the House vote will “put pressure on the Senate and I think it should tell the president that America is looking and we want to stand by our allies and not Vladimir Putin.”
Congressional members have spent months discussing various Russia sanction proposals, but much of that discussion subsided when Trump initiated an attack on Iran in late February.
While Senate Republicans have generally backed Ukraine, they have been reluctant to proceed without Trump’s endorsement. Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune showed doubt about the Senate’s ability to advance Russia sanctions, citing “such a pileup” of other pending legislation.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has advocated for Russia sanctions legislation in the Senate, said Wednesday, “There are parts of the House bill I like, parts of it that I don’t.”
Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed frustration that the Department of Defense has not utilized $400 million in military assistance for Ukraine that lawmakers allocated last year. During a recent hearing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was developing a strategy to distribute those funds.
Ukraine support has created significant friction between Congress and Trump, who promised to rapidly resolve the conflict upon assuming the presidency. Instead, he has faced challenges demonstrating progress toward a peace agreement while his administration has frequently moved to reduce support for both Ukraine and the broader European region.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who broadcasts racist content online under the alias “Chud the Builder” was arrested following a Wednesday shooting incident near a courthouse, according to local officials.
Dalton Eatherly and another individual became involved in an altercation that led to gunshots being fired, announced District Attorney Robert J. Nash. Nash declined to reveal Eatherly’s reason for being at the Clarksville courthouse, his activities there, or what sparked the confrontation.
Authorities did not disclose the race of the second person involved. A witness who observed him being placed in an ambulance identified him as Black.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed both individuals were taken to medical facilities for treatment and remained in stable condition.
Claire Martin, an employee at a law firm located across from the courthouse, described Eatherly as “well known in Clarksville for antagonizing people to see what he can get them to do.” She explained that he “yells racial slurs” at individuals while recording them. “He’s not a contributing member of society,” she stated.
While Martin did not witness the incident directly, she observed what happened afterward. The other individual “waved at us as he got in the ambulance,” she noted.
On Wednesday, Eatherly posted a video to the website Pump.fun claiming he fired at someone in self-defense after being physically attacked.
Jacob Fendley, the lawyer representing Eatherly in an unrelated November harassment matter according to court documents, did not respond to requests for comment.
Records show Eatherly was scheduled for a Wednesday morning court appearance in Clarksville, situated approximately 50 miles northeast of Nashville, regarding an alleged $3,300 debt to a credit company. The civil lawsuit was initiated in February by Midland Credit Management.
Court documents do not show whether Eatherly attended the status hearing. Online records indicate the case remains active.
Eatherly, who is white, broadcasts confrontational encounters on social media platforms where he can be observed making racist remarks toward Black individuals in public spaces.
In one recording filmed at a store, he addresses a Black man passing by, saying “You chimpin’ out,” referencing chimpanzees. He then repeatedly uses the N-word.
The Black individual is shown using his phone to document the encounter, telling Eatherly, “Don’t touch me.”
A store employee informs Eatherly that such language is prohibited. He replies “America is free speech. Tell me I can’t say something again. This is (expletive) America.”
Throughout history, racists in America and internationally have drawn comparisons between Black people and monkeys or apes. In February, President Donald Trump shared a racist social media post depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle setting. The post was removed following criticism from both Republicans and Democrats who called the video offensive.
Beyond the credit debt matter, Eatherly is facing criminal charges related to an incident at a Nashville steakhouse on Saturday where he allegedly became disruptive and refused to pay a bill totaling nearly $400.
Court documents state that while the restaurant requested he not livestream on the premises, he continued doing so. When staff asked him to cease, he began shouting and “started making racial statements.”
He was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, then released on $5,000 bond. His next court date for this matter is set for July 17 in Davidson County criminal court.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported that one person from Wednesday’s shooting was treated at Vanderbilt of Clarksville Hospital. Hospital officials did not return messages seeking information.
The second individual was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to the sheriff’s office. Hospital spokesperson Craig Boerner stated that medical privacy regulations prevent sharing information about violence victims.
A former Brooklyn judge who stepped down from the bench last year amid misconduct allegations now faces federal criminal charges for allegedly using his judicial authority to defraud real estate investors of more than $5 million, with some of those stolen funds going toward his personal expenses.
Edward Harold King, who departed his judicial role at the close of 2025, along with Yechiel “Sam” Sprei, a real estate developer with political connections, were taken into custody by federal agents on charges of wire fraud conspiracy. Prosecutors allege the pair misled two investors into providing $6.5 million for a fraudulent property purchase, then returned only a small portion of the funds.
These criminal accusations mirror allegations previously raised in civil court cases and complaints filed with the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, which prompted King’s departure from the bench.
During the defendants’ first court hearing on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Wang informed the presiding judge that the criminal case represents “one of several schemes that the government has been investigating.” When addressing Sprei’s financial situation, the prosecutor noted that “it’s safe to say many, many millions of dollars” have passed through his banking accounts recently.
Both King, age 72, and Sprei, age 37, were granted bail and must return to Brooklyn federal court on Monday to complete their bond proceedings. King and his attorney, Michael Vitaliano, refused to speak to media as they exited the courthouse. The former judge escaped through nearby park trees to evade reporters and cameras. Sprei’s attorney, Ezra Lent, also declined comment.
Wang revealed in court that during Sprei’s arrest, the developer falsely told FBI agents he possessed no electronic devices except his cellphone. After agents confiscated the phone during a search warrant execution, they discovered a second phone while conducting a pat-down search, Wang stated.
Both defendants face potential sentences of up to 20 years in federal prison if found guilty.
“As alleged, the defendants stole millions of dollars from investors by cynically leveraging King’s position as a sitting judge to lend false legitimacy to supposed investment opportunities,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement.
King stepped down on Dec. 31, 2025, merely three years into his judicial career, after the Commission on Judicial Conduct notified him of an investigation into complaints that parallel his current criminal charges.
The commission stated that among the complaints were allegations that King participated in a real estate investor fraud scheme and continued practicing law despite judicial prohibitions, including accepting money into his personal attorney escrow accounts. Full-time judges are forbidden from legal practice, serving as fiduciaries, or conducting business activities. King disputed these allegations.
Federal prosecutors say King and Sprei presented investors with fake investment opportunities while falsely promising their money would remain secure in attorney escrow accounts and be returned upon request if investors chose to withdraw.
In November 2024, according to prosecutors, Sprei and King presented two investors with a chance to purchase commercial property in Freehold, New Jersey, through a bankruptcy sale. Sprei explained that all potential bidders must first demonstrate “proof of liquidity” by placing $6.5 million in King’s escrow account, prosecutors stated. Sprei informed the investors that King served as both an independent escrow agent and a judge, according to prosecutors.
The investors transferred the funds to King’s account, where they were assured the money would remain untouched and not be spent or moved without authorization, prosecutors said. Within days, prosecutors alleged, King and Sprei moved several million dollars to an account under Sprei’s name.
When the investors later requested their money back as promised, King provided excuses and alternative proposals, including one instance where he claimed his lawyer would deposit the funds with an unspecified court, prosecutors said. King and Sprei ultimately returned $1.5 million to the investors but have failed to provide the remainder, prosecutors stated.
King began his judicial service in 2023, winning election to the New York City Civil Court in Brooklyn before receiving appointment to the state’s primary trial court in June 2024.
Before becoming a judge, he worked in private legal practice and, based on news coverage of his campaign, received court appointments to oversee assets in real estate litigation. He previously worked as an administrative law judge for the city’s Parking Violations Bureau and provided legal counsel to the state assembly.
Upon accepting King’s resignation, commission administrator Robert Tembeckjian described the allegations as “so egregious as to warrant his permanent departure from the bench.”
Military authorities announced Wednesday they have found the body of the second American soldier who disappeared during training operations in Morocco, bringing closure to an extensive international search mission that utilized advanced technology and over 1,000 personnel.
The recovered service member has been identified as Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, a 19-year-old from Taveres, Florida, according to U.S. military Europe and Africa officials.
“Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported the Soldier’s remains by a Moroccan helicopter to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, Morocco,” the statement said.
Collington worked as an air and missile defense crewmember with Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, military officials reported.
The young soldier joined the Regular Army’s Delayed Entry Program in 2023 and started active duty in 2024. She finished Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma as a 14P air and missile defense crewmember. In February 2025, she was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany, and received promotion to specialist on May 1, 2026.
She received the Army Service Ribbon among her military honors.
This discovery follows the earlier recovery of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer. Both soldiers tragically fell from a cliff while hiking during their free time in Morocco. Their bodies are being returned to the United States.
A spokesperson for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa confirmed to The Associated Press that officials continue investigating what led to the fatal incident.
Both soldiers were reported missing on May 2 following their participation in African Lion, a yearly multinational training exercise conducted in Morocco. Their disappearance launched a comprehensive search involving more than 1,000 American and Moroccan military and civilian personnel, the SETAF-AF spokesperson confirmed.
The search operation deployed sophisticated equipment including a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, thermal and ISR sensors, an unmanned underwater vehicle, side-scan sonar, a Moroccan multibeam echosounder and U.S. Coast Guard drift modeling capabilities, the spokesperson detailed.
African Lion 26 is a U.S.-directed exercise that began in April spanning four nations – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 countries.
In 2012, two U.S. Marines died and two others sustained injuries in a helicopter crash in Morocco’s southern city of Agadir during the same exercises.
A 64-year-old New York resident was convicted Wednesday on charges of serving as an unregistered Chinese government agent following a trial concerning allegations he ran a covert police station for Beijing in Manhattan’s Chinatown district.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn stated that Lu Jianwang, 64, was required to notify the U.S. Attorney General of his role as a Chinese agent when he assisted in establishing the alleged police station in 2022. Authorities also accused him of assisting China’s government in tracking down a pro-democracy activist residing in California.
Lu’s arrest occurred in April 2023. He had entered not guilty pleas to three felony counts: conspiracy to serve as an unregistered foreign agent, operating as an unregistered Chinese agent, and obstruction of justice.
A Brooklyn federal court jury delivered the guilty verdict following a week of testimony. Lu could receive up to 30 years behind bars.
“May today’s verdict send a message to other foreign agents–the FBI maintains its unwavering resolve to reveal and disrupt the clandestine operations of adversarial nations,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle in an announcement of the verdict.
The Justice Department has recently increased investigations into what officials term “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries including China and Iran to threaten political dissidents residing in America.
China’s government has labeled the accusations “fabricated” and described them as part of a campaign to damage the nation’s reputation. Beijing maintains that overseas centers are operated by local volunteers rather than Chinese police officers to assist Chinese citizens with document renewals and other services.
During her May 6 opening remarks, prosecutor Lindsey Oken described Lu – a naturalized U.S. citizen – as having connections with Chinese law enforcement and meeting with officials who assigned him to establish the station during a 2022 China visit.
Oken explained that Lu operated the station from an unremarkable office building in Chinatown. She noted he initially assisted Chinese nationals in New York with driver’s license renewals, which constitutes a crime when not reported to the U.S. government.
Oken stated that Lu also consented to assist the Chinese government in locating a pro-democracy activist living in the United States. Prosecutors did not claim the activist suffered harm.
John Carman, Lu’s attorney, argued his client agreed to establish the center to assist Chinese nationals unable to travel to China for document renewals during the COVID pandemic. However, Carman maintained Lu was not directed to do so by the Chinese government.
Chen Jinping, a co-defendant arrested with Lu, entered a guilty plea in 2024 to conspiring to act as an unregistered Chinese agent.
The arrests followed a 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders that documented China’s establishment of overseas “service stations,” including in New York, that unlawfully collaborated with Chinese police to coerce fugitives into returning to China.
Local residents in Miami have taken legal action against Florida’s decision to give away valuable state property for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, claiming the land transfer violates constitutional protections against presidential self-enrichment.
Florida officials gave their approval last year for transferring a waterfront parcel spanning 2.63 acres that previously served as a parking area for Miami Dade College employees.
According to the legal filing, the property carries a value exceeding $300 million and may ultimately be developed by Trump into a significant commercial project, potentially including hotel facilities. Those bringing the lawsuit want the court to declare the land transfer unconstitutional and cancel the deal entirely.
In their court filing, the plaintiffs stated: “Florida’s gift of the immensely valuable MDC Parcel for lucrative private economic development benefiting the President and his close family members is an unlawful ’emolument’ under the Domestic Emoluments Clause.”
Constitutional provisions known as “emoluments” clauses prevent presidents from leveraging their position for personal financial gain.
The legal challenge names Trump, the library foundation, Florida officials including Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College and its board as defendants. The case was brought by two Miami residents, a Miami-Dade College student and nonprofit Sistrunk Seeds.
Neither the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation nor DeSantis’ office provided immediate responses when asked for comment.
Presidential libraries are commonly built in a president’s home state to preserve official records and documents, often featuring museum components. Trump changed his legal residence from New York to Florida in 2019.
The former real estate developer has indicated that library construction would commence following his departure from office and would “most likely” feature hotel accommodations along with a Boeing 747 aircraft similar to Air Force One displayed in the entrance area.
Search teams from Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces working alongside U.S. military personnel have recovered the remains of a second American service member who disappeared during joint training exercises in southern Morocco, officials announced Thursday.
According to a social media statement from Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces, the servicewoman’s body was discovered on May 12 at a rocky cliff location in the Cap Draa region after extensive search and rescue operations.
Both American military personnel had been participating in the African Lion joint training exercises when they were reported missing near Tan Tan in Morocco’s southern region on May 2, according to U.S. and Moroccan military officials. The first soldier’s remains were found and recovered near a cliff in the Cap Draa area on Sunday, the U.S. Army confirmed.
President Donald Trump is conducting high-stakes discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing this Thursday, working to achieve economic victories, preserve a delicate trade agreement, and address complex challenges including the Iran conflict and weapons sales to Taiwan.
The president’s highly watched journey to China – his first presidential visit to America’s primary strategic competitor since 2017 – carries heightened importance as his public approval numbers have suffered due to the Iranian conflict.
Trump’s delegation includes business leaders such as Elon Musk and Nvidia’s chief executive Jensen Huang, who joined the presidential aircraft during a fuel stop in Alaska at Trump’s invitation.
Several of these business executives, including Huang and Musk, hope to address their concerns with China, and Trump has indicated he will press Xi to make China more accessible to American companies.
However, the balance of influence has changed since Trump’s 2017 visit when China made extraordinary efforts to impress Trump and purchase American products worth billions, according to Ali Wyne, senior advisor for U.S.-China relations at International Crisis Group.
During that earlier period “China was trying to persuade the United States of its growing status… This time around it’s the United States, unprompted, of its own volition, that is acknowledging that status,” Wyne explained, noting that Trump brought back the term ‘G2’, describing a superpower partnership, during his October meeting with Xi at an APEC gathering in South Korea.
The leaders’ agenda includes extensive interaction time: discussions at The Great Hall of the People, a visit to the UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven, and a formal state dinner on Thursday, followed by tea and lunch on Friday, the White House announced.
However, Trump approaches these negotiations from a position of reduced strength.
American judicial decisions have limited his authority to impose tariffs freely on Chinese and other foreign exports. The Iran conflict has also increased domestic inflation and raised the possibility that Trump’s Republican Party could lose control of one or both congressional chambers in November’s midterm voting.
While China’s economy has struggled, Xi doesn’t confront similar economic or political challenges.
Despite these tensions, both nations want to preserve the trade agreement reached last October, where Trump postponed massive tariffs on Chinese products and Xi stepped back from restricting global rare earth supplies, which are essential for manufacturing everything from electric vehicles to military equipment.
The leaders are also anticipated to explore mechanisms for supporting bilateral trade and investment, plus discussions on artificial intelligence matters.
The United States hopes to export Boeing aircraft, agricultural products, and energy resources to China to reduce a trade imbalance that has long frustrated Trump, while China seeks American relaxation of restrictions on chipmaking technology and sophisticated semiconductors, according to planning officials.
Beyond trade issues, Trump is expected to ask China to persuade Tehran to negotiate with Washington to resolve the conflict. However, experts question whether Xi will pressure Tehran significantly or withdraw support for its military, considering Iran’s importance to Beijing as a strategic balance against American influence.
For Xi, American weapon sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed territory that China claims, represents a primary concern.
China restated its firm opposition to these sales on Wednesday, with the fate of a $14-billion package pending Trump’s decision remaining uncertain. American law requires providing Taiwan with defensive capabilities, despite the absence of official diplomatic relations.
“Trump doesn’t really have that many of the cards to play. But I don’t think that Trump actually sees the situation that way,” said Ronan Fu, an assistant research fellow at Taiwan’s top government think tank Academia Sinica.
“I don’t think that Trump is going to just let Beijing basically ask for whatever they want and then the US will make any concession that Beijing requests.”
Xi has a return visit provisionally scheduled for later this year, which would mark his first trip to the United States since Trump returned to office in 2025.
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware Athletics Department celebrated outstanding student-athletes during its yearly Hennies Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 12 at the Bob Carpenter Center.
The annual recognition event was organized by the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and celebrated accomplishments across all athletic and spirit programs while paying tribute to numerous student-athletes.
Motorists traveling on northbound Route 13 in Sussex County should expect delays due to a construction-related lane closure that remains in effect until midnight.
The right lane is currently blocked between Laurel Road and Brickyard Road as crews continue their work on the busy highway corridor.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when approaching the construction zone where traffic is being funneled into a single lane.
Motorists traveling on Kenton Road northbound should be prepared for periodic lane restrictions due to ongoing construction activity.
The traffic disruptions are occurring along the northbound stretch of Kenton Road between Mapledale Drive and Chestnut Grove Road, where workers are conducting construction operations that require occasional lane closures.
Drivers are advised to exercise caution when traveling through the work zone and to expect potential delays during their commute.
Four exceptional college basketball talents are vying for the coveted first overall selection in this year’s NBA draft, with AJ Dybantsa from BYU and Darryn Peterson from Kansas leading the conversation alongside Duke’s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.
These four athletes stand apart from their peers in what experts consider a talent-rich draft class. The question now centers on which order teams will select them.
Washington holds the top selection for the first time since selecting John Wall in 2010. The Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls occupy the next three spots in the draft order.
“It would mean a lot,” Dybantsa expressed Wednesday during the NBA draft combine when asked about potentially being chosen first. “It would just mean that all my hard work is paying off. All the countless hours and all the sacrifices I made have paid off.”
The nation’s leading scorer from last season believes he would mesh well with Washington’s roster. The franchise posted a dismal 17-65 record, marking their worst season since 1967. Following eight consecutive losing campaigns, the organization may be ready for improvement.
However, Dybantsa’s selection at the top spot remains uncertain. Strong arguments exist for Peterson, along with Boozer and Wilson.
“For me, it’s just about going to the right fit, the right situation for me,” explained Boozer, who earned AP national player of the year honors. “An organization that really believes in me, and understands what I bring to the team. I understand where you go really matters for your career and how your trajectory goes, so that’s the biggest thing for me for sure.”
The son of former Duke and NBA veteran Carlos Boozer matched the national record with 22 double-doubles while posting averages of 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. His father previously suited up for the Jazz and Bulls, and now Cameron could potentially join one of those franchises.
“He loves it here,” Cameron Boozer mentioned regarding his father’s connection to Chicago. “I think he has a very strong fan base here as well. I think he’d be very happy if I was sent to Chicago.”
Wilson compiled impressive numbers with 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds during an outstanding campaign that injuries unfortunately shortened. He suffered a broken bone in his left hand shortly after a memorable victory over Duke. Later, as he prepared to return, he fractured his right thumb during a non-contact practice session, ending his season before another clash with the Blue Devils.
Wilson reported his hand is “perfectly fine” and promised the selecting team will acquire a “winner.”
“They’re gonna get somebody who’s dedicated to their franchise, somebody who will change their city for the better,” he stated.
Peterson faced hospitalization due to full-body cramping before the season began and battled additional injuries and illnesses that sidelined him for 11 contests. Despite these setbacks, he excelled when healthy, recording 20.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while connecting on 38.2% of his three-point attempts across 24 appearances.
Peterson and Dybantsa held recognition as the nation’s premier high school prospects for several years. They delivered an unforgettable performance during a Grind Session matchup on the winter AAU schedule, where Peterson exploded for 58 points representing Prolific Prep and connected on the game-winning three-pointer in the closing moments. Dybantsa contributed 49 points for Utah Prep.
“I just remember me and AJ going back and forth,” Peterson recalled. “It was a great game and I was blessed to come out on top. I’m getting back to that now.”
Dybantsa characterized the contest as an unforgettable moment for spectators.
“If you were at that game, that’s probably a core memory in your whole basketball-watching as a fan,” he reflected. “That was probably a core moment. I think there was a time in the game where we went 15 for 15 straight. It was crazy. He ended up winning, so he got the best me.”
Peterson repeated his success when Kansas defeated BYU in late January, contributing 18 points while Dybantsa managed 17.
Currently, Peterson works to demonstrate that the physical challenges from last season are behind him. Those difficulties may have contributed to his evolution as a more complete player.
“I didn’t have the same step that I had before,” he acknowledged. “If one thing’s bad, something else improves. My shooting improved because of that.”
Violent confrontations in a region of southern Sudan have claimed the lives of more than 61 individuals, including nine children, according to a local medical organization that reported the casualties Wednesday. The deadly fighting represents another chapter in the broader civil war that has devastated the African nation since 2023.
The Sudan Doctors Network, an organization that tracks casualties from the ongoing conflict, reported that the violence began earlier this month in Kauda, located in South Kordofan. The battles have pitted forces associated with the rebel organization Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North against members of the Otoro tribe.
The leader of the SPLM-N, Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, has formed an alliance with the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which is currently engaged in combat against Sudan’s military forces.
The nation’s conflict, now entering its fourth year, has resulted in military control over northern, eastern and central territories, including the country’s Red Sea ports and oil infrastructure. The RSF paramilitary forces and their allies maintain control over the western Darfur area and portions of the Kordofan region near the South Sudan border, both areas containing valuable oil deposits and gold mining operations.
The SPLM-N under al-Hilu’s leadership has maintained operations in South Kordofan and has participated in a regional government established by the RSF paramilitaries.
The SPLM-N represents a splinter group from the SPLM, which serves as the governing party in neighboring South Sudan. The Otoro tribe represents a minority community within the Nuba Mountains area of South Kordofan.
Sudan’s civil war began in April 2023 following escalating tensions between military and RSF forces that exploded into full-scale warfare. The fighting has resulted in at least 59,000 deaths, forced approximately 13 million people from their homes, and created famine conditions across large areas. More than 30 million citizens require humanitarian aid.
The medical organization’s report indicated that survivor accounts collected by their South Kordofan team revealed that five women and nine children were among the fatalities during the two-week period.
Mohamed Elsheikh, the group’s spokesperson, told The Associated Press that poor communication has made it difficult to verify the full toll, which is likely higher as the clashes continue.
The medical group additionally reported that SPLM-N combatants destroyed residential buildings and commercial establishments while stealing property. Survivors allegedly informed the organization that civilians were “indiscriminately targeted.”
The organization also issued warnings about “systematic burning” and civilian attacks in areas surrounding Kauda, noting the absence of safe evacuation routes for injured people or aid delivery.
The SPLM-N did not immediately respond to request for comments.
In Dilling, another town in South Kordofan, artillery shelling by the RSF on Tuesday killed seven people and wounded 17, according to a local hospital. Umm Bakhita Hospital director Omran Teia in Dilling told the AP that civilians were targeted by the paramilitary and SPLM-N.
Both opposing forces in Sudan’s conflict have faced accusations from the United Nations and human rights organizations of committing serious crimes, including ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence against civilians. Humanitarian organizations indicate the actual casualty count could be significantly higher due to restricted access to combat zones throughout the expansive country.
SAO PAULO — A Brazilian senator running for president has dismissed accusations of impropriety following reports that he sought millions in funding from an incarcerated banker at the heart of a corruption investigation, a development that may damage his anticipated October campaign against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Intercept Brazil released audio recordings on Wednesday showing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro requesting 61 million reais ($12 million) from Daniel Vorcaro for financing “The Dark Horse,” a film project about his imprisoned father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Vorcaro previously led the now-closed Banco Master and faces allegations in a widespread fraud investigation that has implicated numerous high-level Brazilian officials this year. Authorities accuse him of swindling bank customers out of millions through fraudulent investment schemes. Federal police and the Supreme Court continue investigating the matter.
The senator stood by his actions in response to the revelations.
“Our case is of a son seeking PRIVATE sponsorship for a PRIVATE film about his father’s story. No public money,” Flávio Bolsonaro said in a statement. “I did not offer any (illegal) advantages in exchange. I did not have private encounters. I did not intermediate business with the government. I did not receive money.”
Political analyst Thomas Traumann warned the disclosure could damage Bolsonaro’s campaign as his Liberal Party prepares for its nominating convention.
“As Flávio Bolsonaro is an unknown politician whose biggest asset is being son of the former president, a scandal like this could have a devastating impact,” Traumann said. “(Flávio Bolsonaro’s) asking for money and showing intimacy with a banker who is under police investigation for fraud could force Brazil’s opposition of changing its candidate to keep its chances.”
According to The Intercept Brazil’s report, Bolsonaro contacted Vorcaro in October. The banker was taken into custody in March and has attempted to negotiate a cooperation agreement with prosecutors.
Brazilian banking regulators closed Banco Master, which held assets exceeding $16 billion, in November.
Following the scandal’s emergence, Flávio Bolsonaro and his supporters have claimed without proof that Lula should be blamed for the situation; federal investigators have found no connections between Vorcaro and the current government. This week, Sen. Ciro Nogueira, a former chief-of-staff for Jair Bolsonaro, disputed news reports claiming he regularly received payments from Vorcaro for his support.
A cancer specialist from Oregon finds himself as the sole American patient in a specialized isolation facility in Nebraska after exposure to hantavirus during a cruise ship outbreak.
Dr. Stephen Kornfeld from Bend, Oregon, stepped up to assist other travelers who fell ill aboard the MV Hondius during an April voyage. He was part of more than 120 passengers and crew members who were removed from the vessel and transported to various nations for quarantine procedures.
Though 15 fellow Americans are under observation at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Kornfeld was placed in a different isolation area after a nasal sample he provided while on the ship showed positive results for the virus.
“I feel wonderful, 100%,” Kornfeld shared with CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” during a video interview from his hospital accommodation on Tuesday.
The physician mentioned experiencing flu-like conditions while aboard the vessel, including night sweats, chills and exhaustion, but stated he currently has no symptoms.
The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that 11 hantavirus infections connected to the cruise have been documented globally, with three fatalities reported. Laboratory testing has verified eight of these cases.
Kornfeld explained that a nasal specimen he provided on the ship underwent two separate examinations in the Netherlands. One test returned negative while the other showed positive results. He is currently waiting for outcomes from a fresh test conducted upon his return to the United States.
“The initial test that we received was from abroad and it was inconclusive in its results,” Dr. David Fitter of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed reporters Wednesday. “So we’re in the process of testing currently and we hope to have those results back in a day or so.”
Beyond the passengers brought to Nebraska, two additional Americans are under surveillance at the serious communicable disease unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
Medical authorities report this marks the first hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise vessel. Although no treatment or prevention exists for hantavirus, the WHO states that prompt identification and care enhance survival chances.
Public health experts indicate the danger to the broader population from this cruise ship incident remains minimal. Hantavirus typically spreads through rodent waste and does not easily transfer between humans, though the Andes virus found on the Hondius might spread person-to-person in uncommon situations.
The WHO recommends that all passengers and crew from the cruise remain in quarantine, whether at home or designated facilities, for 42 days.
Kornfeld characterized his accommodations in Nebraska as a hospital room equipped with a comfortable bed.
“It’s a little weird being in here by myself,” he said. “But the nurses come in, the doctors come in. I’m on WhatsApp all the time. It’s really amazing how quickly time flies.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the first wheat allocation under its newly assumed management of the Food for Peace program, designating 20,000 metric tons (735,000 bushels) for emergency feeding initiatives.
“We appreciate the efforts of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg and their teams for their hard work to bring this first award of wheat under the USDA’s administration of the Food for Peace program,” said Dalton Henry, USW vice president of communications and policy.
The grain allocation will support emergency feeding operations in East Africa through the World Food Program’s distribution network. Delivery is scheduled for later this summer alongside other agricultural commodities such as rice and sorghum.
“This is the first of hopefully many shipments under the USDA’s administration of the Food for Peace program,” said Amanda Hoey, chief executive officer of the Oregon Wheat Commission and chair of the USW Food Aid Working Group. “Through this program, we reaffirm to the world that the United States is more than a seller of grain, but a dedicated partner in feeding millions of hungry people around the world.”
The Food for Peace initiative, formally known as Public Law 480, became law in 1954 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Throughout its nearly 70-year history, American-grown wheat has served as a cornerstone commodity for international food assistance, typically comprising half of all bulk in-kind aid and consuming approximately one million metric tons of U.S. wheat each year.
The USDA and U.S. Department of State executed an interagency agreement in December 2025 transferring Food for Peace administration to the agriculture department. The USDA currently manages other international feeding initiatives, including the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program focused on school nutrition and the development-oriented Food for Progress program.
Similar to these existing programs, Food for Peace receives authorization through the Farm Bill and operates under agricultural appropriations subcommittee oversight. Any permanent administrative transfer to USDA would require Congressional approval.
“The USDA’s administration of the Food for Peace program aligns with the agency’s agricultural focus and technical expertise for this flagship program,” Henry said. “We look forward to the continuation of the program’s successful track record of humanitarian assistance, including those who will be future customers for U.S. wheat farmers.”
Beyond the initial commodity awards, U.S. Wheat Associates also praised USDA’s announcement of additional Food for Peace program funding. The Notice of Funding Opportunity will accept applications from feeding programs operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya and Rwanda.
“USDA is working to return Food for Peace to its core functions,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Michelle Bekkering in the release. “This funding will more responsibly deliver lifesaving food assistance with high-quality American commodities, helping American farmers and producers at home and people in need across the world.”
Air New Zealand announced Thursday it anticipates its largest annual pre-tax loss in four years, projecting deficits between NZ$340 million and NZ$390 million ($201.62 million-$231.27 million) as the prolonged Middle East conflict sends jet fuel costs soaring and compounds challenges from sluggish demand and aircraft limitations.
The national airline’s projection assumes jet fuel will average $145 per barrel during the second half of the year. This represents a dramatic reversal from the NZ$189 million profit the company reported last year.
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has significantly disrupted energy markets, causing crude oil prices to surge. This has driven jet fuel costs, which are refined from crude oil, to spike between $150-$200 per barrel, creating additional financial pressure on airlines where fuel represents up to 25% of operational costs.
The airline projects it will use approximately 4.1 million barrels during the January through June timeframe, pushing its fuel expenses to NZ$980 million in the financial year’s second half – a 32% increase from February projections.
This will drive the company’s total annual fuel costs to NZ$1.75 billion, up from NZ$1.48 billion spent in 2025.
“The scale and speed of recent movements in jet fuel prices and refining margins have created a material external shock for the global aviation sector,” the carrier said.
“If fuel prices stay at these elevated levels, the airline expects to announce further capacity updates in the coming weeks.”
The airline has already cut its overall network capacity three times and raised ticket prices. Despite these measures, declining booking trends and weak domestic and trans-Tasman travel demand continue to create headwinds.
The streaming platform Netflix will broadcast its first National Football League matchup on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, featuring the Los Angeles Rams welcoming the Green Bay Packers to their home stadium, league officials revealed Wednesday.
This November 25 evening game represents the league’s inaugural contest scheduled for Thanksgiving Eve and is among five NFL matchups Netflix will stream during the current season under an extended agreement lasting until 2029, according to published reports. The streaming service has confirmed its 2026 game lineup.
The Week 12 matchup will showcase Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who earned NFL MVP honors, facing off against Packers signal-caller Jordan Love. Stafford topped the league with 4,707 passing yards while throwing a personal-best 46 touchdown passes.
Each franchise reached the playoffs during the previous campaign. The Rams finished with a 12-5 regular season record before falling in the NFC Championship Game to the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to capture the Super Bowl title.
Green Bay posted a 9-7-1 record but saw their season end with a wild-card round defeat to the Chicago Bears.
Netflix will additionally broadcast the Rams’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on September 10. The platform has also secured rights to two Christmas Day games and a crucial Week 18 contest with postseason implications.
The streaming service also revealed Wednesday it has obtained rights to broadcast the NFL Honors awards ceremony during Super Bowl week.
Earlier this week, league officials announced the Dallas Cowboys will welcome the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day in a game televised by Fox.
The complete 2026 NFL schedule is set for official release on Thursday.
Oil refining company HF Sinclair announced Wednesday that it has fired Chief Financial Officer Atanas Atanasov, who had been away from work since late February while the company’s audit committee investigated internal concerns.
This announcement follows Tuesday’s news that Chief Executive Officer Timothy Go left the company through a separation agreement after taking voluntary leave for almost three months.
The company launched an internal review in January to examine company procedures after Atanasov expressed worries about Go’s conduct and how it affected the company’s leadership culture for 2025 reporting requirements.
During the later phases of this review, additional issues emerged regarding Atanasov’s conduct and whether he could maintain effective working relationships with other management personnel.
HF Sinclair stated that Chief Accounting Officer Vivek Garg will remain in his position as interim CFO, a responsibility he has maintained since February.
Professional football players are paying close attention to the field conditions being provided for World Cup soccer matches, particularly the installation of natural grass surfaces.
JC Tretter, who leads the NFL Players Association as executive director, has observed that seven venues hosting NFL teams are temporarily replacing their synthetic turf with natural grass for the international soccer tournament beginning next month.
These same facilities will revert to their artificial playing surfaces when football season kicks off in September.
“What we want is good grass fields. Good, solid fields,” Tretter stated during a recent appearance on the “Not Just Football” podcast with Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. “You don’t just want to pull out the (municipal) golf course grass. On every field, you want high-quality surfaces.”
“If you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92% say they want grass over turf. There is something about the feeling of being on grass, the body feels different. I think if you ask the coaches, just standing on grass vs. standing on turf for three hours feels different. There is something there that impacts the body,” he explained.
The international soccer governing body FIFA mandates natural grass for World Cup competitions. This requirement has prompted surface changes at venues in East Rutherford N.J. (New York Giants, New York Jets), Arlington, Texas (Dallas Cowboys), Foxborough, Mass. (New England Patriots), Seattle (Seahawks), Houston (Texans), Inglewood, Calif. (Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers) and Atlanta (Falcons).
The championship match will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
“You look at FIFA, they’re rolling out the green carpet for soccer players. And that has become the norm,” Tretter observed. “Over in European leagues, that is what you do. You play on grass. They have surface standards that each thing is rolled out. It’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. And those players will not play if it’s not that.”
When the current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement reaches its expiration in March 2031, Tretter confirmed that field surfaces will be a topic of discussion between the players union and the league.
WASHINGTON, May 13 – America is working to persuade China to take a more significant role in encouraging Iran to abandon its current activities in the Gulf region, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a television appearance Wednesday.
Rubio shared these remarks while speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity in a broadcast interview.
Delaware Department of Transportation crews are conducting a litter removal operation along a busy stretch of Route 40 westbound today.
The cleanup effort is taking place on the right shoulder of Pulaski Highway between Christiana Road and the Maryland border. DelDOT officials indicate the litter removal work will wrap up by 4 PM this afternoon.
Motorists traveling westbound on Route 40 through this area may notice the cleanup crews working along the roadside during the operation.
Motorists traveling on Route 40 westbound should be aware of ongoing litter removal activities affecting traffic flow near the Maryland border.
The cleanup operation spans from Christiana Road to the Maryland state line, with crews working along the right shoulder of the highway. Officials indicate the litter removal work will wrap up by 4 PM this afternoon.
Drivers in the area should exercise caution and expect potential delays while the cleanup crews complete their work along this stretch of the major highway corridor.
Good evening, Delmarva! We’re tracking an active weather pattern moving through the peninsula tonight, so you’ll want to keep those umbrellas handy.
This evening brings a 90% chance of showers and thunderstorms developing after 7 PM. We may see a brief window of light rain around 7-8 PM before the heavier activity moves in. Expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures holding steady around 55 degrees. Southwest winds will be breezy at 5-15 mph, gusting up to 25 mph at times. Rainfall amounts should stay manageable between a tenth and quarter inch.
The good news? This unsettled weather won’t stick around long! Thursday morning may start with some lingering showers, but we’ll see conditions improve quickly with mostly sunny skies developing. Highs will be much more pleasant, reaching 66 degrees.
Looking ahead to Thursday night and Friday, we’re in for beautiful spring weather! Partly cloudy skies Thursday night with lows near 50, then mostly sunny skies Friday with highs climbing to a lovely 72 degrees.
Stay dry tonight, Delmarva, and enjoy the sunshine coming our way!
Listen to the Evening Delmarva Farm Report Update — May 13, 2026
DELMARVA — Financial pressures continue mounting across American agriculture, affecting farmers throughout the Delmarva region. An economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation warns the industry is facing a multi-year crisis.
Faith Parum says this marks the 3rd to 4th straight year of losses for some farmers nationwide. She told Brownfield relief won’t come until production costs decline significantly.
Meanwhile, poultry producers received positive news today. The latest federal report shows broiler-type egg settings rose 2% nationally, while chick placements climbed 3%, reflecting continued growth in commercial operations.
Markets
Live cattle futures surged today at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. June contracts gained $5.10, closing at $252.80. August live cattle added $5.40 to finish at $246.47. Feeder cattle also posted strong gains on technical buying.
Here on Delmarva, corn at Laurel Grain Company is bringing $5.26 a bushel for July delivery. Soybeans are running $11.69 for July.
Forecast
Showers and thunderstorms are expected tonight with a low of 56°F. Thursday brings a chance of rain showers early, then mostly sunny skies with a high of 63°F and northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.
This article is based on the Delmarva Farm Report Update Evening Edition, May 13, 2026. Hosted by Tom Bradley.
A decades-old NFL policy designed to promote diversity in hiring has sparked fresh controversy as Florida’s top legal official takes action against the league.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Wednesday that he has issued a legal subpoena to the NFL concerning its diversity hiring policy. This move follows his March warning to the league about potential enforcement actions if the 23-year-old regulation wasn’t discontinued.
Uthmeier delivered the subpoena alongside a formal letter addressed to NFL executive vice president and attorney Ted Ullyot. The Attorney General contends the policy breaks Florida law because it mandates race-based factors in employment decisions.
The diversity policy has grown significantly since its inception and now covers searches for general managers, coordinators and quarterback coaches. Current requirements mandate teams conduct interviews with a minimum of two external minority candidates when filling head coach, general manager and coordinator roles. For quarterbacks coach openings, at least one minority candidate interview is mandatory.
Opponents contend the policy has resulted in superficial interviews meant solely to satisfy requirements rather than genuinely considering candidates for positions.
This criticism forms part of the 2022 legal action brought by former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, currently serving as Vikings defensive coordinator, who alleged discriminatory hiring practices by the NFL and three franchises.
The policy bears the name of the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who led the league’s Workplace Diversity Committee when it was established, and mandates teams interview diverse candidates (minority or female) for head coach, general manager and coordinator openings.
The regulation aimed to boost leadership diversity through mandatory face-to-face interviews, though it has drawn criticism throughout its existence for not substantially increasing minority hiring numbers.
The Workplace Diversity Committee initially concentrated on the historically small representation of minorities in head coaching roles. The original policy mandated every team with a head coaching opening interview at least one diverse candidate prior to making their selection.
Throughout the years, the diversity rule has broadened to encompass more positions within NFL organizations.
Indeed, in 2022, the league modified the rule to incorporate women within the minority candidate classification.
NFL franchises may count women as minority candidates for openings involving head coach, general manager, coordinators, quarterbacks coach and senior personnel roles.
Absolutely. In November 2020, team owners endorsed a plan that rewards organizations developing minority talent who advance to become general managers or head coaches elsewhere in the league.
When a team loses a minority executive or coach who served with the organization for a minimum of two years to another franchise, that team earns a third-round compensatory draft selection for two years. Should a team lose both a coach and personnel executive, it receives a third-round compensatory pick for three years.
The NFL may impose fines exceeding $500,000 on teams that violate the regulation. The league also has authority to revoke draft selections or nullify a hiring decision.
Nevertheless, the sole recorded penalty occurred in 2003 when Detroit received a $200,000 fine for hiring Steve Mariucci without interviewing a minority candidate.
The 2006 season marked what many considered a major milestone. Seven Black head coaches led teams that year, with two facing each other in the Super Bowl for the first time in history.
When Tony Dungy’s Indianapolis Colts beat Lovie Smith’s Chicago Bears in the championship game, minority coaches seemed to gain the most. Nobody could question that Black coaches performed as effectively as their white colleagues.
Minority head coaches reached a peak in 2024 with nine total, including six Black head coaches.
However, that figure dropped to five before the 2026 season began. Among the record-tying 10 new head coaches brought in during this offseason, only one minority received a position: Robert Saleh, who has Lebanese heritage, was hired in Tennessee.
Eleven franchises, representing roughly one-third of the league, have never employed a Black non-interim coach. This group consists of Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Dallas, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans, the New York Giants, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington. Three of these organizations have had minority coaches: the Panthers (Dave Canales), the Titans (Saleh) and the Commanders (Ron Rivera).
The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Kevin Warsh as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve. President Donald Trump selected the former Fed governor to take over from Jerome Powell, with hopes that Warsh can deliver the strong economic performance the president promised during his campaign.
Warsh assumes leadership of a central bank facing significant challenges as it grapples with economic consequences from the conflict between the U.S. and Israel against Iran that began on Feb. 28. This ongoing war has pushed energy costs higher and created additional obstacles for the Fed’s efforts to reduce inflation to its 2% goal.
However, Trump has called for lower interest rates, rather than the higher rates that economists say may be necessary to control inflation. While Warsh previously established himself as someone who favored aggressive action against inflation, he has recently shifted to support Trump’s perspective, contending that artificial intelligence and emerging technologies can drive productivity and economic expansion without triggering inflation.
Trump repeatedly criticized Powell for rejecting the significant rate reductions the president believes would stimulate economic growth. Additionally, his Justice Department initiated an investigation into the Fed that many viewed as an effort to remove Powell from his position. This legal controversy delayed Warsh’s confirmation process. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, stated he would vote against Warsh unless the Justice Department ended its investigation, which finally occurred last month.
In a rare decision, Powell announced he plans to stay on the Fed’s governing board for an indefinite period after Warsh assumes the chairman role, pointing to Trump’s “unprecedented” criticism of the central bank’s independence. While Powell’s chairmanship is concluding, his position as a Fed governor continues until 2028.
Powell’s decision to remain could create tension for Warsh, particularly if he attempts to persuade other Fed officials to support interest rate reductions.
Trump described Warsh as someone who looks like he comes from “central casting,” which provides insight into the president’s opinion of the 56-year-old’s appearance and traditional background. Warsh possesses many characteristics typical of a conventional choice to head the world’s most influential central bank, though he takes charge during an unusually turbulent period for the Fed as Trump has stated the new chairman must reduce its key rates to satisfy the White House.
Interest rate reductions of the magnitude Trump desires might provide short-term economic growth, but they also create risks of economic overheating when inflation remains high and cost of living concerns affect many Americans.
Warsh previously came close to being selected for the Senate-confirmed Fed Chair position in 2017, when Trump chose Powell to lead the central bank. Trump has subsequently stated that he received poor guidance about Powell.
Warsh holds educational credentials from Stanford University and Harvard University Law School. He is married to Jane Lauder, whose father is billionaire cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, a significant Republican donor.
Senate Democrats have criticized Warsh for failing to completely disclose details about his personal wealth, which totals at least $100 million. His investment portfolio includes positions in Polymarket and SpaceX, though he has not revealed the extent of these holdings. He has committed to selling all such investments within 90 days of taking his oath.
At age 35, Warsh became the youngest member of the Fed’s seven-person board, holding that role from 2006 to 2011. He previously worked as an economic advisor in George W. Bush’s Republican administration and served as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
Warsh collaborated closely with then-Chair Ben Bernanke during 2008-09 as the central bank worked to address the financial crisis and the Great Recession. Bernanke later described in his autobiography that Warsh was “one of my closest advisers and confidants” and noted that his “political and markets savvy and many contacts on Wall Street would prove invaluable.”
Nevertheless, Warsh seemed at crucial times to misunderstand the severity of problems facing the U.S. economy as mortgage failures and job losses increased during the Great Recession. He advocated for the Fed to maintain higher benchmark rates when the economy faced risks of deflation and potential collapse.
Warsh expressed worries in 2008 that additional interest rate reductions by the Fed might trigger inflation. However, even after the Fed lowered its rate to nearly zero, inflation remained subdued.
He also opposed the Fed’s 2011 decision to buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds, a strategy to reduce long-term interest rates, though he eventually supported the measure at Bernanke’s request.
Warsh sometimes acted like a traditional Republican, stating in a 2010 address his opposition to ending “the creep of trade protectionism” which he called contrary to “pro-growth policies.” Trump has since transformed GOP philosophy by advocating for substantial increases in import taxes, implementing them unilaterally last year by declaring an economic emergency.
Warsh currently works as a visiting economics fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative research organization at Stanford University. He also teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and serves as a partner at the Duquesne Family Office, which oversees the assets of billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller.
In what seemed like an intentional effort to secure the Fed position, Warsh attacked the Fed in media appearances, demanding “regime change” and condemning Powell for involvement in climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion issues, which Warsh claimed exceed the Fed’s authority.
During a CNBC interview last year, Warsh declared Fed policy “has been broken for quite a long time.”
“The central bank that sits there today is radically different than the central bank I joined in 2006,” he continued. By permitting inflation to rise dramatically in 2021-22, the Fed “brought about the greatest mistake in macroeconomic policy in 45 years, that divided the country.”
Federal aviation safety officials issued new recommendations Wednesday calling for airlines to provide more realistic training scenarios to help pilots handle smoke-filled cockpits, following an incident involving a Southwest Airlines aircraft that suffered a bird strike.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated that the flight crew who successfully brought their aircraft back to New Orleans informed investigators that the conditions they faced were significantly more difficult than any training exercise they had previously encountered.
“If such an event occurred at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, the consequences could be catastrophic,” the NTSB determined.
While the Federal Aviation Administration receives nearly daily reports about cockpit smoke incidents, the NTSB noted that the agency has not mandated airlines to perform realistic smoke simulation training. Current preparation typically involves only classroom discussions about proper response procedures. The FAA had not provided a response to the new guidance by Wednesday.
During the December 2023 emergency, the Southwest flight crew reported difficulty viewing their control panels and emergency procedures. They immediately put on oxygen equipment and executed emergency landing protocols. All 139 passengers and crew members escaped injury.
Southwest and the Airlines for America trade group had not responded to the latest findings by Wednesday.
Previously, the NTSB had recommended that Boeing and engine manufacturer CFM develop software modifications for 737 Max engines to prevent smoke infiltration into cockpits or passenger areas when safety systems activate after bird strikes.
The aircraft and engine companies had not provided progress updates on those modifications as of Wednesday.
Four citizens from Memphis have filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. and Tennessee authorities, alleging they faced harassment, detention and physical abuse while exercising their constitutional rights to watch and film law enforcement officers in their community.
The legal action, submitted Wednesday in federal court, challenges the Memphis Safe Task Force, which includes personnel from 13 federal agencies that President Donald Trump deployed to the city for crime fighting operations working with Tennessee State Troopers and the Tennessee National Guard.
Beginning in late September, hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officers connected to the task force have conducted traffic stops, executed warrants and hunted for fugitives in the predominantly Black city of approximately 610,000 residents. According to the lawsuit, the task force has performed more than 120,000 traffic stops.
“In the professed name of crime control, Task Force agents have stopped, menaced, and arrested Memphians engaging in routine, day-to-day activities,” the lawsuit states. “In response, Memphians encountering Task Force agents in public, including Plaintiffs, have stopped to gather information about and record Task Force activities.”
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement Wednesday responding to the legal challenge.
“In eight months, the Memphis Safe Task Force has made over 9,000 arrests, including 951 known gang members, and located 150 missing children, drastically increasing public safety in the Memphis community. The Department will not tolerate any action that puts our law enforcement officers at risk. We strongly disagree with the allegations in the lawsuit and remain committed to fair, impartial, and professional law enforcement practices to keep Memphians and the American people safe.”
Hunter Demster, a Memphis resident and plaintiff, says he regularly sees the task force stopping cars in his neighborhood, which has a large Hispanic population. In one interaction, he was surrounded by task force agents after he filmed a traffic stop and told the people in the car that they had a right not to speak to police.
“It is a terrifying feeling,” Demster said. “I did nothing illegal. I used my First Amendment protected rights to hold up a phone and say some ‘know your rights’ information.”
Scarlet Kim, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberty Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said the Tennessee law is written so broadly that officers have wide discretion to invoke it against observers even when the observers are not impeding their actions.
“When observers go to the scene of task force activity and they are observing, they’re gathering information,” Kim said. “They are picking up their phones and cameras and documenting what’s happening. That’s all core protected First Amendment activity. And it’s not a basis for the government to essentially react in the way that they’re reacting.”
Federal officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have visited Memphis to praise the task force. Miller in October predicted the surge in law enforcement would make the city “safer than any of you could ever possibly imagine” and that “businesses and investment are going to pour in, and Memphis will be richer than ever before.”
The task force is part of a larger effort by Trump to use National Guard troops and surge federal law enforcement in cities, particularly ones controlled by Democrats. Following troop deployments in the District of Columbia and Los Angeles, he referred to Portland, Oregon, as “war-ravaged” and threatened apocalyptic force in Chicago. Speaking last year to U.S. military leaders in Virginia, Trump proposed using cities as training grounds for the armed forces.
The lawsuit accuses task force agents of systematically retaliating against the four plaintiffs and other members of the public engaged in similar observations. It claims the threats and harassment are the “direct result of federal policy” that views observing federal agents performing their duties in public as a threat of harm to those agents. The lawsuit also claims that federal and state officials have failed to train their agents not to retaliate against citizens engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that retaliation against the plaintiffs for observing and recording law enforcement activity is unconstitutional and to prohibit the agents from further retaliation. It also targets a Tennessee law that requires observers to stand at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) away from law enforcement officers, if they are warned to do so, or face arrest. The suit asks the court to declare unconstitutional the use of the “Halo Law” against defendants who are not interfering with agents or impeding their duties.
Four members of Salisbury University’s women’s lacrosse squad have earned recognition on the USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American teams, matching the highest total of any program on the prestigious 89-player roster.
The Sea Gulls, who remain undefeated this season and hold the second national ranking, shared the distinction with Middlebury and Tufts for placing the most athletes on the elite list.
The recognition highlights the exceptional talent and performance of the Salisbury program during their perfect season campaign.
The New York Mets announced Wednesday that catcher Francisco Alvarez has been added to the injured list following a torn meniscus diagnosis and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks while recovering from the right knee injury.
The 24-year-old backstop will undergo surgical repair for the injury, with his roster spot being taken by Hayden Senger, who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse.
The injury occurred during Tuesday’s 10-2 victory over Detroit when Alvarez’s leg became twisted while making contact with a foul ball in the sixth inning. The catcher connected with a pitch from Burch Smith but lost his balance as he sent the ball into foul territory. Manager Carlos Mendoza and team medical staff pulled Alvarez from the game mid-at-bat.
This season, Alvarez has posted a .241 batting average while serving as New York’s primary catcher. Medical projections suggest his earliest possible return would be in late June or early July.
The injury adds to mounting health concerns for the Mets’ starting lineup. Outfielders Mike Tauchman and Jared Young are also currently sidelined with identical torn meniscus injuries.
Luis Torrens is expected to handle the bulk of catching duties moving forward, with newly recalled Senger providing support.
The 30-year-old Torrens recently secured his future with the organization, signing a two-year contract extension on May 2.
Through Wednesday’s action, Torrens had collected 10 hits across 48 at-bats for a .208 batting average this season. This marks his third campaign with New York, following previous stints with San Diego, Seattle and Chicago since entering the majors in 2017.
Golf’s second major championship of the year begins Thursday as the 108th PGA Championship gets underway at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia.
Will defending champion Scottie Scheffler successfully defend his title? Can Rory McIlroy capture his second straight major championship to start 2026? Or might an unexpected contender emerge from the 156 golfers competing? Golf analysts are offering their tournament predictions and preferred betting options for who will take home the Wanamaker Trophy.
108TH PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Where: Philadelphia, May 14-17
Venue: Aronimink Golf Club (Par 70, 7,394 Yards)
Prize Money: To be announced ($19M in 2025; Winner received $3.42 million)
Ludvig Aberg to Beat Xander Schauffele (+100 at DraftKings): The Swedish golfer continues to demonstrate exceptional skill despite difficulty completing four strong rounds consistently. Aberg has secured five top-5 placements in his last six tournaments at premier events, with only a T21 at the Masters breaking that streak. Meanwhile, Schauffele, who already owns a PGA title, struggled last week with a T60 finish after failing to shoot under 72 in his final three rounds.
Scottie Scheffler Top 5 Finish (-110 at BetMGM): The current champion has attracted significant betting interest for good reason. Beyond defending his title, Scheffler brings momentum from three straight second-place finishes and won the AmEx in February during a run of three consecutive top-4 results.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju Top Canadian (+280 at DraftKings): The 24-year-old earned his tournament spot with a strong T19 showing at last week’s Truist Championship. This continues an impressive climb for the self-taught golfer whose family relocated to Canada from India when he was four years old. Yellamaraju has made 10 straight cuts and achieved a T5 at The Players. He faces tough competition from veterans Corey Conners (+205), Nick Taylor (+220), and PGA Tour winner Taylor Pendrith (+300).
TOP WAGERING CHOICES
Scheffler (+385 at DraftKings) captured his first victory this season and has posted three consecutive runner-up finishes, including at the Masters. He represents BetMGM’s second-largest liability, drawing 13.7% of total bets and 23.2% of money wagered.
McIlroy (+900) has claimed two PGA Championships and recorded 11 top-25 finishes in 17 career appearances. He’s attracted 5.8% of total bets, ranking third.
Jon Rahm (+1400) placed T8 last year, with his previous best showing a T4 at Bellerive in 2018.
Cameron Young (+1475) has won twice this year and was competitive last week before a final-round 74. Still pursuing his first major victory, Young’s odds have improved from +1650 at DraftKings on Tuesday. He ranks second behind Scheffler at BetMGM with 9.6% of bets and 9.8% of money.
Bryson DeChambeau (+1900) has finished second in each of the last two years and recently placed third at LIV Golf Virginia.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2300) has already won three times this season. His best previous PGA Championship result was T5 in 2022 across 10 appearances.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2800) recorded two course-record 62s at Aronimink in 2018 and comes off a T5 at the Truist Championship.
Jordan Spieth (+6600) represents BetMGM’s biggest liability as he attempts his 10th try at completing the career Grand Slam. “Scottie Scheffer and the in-form Cameron Young are great results for customers in the outright market for the PGA Championship,” BetMGM senior trader Matt Wall said. “However, the biggest liability currently is Jordan Spieth as BetMGM customers dream of the former world No. 1 finally completing the career grand slam.”
TOURNAMENT FACTS
Originally created by Donald Ross in 1926, Aronimink hosts the PGA Championship for just the second time since Gary Player’s 1962 victory. Keegan Bradley captured the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink, defeating Justin Rose in a playoff. The course has been extended 114 yards since that event.
The 156-golfer field will be reduced to the top 70 and ties following the second round.
Scheffler aims to become the first repeat PGA Championship winner since Brooks Koepka in 2019, while McIlroy could become the first golfer since Spieth in 2015 to win the year’s opening two majors.
Spieth enters his 10th attempt at achieving the career Grand Slam.
Jake Knapp withdrew Monday with a thumb injury and was replaced by Tom Hoge.
No international golfer has won the PGA Championship since Jason Day in 2015, marking the longest such drought at any major. This year’s field represents 26 different countries.
Adam Scott will make his 99th straight major championship appearance. Only Jack Nicklaus has achieved more than 100 consecutive major starts.
Ford Motor Company’s shares experienced their most significant one-day rally in roughly six years on Wednesday, climbing 13% as Wall Street showed strong enthusiasm for the automaker’s emerging energy storage division.
The dramatic stock movement followed analysis from Morgan Stanley that spotlighted information Ford had shared earlier this week about its energy storage subsidiary, which the company first unveiled in late 2021. Lisa Drake, a pivotal figure in Ford’s electric vehicle initiatives, leads the new division.
The energy storage venture emerged after Ford took a massive $19.5 billion writedown on its electric vehicle operations last December. The company decided to transform Kentucky facilities originally designated for electric vehicle battery manufacturing into energy storage production sites.
Ford’s energy storage operation will utilize LFP prismatic battery technology, which relies on iron-based chemistry. The products are designed to support data centers, utility companies, and major industrial and commercial clients.
Wall Street analysts highlighted Ford’s licensing partnership with CATL, a leading Chinese battery manufacturer, as a significant competitive edge. “We believe Ford’s relationship with CATL is an underappreciated strategic competitive advantage,” Morgan Stanley analysts stated, predicting the automaker will secure supply contracts with major commercial customers in the coming months.
The company plans to invest $2 billion in the energy storage business and anticipates beginning customer deliveries in late 2027. Ford projects it will deploy a minimum of 20 GWh on an annual basis.
Deportations from the United States to El Salvador have surged dramatically in early 2026, with official data showing removals have nearly doubled compared to the previous year, as the Central American nation’s leader has emerged as a willing partner in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.
According to migration authority statistics obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, 5,033 Salvadorans were removed to their homeland during the first quarter of 2026, a stark jump from the 2,547 individuals deported in the corresponding timeframe of 2025.
This represents an almost 98% spike coinciding with the Trump administration’s expansion of removal flights worldwide. International deportation operations from the United States increased by approximately 61% from 2024 to 2025, based on information gathered by the Asociación Agenda Migrante El Salvador, known as AAMES, along with other advocacy groups.
Since the United States has ceased routine publication of deportation statistics, researchers are now depending on alternative data sources from receiving nations such as El Salvador, flight tracking information, and other metrics.
“This confirms a real hardening of the U.S. immigration system toward the region,” stated César Ríos of AAMES regarding the dramatic rise in removals.
The escalation occurs as the tough-on-crime leader has worked to position himself alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, while the American government has secured partnerships throughout Latin America to advance its immigration agenda. Although Mexico and fellow Central American countries have quietly received deportees from third nations, the Salvadoran president has openly championed Trump’s regional initiatives.
Most prominently in March 2025, the leader accepted 238 Venezuelan deportees allegedly linked to the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua, confining them in a massive detention facility constructed for suspected gang affiliates as part of his comprehensive anti-gang campaign. This action sparked extensive human rights violation allegations.
The international controversy emerged following an arrangement between Trump’s administration and the Salvadoran government to accept what officials characterized as the transfer and detention of foreign criminals to El Salvador. The agreement provided El Salvador with $6 million from the United States.
In April, the Trump administration erroneously deported Maryland resident and Salvadoran citizen Kilmar Abrego García, who held protected status in the United States, creating another legal and political controversy. The Salvadoran leader initially declined to return Abrego García and rejected accusations of physical abuse and torture — practices that human rights organizations have extensively documented in Salvadoran detention facilities.
Abrego García was subsequently returned to the United States in June to confront charges alleging he facilitated illegal immigration, accusations his legal team describes as “baseless.” He has entered a not guilty plea and requested case dismissal while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced intentions to deport him to Liberia.
More recently, the Salvadoran president joined other conservative Trump supporters in an alliance Trump named the Shield of the Americas, ostensibly designed to combat criminal organizations across Latin America, despite the absence of two crucial nations in such efforts — Mexico and Colombia — who declined participation.
Simultaneously, numerous migrants in the United States are monitoring U.S. Supreme Court proceedings as Trump attempts to eliminate protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Haiti and Syria, a development concerning the more than 200,000 Salvadoran migrants with temporary protected status who fear similar consequences.
The Salvadoran leader has assisted U.S. immigration objectives even prior to Trump taking office.
In 2023, El Salvador’s administration implemented a $1,130 charge on travelers from dozens of nations transiting through the country’s primary airport, responding to Biden administration pressure to help limit migrant movement toward the United States’ southern border. Concurrently, emigration from El Salvador, driven by gang violence and economic hardship, decreased following the controversial anti-gang offensive.
Policy experts noted that the government leveraged reduced migration numbers as negotiating leverage to counter U.S. human rights criticisms.
A vehicle accident has forced the closure of a busy section of US Route 13, also known as Governor Printz Boulevard, at its intersection with Grubbs Landing Road.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that the roadway remains blocked as emergency crews work at the scene of the crash.
Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes while authorities handle the situation and clear the roadway.
No additional details about the collision or potential injuries have been released at this time.
Many mothers enjoyed Mother’s Day weekend on the water with their families last weekend, casting lines together in what turned out to be a wonderful celebration. This week brings numerous angling opportunities across Maryland waters, from offshore black sea bass fishing near Ocean City to striped bass action in the Chesapeake Bay and freshwater species including chain pickerel.
Beginning May 16, striped bass closure boundaries will shift upstream in tidal rivers, providing anglers with greater access to the bay’s tributaries. While the current dry spell has challenged gardens, lawns, farmers and some fish spawning runs, the bay’s water clarity has become remarkably clear. Many locations now feature five to six feet of visibility, and Chesapeake Bay grasses are thriving.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources fisheries management programs urge anglers to participate in volunteer angler surveys available on the DNR website, helping fisheries managers gather crucial catch effort and harvest data.
Weather Outlook: May 13 – May 19:
Water temperatures are expected to climb gradually throughout the week as summer-like conditions arrive in the Maryland Bay region. Buoy reports show main Bay surface and river mouth temperatures holding around the low 60s. Smaller rivers and streams are also maintaining temperatures in the 60s, though smaller waterways and downwind areas on sunny days will warm more quickly, often reaching the upper 60s.
Most Maryland rivers and streams will experience below normal flows this week. Water clarity should remain at typical levels for most Maryland sections of the Bay and rivers. Tidal currents will be stronger than usual all week due to the May 16 new moon.
Upper Chesapeake Bay
Fishermen working the lower Susquehanna River this week are finding excellent blue catfish action in the Conowingo Dam pool and near the river’s mouth. Dam flows have been extremely low. White perch are present in the lower Susquehanna, providing entertaining fishing. Anglers are also targeting largemouth bass in the Susquehanna Flats and smallmouth bass in the river.
The waters above the Abbey Point to Worton Point boundary line remain closed to striped bass fishing until June 1, and the area between that line and the Brewerton Channel stays catch-and-release only until June 1.
Striped bass fishing within the 19-24 inch slot has been productive since the season opened below the Brewerton Channel on May 1. Anglers are locating striped bass along Bay shorelines by throwing paddletails and soft plastic jigs in deeper waters. The “electric chicken” color pattern has proven extremely popular with both anglers and striped bass. Experienced fishermen note that other colors also produce well. When working shallow areas during early morning and evening periods, poppers provide unmatched excitement as striped bass attack them.
Trolling offers another method for catching striped bass this week along channel edges. Many anglers use umbrella rigs equipped with medium bucktails fitted with sassy shads or twistertails. Tandem rigged bucktails also work, and when trolling shallower channel edges, diving crankbaits can be effective at slower speeds.
Blue catfish and channel catfish fishing has been excellent this month. Both catfish species are moving freely through various water depths and can be found in every tidal river, with some reaching impressive sizes. The Chester River ranks among the top tidal rivers in the upper Bay for blue catfish.
White perch have settled into their typical summer habitat near oyster beds, deep water docks and piers, or submerged rocks. Casting small soft plastic jigs, spin-jigs, and spinners works well along shoreline structure. Grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces on bottom rigs are effective near deep structure.
Middle Bay
The piers on the Bay Bridge’s east side are drawing charter and private boats during early morning tides. Boats anchor upcurrent and drift various baits back to pier bases. Cut menhaden, soft crabs and small white perch have been popular choices. Other anglers cast soft plastic jigs at pier bases with success on slot-size striped bass.
The middle bay region provides light tackle anglers with abundant shallow water action this week in multiple locations. Shoreline structure, grass beds, prominent points and submerged rocks remain excellent spots for casting poppers, paddletails, crankbaits and jerkbaits. The water clarity is something anglers wish would persist year-round. Poplar Island rocks, Thomas Point and waters near the Naval Academy represent just a few productive areas. Morning and evening hours typically offer the best shallow water fishing. Saturday, May 16, the Choptank River mouth will provide expanded fishing areas as closure boundaries move upriver.
Trolling will appeal to many striped bass anglers this week. Numerous main channel edges in the Bay and at tidal river mouths are promising locations for striped bass suspended near the bottom. Most large spawning striped bass have departed the region, so anglers focus on slot striped bass measuring 19 to 24 inches. Umbrella rigs with bucktail trailers dressed with sassy shads or twistertails remain popular trolling choices.
White perch now provide enjoyable fishing around various structure areas in the lower portions of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks. Evening hours offer exciting light tackle action by casting various small lures, from spin-jigs to Clouser flies along shoreline structure. Deeper waters around piers and oyster beds can be fished with grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces on bottom rigs.
The Choptank River continues delivering some of the week’s best blue catfish action. The catfish are in a pre-spawn feeding frenzy, creating excellent fishing conditions. Anchoring and chumming while presenting baits is an effective way to fill an ice chest with blue cats. The river section from the town of Choptank to Denton offers some of the finest fishing opportunities.
Lower Bay
The lower Bay presents numerous striped bass fishing opportunities this week. Bay fishing has been productive along shorelines, and Saturday May 16 marks the opening of the tidal Potomac River to striped bass fishing, with the Patuxent River opening downstream of Point Patience. The Potomac offers promising fishing along steep channel edges from Piney Point to St. Georges Island. Anglers typically find good striped bass fishing below the Route 4 Bridge over the Patuxent River.
Jigging and trolling are favored methods for fishing these edges, and live lining will become popular once spot arrive. Jigging anglers typically use 3/4-ounce soft plastic jigs in 5-inch sizes. The Potomac, St. Marys, and Patuxent river shorelines, Cedar Point rocks, and the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant warm water discharge represent just a few excellent jig-fishing locations. Trolling anglers usually employ umbrella rigs with inline weights to reach suspended fish. The 35-foot edge near Cove Point and the eastern main channel edge from Buoy 76 to 72B are additional striped bass locations to explore.
Casting poppers and paddletails provides entertaining striped bass fishing in shallower Bay and Tangier Sound shoreline waters. Grass beds are developing well, and striped bass can be found in shallow areas during morning and evening periods.
Black drum are appearing in Tangier Sound waters, the Northwest Middle Grounds and near the Target Ship. Anglers spot them on depth finders then drop soft crab baits to them. Large red drum are entering the lower bay region and can be found in Tangier Sound and Target Ship areas.
Far up the tidal Potomac River to waters below Little Falls and the District of Columbia, hickory shad and American shad spawning runs have nearly concluded this week. A few hickory shad were caught and released by anglers last week but only scattered fish. Poor river flows from lack of spring rains severely impacted this celebrated catch and release fishery. Activity was strong in late March but then declined. There’s always next year.
White perch are providing abundant enjoyable fishing in lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks this week. They have moved into typical summer locations anglers expect. Evenings can be spent casting small spin-jigs, spinners, and small jigs along promising shorelines. Fishing from docks and piers with grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces remains a fun summer activity, particularly for younger anglers. The lower Patuxent usually provides good white perch fishing, and soon spot and perhaps larger croaker will return to the lower Patuxent and other Bay waters.
Freshwater Fishing
Trout stockings are beginning to slow in the state’s central region and focus more on western areas due to warming water temperatures. Time remains to enjoy recent trout stockings from last week, with a few more scheduled this month. As June 1 approaches, some delayed harvest trout management waters will open to five trout per day harvest until October 1.
Smallmouth bass fishing in the upper Potomac and Monocacy rivers has challenged anglers due to low flows and clear waters. Using light lines and making long casts helps fool these cautious smallmouth bass. A combination of tubes, swimbaits and crankbaits work well in deeper pockets and current breaks. Poppers always provide exciting fishing near rocky shelves and grass bed edges during morning and evening hours. Smallmouth bass can also be found in Deep Creek Lake, Prettyboy and Liberty reservoirs, and the lower Susquehanna River.
Largemouth bass are delivering excellent fishing this month in small ponds to large reservoirs in nontidal waters and upper sections of the bay’s tidal rivers. In many areas largemouth bass are in post-spawn behavior, and with water temperatures still cool they can be found in diverse locations. The most common areas for larger female largemouth bass are mid-depth transition areas outside shallower grass beds and near structure in those areas. Structure includes fallen treetops, sunken wood, bottom structure like lumps and drop-offs, and creek mouths. Targeting grass bed edges with spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and soft plastics, and deeper spots with paddletails and crankbaits proves effective.
Chesapeake Channa are active near emerging grass beds, often with afternoons providing the best action on sun-exposed shallows. Buzzbaits, chatterbaits, and frogs work well when fishing grass beds, while paddletails are effective near shoreline brush and grass bed edges.
Crappie fishing is productive this month in many tidal and nontidal waters. Crappie tend to hold close to structure including marina docks, bridge piers, sunken wood, rocks, or fallen treetops. Slowly drifting with a small minnow under a slip bobber is very popular, but casting small lures or flies also works well.
In many Maryland areas, larger chain pickerel have completed spawning or are nearly finished. Once this occurs, they will feed aggressively to rebuild body stores. Look for large chain pickerel in more open waters near structure. Anglers are encouraged to use single inline hooks on lures to minimize gill damage to these aggressive fish.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers fishing Assateague and Ocean City beaches are catching mixed bags of black drum, large striped bass and a few large bluefish. Black drum are taking sand fleas and clams, while striped bass and bluefish prefer cut menhaden or mullet.
Flounder continue moving through Ocean City Inlet toward back bay waters. The inlet and channels leading from it are good targeting locations. Some larger flounder are taking Gulp baits. Summer flounder minimum size is 16 inches until June 1; the minimum size then becomes 17.5 inches, with the four flounder per day limit continuing.
Tautog are being caught in the inlet area near jetty rocks, bulkheads and bridge piers on sand fleas. Striped bass are being caught in the inlet, with some large ones taken by drifting cut baits at night. Casting soft plastic jigs near structure provides plenty of striped bass fun, though most fall short of the 28-inch minimum. The inlet and Route 50 Bridge areas, plus Route 90 and Verrazzano bridge piers, are excellent places for casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails.
The 2024 black sea bass season started strongly with good fishing at wreck and reef sites. Anglers enjoyed catching chunky sea bass, with some reaching their limits and all going home with plenty of fish. Flounder were mixed in for those targeting them.
Motorists traveling through Wilmington should plan for potential delays on North James Street today due to ongoing construction activity.
DelDOT reports that the right lane on North James Street northbound is currently closed between West Highland Avenue and West Justis Avenue. The lane restriction is scheduled to remain in effect until 3 PM today.
Drivers are advised to use caution when traveling through the work zone and consider alternate routes if possible to avoid potential backups during the construction period.
A fatal shooting that occurred nearly nine years ago in Bear continues to challenge investigators as they seek answers in the death of Edwin J. Heath Sr.
The 33-year-old victim was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds at Fox Run Apartments and Townhouses on May 13, 2015. Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene in the 100 block of Antlers Lane around 4:12 p.m. that afternoon, where they found Heath on the ground.
The case remains active as authorities continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Heath’s death in the Bear community.
International visitors holding World Cup tickets will no longer need to post costly bonds when entering the United States, according to a new policy from the Trump administration.
The administration has eliminated a mandate requiring travelers from qualifying World Cup nations to pay bonds reaching up to $15,000 to gain entry to the country for the tournament.
The policy shift affects ticket holders from countries whose national teams have secured spots in the upcoming World Cup competition.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — OG Anunoby was limited to partial participation during the New York Knicks’ Wednesday practice session as the team resumed training.
Fortunately for the squad, they have the luxury of time on their side.
The Knicks can afford to be cautious with Anunoby’s hamstring injury recovery since they have several days remaining before their Eastern Conference finals series begins. The injury sidelined him for the final two contests of their second-round series victory over Philadelphia.
Coach Mike Brown reported that the starting forward participated in certain drills but sat out when the team increased practice intensity. Brown noted Anunoby appeared comfortable with his limited activities, though acknowledged a significant difference between practice participation and playoff game demands.
Brown explained he remains uncertain about when Anunoby might increase his activity level, and the team doesn’t know exactly when that will be necessary. The opening game against Detroit or Cleveland might occur Sunday, but the series could be delayed until next week if those teams extend their current 2-2 series to seven games following Wednesday’s Game 5.
“They told me what he could do today. They have not told me what he could do tomorrow, so I don’t know what he’ll be able to do for Game 1,” Brown said.
Anunoby represents a crucial component of the Knicks’ success as an elite defender whose scoring has reached new heights during the current playoff campaign. While the team managed victories without him against a fatigued Philadelphia squad still recovering from their seven-game first-round battle with Boston, defeating the top-seeded Pistons or Cavaliers without him would present significant challenges.
Brown prefers focusing on immediate concerns rather than long-term planning. The Knicks will take Thursday off before returning to practice Friday, when he plans to request another medical update on Anunoby.
“At least for me, I’m taking it one game at a time,” Brown said. “I don’t want to know from medical or anybody else anything beyond that, because when I do that stuff I get my hopes up and I don’t like doing that at all.”
The Knicks have strong reasons for optimism following their impressive first two playoff rounds. They’ve captured seven consecutive victories since trailing Atlanta 2-1 in round one, outscoring the Hawks and 76ers by a combined 194 points — the largest margin in franchise history through 10 postseason games.
After eliminating Atlanta on April 30, they faced Philadelphia on May 4. This break could last more than double that timeframe.
“The first series we had what, four days’ break I think it was? That was good enough,” forward Josh Hart said. “This right now, I think at least a week if not nine days, that’s a long time. So obviously it’s good for recovery, but mentally I’m watching the games, I’m just like just waiting, just waiting to get back out there.”
Brown brings relevant experience to this situation. His Cleveland Cavaliers completed first-round and second-round sweeps in 2009 before waiting over a week for East finals action, which they ultimately lost to Orlando. He also stepped in for an injured Steve Kerr during Golden State’s 2017 postseason run when the Warriors swept their first three series, creating a 10-day gap before the NBA Finals.
“I’ve been part of sweeps, I’ve been part of getting swept and been part of long layoffs and short turnarounds, so you worry about different stuff at different times,” Brown said. “Like, quick turnaround you’re like: ‘Oh my God, we can’t prepare. Oh my god, guys are tired.’ And long layoffs, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, we got too much time, we’re not going to stay sharp.’”
He emphasized that extended breaks require creating methods to maintain players’ mental sharpness, and the Knicks feel confident in their approach.
“I think we have our plan,” All-Star Jalen Brunson said. “Obviously utilize rest, but then when we’re in the gym we’re doing everything that we need to do to stay in rhythm, stay having the edge that we need to have, focusing on the things that we need to focus on and continuing to prepare.”
Students from Future Farmers of America chapters across Delaware recently participated in educational tours at Harrington Raceway, exploring the world of harness racing as part of efforts to showcase the diverse opportunities within the state’s agricultural sector.
The behind-the-scenes visits were organized to give dozens of FFA members exposure to various facets of Delaware’s farming and agricultural community. Mark Short, who serves as Executive Administrator for the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund, led the student groups through the facility.
During their time at the raceway, the young visitors received instruction on appropriate horse care practices and attended educational presentations about the industry.
SPARKS, Md. – Salisbury University’s men’s lacrosse program achieved a milestone Wednesday when USA Lacrosse Magazine announced its All-America selections, with the Sea Gulls earning 10 total honors.
The impressive haul matches Tufts University for the highest number of All-America recognitions awarded to a single program by the national publication.
The announcement came Wednesday afternoon from USA Lacrosse Magazine, highlighting the exceptional talent and performance of the Salisbury University lacrosse roster this season.
The Delaware Department of Transportation has a new leader for its transit operations. Secretary Shanté Hastings has chosen Lilia Montoya to serve as the next Chief Executive Officer of the Delaware Transit Corporation, with her tenure beginning July 4, 2026.
Montoya comes to the position with extensive experience spanning more than 20 years in executive roles within public transportation. Her background includes expertise in operations management, organizational development, and strategic planning. Her career has been marked by distinguished service in the transportation sector.
The streaming platform Netflix has struck a significant expanded agreement with the National Football League, securing rights to broadcast five regular season contests annually along with the NFL Honors ceremony through the 2029 season.
The deal, revealed Wednesday during Netflix’s advertising upfront event, builds upon the streaming service’s existing arrangement to carry two Christmas Day contests that began in 2024. Under the new terms, Netflix will broadcast games during opening week, Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Day (two games), and a 1 p.m. ET Saturday contest during the season’s final week.
Officials confirmed two specific matchups featuring the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday. Netflix will stream the opening week contest between the Rams and San Francisco 49ers from Melbourne, Australia. Later in the season, the Rams will face the Green Bay Packers in what will mark the league’s inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game on Nov. 25.
Both contests will air during prime time hours in the United States at 8:35 p.m. ET. The season opener is scheduled for Sept. 10 in the U.S., though it will kick off at 10:35 a.m. on Sept. 11 in Australia due to the 14-hour time difference from New York and 17-hour gap from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Australia game between NFC West division rivals represents one of nine international contests the NFL plans to stage during the upcoming season. League officials released their complete international schedule Wednesday morning.
“We’ve seen how many fans are already on Netflix, so we thought it was a tremendous opportunity to deepen the partnership, expand the reach of those games, and to do so around tentpole events at the beginning and end of the year with big holidays in the middle, then have them extend into honors and do what Netflix has shown they do so well, which is make big events even bigger,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution.
The Thanksgiving Eve and final week Saturday games come from four contests the league reclaimed after ESPN purchased NFL Network. YouTube carried the opening week game during the previous season.
The NFL Honors ceremony debuted during the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis as the league’s platform for announcing annual award recipients in a single broadcast. Initially aired the evening before the Super Bowl, the show moved to Thursday of Super Bowl week in 2022. Previously carried by whichever network broadcast the Super Bowl, the ceremony will now reach a global audience through the Netflix partnership.
The NFL Honors presentation features Associated Press awards including Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
The complete schedule, including Christmas Day games, will be announced Thursday evening. The final week Saturday contests, which also feature 4:30 and 8:15 p.m. ET games on ESPN/ABC, won’t be revealed until six days prior as the league prioritizes matchups with playoff significance for those time slots.
League officials finalized the regular season schedule Tuesday morning.
Netflix also revealed that the third season of its documentary series Quarterback will premiere July 14. The upcoming season will follow Washington’s Jayden Daniels, Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield, Tennessee’s Cam Ward, who was selected as the top pick in the 2025 draft, and Joe Flacco, who started the season with Cleveland before being traded to Cincinnati.
Florida’s top legal official James Uthmeier has delivered an investigative subpoena to the National Football League concerning the organization’s diversity hiring requirements known as the Rooney Rule.
The state’s attorney general, who previously warned the league about potential legal enforcement in March unless the 23-year-old policy was suspended, delivered the subpoena alongside a formal letter to NFL executive vice president and attorney Ted Ullyot this Wednesday.
“All in all, the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s related ‘inclusive hiring’ policies — and the NFL’s representations about these policies — continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law,” Uthmeier wrote in the letter.
The diversity policy mandates that franchises conduct interviews with no fewer than two minority applicants for head coaching, general manager and coordinator roles. Additionally, teams must interview at least one minority applicant for quarterbacks coach openings.
During league meetings held in Phoenix this past March, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recognized the shifting political climate surrounding diversity programs nationwide, though he expressed confidence that the league’s approach wouldn’t face legal challenges. “The Rooney Rule has been around a long time,” Goodell said then. “We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that.”
The league did not provide an immediate response to requests for comment Wednesday.
In his most recent correspondence, Uthmeier praised the organization for modifying the Rooney Rule description on its official website following his initial warning in March, though he noted the changes created additional concerns.
The revised language on the NFL’s website now reads: “The Rooney Rule establishes best practices designed to expand opportunity and strengthen the NFL’s talent pipeline across leadership roles. It is part of a broader effort to develop a deep and sustainable talent pipeline across all levels of the NFL. The policy is intended to ensure that qualified candidates from a wide range of backgrounds are identified and considered for leadership roles.”
The previous website language indicated the Rooney Rule sought to “increase the number of minorities hired” in executive positions and stated that diversity “enriches the game and creates a more effective, quality organization.”
“We appreciate how quickly the NFL changed its website in response to our letter and capitulated on some of their discriminatory hiring quotas,” Uthmeier said. “But their response raises more questions about the Rooney Rule, and we look forward to their cooperation with the investigative subpoena we issued them today.”
In March, Uthmeier’s initial correspondence to Goodell characterized the policy as “blatant race and sex discrimination.”
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition introduced legislation Wednesday to dissolve parliament, marking the initial formal move toward calling new elections this year.
The legislation paves the way for an official parliamentary vote to dissolve the body and set a date for new elections. Reports from Israeli media outlets indicate the preliminary vote could take place as early as next week.
Netanyahu’s governing coalition is approaching the conclusion of its four-year mandate and is required to conduct new elections no later than the end of October. However, several of Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners have pressed him to move the election date earlier to the beginning of September.
The legislation specifies that elections must occur “no less than 90 days” following its passage, providing Netanyahu with the ability to select a timing that maximizes his chances of electoral success.
The current coalition has governed during a particularly challenging period that encompassed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and subsequent military conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Recent polling data suggests the coalition, which consists of religious and nationalist parties, may face difficulties securing reelection.
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis claimed victory for his Progressive Liberal Party on Tuesday evening, earning a second consecutive term in a snap parliamentary election.
Speaking to supporters at a celebration event in Nassau late Tuesday night, Davis emphasized that the electoral success represented more than just a political win for his party, but a triumph for the nation as a whole.
“To Bahamians who voted today, but did not vote for us, I want you to know I’ve listened to you, I’ve heard you and I want you to know that I will continue to work hard for all Bahamians,” Davis told the crowd, standing alongside his wife, Ann Marie, and top party leadership.
Local news outlets reported the PLP appeared positioned to capture over 30 seats out of the 41 available in parliament during Tuesday’s voting. Complete official tallies had not yet been made public.
The outcome represents the first instance of a political party achieving consecutive general election victories in the island nation since 1997.
Davis had already received a concession call from Michael Pintard, the leader of the opposing Free National Movement, before making his victory speech.
Speaking to FNM supporters at party headquarters on election evening, Pintard acknowledged the electoral outcome and said his party respected the voters’ decision.
“The Bahamian people made their choice, in a democracy that is the only voice that ultimately matters,” Pintard stated.
Several Caribbean leaders offered congratulations to Davis following his reelection, including Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, both of whom recently won new terms in their own countries within the past year. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also extended congratulations on the victory.
This election cycle featured the inaugural voting for representatives from two newly established constituencies: St. James and Bimini and the Berry Islands. The addition of these districts expanded the total parliamentary representation from 39 to 41 seats.
During the prior general election in September 2021, the PLP secured 32 of the available 39 seats, while the FNM claimed the remaining seven positions.
Campaign discussions in the weeks before the election centered on several major concerns, including healthcare system conditions, public safety and crime levels, rising living expenses, and immigration policy matters.
Multiple international organizations deployed election monitoring teams to observe the voting process. The Commonwealth, Organization of American States, U.S. government, and regional partnership CARICOM all sent official observers to oversee the election.
QUETTA, Pakistan — Deadly confrontations between security forces and insurgents in Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan province claimed the lives of five military personnel, including an army major, officials announced Wednesday. A banned separatist organization took credit for initiating the attack on government troops.
Military officials reported that security forces had begun operations in Barkhan district to eliminate insurgent fighters that the government in Islamabad alleges receive support from India. The prohibited separatist group known as the Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, released a statement claiming its members had launched an assault on the troops, which led to intense gunfire.
The military confirmed that an army major was among those killed in action, while also reporting that seven militants died during the confrontation.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s most expansive yet sparsely populated province, is rich in natural resources but has endured ongoing violence from separatist movements and assaults by the Pakistani Taliban. The BLA, which received a terrorist designation from the United States in 2019, has conducted multiple strikes against both security personnel and civilians throughout the region in recent years.
Military officials referred to the deceased militants as participants in “Fitna al-Hindustan,” terminology that Pakistani officials apply to insurgents they claim receive Indian backing.
India has consistently rejected accusations that it provides assistance to militant organizations operating within Pakistan.
WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday its plan to invest $16.5 million in transponder technology for airport vehicles following a deadly March incident at LaGuardia airport in New York where an Air Canada Express aircraft collided with a fire truck.
The emergency vehicle involved in the fatal crash was not equipped with a transponder, though the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced plans to outfit all airfield vehicles with the technology. The FAA will begin immediately installing transponders on roughly 1,900 vehicles across 264 airports that currently have or will receive surface awareness technology systems.
Iranian officials carried out the execution Wednesday of a man who had been found guilty of fatally stabbing a police officer with multiple wounds during countrywide demonstrations that took place in early 2026, according to reports from the semi-official Fars news agency.
The rights organization HRANA stated in their report that a legal representative claimed officials prevented independent attorneys from representing the defendant in his case.
Court documents revealed Tuesday that Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, possesses investments exceeding $2 billion in firms that have conducted business with the artificial intelligence company, as he confronts accusations of conflicts of interest from multiple sources including state prosecutors and Elon Musk, along with a congressional probe.
The investment portfolio details emerged during Tuesday’s court proceedings for Musk’s legal action demanding $150 billion in damages and Altman’s dismissal from his leadership role and board position. Musk’s allegations encompass breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment. Altman has denied these accusations and testified about removing himself from crucial negotiations involving companies where he held investments.
On the same day, ten state attorneys general requested the Securities and Exchange Commission examine OpenAI documents before an anticipated public stock offering, while the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently sought information from Altman regarding OpenAI’s conflict-of-interest policies.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Musk’s primary attorney Steven Molo presented documentation showing Altman’s ownership stakes in nine firms with OpenAI business relationships and their market valuations as of December 31, 2025.
While Altman lacks direct ownership in OpenAI, he has accumulated a $4 billion fortune through venture capital investments made before and during his OpenAI leadership, according to Forbes calculations. The companies with OpenAI partnerships included a $1.7 billion position in fusion energy firm Helion Energy, a $633 million stake in financial technology company Stripe, and $258 million in longevity pharmaceutical firm Retro Biosciences, all maintaining OpenAI agreements.
The filing also showed Altman had divested his Reddit holdings by late 2025. His Reddit investments were valued at over $600 million when the platform went public in 2024, based on SEC records from that period. Additional companies listed included semiconductor manufacturer Cerebras, workforce management software developer Degree, known as Lattice, artificial intelligence device creator Humane, AI software developer Software Applications and AI pharmaceutical firm Trialspark, now called Formation Bio.
Altman testified he maintained friendships with Helion’s founders and initially invested in 2015. The company, working to construct the world’s first fusion energy facility, currently generates no revenue but carries a private market valuation of $5.4 billion.
According to his testimony, Altman approached OpenAI’s board about partnering with Helion in late 2022 and endorsed it as a beneficial arrangement. Helion initially contracted to provide future energy for OpenAI in 2024. Altman resigned from Helion’s board in March 2026 as the companies pursued a broader partnership.
Regarding the 2024 agreement, Altman stated he was “recused from it on both sides” and did not execute the contract.
Molo argued Altman faced an “obvious conflict” while leading negotiations for a May 2024 content collaboration between OpenAI and Reddit.
“We decided that the board would approve any final terms,” Altman responded. “I had other people in the room with me. This was a well-discussed standard corporate recusal.” Molo also challenged Altman about a $10 billion computing agreement with Cerebras, where Altman maintains a $3.2 million stake.
The attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, all Republicans, informed the SEC that “Altman’s conduct to date raises serious legal questions and demands close scrutiny.” The SEC declined to provide comment.
New York Yankees southpaw Max Fried was forced to leave Wednesday’s game against Baltimore after completing just three innings due to discomfort in his left elbow, according to team officials.
The 32-year-old pitcher will receive a medical evaluation from team physicians and undergo diagnostic imaging on Thursday to assess the injury.
During his abbreviated outing, Fried threw 61 pitches while allowing three runs on five hits and one walk, recording two strikeouts. His earned run average rose to 3.21 following the performance. New York was down 3-0 when Fried departed, with right-hander Paul Blackburn taking over pitching duties in the fourth inning.
Coming into Wednesday’s contest, Fried held a 4-2 record with a 2.91 ERA, having issued 18 walks and recorded 48 strikeouts across 58 2/3 innings pitched. He had faced more batters than any other pitcher in the American League this season with 227.
The veteran hurler has earned All-Star honors three times during his career, receiving the recognition in 2022, 2024 and last season. Over his professional tenure spanning 2009 regular-season appearances (192 as a starter) with Atlanta from 2017-24 and New York since 2025, Fried has compiled a 96-43 record with a 3.03 ERA, 315 walks and 1,110 strikeouts across 1,138 1/3 innings.
The San Diego Padres originally selected Fried as the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft.
A newly released nationwide Education Scorecard reveals that American schools continue working to recover from significant academic setbacks in mathematics and reading skills, while also discovering that these declining trends actually started years before the coronavirus pandemic began.
The comprehensive report highlights how educational institutions across the country are still addressing substantial learning losses, but the data indicates these troubling patterns were already emerging well before COVID-19 disrupted classroom learning nationwide.
Louisiana’s Republican leadership has presented a revised congressional district map following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found the existing boundaries violated constitutional standards while simultaneously weakening key provisions of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Delaware’s Department of Transportation Secretary Shanté Hastings has named Lilia Montoya as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC), with her appointment taking effect July 4, 2026.
Montoya comes to Delaware with over 20 years of senior management experience in public transit systems, including expertise in operations oversight, organizational development, and strategic planning. Her career includes leadership roles with major transportation agencies including North County Transit District, Long Beach Transit, Los Angeles Metro, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his African tour on Wednesday with discussions in Ethiopia focusing on the long-debated issue of giving Africa a voice on the U.N. Security Council.
The French leader met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before sitting down with African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to talk about making international governance more inclusive.
According to a meeting summary, the officials “recognized the need for African representation.”
Macron’s African journey took him through Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia, where he advocated for greater African participation in global institutions like the U.N. Security Council.
Speaking at the Africa Forward Summit, which France and Kenya jointly organized and marked the first time the event was held in an English-speaking nation, Macron acknowledged Africa’s need for permanent council positions.
The summit concluded with a peace and security statement that emphasized “the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the U.N. Security Council to make it more effective and representative.”
African nations have long pushed for permanent membership based on current global demographics, with continental organizations pointing out that a continent with over 1.4 billion residents lacks permanent decision-making authority.
Guterres stated Wednesday that global affairs would improve with a more inclusive U.N. Security Council.
“A Security Council that today does not represent geographically the realities of the world. We have three European permanent members, one North American and one Asian. No Latin American, no African is obviously a Security Council that has a problem of legitimacy, and that brings with it a problem of effectiveness,” he said.
Following Macron’s meeting with Abiy, officials revealed a new $63.9 million loan agreement to support Ethiopia’s renewable energy initiatives and digital transformation efforts.
At the Africa Forward Summit, Macron announced that French government and private investors would commit $27 billion in funding to promote sustainable development throughout the continent.
A puzzling case has emerged in New York City involving a black Pontiac Trans Am resembling the iconic vehicle from the 1980s television show “Knight Rider” – complete with matching license plates and multiple unpaid traffic violations.
The Volo Museum located near Chicago finds itself at the center of this mystery after receiving a $50 traffic citation from New York City. The ticket claims their Knight Rider replica was traveling 36 mph in a 25 mph zone in Brooklyn on April 22, despite the fact that their display car hasn’t been driven in years.
The citation included traffic camera images of a black Trans Am bearing the California license plate KNIGHT – identical to both the television show’s vehicle and the novelty plate on the museum’s unregistered exhibit car. City records indicate this same plate number is connected to five additional unpaid traffic violations in New York City dating back to late 2024.
The process by which city officials connected the license plate to the Illinois museum remains unclear. City representatives had not responded to requests for comment as of Wednesday.
“The fact that we’re legally tied to a movie prop is interesting,” said Jim Wojdyla, the museum’s marketing director. “We’re known for having our Hollywood cars from TV and movies, but I have no idea how we got registered from a ticket in New York to the plates in California to the Volo Museum in Illinois. We’re still trying to figure it out.”
Museum officials have filed a request for a hearing to contest the citation.
“It’s really amusing,” Wojdyla said. “We want to find out who this Knight Rider guy is because, birds of a feather. We just want to know is this from a museum, is this just a guy that built this car as a hobby? And it looks pretty damn accurate. We’d like to meet those guys.”
The original “Knight Rider” series featured David Hasselhoff as a crime-fighting protagonist and aired on NBC between 1982 and 1986. The show’s star was KITT, the black Trans Am equipped with an artificial intelligence system. (KITT is an acronym for Knight Industries Two Thousand). Approximately 20 vehicles were constructed for production, though Road & Track magazine reports only five originals still exist.
Many replica versions exist today, including the museum’s display model. The Facebook group Knight Rider KITT Car Club, dedicated to replica owners, boasts nearly 19,000 members.
Records from the California Department of Motor Vehicles show that an individual with the surname Knight renewed their registration for the KNIGHT license plate in March.
New York City operates up to 750 speed detection cameras under state authorization. These cameras photograph speeding vehicles and their license plates, with Department of Transportation staff reviewing violations and mailing citations to registered owners when vehicles exceed speed limits by more than 10 mph, according to the city’s website.
The Volo Museum has embraced the unusual situation on social media platforms. They recently updated their Facebook page header to read “Home of the Knight Rider KITT that famously got a speeding ticket in New York City without ever leaving its exhibit in Illinois!”
One of their social media posts reads: “Does anyone have Hasselhoff’s number? He owes us $50!!!!”
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — More than a hundred years ago, construction crews built the first rail tunnel under the Hudson River linking Manhattan and New Jersey using basic hand tools, digging from opposite ends until they connected underground.
Now, a massive new tunnel project representing one of America’s biggest mass transit undertakings in decades and carrying a $16 billion price tag will employ cutting-edge technology for the job.
Enormous automated drilling equipment stretching nearly 400 feet long and equipped with diamond-hard cutting tools will bore through solid rock formations. Teams of approximately 40 workers will manage conveyor belt systems that remove excavated material while simultaneously installing the tunnel’s curved concrete walls.
“This is a fully automated, underground factory,” said James Starace, chief of program delivery for the Gateway Development Commission, a public agency formed by New York and New Jersey that’s undertaking the tunnel project.
Dressed in protective gear and a bright yellow safety jacket, Starace spoke Tuesday while standing in an excavated area carved into the hillside opposite New York City. Above him loomed a massive rock face where, according to current schedules, trains will enter and exit the completed tunnel by 2035, reducing congestion along the country’s most heavily used passenger railway route.
The specialized boring equipment was shipped “like Lego pieces” from Germany in almost 100 separate parts, explained Hamed Nejad, the project’s chief engineer. Near the planned tunnel opening, welding crews worked with flying sparks to assemble sections of the enormous cutting mechanisms.
Danny Pearlstein, a spokesperson for the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance, said America has grown unaccustomed to building megaprojects at this scale, which has contributed to the cost.
“What’s astonishing about Gateway isn’t the size and scope of the project,” Pearlstein said, “but that it’s taken this long to get only so far.”
The drilling equipment is projected to require roughly 12 months to penetrate the initial section through the New Jersey Palisades, composed of hardened volcanic stone, once excavation begins later this year, Starace noted. Progress is expected at approximately 30 feet daily. Additional machines will tunnel beneath the river bottom.
When completed, the new dual-track tunnel will span almost 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). The existing two-track passage, which suffered saltwater damage during Superstorm Sandy, will undergo restoration.
The large-scale project gained essential approvals and financial backing during the Biden administration, but nearly stalled completely several months ago.
The Trump administration halted funding during the recent federal government shutdown, citing concerns that the project was allocating funds based on diversity, equity and inclusion principles.
With financing nearly exhausted in February, a federal judge commanded the administration to release the money. Funding has resumed while a legal challenge filed by New York and New Jersey against the federal government continues in court.
