VATICAN CITY – America’s top diplomat Marco Rubio is scheduled to sit down with Pope Leo this Thursday for what the U.S. envoy to the Vatican describes as an open and honest discussion regarding the Trump administration’s policies.
Brian Burch, who serves as the United States ambassador to the Holy See, explained to reporters on Tuesday that countries naturally have differences of opinion, and working through these issues requires brotherhood and genuine conversation.
“I think the Secretary is coming here in that spirit,” Burch explained during his remarks to the media. “To have a frank conversation about U.S. policy, to engage in dialogue.”
The ambassador emphasized that addressing disagreements between nations is best accomplished through what he called fraternal relationships and sincere communication.
LONDON – The United Kingdom imposed financial penalties Tuesday on 35 individuals and organizations accused of helping Russia recruit vulnerable migrants as soldiers and manufacture military drones for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
British officials announced 17 sanctions under the country’s global migration violations program, targeting what they described as human trafficking operations that transport people to serve as expendable troops on the battlefield.
An additional 18 sanctions were imposed under Britain’s existing Russia penalties program, with several targeting a recruitment scheme that officials say employed misleading tactics to enlist people, primarily from Cameroon, for drone manufacturing operations.
“The practice of exploiting vulnerable people to prop up Russia’s failing and illegal war in Ukraine is barbaric,” stated Sanctions Minister Stephen Doughty.
Doughty explained that the penalties are designed to “disrupt the operations of those trafficking migrants as cannon fodder and feeding (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s drone factories with illicit components.”
A prominent Hungarian media executive whose companies earned massive government contracts during Viktor Orban’s administration has made a surprising decision to voluntarily transfer his business empire to the state following the recent change in government.
Gyula Balasy, who controls multiple major media firms that have created government advertising campaigns for more than ten years, announced his unexpected decision during a video interview Monday evening on the Kontroll news website.
This marks the first significant strategic shift by a major business figure with close ties to Orban’s administration, which lost power last month after governing for 16 years.
The incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who leads the center-right Tisza party and will be sworn in May 9, has promised to examine state contracts, fight corruption and “reclaim stolen government assets” as part of his platform that delivered a decisive electoral victory.
“I am offering the group of companies that I have been building for 22 years, which currently perform the events, communications and media purchasing tasks for the state and government, … to the Hungarian state,” Balasy stated to Kontroll.
“I am not doing this because I have something to hide or because we have done something unlawful or wrong, but because I think the activities that we have performed for the state go beyond market communication activities and therefore … their place is inside the public sector budget.”
Balasy’s companies were responsible for creating Orban’s anti-Ukraine electoral messaging, which portrayed the April election as a decision between conflict and peace, along with numerous anti-immigration advertising efforts.
The media executive maintained that his companies secured government procurement deals that were “entirely transparent.” Balasy also revealed that several of his companies had their bank accounts frozen on Monday, though he did not identify which agency took this action.
Magyar responded briefly to Balasy’s interview on Facebook Monday, stating in reference to Orban’s supporters, “this system could collapse much faster than anyone would think.”
Mark Radnai, Tisza party’s vice chairman, commented: “This is the man who we have known as Fidesz’s billboard maker, and who in the past eight years has practically dominated the entire market of state communication.”
“Let’s not forget that the money earned was not generated by the market, it was paid by us, Hungarians… nothing will be forgotten.”
Financial records from the Opten business database show Balasy’s New Land Media company generated net revenue of 85 billion forints ($273 million) in 2024, climbing from 70 billion in 2020, while after-tax profits jumped to approximately 9 billion forints from 3 billion. His other primary company, Lounge Design, experienced net revenue growth to 26.3 billion forints from 10 billion during the same timeframe, with net profits increasing fourfold to 4.25 billion from 1.4 billion in 2020.
According to Transparency International, during just the 2019-2021 timeframe, Balasy’s enterprises Lounge Design, New Land Media and Media Dynamics secured a combined 295 billion forints in government contracts, primarily from the National Communications Office, which managed Orban’s campaigns and played a crucial role in previous electoral victories.
“The number of contracts won by Balasy’s companies has risen significantly, from zero to 150 per year in the Orban regime, between 2012 and 2025,” stated the Corruption Research Centre CRCB, a Hungarian research organization, in an April 10, 2026 report.
The booming popularity of weight-loss medications is creating an unprecedented surge in demand for whey protein, prompting dairy companies and food manufacturers around the world to dramatically increase their investments in production capabilities.
Whey, which has traditionally been used primarily as animal feed after being separated during cheese production, has become a critical ingredient in foods designed for consumers trying to maintain muscle mass while losing weight.
According to StoneX consultancy data, the cost of whey protein concentrate containing 80% protein has skyrocketed nearly 90% over the past 12 months, reaching 20,000 euros ($23,410) per metric ton. This dramatic increase far surpasses price jumps seen in other dairy products like powdered milk and cheese.
While factors such as increased health consciousness and aging demographics have contributed to rising whey costs, industry experts say the GLP-1 medication trend represents the primary driver behind this explosive demand. Interviews with twelve companies and professionals in the dairy and food industries confirmed this assessment.
“The ongoing strong demand for whey proteins, being fuelled even further by GLP (-1) in recent years, is what the industry needs to figure out,” Luis Cubel, managing director of Arla Foods Ingredients, told Reuters. “Are there any more untapped volumes you can tap into?”
Major dairy operations, including Arla Foods (known for Lurpak butter) and Netherlands-based FrieslandCampina, have ramped up their whey manufacturing capabilities. Meanwhile, food companies are broadening their high-protein product lines, including Danone’s Oikos yogurt and Bel Group’s Babybel Protein offerings.
MEDICATION USERS SEEK PROTEIN SOLUTIONS
Kristen Coady, chief innovation and brand officer at Dairy Farmers of America, explained that individuals taking weight-loss medications are actively pursuing protein sources, spurring fresh innovations across the industry.
DFA, America’s largest dairy farm cooperative, introduced MULU last month – a cottage cheese enhanced with additional whey that delivers 18 grams of complete protein per half-cup portion, significantly exceeding the standard 12 to 13 grams found in regular products.
“What we’ve been seeing is almost a run on dairy proteins,” Coady said.
The cottage cheese trend has prompted DFA to boost investments in its cultured production capabilities, converting manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania and New Mexico from fluid milk operations, according to Coady.
Health and wellness retailer iHerb has experienced tremendous growth in products related to GLP-1 medications, particularly across the United States.
“Customers are starting to really look for ways to fight the downside or the side effects of GLP-1,” said iHerb’s Chief Revenue Officer Hyeyoung Moon.
She observed increased searches containing ‘GLP-1’ terms and noted more female customers seeking supplements to combat muscle loss, expanding beyond the traditional demographic of gym enthusiasts who typically used whey proteins.
INFRASTRUCTURE STRUGGLES WITH HIGH-GRADE WHEY DEMAND
John Lancaster, head of EMEA dairy and food consulting at StoneX, indicated that the food industry currently lacks sufficient infrastructure to meet the growing appetite for high-protein whey concentrates and isolates.
“There’s a shortage of the capacity to turn (whey) into what is required by the market at the moment,” he said.
FrieslandCampina Global Director for Marketing and Product Strategy Guus Aerts explained that the protein surge has motivated the Dutch Lady and Yazoo manufacturer to make substantial investments in premium whey processing operations.
The company completed its acquisition of Wisconsin Whey Protein, an American producer of whey protein isolates, this past January and has expanded capacity at its Borculo facility in the Netherlands by 100%.
Enhancing whey quality has become essential for dairy companies as food manufacturers create more protein-enhanced versions of yogurt, cottage cheese, beverages, and savory snacks.
FrieslandCampina announced Tuesday its commitment to invest over 90 million euros to accelerate expansion in high-value whey protein markets.
Marion Bucas, marketing director at Lactalis Ingredients, a division of the world’s largest dairy corporation, described protein as representing enormous potential.
“Dairy proteins are still the best quality proteins on the market, but there will be lots of work to try to find substitutes to answer the demand,” Bucas said.
EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN SOURCES
Growing demand for protein-rich legumes like peas and lentils is providing struggling American farmers with an important new income source. Additionally, biotechnology firms producing alternative proteins through precision fermentation methods are drawing significant investment interest.
French startup Verley, which uses fungi fermentation to create proteins targeting muscle recovery, described the GLP-1 impact on the traditionally slow-changing food industry as “insane.”
“In the U.S., in just two to three years, everything changed,” said Verley co-founder and CEO Stephane Mac Millan, adding: “And that puts the whole food industry under pressure to reformulate (products).”
Standing Ovation, another French startup that has secured investments from Danone and Bel Group, produces casein proteins and anticipates launching its products commercially this year.
Co-founder Romain Chayot revealed that 80% of their product development focuses on high-protein applications.
“With GLP-1, developing high-protein yoghurt or cheese or beverage is booming today,” he said.
While analysts believe precision fermentation remains too costly to achieve widespread adoption currently, elevated whey prices are creating new market opportunities.
However, consumer acceptance presents challenges regarding taste preferences.
“Dairy protein is delicious,” said Bel Group’s North America CEO Peter McGuinness, adding: “In this protein race, we’ve lost deliciousness.”
Three significant national developments are unfolding today that impact Americans nationwide.
The United States military has launched a new operation aimed at ensuring commercial shipping vessels can safely navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global commerce.
Meanwhile, today’s primary election results in Indiana are being closely watched as a measure of former President Trump’s continuing influence within the Republican Party.
In Washington, the Supreme Court has postponed implementing new limitations on mifepristone, a medication used for abortion procedures, keeping current access rules in place for now.
Severe dry weather across Florida has reached such extreme levels that numerous lakes are completely disappearing, creating a critical situation for the state’s alligator population.
The prolonged lack of rainfall has caused water levels to drop dramatically, forcing these large reptiles to abandon their traditional territories as their aquatic homes evaporate.
Wildlife officials are monitoring the situation as the ongoing water shortage continues to impact native species throughout the region.
Listen to the Morning Delmarva Farm Report Update — May 5, 2026
DELMARVA — Spring planting is accelerating across the nation, with the USDA reporting 38% of the country’s corn crop now in the ground and 33% of soybeans planted, marking significant progress from last week.
Weather patterns remain mixed, with some regions dealing with too much moisture while others face unusually dry conditions. Some areas are also seeing cooler temperatures than optimal for this time of year.
Soybean markets shot higher Monday on strong processing margins and optimism about potential trade talks with China later this month. If that meeting happens, it could boost older crop exports.
Markets
July corn is trading around $5.30 per bushel Tuesday morning. November soybeans are near $11.46.
Locally, corn at Laurel Grain Company in Laurel, Delaware is bringing $5.30 for July delivery. Soybeans there are $11.62 for July.
Forecast
Tuesday will be sunny with highs reaching 75° and south winds 15-20 mph. Tonight stays partly cloudy with lows near 59°.
Wednesday brings rain showers likely with highs around 70°. That rain continues Wednesday night with showers and thunderstorms likely, so farmers should plan field work accordingly.
This article is based on the Delmarva Farm Report Update Morning Edition, May 5, 2026. Hosted by Tom Bradley.
STOCKHOLM – Sweden’s government announced Tuesday it will establish a new civilian foreign intelligence agency following criticism that the country’s security services failed to anticipate Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The decision represents the implementation of recommendations from a public investigation that received preliminary approval last year. The new civilian intelligence organization will report directly to Sweden’s government.
“As is well known, we have a serious security situation and we face a broad and complex threat picture every day, and this places new and increased demands on our capabilities,” Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said during a press conference.
“We also have new expectations of ourselves as a NATO ally, and as we now develop our intelligence structure, we will also better match the structures that exist within NATO and among our allies,” Stenergard added.
Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST), similar to intelligence organizations in other countries, failed to predict Russia’s comprehensive military assault on Ukraine. This oversight prompted criticism in an official government review and from political leaders.
The newly formed agency will operate in conjunction with Sweden’s current security apparatus, which includes MUST, the Swedish Security Service (SAPO) that operates under police authority, and the National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA), which handles signals intelligence operations.
According to Stenergard, establishing the new intelligence agency will cost approximately 2.8 billion Swedish crowns, equivalent to about $302 million. The funding will come primarily through budget transfers from the country’s armed forces.
Operations for the new intelligence service are scheduled to commence at the beginning of next year.
BANGKOK – Thailand’s government has unilaterally ended a 25-year-old pact with Cambodia designed to facilitate joint offshore energy exploration, ignoring pleas from Cambodia to maintain the long-standing agreement announced Tuesday.
The Thai cabinet’s decision to cancel the accord, which aimed to establish a framework for jointly developing hydrocarbon resources in contested Gulf of Thailand waters, had been anticipated following two periods of armed hostilities between the nations in the previous year.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had promised during his election campaign to withdraw from the agreement. Earlier this year, he capitalized on nationalist sentiment fueled by intense military clashes with Cambodia to become Thailand’s first prime minister to win reelection in 20 years.
“Cancelling the deal is not related to the border conflict with Cambodia, but part of my policy. It has been 25 years and there has been no progress,” Anutin told reporters, adding that Cambodia would be informed of the decision.
Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn expressed regret over the termination and said Phnom Penh “has no option” but to settle the boundary issue under processes outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.
“Cambodia’s decision to pursue compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS reaffirms its commitment to resolving maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law,” he said in a statement.
The pact, commonly referred to as “MOU 44,” has achieved minimal advancement since its signing despite numerous negotiation sessions. Progress stalled due to Thailand’s political turmoil, periodic tensions between the neighboring countries, and strong resistance from Thai nationalist groups.
The dual-purpose agreement proposed establishing a system for collaborative offshore oil and gas exploration in disputed zones while simultaneously conducting separate discussions on official boundary demarcation.
Thai government spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek announced Tuesday that UNCLOS would serve as a reference point for direct negotiations with Cambodia regarding maritime boundary determination.
Thailand has consistently declined to participate in Cambodia’s attempts to resolve border disagreements through international mechanisms, including the International Court of Justice, maintaining that such matters should be handled through bilateral negotiations.
A truce between Thailand and Cambodia has remained in effect since late December following two outbreaks of combat along extensive portions of their 817-kilometer border. The initial conflict concluded after intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both nations hold each other responsible for initiating the two rounds of violence, which resulted in nearly 150 deaths and forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes.
Swedish automaker Volvo Cars announced Tuesday that global vehicle deliveries dropped 10% during the February through April timeframe compared to the same three-month period last year, totaling 162,864 units sold worldwide.
The company faced headwinds in major markets, with Chinese sales continuing to struggle due to intense competition and broader economic challenges. Meanwhile, American market deliveries were impacted by declining consumer confidence, reduced interest in electric vehicles, and pricing pressures on sport utility vehicles.
Despite overall declining sales, Volvo’s electrified vehicle segment showed mixed results. Electric and hybrid models combined represented 48% of all vehicles delivered during the period. Pure electric vehicle sales climbed 14% to reach 39,235 units, comprising 24% of total deliveries, while plug-in hybrid sales decreased by 12%.
“The automotive industry continues to face challenging market conditions which are reflected in the sales performance for the three-month period ending April 2026,” the company stated in its announcement.
Europe, which serves as Volvo’s primary market region, demonstrated stronger performance with steady order volumes, particularly for fully electric models. The automaker noted that electric vehicle deliveries have increased for seven straight months, with the EX30 and EX40 models leading the growth.
MANILA, Philippines — Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrived in the Philippines Tuesday for high-level discussions with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and to observe multinational military exercises aimed at strengthening defense partnerships between the two countries.
During his visit to Manila, Koizumi will meet with Marcos and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to discuss expanding military cooperation, including potential discussions about Japan providing used naval destroyers to the Philippines.
Both nations, which maintain defense treaties with the United States, established a mutual access agreement in 2024 that enables large-scale joint military training operations. This Reciprocal Access Agreement cleared the path for Japan to send 1,400 military personnel to participate regularly in exercises known as Balikatan.
The annual Balikatan exercises — meaning “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog — bring together American, Filipino and other allied forces to prepare for security challenges and counter China’s growing regional aggression.
Representatives from 16 nations, including India and Australia, are scheduled to travel Wednesday to Paoay in northwestern Philippines to observe a major Balikatan demonstration featuring coordinated firepower from Philippine, U.S., Japanese and Canadian forces targeting a vessel positioned approximately 25 miles offshore.
Japanese military units will launch two rounds of Type 88 missiles as part of efforts to destroy a decommissioned Philippine navy vessel from the World War II period, according to Philippine Marine Corps Col. Dennis Hernandez, who told The Associated Press that President Marcos will monitor the live-fire demonstration remotely from Manila.
Prior to arriving in the Philippines, Koizumi stopped in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he signed a defense cooperation pact Monday with Indonesian Defense Secretary Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
“As Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment in the postwar era, it is important to establish a multilayered network of allies and like-minded countries, while expanding it and strengthening the deterrence,” Koizumi stated during a recent Tokyo press briefing.
Japan has enhanced its military strike capabilities by acquiring long-range missile systems capable of hitting distant enemy positions, marking a significant departure from its post-World War II doctrine that restricted military action to defensive purposes only.
On April 21, Japan eliminated restrictions on exporting lethal military equipment, representing another substantial shift from its postwar pacifist stance as the country works to develop its defense manufacturing sector in response to increased Chinese military activity in the region. The Philippines shares similar concerns following escalating territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.
The policy change enables Japan to potentially provide the Philippines with up to six retired Abukuma-class destroyers, which could be deployed for patrol missions and monitoring air, surface and underwater threats, Hernandez explained, noting this topic may arise during Koizumi’s meetings with Philippine leadership. Specific terms of any potential transfer remain undisclosed.
While U.S. and Australian officials have praised Japan’s policy updates, China has expressed strong opposition to these changes.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated last month that the international community, including China, will “resolutely resist Japan’s reckless moves toward a new type of militarism.”
German luxury fashion company Hugo Boss delivered first-quarter operating profits that exceeded Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, even as global tensions created headwinds for the business.
The fashion retailer announced earnings before interest and taxes of 35 million euros for the quarter, falling short of last year’s 61 million euros but beating analyst projections of 30 million euros according to company surveys.
Sales figures also outperformed expectations, with Hugo Boss recording 905 million euros in revenue compared to analyst estimates of 887 million euros.
“Following our successful finish to 2025, we entered the year with a clear roadmap. However, the market environment has become more challenging over the course of the first quarter, caused by recent developments in the Middle East,” CEO Daniel Grieder said in a statement.
Ongoing warfare in the Middle East has created turbulence across international markets, pushing oil costs upward and reigniting worries about worldwide inflation and economic expansion, with the critical Strait of Hormuz remaining blocked.
Hugo Boss noted that regional conflicts resulted in a significant drop in customer visits to Middle Eastern stores beginning in March, while worldwide consumer confidence remained subdued during the entire quarter, creating approximately a 1% negative effect on company-wide sales for the period.
Despite geopolitical challenges, Grieder indicated the company had advanced its efforts to streamline product offerings and optimize its worldwide retail presence.
“Against an increasingly challenging external backdrop, we remain firmly focused on executing our strategy, actively managing the business with flexibility and discipline,” he added.
The fashion house has worked to enhance brand recognition through targeted advertising spending while boosting profitability by controlling expenses, even as customer spending weakens.
Hugo Boss maintained its annual projections for 2026.
A delicate four-week ceasefire in the Middle East appeared on the verge of collapse Tuesday following renewed hostilities between American and Iranian forces battling for dominance over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
According to U.S. military officials, American forces eliminated six Iranian patrol boats along with cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft on Monday. This action came as part of President Donald Trump’s naval escort mission dubbed “Project Freedom,” designed to guide stranded commercial vessels through the contested waterway.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, declared via social media Tuesday that shipping security and energy transportation routes faced danger due to ceasefire violations by America and its partners.
This narrow passage serves as a critical conduit for worldwide shipments of petroleum, fertilizer, and various commodities. The waterway has remained essentially blocked since American and Israeli forces initiated strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering global price increases.
Multiple commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf experienced explosions or fires Monday, while Iranian missiles ignited an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates, a nation housing a significant American military installation.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has successfully sealed the narrow channel using threats of naval mines, unmanned aircraft, missiles, and patrol boats. The United States has countered by implementing a blockade of Iranian harbors.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Monday’s incidents demonstrated the impossibility of a military resolution to the conflict. He noted that peace negotiations continue with Pakistani mediation and cautioned the U.S. and UAE against becoming entangled in a “quagmire.”
American military representatives confirmed that two U.S. commercial vessels successfully navigated the strait with assistance from Navy guided-missile destroyers, though they did not specify timing.
Iran disputed any successful crossings occurred, but shipping company Maersk confirmed the Alliance Fairfax, flying an American flag, departed the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz with U.S. military escort Monday.
The regional U.S. forces commander reported destroying six small Iranian vessels, which Iran also contested. Iranian media cited a military official claiming American forces targeted civilian boats, resulting in five civilian deaths.
Iran also announced Monday that it had fired upon a U.S. warship approaching the strait, compelling it to retreat. Iranian officials later characterized the gunfire as warning shots.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the complete situation in the strait Monday due to conflicting accounts from both sides.
South Korea reported that one of its merchant vessels, HMM Namu, experienced an explosion and fire in its engine compartment while in the strait, though no crew members were injured. A South Korean government representative said it remained unclear whether the fire resulted from an attack.
Additionally Monday, the British maritime security organization UKMTO reported two vessels were struck off the UAE coast, and Emirati oil corporation ADNOC said one of its empty tankers was hit by Iranian drones.
Iranian officials published a map showing what they claimed was an expanded maritime zone under their authority, stretching well beyond the strait to encompass extensive portions of the UAE’s shoreline.
Following reported drone and missile strikes throughout the UAE during the day, including one causing a fire at Fujairah, a major oil port, the UAE characterized Iranian attacks as a significant escalation and stated it maintained the right to retaliate.
Fujairah sits outside the strait, positioning it as one of the few Middle Eastern oil export channels that bypasses the waterway.
Iran’s state television reported that military commanders confirmed attacking the UAE in response to “U.S. military’s adventurism.”
Oil markets declined 1% Tuesday after rising as much as 6% in the prior session amid indications the U.S. Navy was weakening Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Middle Eastern conflict has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted the global economy. American and Iranian representatives have conducted one direct peace negotiation session, but efforts to arrange additional meetings have been unsuccessful.
Trump has stated that the U.S.-Israeli operations aimed to eliminate what he termed immediate threats from Iran, referencing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, its backing of Hamas and Hezbollah, and its “menacing activities.”
Iranian state media reported Sunday that the U.S. had transmitted its response to a 14-point Iranian proposal through Pakistan, and Iran was examining it. Neither party provided specifics.
The Iranian proposal would delay discussions of Iran’s nuclear energy and research programs until after reaching an agreement to end the conflict and resolve the shipping dispute. Trump said over the weekend he was still reviewing it but would likely decline it.
Recent U.S. intelligence indicates minimal damage to Iran’s nuclear program since hostilities began, officials informed Reuters.
Trump seeks to eliminate Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles to prevent further processing that could enable nuclear weapon production. Iran denies any plans to develop nuclear weapons.
The German luxury vehicle manufacturer Audi announced it will proceed with introducing its high-end Q9 SUV to American consumers this summer, even as potential trade policy changes could affect import costs.
Finance executive Juergen Rittersberger stated Tuesday that while proposed tariff increases to 25% on European Union vehicle imports would create substantial financial challenges for the company, no final decisions have been made on these trade measures.
The Volkswagen-owned brand faces particular vulnerability to trade restrictions since it operates no manufacturing facilities within the United States, instead shipping vehicles from European and Mexican production sites to meet American demand.
The Q9 luxury SUV, representing Audi’s most premium offering in the category, is manufactured at the company’s facility in Bratislava.
For several years, Audi has considered establishing domestic manufacturing operations in America.
Rittersberger explained that the automaker is currently evaluating different strategies in partnership with parent company Volkswagen. “Without political support in the form of subsidies, tariff reductions, or similar measures, it will be difficult,” he said.
Five people lost their lives Tuesday when Russian forces launched an aerial assault on Ukrainian gas infrastructure facilities, according to the head of Ukraine’s national energy company.
The strike targeted production sites belonging to state-owned Naftogaz in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions, resulting in the deaths of three company workers and two emergency responders, CEO Serhiy Koretskyi reported.
The attack caused substantial damage to the facilities and halted gas production operations, Koretskyi stated. An additional 37 individuals sustained injuries in the bombardment.
Ukrainian officials reported Tuesday that a deadly Russian assault using missiles and drones targeted natural gas production sites overnight, resulting in five fatalities and widespread service disruptions.
The strike hit energy infrastructure operated by Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz company in both the Poltava and Kharkiv regions. Among those killed were three Naftogaz workers and two emergency response personnel, according to company CEO Serhiy Koretskyi.
“Gas production facilities in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions came under fire,” Koretskyi stated, adding that 37 additional people suffered injuries in the assault.
The Naftogaz chief described the operation as a coordinated strike using both unmanned aircraft and ballistic missiles, resulting in substantial infrastructure damage and production interruptions.
Ukrainian air defense forces tracked a massive wave of incoming threats beginning Monday evening at 6 p.m. local time, including 11 ballistic missiles and 164 drones launched by Russian forces. Military officials said they successfully intercepted one missile and 149 drones, though eight missiles and 14 drones managed to hit 14 separate locations across the country.
Regional governor Vitalii Diakivnych confirmed that direct strikes and falling debris impacted two facilities in the central Poltava area, leaving nearly 3,500 residents without gas service.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko revealed that the two emergency workers died during a follow-up missile strike after rescue teams had arrived to battle a large fire ignited by the initial attack on the gas facility. The secondary assault also injured 23 rescue personnel.
“These are deliberate attacks on those who save lives,” Klymenko wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is experiencing strong initial sales for its new weight-loss pill, but the company must prove that robust prescription numbers can withstand an aggressive pricing battle in the obesity medication sector.
The company is scheduled to release first-quarter financial results on Wednesday, with investors closely watching whether the pill can help recover market share in the weight-loss drug industry. Declining prices in the United States and increased competition have raised questions about previous projections that global sales could hit $150 billion annually in the early 2030s.
The pressure is mounting for Novo Nordisk, which has faced significant challenges over the past year. The company has dealt with disappointing clinical trial results for its next-generation obesity medication, reduced financial outlooks, executive changes, and a dramatic stock price decline that eliminated over $400 billion from its market capitalization since reaching its 2024 high.
“We are in the middle of the exam period, let’s put it that way,” stated Mikael Bak, who leads the Danish Shareholders’ Association representing 17,000 members, most of whom hold Novo investments.
“What I will be looking for is whether they are increasingly able to go from being rather defensive to being more offensive,” Bak added.
Early prescription data for Novo’s oral Wegovy pill has surpassed projections. Research firm IQVIA tracked approximately 721,000 U.S. prescriptions during the first quarter, according to BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman.
However, Novo’s exclusive position as the sole oral obesity pill available in the U.S. market ended in early April when Eli Lilly received regulatory clearance for its competing pill Foundayo, creating direct competition between the two companies.
In encouraging news for both pharmaceutical companies, Lilly reported stronger-than-anticipated first-quarter earnings last week, which boosted share prices for both firms. The positive results were driven by robust sales volume for Lilly’s weight-loss and diabetes medications Zepbound and Mounjaro.
Seigerman advised caution in making definitive assessments so early after the product launch, explaining that IQVIA’s data doesn’t capture prescriptions dispensed through certain approved telehealth services, suggesting actual patient numbers might be higher.
Industry experts also note that impressive prescription volumes might be concealing weaker revenue performance. Approximately 450,000 prescriptions were for the lowest-priced 1.5 mg starting dose, which costs $149 monthly. BMO Capital Markets projects that first-quarter pill revenue could fall roughly 12% short of the analyst consensus estimate of about $1 billion.
“The initial launch has gone better than people thought,” explained Barclays analyst James Gordon. “But are some people just starting on the cheap low dose and staying on it because it’s cheaper and they don’t need the higher efficacy and cost delivered by higher doses? There are still quite a lot of moving parts, even before Lilly’s competing oral product makes an impact.”
Patients generally begin with lower doses and gradually increase to higher amounts over several months as their bodies adapt. A slower-than-anticipated progression would impact revenue even if overall prescription growth remains strong.
Novo Nordisk declined to provide comments during the regulatory quiet period before earnings announcement.
Gordon noted that prescriptions for the starting dose had leveled off, while higher-dose prescriptions had increased more gradually than expected if patients were advancing after one month.
The most probable explanation combines patients remaining on the less expensive dose longer and others discontinuing treatment entirely, according to Gordon.
Novo shareholder Lukas Leu commended the pill’s successful launch but highlighted concerns about escalating price competition as rivalry increases and U.S. President Donald Trump advocates for reduced drug costs.
“The launch is definitely strong – I think no one wants to debate about that,” Leu commented. “What we don’t know yet is whether it will compensate Novo for the price decline, which is faster.”
Several investors anticipate Novo will maintain its full-year financial guidance while awaiting clearer data on how the pill compares to Lilly’s alternative. Two investors predicted Novo would raise the lower end of its guidance range.
The competitive comparison with Lilly significantly influences investor sentiment toward Novo, with some observers suggesting the American pharmaceutical company has acted more aggressively in both product development and business acquisitions.
“We see early but preliminary signs of progress. But it is still early stage – the future will show whether it is actually enough,” Anders Schelde from Novo shareholder AkademikerPension told Reuters.
Hours after learning of beloved radio announcer John Sterling’s passing, the New York Yankees delivered a dominant 12-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, completing a four-game sweep of their division rivals.
Aaron Judge powered the emotional win with four RBIs and reached base safely three times. The Yankees have now captured 14 victories in their last 16 contests following Sterling’s death, who served as the team’s radio voice for 36 seasons before stepping away after the 2024 campaign.
Before the first pitch, New York honored Sterling with a moment of silence and placed a commemorative wreath at home plate. Judge then set the tone immediately, launching a full-count curveball from Shane Baz (1-3) into the right-center field bullpen for a two-run blast that gave his team an early 2-0 advantage.
The home run marked Judge’s 14th of the season, tying him for the major league lead, and his 11th long ball in the past 21 games. Against Baltimore specifically, Judge has now connected for 53 home runs in 124 career matchups.
Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (5-1) earned the victory by surrendering just one run on seven hits across 5 2/3 innings. Baz struggled for the Orioles, giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits in his 5 2/3-inning outing.
Dodgers 8, Astros 3
Alex Freeland and Kyle Tucker delivered home runs to support Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s six-inning performance as Los Angeles captured the opening game of their three-game series in Houston.
Freeland’s blast sparked a two-run second inning, while Tucker opened the third frame with his homer to ignite a four-run outburst. Both players did their damage against Ryan Weiss (0-3), who surrendered seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Yamamoto (3-2) permitted three runs on five hits for the victory. Will Smith collected three hits including two doubles, and Freeland also registered three hits in the win.
Cubs 5, Reds 4
Substitute hitter Michael Conforto delivered a walk-off solo home run to cap Chicago’s two-run ninth-inning comeback against Cincinnati at home.
Conforto connected on a 3-2 fastball from Cincinnati closer Emilio Pagan (2-1), sending it into the left-center field seats for the Cubs’ sixth consecutive victory.
Pete Crow-Armstrong began the bottom of the ninth with a triple. After Pagan struck out Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that tied the game before Conforto’s heroics. Ryan Rolison (2-0) dominated in the top of the ninth, striking out all three batters he faced.
White Sox 6, Angels 0
Munetaka Murakami tallied three hits, crossed home plate three times and belted his 14th home run to support Davis Martin’s shutout performance as Chicago blanked Los Angeles in Anaheim.
Miguel Vargas also homered to help the White Sox defeat the Angels for the fourth time in eight days and claim their sixth victory in seven games. Martin (5-1) scattered five hits while striking out a career-best 10 batters in seven innings.
Angels starter Jose Soriano (5-2) allowed five runs and eight hits over four innings, suffering his second loss to Chicago in as many starts. Nolan Schanuel and Travis d’Arnaud each recorded two hits for Los Angeles, which has dropped 13 of its last 15 games.
Mets 4, Rockies 2
Carson Benge broke up Tomoyuki Sugano’s no-hit attempt with a sixth-inning home run, while five New York pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts in the Mets’ victory over Colorado in Denver.
David Peterson (1-4), the third New York hurler, struck out six batters in four innings of work. Devin Williams closed out the ninth inning without allowing a hit to secure his fourth save.
Mickey Moniak doubled and tripled to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, and Jordan Beck tripled for Colorado, which has lost the first four games of its six-game homestand.
Phillies 1, Marlins 0
Aaron Nola threw six scoreless innings and Bryce Harper homered to lead visiting Philadelphia past Miami in the conclusion of their four-game series. Nola (2-3) delivered his finest outing of 2026, scattering five hits with no walks while fanning five in an efficient 94-pitch performance.
Harper provided all the offense needed, going 3-for-4 with a third-inning home run. Brad Keller worked around two baserunners in the ninth to earn his second save as Philadelphia improved to 6-1 since Don Mattingly assumed interim managerial duties.
Miami starter Janson Junk (2-3) gave up one run and five hits across 5 1/3 innings. Jakob Marsee and Kyle Stowers each contributed two singles for the Marlins.
Rays 5, Blue Jays 1
Ryan Vilade launched his first home run as a member of Tampa Bay, a three-run shot in the opening inning, as the Rays defeated visiting Toronto in St. Petersburg for their fourth straight victory.
Jonathan Aranda went 3-for-4 and is now 9-for-13 over his last three contests for Tampa Bay, while Taylor Walls contributed a two-run single. Nick Martinez (3-1) pitched five innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits.
Toronto starter Eric Lauer (1-4) permitted three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. produced Toronto’s only run with a third-inning single, and rookie Yohendrick Pinango recorded his second three-hit game in three outings.
Red Sox 5, Tigers 4
Jarren Duran crushed a go-ahead three-run home run, Payton Tolle earned his first major league victory and Boston held on to defeat host Detroit.
Duran’s blast, one of his three hits on the night, highlighted a five-run seventh inning. Marcelo Mayer added two hits and one RBI. Tolle (1-1) allowed two unearned runs and just one hit across seven innings while striking out eight batters. He walked only one in an economical 83-pitch effort. Aroldis Chapman recorded his seventh save.
Dillon Dingler produced a two-run double for Detroit, one of only three hits for the Tigers. Ricky Vanasco (0-1) was tagged with four runs after recording just two outs.
Royals 6, Guardians 2
Bobby Witt Jr.’s solo home run sparked a four-run fourth inning, Michael Wacha pitched seven innings of two-run ball and Kansas City captured its fourth consecutive game with a victory over visiting Cleveland.
Vinnie Pasquantino contributed two hits and an RBI for the Royals, who erased an early 2-0 deficit to win for the ninth time in 12 games after losing eight straight. Wacha (3-2) bounced back after allowing 10 runs over 10 1/3 innings in his previous two losing starts.
Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (0-5), who entered with a 4-0 record in nine career starts against Kansas City, held the Royals hitless until the fourth but departed after that inning having surrendered four runs on five hits. He threw 39 of his 77 pitches in the fourth inning alone.
Cardinals 6, Brewers 3
Ivan Herrera smacked a three-run double, JJ Wetherholt drove in two runs and host St. Louis topped Milwaukee.
Herrera, Wetherholt, Victor Scott II and Nolan Gorman each collected two hits for the Cardinals, who have captured seven of their last eight games. Kyle Leahy (4-3) gave up one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, while Riley O’Brien secured the final two outs for his 10th save.
Brice Turang (3-for-5, two RBIs) homered and Jackson Chourio went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a walk in his first five plate appearances of 2026 for Milwaukee, which has lost two straight. Brewers starter Chad Patrick (2-2) surrendered four runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Mariners 5, Braves 4
Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford homered during a five-run sixth inning as Seattle rallied to defeat visiting Atlanta in the opener of their three-game interleague series.
The Mariners ended a three-game losing streak and stopped Atlanta’s three-game winning streak on an evening when all nine runs came via home runs. The major-league-leading Braves suffered just their fourth loss in the past 19 games.
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert (2-3) earned the victory despite surrendering four solo home runs. The right-hander allowed four runs on six hits over six innings. Atlanta reliever Tyler Kinley (3-2) was charged with two runs in his only inning of work.
Giants 3, Padres 2
Minor league call-up Trevor McDonald scattered just two hits over seven innings, Casey Schmitt homered and San Francisco began a six-game homestand with a victory over San Diego.
Rafael Devers drove in Luis Arraez twice with a single and sacrifice fly, combining with Schmitt to account for all the Giants’ offense as they snapped a six-game losing streak. McDonald (1-0) allowed one run in his first major league appearance of the year.
After Jackson Merrill connected on McDonald’s sixth pitch for a solo home run, the Giants immediately responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a lead they maintained throughout. San Diego starter Randy Vasquez (3-1) allowed three runs on five hits across 5 2/3 innings.
The Seattle Mariners mounted a dramatic comeback Monday night, scoring five runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 in the opening game of their three-game interleague matchup.
Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford delivered crucial home runs during Seattle’s explosive sixth-inning rally, helping the Mariners end a three-game losing streak while snapping Atlanta’s three-game winning streak. The contest featured an unusual offensive display with all nine runs coming from home runs.
Despite surrendering four solo home runs, Seattle starter Logan Gilbert (2-3) earned the victory after pitching six innings. The right-handed pitcher allowed four runs on six hits while recording four strikeouts and issuing two walks.
The Mariners’ bullpen completed the victory as Jose A. Ferrer and Eduard Bazardo threw two scoreless innings in relief, followed by closer Andres Munoz who secured his seventh save of the season in the ninth inning.
Atlanta reliever Tyler Kinley (3-2) took the loss after giving up two runs during his single inning of work.
For the Braves, Matt Olson reached a career milestone by hitting his 300th home run, while Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley also connected for solo shots.
Baldwin opened the scoring with a leadoff home run to center field in the first inning.
The score remained 1-0 until the sixth inning when Atlanta appeared to take control. Albies and Olson started the frame with back-to-back home runs to center field, and after one out, Riley blasted a shot to left-center field, giving the Braves a commanding 4-0 lead.
Atlanta rookie pitcher JR Ritchie, a Bainbridge Island native, dominated through five innings before encountering trouble in the sixth. After walking the first two batters he faced, Ritchie allowed Raley’s three-run homer to right-center field, cutting the deficit to 4-3 and ending his evening.
Kinley entered the game and walked Mitch Garver with one out. With two outs, Crawford delivered the game-winning blow with a home run to right field, giving Seattle a 5-4 advantage.
In his third major league start, Ritchie allowed three runs on four hits across five-plus innings, walking six batters while striking out two.
Braves catcher Sean Murphy made his season debut after recovering from hip surgery performed last September. He used up both of his team’s replay challenges in the first inning on ball-strike calls, losing both reviews. Murphy finished 0-for-3 at the plate.
Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh missed his third straight game due to discomfort in his right side.
The loss marked just the fourth defeat for the major league-leading Braves in their past 19 games.
A disputed officiating decision in the final minutes helped propel the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-1 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks in Monday night’s opening game of their Western Conference second-round playoff matchup in Las Vegas.
Ivan Barbashev netted what proved to be the decisive score with 4:58 left on the clock, but the goal sparked heated controversy due to a waived-off icing call that preceded the play.
The sequence unfolded when Barbashev sent the puck deep from beyond center ice. Anaheim’s players, including defenseman Jackson LaCombe who was providing a screen on Jack Eichel, eased up expecting an icing whistle. Instead, officials allowed play to continue, enabling Pavel Dorofeyev to feed Barbashev, who buried a shot from close range on the left side.
Anaheim head coach Joel Quenneville expressed his frustration with the officiating. “Clearly I disagreed with the call,” Quenneville stated. “It was clearly icing, but their guy (Jack Eichel) stopped, which really made me annoyed.”
Vegas coach John Totorella offered a different perspective. “I didn’t see it,” Totorella explained. “I was blocked. I didn’t see it, so I don’t know what to tell you.”
Carter Hart delivered an outstanding performance between the pipes for Vegas, turning aside 33 of 34 shots. Mitch Marner contributed both a goal and an assist, while Brett Howden also found the back of the net for the Golden Knights, who now hold a commanding 28-8-3 all-time record against Anaheim, including 16-3-1 on home ice.
For the Ducks, Mikael Granlund managed their lone goal while goaltender Lukas Dostal made 19 stops in the losing effort.
The series continues Wednesday night in Las Vegas for Game 2 of the best-of-seven contest.
Vegas opened the scoring at 3:14 of the middle frame, shortly after Anaheim’s Troy Terry struck iron with a wrist shot from the right side. Howden, who managed just 12 goals during 58 regular season contests, recorded his fifth tally in seven playoff appearances by deflecting Marner’s cross-ice feed through traffic.
The Ducks missed a golden opportunity to level the score midway through the second period. Leo Carlsson created a spectacular spinning feed to LaCombe, who found himself alone near the right circle. However, LaCombe, despite leading Anaheim with nine points in their first-round victory over Edmonton, opted to pass rather than shoot at the vacant net, sending the puck to Terry in front. The opportunity slipped away when the puck eluded Terry’s stick.
“We had a great chance with (LaCombe),” Quenneville reflected. “I didn’t have to say anything to him. I think we all knew we’d like to have that one back.”
Anaheim managed to even things up with 6:03 remaining in regulation when LaCombe skated down the left side and set up Granlund, who fired home a wrist shot for his third playoff marker.
The tie lasted merely 65 seconds before Barbashev’s controversial winner sent the Ducks bench into an uproar over the missed icing call.
When asked about receiving any clarification from the officials, Quenneville was blunt. “No. I did not,” he said. “I was just upset at the call at the time, but that was the play for me. We had just scored. It was a huge call, and an easy call.”
Anaheim pulled Dostal for an extra skater with 1:55 on the clock, but Marner put the game away with an empty-net goal from end to end with just six seconds left.
The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a thrilling 104-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup on Monday, getting a crucial boost from the unexpected return of star Anthony Edwards.
Edwards, who was expected to miss multiple weeks due to a bone bruise in his left knee suffered on April 25, came off the bench to contribute 18 points. Julius Randle paced Minnesota’s scoring effort with 21 points in the road victory.
The series continues Wednesday in San Antonio for Game 2, before shifting to Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch explained the decision to bring Edwards off the bench despite his return from injury.
“We talked yesterday that if he was able to go, he was going to come off the bench, and if that, you know, was fine with him,” Finch explained. “He was all in, and he did a really good job of, like, not like pushing and forcing things, even though he knew he was on a minutes restrictions. I thought he did a really good job of just staying in the flow.”
The Spurs held a three-point edge entering the final quarter, but Edwards took control early in the fourth period. He tallied 11 of Minnesota’s initial 19 points in the quarter, helping set up a decisive 7-0 stretch that Mike Conley finished with a three-pointer, giving the Timberwolves a commanding 95-86 lead with 4:42 remaining.
San Antonio fought back in the closing moments, with Victor Wembanyama’s slam cutting the deficit to four points with 43.6 seconds left. Dylan Harper then stole the ball and scored with 30.9 seconds remaining, bringing the Spurs within two points. After Randle missed a shot, San Antonio chose not to use a timeout and got the ball to Julian Champagnie, whose three-point attempt at the buzzer hit the front rim and bounced out.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson defended the final shot selection.
“Dylan did a good job pushing the ball and kicking it ahead. Julian had a fly-by and had a shot in rhythm. No problem with the shot. That was a great shot. I hope he shoots it every time,” Johnson said.
Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each added 16 points for the Timberwolves, while Naz Reid and Conley chipped in 12 points apiece. Randle and Rudy Gobert each pulled down 10 rebounds.
Randle emphasized the significance of stealing the opening game on the road.
“(Winning this game was) extremely important,” Randle stated. “That’s kind of a tone-setter for the series, especially being a road team for us to come out the way we did with composure, just playing good basketball. We felt like we left a lot out there. Feel like we can play a lot better.”
For San Antonio, Harper topped all scorers with 18 points, while Stephon Castle and Champagnie each contributed 17 points. Devin Vassell added 14 points, and Wembanyama achieved a triple-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 blocked shots, though he struggled from three-point range, missing all eight attempts. Keldon Johnson also scored 11 points for the Spurs.
Johnson acknowledged Minnesota’s defensive prowess after the defeat.
“(Minnesota) did what they do — they’re physical, they guard the basketball really well, especially direct action, where it’s kind of mano a mano situations, they got guys that are capable of doing it, and they take a lot of pride in it,” the Spurs coach noted.
Minnesota grabbed an early 24-22 advantage after the first quarter, highlighted by Randle’s dunk over Wembanyama at the buzzer.
The second quarter featured multiple momentum swings, with San Antonio building a 35-29 lead following Luke Kornet’s free throws at the 6:38 mark. Minnesota responded with a 7-0 run, capped by Reid’s layup for a 36-35 advantage. The teams battled evenly through the remainder of the half, heading to the locker room deadlocked at 45-45.
Harper led all first-half scorers with 11 points, while Castle added 10 for San Antonio. Edwards, Reid, and Randle each scored seven points to pace Minnesota’s offense before halftime.
Russian regional authorities reported Tuesday that Ukrainian forces launched an assault on a major oil processing facility in the Leningrad region, causing a blaze in an industrial section of Kirishi.
Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that Ukrainian forces targeted the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery facility. “The enemy’s main target was the (Kirishinefteorgsintez) oil refinery,” Drozdenko stated, noting that the incident resulted in no injuries.
Emergency crews successfully controlled the blaze, with firefighting efforts nearly finished, according to the governor’s statement.
The targeted facility ranks among Russia’s most significant oil processing plants. Industry data shows the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery handled 17.5 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024, equivalent to 350,000 barrels daily, representing 6.6% of the nation’s total refining capacity.
The facility’s annual output includes 2 million tons of gasoline, 7.1 million tons of diesel fuel, 6.1 million tons of fuel oil, and 600,000 tons of bitumen.
Russian military officials reported that defense systems eliminated 289 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft across various Russian territories during overnight operations.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has released an updated version of its safety guidelines designed to help egg processing facilities meet federal regulations.
The new guidelines provide assistance to manufacturing plants that handle egg products through various processes including pasteurization, heat treatment, cooling, freezing, and enzyme modification.
Federal officials revised the guidelines after receiving inquiries about the previous version and incorporated new scientific research into the updated document.
The guidelines are intended to help processing facilities comply with current federal safety regulations for egg products.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two star players will be absent when the Western Conference semifinals tip off Tuesday night, as both Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams have been sidelined due to left hamstring injuries.
Both franchises submitted their injury reports to the NBA on Monday, confirming the players’ unavailability for the crucial playoff opener.
Doncic sustained his injury during a game in Oklahoma City approximately one month ago and has remained out of action since. The NBA’s scoring leader posted impressive regular season numbers, recording 33.5 points per game along with 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has remained noncommittal about Doncic’s potential return timeline, noting that this type of injury can sideline players for up to two months. Despite his absence from game action, Doncic participated in three-point shooting drills with his teammates during Monday’s practice session before the team departed for Oklahoma City.
Williams, who earned All-Star recognition for 2025, sat out the final two contests of Oklahoma City’s first-round matchup against Phoenix due to his hamstring issue. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault stopped short of clearing Williams for action, stating Monday that the player continues to make progress in his recovery.
During a regular season marred by various injuries, Williams contributed 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. His playoff performance was even more impressive, averaging 20.5 points while shooting 61.5% from the field in Oklahoma City’s opening two postseason games before suffering the injury in the third quarter of Game 2. Ajay Mitchell stepped into the starting role and contributed to the Thunder’s series sweep.
NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees captain Aaron Judge is advocating for a permanent tribute to honor the late John Sterling by playing the beloved broadcaster’s signature victory call throughout Yankee Stadium after each win, right before Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” fills the air.
“I think it’d be a nice little tip of the cap to John and what he meant — so much to this franchise and this fan base. I think it would be pretty cool,” Judge commented following New York’s dominant 12-1 victory over Baltimore Monday evening, which completed a four-game series sweep on the same day the iconic announcer passed away.
The stadium’s public address system broadcasted Sterling’s distinctive “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!” call immediately after the game’s conclusion.
Judge contributed significantly to the victory with his league-leading 14th home run in the opening frame, plus a two-run hit in the eighth inning that gave him four RBIs total. This performance came after the team honored Sterling, who died at 87, with a pregame ceremony.
Sterling served as the Yankees’ radio voice for 35 years, from 1989 through 2024. As Judge rounded the bases following his two-run blast off Shane Baz, he recalled the personalized home run call Sterling created for him: “A Judgian blast! All rise! Here comes the Judge!”
“Definitely seeing that tribute hit home because he loved the Yankees,” Judge reflected. “He loved this team. He loved this franchise. He loved the fans. He loved everybody he talked to on a nightly basis. So to do that there in the first, just kind of was chuckling around the bases thinking what he was probably saying.”
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone disclosed before the contest that he’s been honoring Sterling in the dugout for several years by shouting “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!” prior to celebrating with handshakes.
During Monday’s game, supporters joined in loudly as Sterling’s deep voice echoed at amplified volume through the stadium speakers.
“It drowned me out a little bit, happily,” Boone remarked.
Similar to Judge, the manager supports making Sterling’s voice a permanent postgame fixture.
“Yeah, I’d love it,” the manager stated. “Right on into Frank.”
Judge currently tops Major League Baseball with six first-inning home runs this season and has accumulated 91 career first-inning homers, ranking behind only Babe Ruth’s 126 and Mickey Mantle’s 103 among Yankees players. His latest homer marked his 53rd in 124 career games against Baltimore.
“It’s a pretty good advantage to have that guy coming up in the first inning for you,” Boone noted.
Judge, who shared the major league home run lead with Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox after Monday’s games, is currently batting .272 with 27 RBIs.
Following his first batting championship last season, when he maintained a .427 average through April, Judge struggled initially this year and was hitting .212 with three homers and seven RBIs after 14 games. Since that slow start, the three-time American League MVP has posted a .329 average with 11 home runs and 20 RBIs across 21 contests.
“Even if I’m hitting .400 in April, I’m tinkering with something new every single day. It could be something subtle with hands or feet, the sights, approach,” Judge explained. “When you stink, you’re trying to get better. When you’re doing well, you’re also trying to get better.”
Every Yankees player wore caps featuring Sterling’s “JS” initials stitched on the back. A Bronx vendor quickly created the tribute at the team’s request.
“I thought it was a nice little touch for John,” Judge said.
Armenia marked a significant diplomatic milestone Tuesday by hosting its inaugural bilateral summit with the European Union in Yerevan, signaling the Caucasus nation’s determined shift toward Western alliances while gradually distancing itself from Russia, its traditional partner.
The EU-Armenia summit took place following the eighth European Political Community gathering, which drew numerous European leaders to Armenia’s capital. During Monday’s discussions, officials tackled European security concerns and addressed the ongoing conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
These diplomatic gatherings highlight Armenia’s strategic pivot toward Western partnerships while reducing Russian influence. Relations between Armenia and Moscow, historically strong allies, have deteriorated significantly since 2023 when Azerbaijan successfully recaptured the Karabakh territory, ending decades of control by ethnic Armenian separatists.
Armenian officials blamed Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the area for their inability to prevent Azerbaijan’s military campaign. Moscow, preoccupied with its Ukrainian conflict, dismissed these claims, maintaining that their forces lacked authority to intervene.
Richard Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Center in Yerevan, told The Associated Press that the conflict served as “a belated demonstration that Russia is dangerously unreliable as a partner.”
Following these events, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration has actively pursued stronger Western relationships, an initiative the EU has embraced.
During Monday’s EPC conference, EU Council President Antonio Costa expressed gratitude to Pashinyan for “the courageous political decisions he has taken to bring Armenia closer to the European Union.”
“The direction of travel is unmistakable,” Costa declared, emphasizing the importance of “strengthen[ing] Armenian democracy and fight[ing] external interference and misinformation.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted Armenia’s strategic importance for European supply networks during her EPC address, noting the country’s role “specifically on the connectivity to the South Caucasus and Central Asia.”
In 2023, Armenia became a member of the International Criminal Court, prompting Moscow to denounce the decision as an “unfriendly step.” The court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, charging him with personal accountability for Ukrainian children’s abductions.
Armenia subsequently suspended its involvement in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024.
The Armenian parliament later enacted legislation formally announcing the nation’s goal to pursue EU membership.
According to Giragosian, the EU has filled the role previously occupied by Russia, rather than the United States taking that position.
“EU engagement is much more prudent and much more productive than the U.S. becoming involved, simply because European engagement is less provocative to Russia over the longer term,” he explained.
Nevertheless, Armenia maintains membership in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, which facilitates free movement of goods, capital, and workers among member states including Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Putin has clearly outlined the consequences of dual allegiances.
During earlier discussions with Pashinyan in Moscow this year, Putin cautioned that Armenia cannot maintain simultaneous membership in both the EEU and EU, highlighting that Yerevan currently receives Russian natural gas at significantly reduced rates compared to European market prices. While Pashinyan recognized this incompatibility, he stated Armenia could temporarily balance EEU membership with expanded EU cooperation.
Giragosian characterized Tuesday’s summit as “a focus on deepening the preexisting relationship” rather than advancing toward candidacy status, referencing the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement that has governed EU-Armenia relations since its full implementation in 2021.
“The symbolic significance is much greater as a message to Russia,” he noted.
However, Giragosian anticipates concrete outcomes from the summit. Expected announcements include funding for domestic reforms and military support through the European Peace Facility, a fund established primarily to assist Ukraine. An EU monitoring presence has operated along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan for several years, and authorities recently approved a new mission addressing hybrid threats.
Pashinyan, who has served since 2018 and faces parliamentary elections in June, is positioned to gain politically from the international attention these European meetings generate. Giragosian observed that Pashinyan’s government will likely retain power largely due to the opposition’s failure to present a viable alternative platform.
However, Giragosian cautioned against viewing Armenia’s foreign policy solely as a transition from Russian to Western alignment.
“Armenia is also pivoting beyond the black and white zero-sum game paradigm,” he stated, referencing substantial diplomatic efforts in Asia, including partnerships with Japan, South Korea, and China. “This is not about replacing Russia with the West. This is much more innovative, much more sophisticated.”
The summit occurs during increased tensions between Azerbaijan and the EU. Last week, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry called in the EU ambassador to object to a European Parliament resolution calling for Armenian prisoner releases and criticizing Armenian treatment in Karabakh. Azerbaijani lawmakers subsequently voted to halt all European Parliament cooperation.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, who participated in the EPC conference through video connection, criticized the European Parliament and Parliamentary Assembly for the Council of Europe for “double standards” regarding sanctions on Azerbaijan’s PACE delegation.
Protests also occurred outside the heavily secured EPC summit location. Demonstrators displayed photographs of Armenian prisoners detained in Azerbaijan.
Opposition leader Aram Sargsyan, who heads the Democratic Party of Armenia, told the Armenian Press Agency that European officials were expressing pre-election support for Pashinyan while having “forgotten about the Armenians in prison in Azerbaijan.”
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te defended his nation’s right to conduct international diplomacy Tuesday following his return from a three-day official visit to Eswatini, which Taiwanese officials claim Beijing attempted to prevent.
The president’s original travel plans for last month were scrapped due to Chinese interference, according to Taiwan’s government. Officials stated that Beijing influenced three nations to withdraw flight authorization, blocking Lai’s passage through their territories.
While China has not verified these pressure tactics, Beijing expressed gratitude to the countries for supporting its one-China policy. Despite the obstacles, Lai proceeded with rescheduled plans and arrived in the African kingdom on May 2.
During his visit to one of Taiwan’s dozen remaining diplomatic allies, discussions centered on strengthening ties in economics, farming, culture, and education.
“Just like going out to visit friends, this is every country’s basic right,” Lai stated upon returning to Taiwan Tuesday. “This trip, which was subject to obstruction, actually let the world see the Taiwanese public’s determination and will to be a part of the world.”
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory and threatens military action if necessary to reclaim the island. China forbids nations with which it maintains diplomatic relationships from establishing official connections with Taiwan.
While Taiwan operates independently, it confronts mounting Chinese pressure across multiple areas. Beijing regularly dispatches military aircraft and naval ships toward the island while using economic incentives and coercion to persuade other countries to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
This past weekend demonstrated China’s broader influence when organizers of a human rights gathering in Zambia called off the event after Beijing pressured the host nation to bar Taiwanese participants.
Lai expressed appreciation to Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, who joined the delegation and helped ensure “a smooth round trip” for all participants. Dladla had visited Taiwan in late April.
“Taiwan’s actions shows that the real display of power of a country isn’t in having others submit to you, but to bring prosperity to everyone,” he added.
HONG KONG — Markets across Asia dropped Tuesday, following the lead of Wall Street where stocks pulled back from their recent record-setting levels.
Energy prices retreated after climbing earlier due to growing conflicts between the United States and Iran.
Futures for U.S. markets showed a modest 0.1% increase.
Trading activity remained light across the region, as markets in Japan, South Korea and mainland China remained shuttered for holiday observances.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 1.1% to close at 25,805.98. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.5% to finish at 8,649.80, while Taiwan’s Taiex ended 0.2% lower at 40,626.22.
Monday brought new challenges to the delicate ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran when U.S. military forces reported destroying six small Iranian vessels that were threatening commercial shipping. Meanwhile, two American-flagged ships successfully navigated through the Strait of Hormuz.
This crucial passage for global oil and gas shipments continues to face significant restrictions, despite ongoing U.S. demands for Iran to allow normal transit. The United States has established a naval blockade around Iranian ports while launching President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” initiative Monday, designed to escort stranded vessels through the strategic waterway.
International benchmark Brent crude dropped $1.22 to $113.22 per barrel after Monday’s surge above $114, which represented nearly a 6% gain. Prior to the conflict’s start in late February, the commodity was valued around $70.
U.S. benchmark crude fell $2.08 to $104.34 per barrel.
Diplomatic efforts to establish a lasting peace agreement have reached an impasse. The situation worsened when the United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. partner, reported coming under Iranian attack for the first time since last month’s ceasefire took effect.
“We are seeing the first signs of the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran breaking down amid a re-escalation in the Persian Gulf,” ING Bank analysts Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note Tuesday.
“Continuation of ‘Project Freedom’ risks further escalation,” they wrote. “Any relief from stranded vessels making their way through the Strait will be temporary, with very few inbound vessels moving into the Persian Gulf.”
Monday’s session on Wall Street ended in negative territory, with the S&P 500 benchmark declining 0.4% from its latest peak to close at 7,200.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.1% to 48,941.90, while the tech-focused Nasdaq composite fell 0.2% to 25,067.80.
GameStop shares plummeted 10.1% following the company’s announcement of its intention to purchase eBay, despite eBay’s market capitalization being approximately four times larger than GameStop’s.
Currency markets saw the U.S. dollar strengthen to 157.27 Japanese yen from 157.25 yen. The euro weakened to $1.1687 from $1.1689.
WASHINGTON — Two individuals died Monday when American military forces targeted a vessel suspected of drug smuggling in Caribbean waters, according to U.S. officials.
This latest strike continues the Trump administration’s ongoing offensive against alleged narcotics trafficking operations throughout Latin American waters, a campaign that began in early September and has resulted in at least 188 deaths overall. Similar operations have also occurred in eastern Pacific waters.
The military operations have intensified in recent weeks despite ongoing conflicts with Iran, demonstrating the administration’s continued commitment to what it describes as combating “narcoterrorism” across the Western Hemisphere. Military officials have not released evidence confirming drug presence on any of the targeted vessels.
These strikes coincide with the largest U.S. military deployment to the region in decades and preceded the January operation that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was transported to New York to face drug trafficking allegations, to which he has entered a not guilty plea.
U.S. Southern Command described Monday’s operation as targeting suspected drug traffickers operating along established smuggling corridors, echoing language from previous announcements. The command shared footage on X displaying a vessel traveling across water before being consumed by a large explosion.
President Donald Trump has characterized the United States as being in “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels, defending these strikes as essential escalation to reduce drug imports and prevent American overdose deaths. However, his administration has provided minimal evidence supporting claims of eliminating “narcoterrorists.”
Legal experts have raised concerns about the lawfulness of these maritime strikes.
FENGLIN, Taiwan — In the small Taiwanese community of Fenglin, residents have discovered an unusual solution to boost tourism following a devastating earthquake: racing snails.
This town of approximately 10,000 people has built its reputation around unhurried living, and rather than fighting this characteristic, locals have decided to celebrate it. The community has organized snail racing competitions to showcase its commitment to a leisurely, sustainable way of life that emphasizes wellness, long life spans, and strong community bonds.
The unique events also serve a practical purpose — drawing visitors back to the region after a powerful earthquake in April 2024 significantly reduced tourism. The disaster claimed 19 lives and left over 1,100 people injured, creating lasting concerns among potential travelers.
“The earthquake two years ago had a relatively big impact on tourism because people are worried an earthquake may happen again,” explained Hsu Lu, a 32-year-old local resident. “Many people have left Hualien because of earthquakes,” Hsu noted, referencing the broader county known for frequent seismic activity.
The connection between Fenglin and snails began in 2014 when the town became part of Cittaslow, a global movement of smaller communities dedicated to improving quality of life and promoting locally grown food. The organization’s emblem features a snail with various structures on its shell.
This slow-living philosophy fits naturally with Fenglin’s character. The community’s population has decreased by two-thirds over recent decades, and today it represents Taiwan’s aging demographic challenge, with over 20% of residents being 65 or older.
Following the April 2024 disaster, community members launched their first snail competition the next month as a way to help restore local tourism, according to event coordinator Cheng Jen-shou.
“We thought that our event could attract people, and that would be a small help,” he explained.
The town recently completed its third annual competition during the May Day holiday weekend. Dozens of excited locals and visitors gathered for the festivities, which included six separate races spread across two days. Race winners advanced to a championship round, but not before being ceremoniously transported on wooden boards across green carpeting while supporters applauded.
Among the participants was Li Cheng-wen, a 70-year-old retired resident who brought several competitors he had discovered eating vegetables in his garden. Rather than eliminating them as many farmers might, he chose to care for them as companions, providing daily water and feeding them fruit slices and plant leaves.
“As to the criteria for choosing snails for the race, I usually select those that are very active and pleasing to the eye,” Li shared.
Kelvin Hong and Tiara Lin made an especially long journey for the event, driving approximately five hours from the southern metropolis of Kaohsiung with their 2-year-old daughter Murphy and their giant African snail named Aquaman. The family had originally planned to participate in 2024, but Lin’s unexpected labor prevented their attendance. This year, they finally got their chance to support their unusual athlete.
Despite Aquaman’s size advantage over locally gathered competitors, the imported snail proved disappointingly sluggish during competition.
The racing format involves placing ten snails at the center of a circular table covered with vinyl sheeting. Victory goes to whichever mollusk reaches the table’s edge first.
This year’s overall champion was Guage, nicknamed Brother Snail, owned by 39-year-old Tanya Lin from Hualien. She has cared for the winning snail since 2024, when it also claimed victory in one race.
Brother Snail completed the 33-centimeter course in exactly 3 minutes and 3 seconds, earning placement on a miniature podium and a prize of organic sweet potato greens.
Beyond snail racing, local officials have developed additional tourism attractions including guided electric bicycle tours that visit historical tobacco storage buildings, structures from the Japanese colonial period, and a museum dedicated to Hakka minority culture.
The appeal of unhurried living drew university students Annette Lin and Tanya Liu, who traveled roughly 30 minutes by train from Hualien on Saturday to experience both the snail competition and Fenglin’s relaxed atmosphere.
While the friends appreciated the unusual contest and enjoyed the town’s peaceful environment, they viewed it primarily as a temporary escape from urban pressures.
“I think for travel or a trip, it’s a great choice,” Liu observed. “But maybe living here would not really be my dream choice.”
A devastating blast at a fireworks manufacturing facility in China has claimed the lives of at least 21 people and left 61 others wounded, according to Chinese state media reports released Tuesday.
The deadly explosion took place Monday afternoon at a facility operated by Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co., located in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha’s administration in Hunan province. The area is widely recognized as a major center for fireworks production.
Video footage broadcast by state television CCTV on Tuesday revealed white smoke continuing to rise from portions of the facility, with buildings either destroyed or severely damaged in the blast.
Emergency response teams totaling nearly 500 personnel rushed to the location, while officials evacuated nearby residents due to safety concerns related to two black powder storage facilities located close to where the explosion occurred, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Law enforcement has taken the company’s leadership into custody as officials work to determine what caused the deadly incident, Xinhua reported.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for maximum effort in locating any missing individuals and providing care for the wounded. He demanded that officials quickly determine the explosion’s cause and hold responsible parties accountable, while also ordering improved safety measures and hazard identification across critical industries to strengthen public safety oversight.
Rescue teams implemented safety protocols including water spraying and moisture control to reduce additional risks during their operations.
Three robotic units were brought in to assist with search and rescue activities at the damaged site.
The city of Liuyang has deep roots in fireworks manufacturing. According to Guinness World Records, the earliest recorded firework – the Chinese firecracker – was created by Li Tian, a monk living near Liuyang during the Tang dynasty period from approximately 618 to 907 C.E. Li’s innovation of placing gunpowder inside hollow bamboo created explosive sounds, and he connected multiple crackers to form traditional New Year celebrations meant to ward off evil spirits.
Earlier this year in February, China experienced two separate fatal explosions at fireworks retail locations during the Lunar New Year celebration period.
For Nayomie Mendoza, the typical American approach to Cinco de Mayo has become all too familiar: endless taco platters, flowing margarita pitchers, and lively mariachi music filling restaurant spaces.
The Los Angeles restaurant owner joins a growing movement of Mexican American entrepreneurs speaking out about the importance of honoring Mexico’s rich heritage and the holiday’s true historical meaning, particularly as they face increased anti-immigrant rhetoric targeting Latino communities.
As owner of Cuernavaca’s Grill, Mendoza seeks celebrations that acknowledge “everything that as a community we’re enduring today.” Her restaurant’s Cinco de Mayo events will feature traditional mariachi performances and authentic Mexican dishes while paying tribute to Mexican triumph over French forces in the Battle of Puebla more than 160 years ago.
“Just looking at how much they did with very little resources,” she said. “It just showed resilience. So, on Cinco de Mayo we always make it a testament of our resilience.”
Latino community leaders have been working to reshape how Cinco de Mayo is observed in America for years, moving beyond superficial cultural representations toward meaningful historical education and community building. According to Sehila Mota Casper, director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, this year’s festivities particularly emphasize traditional Mexican culture and its preservation.
“These are just incredible moments of educating and knowledge sharing,” Mota Casper said. “The more we educate, the more knowledge we share, the better a community and people we become.”
Census Bureau data from 2024 shows Hispanic-owned businesses represent 8.4% of the nation’s 5.9 million employers. The National Restaurant Association reports that approximately 18% of all U.S. restaurant establishments were Hispanic-owned last month.
Raul Luis, who operates Birrieria Chalio Mexican Restaurant locations in Los Angeles and Fort Worth, Texas, expects party-focused customers might discover more meaningful and thoughtfully prepared menu options. His Cinco de Mayo offerings feature traditional “guisados” — authentic Mexican stews and braised dishes used as taco fillings — similar to what families would serve in their own homes.
Luis believes quality traditional cooking attracts returning customers regardless of their ethnic background.
“It’s the ultimate opportunity for restaurants to take advantage of that moment and bring them in and entice them to authentic Mexican food,” Luis said.
The holiday commemorates the 1862 anniversary when Mexican forces defeated invading French armies at the Battle of Puebla. This unexpected victory against larger, better-equipped French troops provided tremendous morale for Mexican soldiers under General Ignacio Zaragoza’s command.
Mexico’s central city of Puebla hosts annual historical reenactments honoring this victory. Participants portray Mexican and French soldiers alongside Zacapoaxtlas — Indigenous and farming communities who assisted Mexican forces.
American Cinco de Mayo celebrations have honored Mexican American heritage since the 1800s in California, featuring parades, street vendors, neighborhood festivals, mariachi contests, and traditional dancing.
Folklórico performances showcase spinning dancers wearing vibrant ruffled gowns with ribbons adorning their hair.
Many Americans incorrectly associate May 5th with Mexican Independence Day, which actually falls on September 16th.
Latino advocates and academics attribute this American confusion to unclear historical understanding and marketing campaigns that promote stereotypes including fake drooping mustaches and oversized colorful sombreros.
Following President Donald Trump’s 2025 return to office, he has maintained his characterization of Mexican immigrants as criminals and gang members, while Latino communities face intensified immigration enforcement. Official White House social media accounts have shared content perpetuating negative Latino stereotypes, alongside federal English-only policies and diversity program eliminations that appear to target minority communities.
These developments have created widespread anxiety within Latino neighborhoods.
Mendoza acknowledges the restaurant industry faces additional challenges from increasing operational costs. Despite these obstacles, Cuernavaca’s Grill will mark its 20th anniversary this year.
Her restaurant’s Cinco de Mayo celebration will include a food and toy collection drive supporting community members facing current hardships.
“This is a testament of our resilience,” Mendoza said. “It’s a testament of our hard work. It is pride to our community and everything that we’ve accomplished.”
Former President Donald Trump’s effort to exact political revenge on Republicans who oppose him continues Tuesday with primary elections targeting seven Indiana state senators who blocked his redistricting proposals designed to boost GOP representation in Congress.
Across state lines in Ohio, primary contests for U.S. Senate and governor will determine the final candidates for two high-stakes races that could have national consequences.
Meanwhile, Michigan voters in a competitive district will select someone to fill an empty state Senate position, with results that could alter the power dynamic in this key swing state.
Trump has set his sights on seven GOP state senators in Indiana who rejected his strategy to reshape congressional maps in ways that would benefit Republican House candidates.
Organizations supporting the former president have poured millions into campaign advertisements, representing an unusual amount of money and focus for contests that normally receive little attention.
These contests serve as a measure of Trump’s continued influence within the Republican Party as GOP members express growing concern about November’s midterm elections.
The outcomes will send a message to Republicans nationwide about the potential consequences of separating themselves from Trump, even as his approval ratings decline. They will also reveal whether the former president can still effectively threaten retribution against party members who oppose him.
All seven targeted state senators represent areas Trump won in 2024, with most victories coming by margins of 20 percentage points or greater.
The districts worth monitoring include 1, 11, 19, 21, 23, 38 and 41.
Ohio’s primary serves as preparation for the main event. Despite the state’s shift toward conservatism, Democrats see Ohio as crucial to regaining control of the U.S. Senate.
Democratic hopes rest on former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who previously lost Ohio’s other Senate seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Brown is anticipated to compete against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who received an appointment last year to replace JD Vance after Vance became vice president.
This contest is a special election to complete Vance’s remaining two-year term.
For governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has leveraged his national profile, technology sector ties, and Trump endorsement into unprecedented fundraising success. Rather than focusing on Republican opponent Casey Putsch, he’s directing his campaign events and television spots toward the general election.
Putsch, an engineer and vehicle designer who brands himself as “The Car Guy,” has built a following through bold YouTube content that challenges Ramaswamy and criticizes national Republicans on issues including the Epstein documents, energy-intensive data facilities, and Israel policy.
Amy Acton, who previously served as Ohio’s public health director and was instrumental in the state’s COVID-19 response, faces no opposition for the Democratic nomination.
A special election for a central Michigan state Senate position carries significant weight beyond its local scope.
This race represents another measure of voter enthusiasm in a string of special elections that have consistently favored Democrats since Trump’s return to office. The results could also impact Michigan’s legislative balance. A Democratic win would secure the party’s state Senate majority, while a Republican victory would create a 19-19 deadlock.
The district shows close political divisions, with Democrat Kamala Harris defeating Trump by under 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential race.
The position has remained unfilled for over a year, following Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet’s resignation to join Congress.
Democrats have demonstrated unexpected success in special elections and off-cycle races nationwide, securing victories in unlikely locations and substantially closing margins even in defeats.
While this pattern may not persist through midterm elections with higher voter participation, it has nevertheless motivated Democrats and concerned Republicans about maintaining their congressional control.
Indiana’s upcoming Republican primary elections will serve as a crucial test of President Donald Trump’s continuing grip on the GOP, as he works to remove state senators who declined to support his demands for congressional redistricting.
In December, twenty-one Republican state senators rejected redistricting legislation, with eight of those lawmakers seeking reelection this cycle. Trump has thrown his support behind primary opponents for seven of these senators, while his supporters have poured millions into contests that typically receive little national attention.
This expensive and unusual internal Republican conflict has heightened party divisions as November’s midterm elections approach, with control of Congress hanging in the balance.
Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith characterized the primary as a measure of how aggressively the party will pursue advantages over Democrats, describing it as a battle between “the Republicans who tend to want to avoid the fight and the Republicans who feel like we need to fight.”
“So the only question is, ‘Will you fight or will you get trampled by the other side?’” Beckwith stated, noting his support for Trump’s endorsed candidates.
Last year, Trump began pressuring Republican-controlled states to redraw their congressional boundaries to help his party maintain its narrow House majority. While redistricting typically occurs once per decade following the census, Trump sought to break with this practice for political gain.
Texas became the first state to comply, and the White House subsequently pushed Indiana to follow suit. Vice President JD Vance held meetings with state officials in both Washington and Indianapolis, while Trump participated via conference call.
Indiana senators ultimately rejected the proposal, marking one of Trump’s first major political setbacks of his second presidency.
The redistricting dispute has created fractures among Republicans in Indiana, a state Trump has carried three times with margins of at least 16 points. Republican Governor Mike Braun, U.S. Senator Jim Banks, and groups like Turning Point Action have joined Trump’s effort to defeat the sitting lawmakers.
Jim Bopp, a well-known Indiana lawyer who heads a political action committee supporting Braun, expressed confidence that Trump’s endorsements would prove decisive.
“Republican voters overwhelmingly support Trump, and when they find out Trump has endorsed a particular Senate candidate, they swing their support behind them,” he explained.
Resistance to Trump’s initiative has come from anti-Trump Republicans and those concerned about presidential interference in state matters. Former Republican Governor Mitch Daniels, who had withdrawn from politics after his 2015 departure from office, returned to help fundraise for the targeted incumbents.
The senators who opposed Trump maintained they were responding to constituents who strongly rejected his redistricting proposal. Several also cited discomfort with Trump’s forceful approach in promoting the plan.
“We hate to be told what to do,” explained Mike Murphy, a former Republican state representative. “We’re very independent-thinking people. So when Donald Trump and his goons come in and try to tell us that we need to redistrict to help his political future, that’s the worst thing you can do.”
Murphy argued that Trump and his big-money supporters lack understanding of Indiana’s political culture.
“There’s just so many misjudgments on people’s part because they tend to fly at the 50,000-foot level, and they don’t go to the barbecues and the church fish fries and the things that make Indiana politics,” Murphy said.
Bopp, who backs Trump’s preferred candidates, framed the primary as an opportunity for Indiana Republicans to demonstrate their commitment to congressional redistricting.
“It’s not a matter of Trump’s power,” Bopp said. “It’s about Republican primary voters who support his agenda and don’t want a Democratic House that will be hugely destructive to the Trump presidency and the country.”
A crucial special election taking place Tuesday in Michigan could provide early insights into this fall’s midterm elections while simultaneously deciding control of the state’s Senate during Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s remaining months in office.
The contest features Democrat Chedrick Greene facing off against Republican Jason Tunney for the 35th state Senate district position that became open in January 2025. Libertarian Ali Sledz is also seeking the seat. The district encompasses communities including Saginaw, Bay City and Midland, situated roughly 100 miles north of Detroit.
With Democrats holding a narrow 19-18 advantage in the state Senate, Tuesday’s results will significantly impact the legislative priorities that can advance before Whitmer, who faces term limits, departs office in January. Her departure has already sparked a competitive gubernatorial contest for November.
Political observers are scrutinizing this race for early signals about November’s broader electoral landscape in this key swing state. The district contains portions of Saginaw County, which holds the distinction of supporting the victorious presidential candidate in the last five consecutive elections.
“It’s really this microcosm of the Midwest, frankly,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of the seat she left upon entering Congress. “Given how much it resembles so many other places across the country, we have to look at it and say, this is an indicator of how things are going to go in November.”
Greene brings experience as both a fire captain and former Marine to his campaign, focusing on reducing costs while highlighting support from labor unions. Tunney, who previously worked as a prosecutor, has positioned himself as a conservative Republican candidate, emphasizing his deep ties to the Saginaw community.
The GOP has criticized the timing of this special election, claiming Whitmer delayed calling it for too long, resulting in the district lacking Senate representation for almost 500 days.
Should Greene prevail, Democrats would maintain their majority control. A Tunney victory would create an even split, complicating Democratic legislative efforts. Though Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II could cast tie-breaking votes, Republicans might obstruct legislation by ensuring not all members participate in voting. Republicans currently control the Michigan House.
The position being contested Tuesday only extends through year’s end, requiring another election in November. Despite the brief term, political analysts view this contest as a barometer of public opinion before midterm elections, when Democrats hope to reclaim congressional control.
However, some strategists warn against reading too much into the outcome, pointing to substantial Democratic financial investment and appearances by prominent figures including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee contributed $250,000 to support Greene in February, stating the race will “set the tone for midterms.”
“This is a tough race to win in any environment, but they’ve stacked the deck with the spending. And you layer the overall political environment on top of it, it’s going to be tough,” said Jason Roe, a Republican strategist in the state.
While Republican Donald Trump won all three counties in the 2024 presidential election, the specific areas within District 35 show more competitive dynamics. McDonald Rivet secured the seat in 2022 with 53% support. In 2024, Democrat Kamala Harris narrowly defeated Trump in the district, 49.7% to 48.9%, powered by a commanding 17-point advantage in the Saginaw area.
The region’s history as an automotive industry center has created a substantial union membership base and significant Black population, while being surrounded by more conservative rural communities.
Cory Smidt, interim director at Michigan State University’s Institute of Public Policy and Social Research, described the district as one that “looks like the state as a whole.” While cautioning against interpreting results as a definitive midterm preview, he noted that voter participation and demographic voting trends could provide meaningful analysis.
DES MOINES, Iowa — On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance made his inaugural trip to Iowa since assuming office, traveling to the state where GOP voters will be among the first to select their party’s presidential candidate in under two years.
The vice president, widely regarded as a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, traveled to Iowa to support Rep. Zach Nunn, who is fighting to retain his Des Moines-area congressional seat in November’s competitive midterm election.
However, the trip provides Vance with a valuable opportunity to gauge his appeal among Iowa voters, whose first-in-the-nation caucuses grant them significant influence in selecting presidential nominees. By campaigning for a local representative in his capacity as vice president, he gets an early chance to connect with Iowa Republicans, who are experienced at sizing up potential White House contenders before campaigns officially launch.
The vice president’s Iowa appearance follows closely after Texas Senator Ted Cruz, another potential 2028 contender, addressed a gathering of evangelical Christians who wield considerable influence in Iowa’s Republican primary process.
Jimmy Centers, a Republican political strategist based in Des Moines, acknowledged that the 2028 race remains “light-years away,” but noted that Republicans attending Vance’s Tuesday event will be assessing his potential as a presidential candidate.
“I certainly think, as of right now, Vice President Vance would probably be a straw-poll winner of Iowa Republicans for 2028. But I don’t think anyone is saying, ‘We won’t consider anybody else,’” Centers said.
While Vance has not announced any intentions regarding a 2028 presidential bid, he is set to join Nunn at a Des Moines manufacturing plant. His office declined to discuss how the trip might affect Vance’s political future.
This visit follows President Donald Trump’s January trip to Iowa, where he promoted the administration’s tax reduction policies as part of their ongoing economic messaging strategy leading up to midterm elections that will decide congressional control.
However, Vance’s Iowa visit occurs as his political future and expected economic message face complications from the ongoing conflict in Iran.
The vice president, who has historically questioned foreign military interventions, appears to be an unenthusiastic supporter of the nine-week conflict that Trump has struggled to resolve. Iowans, similar to Americans nationwide, are dealing with elevated gas prices due to the war. Additionally, the state’s agricultural sector is experiencing pressure from increased fertilizer costs related to the conflict and harm from Trump’s tariff policies.
Despite Iowa farmers’ continued support for the president, they are seeking White House reassurance that current challenges will be temporary.
Originally planned for the previous week, Vance’s Iowa visit was postponed when the House scheduled a vote on comprehensive farm legislation that required Nunn’s participation.
The vice president had also been scheduled to participate in an Iowa State University event with Turning Point USA last week, but the organization reported being unable to reschedule with the university until fall.
Kim Schmett, a veteran Iowa GOP activist, described the presidential cycle as beginning “deceptively slow.”
While Republican figures exploring presidential runs frequently visit the Westside Conservative Club that Schmett organizes, he noted it remains too early before the caucuses, which typically occur in January of presidential election years.
Schmett observed that Trump’s Make America Great Again movement “is very alive and going here” in Iowa, which would advantage Vance along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another rumored potential candidate.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of MAGA support,” he said. “And Vice President Vance and Marco Rubio seem to be the recipients of where that is going at the moment.”
However, Schmett warned, “it’s awfully, awfully early in the process.”
On the Democratic side, approximately six presidential prospects have been visiting states with early primary contests, including recent Iowa trips by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin.
Meanwhile, prospective Republican presidential candidates “are treading very lightly,” according to GOP strategist Alex Conant, who served on Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.
“I think Republicans are going to be very reluctant to get in Trump’s way until Trump gives the green light for the campaign to start,” Conant said.
This means much of the preliminary work involving donor meetings, activist outreach, or staff recruitment may proceed gradually and discreetly for now.
Following the midterms? Conant predicted: “It’ll be irresistible.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Following a lengthy primary season, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is ready to shift his attention to November’s general election for Ohio governor on Tuesday, setting up what promises to be a costly battle against Democrat Amy Acton, who previously served as the state’s health director.
Tuesday’s primary results will also determine candidates for Ohio’s third competitive U.S. Senate contest in recent years, along with several House races expected to see tight competition this fall.
Term limits have created openings for every statewide executive position this cycle, though the gubernatorial contest has dominated political attention thus far.
The biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 GOP presidential candidate entered Ohio’s political arena early last year during a period of significant political reshuffling. Former Senator JD Vance was moving up to the vice presidency while leading gubernatorial hopeful Jon Husted received an appointment to replace Vance in Washington.
This shift created an opening at the top of the Republican statewide ballot.
Despite being new to state-level politics, Ramaswamy’s national recognition, technology sector background, and close ties to Trump secured him the Ohio Republican Party’s backing. This endorsement helped him clear the field of potential rivals, including the current state attorney general, treasurer, and lieutenant governor.
Democrats also recognized the opportunity presented by the open governor’s seat, even though Ohio, once considered a swing state, has moved decidedly Republican during the Trump years. The president’s struggling economic approval numbers and public frustration over the Iran conflict have created conditions for a competitive race.
Dr. Acton, who combines medical training with public health expertise, emerged as the Democratic standard-bearer. She gained statewide recognition during the early COVID-19 period, appearing regularly beside Republican Governor Mike DeWine in daily pandemic briefings. Her reassuring demeanor during the health crisis endeared her to many Ohio residents.
However, the administration’s strict measures — which included forcing business closures, shutting down schools, and postponing elections — also created significant opposition and made Acton a target for those angry about pandemic policies, with armed demonstrators sometimes gathering outside her residence. Ramaswamy’s team has attempted to exploit ongoing resentment about pandemic restrictions by attacking Acton’s early crisis response role.
While Acton faces no Democratic primary opposition, Ramaswamy must contend with a long-shot challenge from Casey Putsch. The engineer and automotive designer, known for his YouTube presence, has consistently attacked Ramaswamy over his Indian background and Hindu beliefs while portraying him as a disconnected wealthy “tech bro.”
Husted runs unopposed in the Republican Senate primary, a special election to complete the remaining portion of the six-year term Vance secured in 2022. His probable Democratic opponent will be Sherrod Brown, the former three-term senator who lost his reelection attempt to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024, a race that saw $500 million in spending. Brown faces minimal primary competition from newcomer candidate Ron Kincaid.
Early voting commenced April 7 under revised election regulations, including citizenship verification requirements and removal of the four-day grace period for mail ballot receipt. No significant voter issues related to these changes have been reported to date.
Following a fresh redistricting cycle that provided slight Republican advantages, the state features numerous partisan congressional primaries.
The most contentious GOP primary occurs in the Toledo area’s 9th District, where candidates compete for the opportunity to challenge Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur, Congress’s longest-serving female member.
The five-candidate field includes former state Representative Derek Merrin, who lost to Kaptur by under one percentage point in 2024, alongside an Air National Guard veteran, a healthcare sector employee, a current state representative, and Madison Sheahan, the former deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In Democratic Representative Greg Landsman’s Cincinnati-area district, which party leaders view as essential to retain, the three-candidate Republican primary features Eric Conroy, a CIA and Air Force veteran who has received endorsements from Trump, Vance, and Moreno.
Landsman faces his own primary challenge from Damon Lynch IV, whose grandfather was a notable civil rights figure. Lynch has criticized Landsman for initially opposing a war powers resolution regarding Iran, though Landsman subsequently voted in favor.
In the Akron region’s 13th District, five Republicans including business owner Neil Patel, who ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, are competing for the chance to face Democratic Representative Emilia Sykes.
While a Trump-supported national initiative to redraw congressional boundaries in Republicans’ favor proceeded, Ohio Democrats adopted a pragmatic stance and unanimously approved the map they received.
Democratic candidates are now filling congressional primaries statewide, seeking opportunities to challenge incumbent Republican representatives who control 10 of Ohio’s 15 seats.
The redrawn 7th District in the Cleveland region has drawn eight Democrats hoping to face Republican Representative Max Miller, a former senior Trump aide, in November. The group includes former Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, who was the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2014.
In northeast Ohio’s 14th District, former state Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill joins two other Democrats seeking to challenge Republican Representative Dave Joyce. Joyce also confronts two primary opponents.
Six Democrats appear on the ballot in the Dayton-area 10th District currently held by Republican Representative Mike Turner. Seven Democrats are running in GOP Representative Michael Rulli’s 6th District along the Ohio River, while five compete in Republican Representative Bob Latta’s 5th District.
NEW YORK (AP) — Recent federal court decisions concerning access to abortion medication are pushing a divisive political topic back into the national conversation as midterm elections approach, with control of Congress hanging in the balance during President Donald Trump’s current term.
A federal appeals court decision on Friday limited mail-order access to mifepristone prescriptions, affecting one of the nation’s most widely used abortion procedures. This represents the most significant change to federal abortion policy since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that permitted states to implement abortion prohibitions.
The Supreme Court subsequently issued a temporary order on Monday restoring widespread access to the medication while continuing to review the matter, potentially leading to a ruling with far-reaching implications for both patients and healthcare providers.
While it remains uncertain whether these recent court decisions will influence this year’s electoral outcomes, particularly when economic concerns are anticipated to dominate voter priorities, advocacy organizations on both sides are optimistic about mobilizing their supporters.
Abortion rights organizations are already developing strategies to connect with voters who may be more inclined to support Democratic candidates due to concerns about additional restrictions. Conversely, anti-abortion activists who believe the GOP-controlled federal government has been insufficient in banning these medications are cautioning that traditionally reliable Republican voters might abstain from future elections, with one prominent anti-abortion leader describing the situation as “a five-alarm crisis” for the GOP.
Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, multiple states voted to incorporate abortion protections into their state constitutions, generating unprecedented voter participation that sometimes helped Democratic candidates win other races on the same ballot.
However, Democratic pollster Celinda Lake believes the issue had begun losing some of its impact among voters, not due to lack of concern among Democrats, but because they feel that the “damage has been done.”
Although Friday’s court decision has been temporarily suspended, it served as a reminder to voters that their access to abortion medication through telehealth services isn’t secure, even in states with protected abortion rights, Lake explained. This situation created a significant but “horrific” chance to inform voters about what could be at risk in this year’s midterms, she noted.
Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, indicated that voter outreach regarding the uncertain nature of abortion access will be incorporated into her organization’s midterm strategy. This includes reaching out to voters who backed Trump while also supporting abortion rights in their state elections in 2024.
“The only way for us to really stop this back and forth is to have abortion access be legal in all 50 states,” she stated. “The only way we do that is through federal legislation, which makes the midterm elections even more urgent.”
Meanwhile, the Republican coalition is dealing with an increasingly frustrated conservative wing of abortion opponents who anticipated Trump would deliver on his commitment to be the “most pro-life president in history” but claim they haven’t witnessed it thus far.
The most pressing concern involves a Food and Drug Administration safety assessment of mifepristone that anti-abortion organizations hope will lead to additional restrictions, including preventing its prescription through telehealth services. Anti-abortion groups have pressed FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary to expedite the review, while the administration maintains it “is taking care to do this study properly and in the right way.”
On Monday, the anti-abortion organization SBA Pro-Life America escalated its messaging, demanding Makary’s dismissal over the matter.
“This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP,” the group’s president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top.”
Trump, whose first-term judicial appointments helped create the Supreme Court majority that voted to overturn Roe, has implemented some measures that abortion opponents have applauded, including efforts to deny funding to Planned Parenthood and initiating investigations into states that mandate state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion procedures.
However, he has frequently attempted to avoid the abortion topic, stating he believes it should be decided by individual states. The president supported abortion rights publicly until entering politics in 2015, and his wife, Melania Trump, declared her broad support for abortion rights in 2024.
Anti-abortion activists indicate they have no intention of allowing Trump to sidestep the issue for the rest of his presidency. Marc Wheat, general counsel at former Vice President Mike Pence’s political advocacy organization Advancing American Freedom, said his group will intensify pressure on the administration. This will include urging the FDA to quickly release mifepristone documents it owes the group through legal action.
“President Trump thinks that pro-life is a loser,” Wheat stated. “He might see that the pro-lifers may not turn out in the numbers that he needs.”
Despite mounting pressure from conservative groups for Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress to limit medication abortion access, Republicans nationwide are far from unified in supporting that stance.
Approximately two-thirds of Americans opposed nationwide prohibitions on mifepristone, according to a KFF poll conducted in late 2024. Most Democrats and independents rejected such bans, while Republicans showed more division on the issue.
American perspectives on abortion remain nuanced, with roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults believing abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances, according to AP-NORC polling data. Relatively few Americans think abortion should be prohibited in all situations.
At least one abortion opponent, Americans United for Life CEO John Mize, said he is concentrating on gradual progress rather than the comprehensive changes some of his colleagues are demanding. While he wishes the FDA would accelerate its safety review, he acknowledges that not all Americans share his position.
“I think there is advancement being made in a positive direction,” he said. “While it might not meet the pace that many in the pro-life movement want to see, I think it meets the acceptable place of where we’re at culturally.”
CONCORD, N.H. — Back in 1985, a 13-year-old from New Zealand noticed purple, lip-shaped sunglasses featured in “Young Miss” magazine. This past March, a New Hampshire woman journeyed 9,000 miles to personally deliver those very sunglasses, completing a promise made to her pen pal four decades earlier.
While International Youth Service, the organization that originally connected the two correspondents 40 years ago, has since closed its doors, numerous pen pal services have not only endured but actually flourished during the digital era. Despite postal services worldwide cutting back operations — New Zealand reducing home delivery schedules, Denmark eliminating letter delivery entirely, and Canada considering similar changes — experts are noticing renewed enthusiasm for handwritten correspondence.
“The hunger is there,” explained Rachel Syme, a New Yorker magazine contributor who launched a pen pal initiative during the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequently authored a book promoting traditional letter writing.
Syme’s Penpalooza initiative attracted over 15,000 participants in 2020, and she continues receiving hundreds of applications during her quarterly matchmaking sessions. Book signings for “Syme’s Letter Writer – A Guide to Modern Correspondence” generate frequent requests for pen pal connections, while New York City stationery shops she visits remain consistently busy.
“People are very interested in physical, analog things right now,” she observed. “I think it really has an appeal especially to a younger generation who grew up with a phone glued to their hand, to do something that’s more tactile, slower, more intentional, more mindful, but also just disconnected from the internet in every way.”
The New Hampshire correspondent was still a decade away from internet access when she received her first aerogramme from New Zealand — a light blue sheet functioning as both writing paper and mailing envelope with a 45-cent postage stamp. That initial message concluded with the reserved signature “Yours (hopefully) Molly Nunns,” but within twelve months, she was ending letters with “Lots and lots of love” or “Your friend forever.”
Through countless letters, Molly decorated the letter “y” in both their names with tiny hearts, requested updates about middle school romantic interests, and shared tales of her schoolmates and relatives. The writer could vividly envision Molly’s daily life, though imagining Christmas celebrations during summer months proved challenging from snowy New Hampshire.
“I am thinking of you heaps and I wonder what you are doing because you’re a SUPER pen friend and I hope that we never stop writing to each other and that one day we will get to meet each other,” Molly wrote in early 1986.
Julie Delbridge, now 65, developed comparable friendships after becoming a member of International Pen Friends as a teenager in 1979. Corresponding with pen pals across more than twelve nations from her Australian home proved so rewarding that she eventually joined the organization’s staff and assumed the presidency in 2001. Beyond enjoying photo, postcard, and gift exchanges with her correspondents, the experience provided emotional support during her parents’ difficult divorce proceedings.
“It was a pastime that I totally immersed myself into in a positive way and gained a lot of enjoyment from,” she recalled. “There was an abundance of non-judgmental friendship, fun and different perspectives.”
Throughout its 59-year existence, IPF has connected over 2 million individuals ranging from age 8 to beyond 80, according to Delbridge. While membership reached its highest point in the late 1990s, it experienced another surge during the pandemic, with this year showing increased participation among people aged 21-26.
During 2021, the U.S. Postal Service distributed cards and envelopes to 25,000 elementary classrooms for a pen pal initiative, though older students are also embracing handwritten communication.
Texas medical students established an anonymous pen pal system to encourage peer support and self-reflection. At Villanova University, Professor Kamran Javadizadeh requires his literature students to mail letters to classmates as part of “Letters, Texts, Twitter,” a course examining various forms of written communication in literature.
“I make them put pieces of paper in envelopes and take them to the post office and send them to each other even though they could just as easily hand it to the person in class,” he explained. “Something is lost when you have instantaneous communication. So I’m interested in the relationship between synchronous kinds of intimacy and asynchronous forms of intimacy.”
Gordon Alley-Young, communications dean at New York’s Kingsborough Community College, compares letters to vinyl records — experiencing renewed popularity as younger generations discover tangible media from previous eras. He has both researched letter-writing history and employed it to develop student empathy.
During an interpersonal communication course, he observed students providing cold, almost harsh assessments when analyzing relationship problem case studies. However, when he reformatted those same scenarios as letters from friends requiring written responses, students began sharing personal emotions and providing more compassionate guidance.
“We really want students to connect to what they’re looking at,” he noted. “And letter writing encourages that.”
An application called Slowly attempts to merge contemporary technology with traditional pen pal anticipation. Users transmit messages electronically, but delivery delays range from one hour to multiple days, simulating postal mail timing.
“This delay naturally encourages longer, more thoughtful messages because you wouldn’t just say ‘hi’ if you know you have to wait days for a reply,” explained cofounder JoJo Chan.
Since launching in 2017, the application has attracted 10 million users across more than 160 nations, primarily people in their twenties and thirties. One participant mentioned curiosity about pen pal relationships after hearing grandparents discuss them, Chan reported.
“Slowly offers a convenient way and a modern way for them to try that experience,” she said.
Syme, however, champions the physical elements of letter writing. Her book provides guidance on paper and pen selection plus various items suitable for envelope inclusion.
“There is joy to be had once you fully embrace the medium’s outdated extravagance,” she writes.
Yet letter writing, she explained in an interview, resembles a swimming pool — both attractive on the surface and profound in depth. Decorative elements and embellishments pale compared to actual written content.
“That’s where I think it can get very real, very quickly,” she said.
Molly and the New Hampshire writer had maintained correspondence for 15 years before meeting face-to-face, spending a day together in New York during Molly’s May 2000 U.S. tour. They encountered each other again in London several years later, and in 2018, Molly and her family visited New Hampshire.
“Who would have thought when we started writing in 1985 that one day you’d be sitting here? It’s quite amazing,” Molly remarked during the recent visit. “We’ll always have a special connection, I’m sure.”
Along with the sunglasses, the writer presented Molly with a bound collection of 200 pages containing scanned and printed copies of her letters. At 13 years old, she never could have anticipated someday having searchable digital files of their teenage correspondence that artificial intelligence could analyze in seconds. However, what strikes her more profoundly is the emotional depth experienced during their tearful airport farewell.
They will certainly reunite again. Until that time, lots and lots of love, Holly.
State legislators in Wyoming are defending new restrictions on abortion procedures by arguing they’re necessary to address the state’s declining population numbers.
The proposed legislation would impose tighter limitations on abortion access across the state, with supporters claiming the measures could help reverse population trends that have seen residents, particularly young adults, leave Wyoming in recent years.
However, population experts and demographic researchers are questioning this approach, pointing instead to economic factors as the primary reason behind the state’s population challenges.
According to these specialists, job opportunities, wage levels, and overall economic conditions play a much more significant role in determining where people choose to live and raise families than reproductive health policies.
The debate highlights the unique demographic challenges facing Wyoming, where the University of Wyoming’s football stadium can accommodate 25,000 spectators – a number that surpasses the population of all but four municipalities throughout the entire state.
Critics of the proposed restrictions argue that limiting reproductive healthcare access is unlikely to address the underlying economic issues that drive young people to seek opportunities elsewhere.
The legislative proposal comes as Wyoming continues to grapple with population decline and the economic consequences of having fewer working-age residents to support local communities and businesses.
Republican legislators across multiple Southern states are moving forward with plans to redraw congressional maps following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, despite strong opposition from civil rights organizations.
Tennessee will begin a special legislative session Tuesday to consider redistricting changes, while Alabama started similar proceedings Monday. Louisiana officials are also preparing new House district maps after the Supreme Court overturned the state’s existing boundaries last week.
The Supreme Court’s decision determined that Louisiana placed excessive emphasis on racial considerations when establishing a second district with a Black majority while attempting to follow Voting Rights Act requirements. This ruling has fundamentally changed how the law has been interpreted for decades and given Republican officials in multiple states justification to target majority-Black districts that typically send Democrats to Congress.
The potential changes could reverse years of progress made to protect minority voting representation, particularly affecting Black Americans’ congressional representation.
Former President Donald Trump has pushed additional states to pursue redistricting as Republicans work to maintain their slim House majority in the upcoming elections.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Monday before Alabama’s special session commenced, holding signs that read “No new map” and “We fight back! Black Voters Matter.”
The protesters assembled across from Alabama’s historic Capitol building, the same location where the Confederacy began in 1861 and where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to thousands following the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights.
“Much blood, sweat and tears was shed in an effort for us to gain the right to vote,” stated Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who participated as a child in the 1965 Bloody Sunday march in Selma. “In 2026, there are still people who are still not exercising that right to vote, and we are still fighting today, even in an effort to keep our right to vote.”
Alabama’s Republican Governor Kay Ivey convened the special session to develop backup plans for special primary elections, hoping the Supreme Court will allow Alabama to implement new congressional maps before November’s midterm elections.
A federal three-judge panel had previously mandated that Alabama use a court-approved map featuring a second district with significant Black voter representation until new boundaries are created following the 2030 Census. Alabama has appealed this ruling and requested permission to return to a 2023 map created by Republican state legislators, citing the Louisiana decision. This earlier map could improve Republican chances of winning at least one seat currently occupied by Black Democratic representatives.
“This is the voice of the people,” declared Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter while advocating for the Republican proposal. “We had three judges determine how five million people were supposed to vote, and I don’t think that’s the way.”
During a town hall organized by a Democratic-aligned organization, former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, who is seeking the governor’s office as a Democrat, stated that Alabama was “ground zero for voting rights, and we are going to be ground zero to make sure we retain those voting rights.”
Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee summoned state lawmakers to a special session to examine a proposal that could divide the state’s only Democratic-controlled House district, which centers around Memphis and its majority-Black population. This action follows pressure from Trump.
Tennessee’s candidate filing deadline passed in March, with primary elections set for August 6.
Religious leaders opposed to splitting Memphis’ congressional representation gathered Monday to condemn the proposed changes.
“This latest attempt at redistricting is not just about lines on a map. It is about misrepresentation,” declared Rev. Earle Fisher, pastor at Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church and founder of Up the Vote 901, referencing Memphis’ area code. “It’s about whether the voices of Black people in this state will be heard or hidden.”
Following last week’s Supreme Court ruling, Louisiana quickly postponed its May 16 congressional primary to provide lawmakers time to approve new House districts.
Republican state Senator Caleb Kleinpeter, who leads a Senate redistricting committee, informed The Associated Press that his panel plans a public hearing Friday on congressional redistricting. Kleinpeter indicated lawmakers are evaluating various options, including legislation that would remove one or both of Louisiana’s majority-Black congressional districts.
Democratic officials and civil rights organizations have initiated multiple legal challenges to Louisiana’s primary postponement, including a new federal court filing Monday. They are urging Louisiana residents to vote in congressional primaries during the ongoing early voting period, in case courts later validate those ballots.
Congressional district boundaries are typically redrawn once per decade following census data to reflect population shifts. However, Trump encouraged Texas Republicans last year to redraw House districts for partisan advantage. California Democrats responded similarly, prompting other states to follow suit.
Florida became the eighth state to implement new House districts before midterm elections when Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced Monday he had signed revised maps approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature. The changes could help Republicans secure up to four additional House seats. Legal challenges immediately followed, with opponents arguing the new map constitutes partisan gerrymandering that violates Florida’s constitutional ban on districts favoring one political party.
Overall, Republicans believe they could gain up to 13 seats from new congressional districts across five states, while Democrats estimate they could add up to 10 seats from new districts in three states. The proposed Southern state redistricting could increase Republican gains.
South Korean authorities announced Tuesday they will launch a full investigation into an explosion and fire that damaged a cargo vessel in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, following accusations from President Donald Trump that Iran was responsible for attacking the ship.
Officials from Seoul’s Foreign Ministry stated that determining the precise cause of the incident will require towing the vessel to port for a comprehensive damage evaluation. “The exact cause of the accident would be figured out after the vessel is towed and its damage is assessed,” the ministry declared in an official statement.
The cargo ship HMM Namu, which flies under a Panamanian flag but operates under South Korean company HMM, was unloaded and stationary when Monday’s explosion occurred. Ministry officials confirmed no crew members were injured and firefighting efforts successfully contained the blaze.
All 24 sailors remained aboard the 35,000-ton commercial vessel following the incident, according to an HMM company representative. The fire originated within the ship’s engine compartment, and security camera recordings documented the successful extinguishing of the flames, the spokesperson explained.
Maritime security firm Vanguard indicated that investigators will examine multiple potential causes, including the possibility of a deliberate assault, contact with a floating naval mine, or collision with other external debris.
Following the maritime emergency, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries issued advisories Tuesday directing Korean ships operating in the region to relocate to more secure waters. Officials maintained ongoing communication with shipping companies and vessels currently stuck in the area.
Government records show 26 South Korean-registered ships remain stranded throughout the Strait of Hormuz region.
President Trump used his Truth Social platform to claim Iran had opened fire on the vessel and additional targets during a U.S. military operation aimed at reopening the strait for commercial shipping. He indicated this might be an appropriate moment for South Korea to participate in his proposed initiative to escort stranded vessels through the waterway, which typically handles approximately one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas transportation.
South Korean government agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and presidential administration, have not yet provided responses to inquiries about Trump’s social media statements.
Previously, South Korea indicated it would thoughtfully evaluate Trump’s request for nations to contribute naval vessels to a protective coalition ensuring secure transit through the strait, while emphasizing that such participation would need parliamentary authorization.
Pentagon officials announced Monday that American military forces conducted a strike against a boat in Caribbean waters, resulting in the deaths of two individuals aboard the vessel.
According to U.S. Southern Command, the targeted boat was allegedly controlled by what they termed “designated terrorist organizations,” though military officials did not specify which groups they were referring to. No American service members were injured during the operation.
Military spokespeople characterized the two deceased individuals as “male narco-terrorists” but provided no additional information about their identities or specific activities.
The incident represents another in a series of similar military actions that human rights organizations have criticized as “extrajudicial killings.” The Trump administration has defended these operations as necessary measures against “narco-terrorists” operating in the region.
DENVER – A 46-year-old Egyptian national accused of carrying out a deadly firebombing at a pro-Israel demonstration in Colorado will admit guilt to all 184 state charges against him this Thursday, according to his legal team.
The announcement came through an emergency court filing Sunday by defense lawyers representing Mohamed Soliman in connection with his separate federal hate crimes case.
The same legal motion requests a federal court order blocking the deportation of six family members – including Soliman’s former wife and five children – until federal authorities determine whether they will seek capital punishment in their case against him.
Defense attorneys contend that sending his relatives out of the country would violate Soliman’s constitutional rights by preventing them from serving as character witnesses during a potential death penalty trial.
The filing reveals that Soliman has offered to accept a life sentence in the federal case, though prosecutors have not yet responded to that proposal.
Regarding the state proceedings, defense lawyers stated that Soliman “will plead guilty to all charges” on Thursday as part of an agreement where Boulder County District Court will “impose a prison sentence of life without parole, plus at least 400 years.”
Court records show a “filing of charges hearing” scheduled for Thursday, though neither Soliman’s attorneys nor the Boulder County prosecutor’s office provided additional comment Monday.
The charges against Soliman total 184 counts related to the June 1, 2025 assault, encompassing multiple murder charges, attempted murder, assault, and illegal use of explosive materials.
Court documents from both sides describe how Soliman hurled two gasoline-filled bottles at participants in a peaceful downtown Boulder gathering aimed at highlighting the situation of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023.
Prosecutors say Soliman also wielded an improvised flame-throwing device created from a commercial weed sprayer during the assault, shouting “Free Palestine” while the firebombs he launched ignited among the crowd.
Officials documented 29 total victims, including individuals who suffered burns or injuries while escaping or who were close enough to be considered attempted murder targets, the Denver Post reported. An 82-year-old victim, Karen Diamond, succumbed to her injuries later that month.
Prosecution court filings indicate that following his arrest, Soliman admitted to investigators his desire to “kill all Zionist people” and revealed he had spent a year planning the attack, though he postponed execution until after his daughter’s high school graduation.
Immigration authorities detained Soliman’s family members last June after his arrest, transporting them to a Texas facility where they remained for over 10 months before their court-ordered release on April 23.
The mother and five children were detained again on April 25, just hours after returning to Colorado by plane. They were placed on a Michigan-bound aircraft for eventual deportation when legal representatives stepped in, prompting immigration officials to return them to Denver and release them again on April 26, according to the defense emergency filing.
The current status of the family members remains unclear. A representative for the U.S. Attorney for Colorado declined to discuss the federal case’s progress.
Catholic church leaders voiced strong objections Monday regarding reports that Israeli military forces have been tearing down civilian homes and religious structures in southern Lebanese territories they currently occupy, amid accusations that a convent was destroyed by bulldozers.
Lebanon’s Council of Melkite Greek Catholic Bishops called upon both the Lebanese government and United Nations to safeguard civilian and religious properties, specifically highlighting the village of Yaroun where authorities claim Israeli forces demolished a Melkite convent this month alongside other structures. Church leaders described the destruction of these buildings, which occurred after area residents had fled, as creating “a deep wound in the national and human conscience.”
Israeli forces gained control of border regions in southern Lebanon during their current conflict with the Iranian-supported militant organization Hezbollah, leading up to a ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 17. Israeli officials state their objective is eliminating militants and their operational infrastructure throughout the region, requesting that local residents leave their villages for safety purposes.
According to Israeli military officials, they do not deliberately target houses of worship, but acknowledged in a Saturday statement that while eliminating Hezbollah infrastructure in Yaroun, they damaged a structure lacking religious markings and subsequently halted further destruction upon discovering its connection to a church.
Military representatives stated the Yaroun building was located within a compound previously utilized by Hezbollah fighters to launch rocket attacks against Israel, and they provided photographs showing an undamaged structure at the location.
Christian community leader Adib Ajaka from Yaroun informed The Associated Press that the images in Israel’s statement depicted a different building adjacent to the convent that contained a medical clinic and archbishopric, while Israeli forces had actually bulldozed the convent itself. He provided a photograph displaying debris beside the clinic building, which he identified as the convent’s remains.
Israeli military officials did not immediately respond Monday to inquiries regarding the convent demolition.
Ajaka, along with an unnamed Yaroun municipal official and Gladys Sabbagh, the superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters who operated the convent, all confirmed to The Associated Press that they received reports the convent was bulldozed during the civilian evacuation. The municipal official requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak with media.
French Catholic charity L’Oeuvre d’Orient criticized what they termed the “deliberate act of destruction of a place of worship and the systematic destruction of homes in southern Lebanon aimed at preventing the return of civilian populations.”
Additionally Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa informed reporters that a possible meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington should not be interpreted as a concession or defeat for Lebanon.
Former President Trump announced last month his intention to facilitate a meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, though no date has been established. Lebanon has not officially confirmed Aoun’s participation in such discussions with Netanyahu.
Aoun faces significant domestic criticism from Hezbollah and allied groups who oppose direct negotiations with Israel.
The current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah commenced March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, occurring two days after the United States and Israel initiated military action against the group’s primary supporter, Iran.
Since then, Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes and begun a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, seizing multiple border towns and villages, while Hezbollah continued targeting Israeli territory — particularly northern communities — using missiles and drones.
Israeli military reported that two soldiers sustained injuries during a “close-quarters encounter with Hezbollah” in southern Lebanon Monday, marking the most recent incident threatening the tenuous 10-day ceasefire announced in Washington that began April 17 and was subsequently extended for three additional weeks.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported Monday that the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict has resulted in 2,696 deaths and 8,264 injuries.
NEW YORK — Federal appeals court judges on Monday questioned whether the Trump administration is circumventing constitutional requirements by installing federal prosecutors for indefinite periods without seeking Senate confirmation.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals examined a lower court ruling that determined First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone was illegally serving as the chief prosecutor for northern New York, making his official actions subject to reversal.
Circuit Judge Maria Araújo Kahn voiced concerns that any president could “essentially dismantle a system that our Founding Fathers established for checks and balances.”
Kahn emphasized her concerns transcended party lines and individual presidents.
“That person could circumvent Senate confirmation of any U.S. attorney by simply repeatedly naming a first assistant to function as acting U.S. attorney. Where would this practice stop?” she questioned.
Manhattan U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield removed Sarcone in February from seeking subpoenas in an investigation targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Sarcone joins several temporary U.S. attorneys appointed by the current administration whom courts have determined are serving illegally in their roles.
Federal statutes typically mandate Senate confirmation for U.S. attorneys and permit only temporary service without confirmation for restricted timeframes. However, under Trump’s leadership, the Justice Department has attempted to keep unconfirmed prosecutors in place permanently, frequently using creative staffing tactics that courts have subsequently deemed inappropriate.
In December, Alina Habba stepped down as New Jersey’s chief federal prosecutor following an appeals court determination that her service violated legal requirements.
Lindsey Halligan, who brought charges against two Trump opponents, vacated her acting U.S. attorney role in Virginia after a judge ruled in November that her appointment lacked legal authority and dismissed indictments she had filed against James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi, part of Monday’s appellate panel, noted that the roughly 200-day limit for temporary U.S. attorney service would become “useless because you could continuously reappoint the identical individual.”
Calabresi suggested the 2nd Circuit might determine that Sarcone could receive authorization from his Washington supervisors to investigate James independent of his U.S. attorney’s office role.
Justice Department attorney Henry Whitaker informed the three-judge Manhattan panel that the executive branch employed Congressional authorities to place Sarcone in command of the office.
“Congress has established multiple overlapping mechanisms for the executive branch to ensure temporary performance of those duties. Here, the executive branch employed two such methods to completely authorize John Sarcone to issue grand jury subpoenas and oversee criminal investigations in northern New York,” Whitaker stated.
Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi designated Sarcone as interim U.S. attorney for northern New York in March 2025. However, when his 120-day appointment expired, district judges refused to extend his tenure.
Sarcone remained in position regardless, continuing his investigation of James, a Democratic official and persistent Trump critic.
After Sarcone adopted the “first assistant U.S. attorney” title, federal district judges attempted to address the apparent vacancy in February by naming Donald Kinsella to the position.
Within 24 hours, then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Kinsella’s dismissal via social media.
“Judges don’t select U.S. Attorneys,” the president does, Blanche posted, concluding, “You are terminated, Donald Kinsella.”
Donald Beaton Verrilli Jr., counsel for the New York attorney general’s office, called it “remarkable, absolutely remarkable” that no nominee has been put forward for northern New York’s U.S. attorney position over a year into Trump’s second presidency.
“What this demonstrates is that everything involving Mr. Sarcone is clearly designed to circumvent the Senate’s constitutional responsibility… to verify that individuals are qualified for the position. They desire this investigation of our office and attorney general to proceed without Senate oversight,” he argued.
The Oakland Athletics made a roster move Monday by trading for catcher Jonah Heim from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash, addressing their need behind the plate.
Oakland needed to fill a spot on their 26-man roster after putting regular starting catcher Shea Langeliers on the paternity list, and the switch-hitting Heim will step into that role.
The 30-year-old Heim had been released by Atlanta earlier on Monday. During his brief stint with the Braves this season, spanning 12 games, he posted a .231 batting average along with one home run and eight RBIs. His most recent performance came Sunday in Atlanta’s 11-6 victory over Colorado, where he contributed a home run and five RBIs.
The Buffalo, New York native had inked a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with Atlanta back in February, following his tenure as Texas’s main catcher beginning in 2022.
This marks a return to familiar territory for Heim, who began his major league journey with Oakland in 2020, participating in 13 contests. He subsequently joined Texas in 2021 before becoming their regular starter the following season.
Heim’s standout campaign came in 2023 when he received All-Star recognition, posting a .258 batting average with 18 home runs and 95 RBIs while recording a .755 OPS for the championship Rangers squad.
Throughout his major league tenure, Heim has accumulated 620 games of experience with a career batting average of .225, along with 69 home runs and 290 RBIs.
According to a Bloomberg News report published Monday, Apple Inc. has begun preliminary conversations with Intel and Samsung Electronics regarding the potential manufacturing of processors for Apple’s electronic devices, sources with knowledge of the discussions revealed.
The report suggests the technology giant is exploring options for chip production partnerships with these major manufacturers. However, Reuters was unable to independently confirm the accuracy of these claims.
The discussions appear to be in early stages, with no concrete agreements or commitments announced by any of the companies involved.
The Seattle Mariners have sidelined left-handed relief pitcher Gabe Speier for at least two weeks due to inflammation in his left shoulder, the team announced Monday. The injury designation dates back to May 3.
To fill the roster spot, Seattle brought up Jose Suarez, whom they acquired off waivers from the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. Suarez, also a left-handed pitcher who works primarily in relief, was cut loose by Atlanta on May 1.
The 31-year-old Speier has become a cornerstone of Seattle’s bullpen since joining the team in 2023. He took the mound 69 times during his first season with the Mariners and appeared in 76 games in 2025. His 76 appearances ranked fifth-highest across Major League Baseball, while he maintained a 2.61 earned run average and 0.87 WHIP.
Speier’s most recent outing came on April 29, when he gave up one run while recording just two outs during Seattle’s 5-3 victory over Minnesota.
The California native from Santa Barbara previously played for Kansas City from 2019 through 2022 but didn’t find his groove until arriving in Seattle the following year. Throughout his career, he has pitched in 230 games with one start, compiling a 6-11 record and 3.60 ERA. He has recorded 226 strikeouts against 56 walks across 192 2/3 innings.
Seattle’s bullpen has taken another hit recently, as right-handed reliever Matt Brash was also placed on the injured list May 1 with minor inflammation in his right lat muscle.
The 28-year-old Suarez pitched in eight games for Atlanta this season, including one start, going 0-1 with one save and a 6.61 ERA. Before his brief stint with the Braves, the Venezuelan spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels from 2019-2024, making 61 starts during that time.
Over his major league career, Suarez holds a 22-30 record with a 5.35 ERA, striking out 383 batters while issuing 258 walks in 412 1/3 innings.
Seattle also promoted left-handed pitcher Josh Simpson from their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma while sending right-hander Cole Wilcox back to the minors.
Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms has enlisted Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase to arrange approximately $13 billion in financing for an artificial intelligence data center project in El Paso, Texas, according to a source with knowledge of the deal who spoke to Reuters on Monday.
The financing package will primarily consist of debt, with the remainder coming from equity investments, Bloomberg News initially reported.
Technology giants are investing massive amounts of capital into data center infrastructure as demand for AI technology surges, marking a shift from their traditional approach of avoiding debt financing as they compete in the artificial intelligence sector.
Representatives from Meta, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan Chase have not yet responded to requests for comment made outside of normal business hours.
In March, Meta dramatically increased its financial commitment to the planned El Paso artificial intelligence facility, expanding the investment more than six times to reach $10 billion. The company is targeting 1 gigawatt of capacity before the facility’s scheduled 2028 launch.
Meta joins competitors Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft in what analysts predict will be more than $630 billion in AI infrastructure spending this year across the industry.
Switzerland’s biotechnology companies have pivoted dramatically toward private investment sources during 2025, according to a new industry analysis released Tuesday. The shift comes as traditional capital market funding has become increasingly difficult to secure.
The Swiss Biotech Report 2026 reveals that while overall sector funding grew modestly by 2.1% to reach 2.6 billion Swiss francs (equivalent to $3.32 billion), privately-funded companies saw their investment jump by 38% compared to 2024. Private funding now represents almost half of all biotechnology investment in the country.
Drug manufacturers are increasingly choosing research and development partnerships, licensing deals, and other collaborative arrangements that provide financial support to their biotech partners, according to the report’s findings.
Michael Altorfer, who leads the Swiss Biotech Association as chief executive, indicated during a presentation that this pattern is likely to persist, while traditional merger and acquisition activity has slowed considerably.
Frederik Schmachtenberg, an EY partner who serves as global life sciences lead for Financial Accounting Advisory Services and helped author the report, explained the reasoning behind this trend. “It’s a global trend that pharma companies are trying to de-risk these structures,” Schmachtenberg said during an interview.
Schmachtenberg noted that capital markets continue to face difficulties following what he described as the “sugar high” period during the COVID-19 pandemic years.
According to Altorfer’s statement, foreign sources continue to provide the majority of investment funding.
The Swiss biotech industry achieved record-breaking revenue of 7.5 billion francs during 2025, the report indicated. This growth was fueled by an increasing number of companies reaching commercial operations and rising demand for specialized contract manufacturing and development services.
While product approvals decreased somewhat in the United States, Europe and Switzerland, this decline was partially balanced by increases in other important markets, particularly China and Canada, the report noted.
Global financial markets experienced turbulence Tuesday as tensions between the United States and Iran continued to escalate, keeping oil prices elevated above $100 per barrel despite recent declines.
Asian stock markets posted losses during Tuesday trading, with the MSCI Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan dropping 0.3%. Australian shares fell 0.4% in lighter trading volumes, while both Japanese and South Korean markets remained closed for holiday observances.
Futures markets in the United States and Europe also showed weakness, with Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures each declining approximately 0.1%. European markets faced steeper losses, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures down 0.2% and FTSE futures falling 0.75%.
The market volatility stems from ongoing confrontations between Washington and Tehran in Gulf waters, where both nations have implemented competing maritime blockades around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. These clashes occurred shortly after President Donald Trump initiated a new initiative aimed at helping stranded vessels navigate through this crucial energy shipping corridor.
Shipping giant Maersk confirmed that the Alliance Fairfax, an American-flagged vehicle carrier operated through its Farrell Lines division, successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday with US military escort.
However, the continuing confrontations have unsettled financial markets and underscored the persistent nature of Middle Eastern conflicts.
“We started yesterday with high hopes that operation ‘Project Freedom’ would be, I guess, a success on the ground, that it was being pitched as more of a humanitarian effort,” said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG.
“But as we saw, the Iranians weren’t taking that bait at all… It really signifies that the stalemate remains in place, it’s been a very shaky start.”
Energy markets reflected these geopolitical concerns, with Brent crude futures declining 0.5% to $113.85 per barrel and US crude dropping 1.3% to $105.03. Both benchmarks had surged in the previous session due to heightened supply disruption fears.
Beyond geopolitical developments, market participants are preparing for a busy earnings week, with major companies including Advanced Micro Devices and Pfizer scheduled to report results Tuesday.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, 83% of S&P 500 companies that have already reported quarterly results have exceeded earnings per share projections, while 78.2% have surpassed revenue expectations.
“With no signs of slowing down, AI-driven spending will likely continue to do the heavy lifting for S&P 500 earnings growth, led by the technology sector,” said Jeff Buchbinder, chief equity strategist at LPL Financial.
Currency markets remained focused on the Japanese yen, which held steady at 157.22 against the dollar following Monday’s brief rally that pushed the currency to an intraday peak of 155.69.
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama issued statements Monday criticizing speculative foreign exchange trading, keeping market participants alert for potential government intervention after sources indicated Tokyo had acted to support its weakening currency last Thursday.
Abbas Keshvani, Asia Macro Strategist at RBC Capital Markets, suggested authorities might intervene again if the dollar-yen exchange rate approaches 160, a level they have historically defended. He noted that in 2022, Tokyo “fired three volleys of intervention in a few weeks.”
“We suspect intervention will merely act as a lid on USD/JPY, not a catalyst for protracted yen strength,” he said.
The Australian dollar weakened slightly by 0.06% to $0.7163 ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate decision, where analysts widely anticipate a rate increase.
Meanwhile, the US dollar strengthened on safe-haven demand amid global uncertainties.
Federal Reserve policy expectations could shift based on upcoming economic data, including Friday’s April nonfarm payrolls report. Economists forecast the US economy added 62,000 jobs following March’s robust gain of 178,000, though seasonal adjustment challenges create significant uncertainty.
Current market expectations suggest the Fed will maintain its policy interest rate at current levels throughout the year due to inflationary pressures from global energy market disruptions.
Gold prices rose 0.2% to $4,529.19 per ounce, remaining within recent trading ranges.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te is expected to deliver remarks at the airport Tuesday evening as he returns from an unexpected diplomatic visit to Eswatini, according to his administration.
The unscheduled journey followed accusations from Taiwan’s government that Chinese interference derailed the president’s initial travel arrangements.
Beijing considers the democratically-run island nation of Taiwan to be Chinese territory without any authority to conduct independent diplomatic relations. Taiwan’s leadership firmly rejects this claim, while China continues pressuring other nations to cut ties with the island.
The Taiwanese leader touched down in the African kingdom formerly known as Swaziland this past Saturday. Eswatini represents one of only twelve nations maintaining official diplomatic relationships with Taiwan.
According to Taiwan’s government, Chinese influence compelled three Indian Ocean nations – Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar – to refuse airspace access for the president’s plane during his originally planned April visit to commemorate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s coronation.
The president ultimately traveled aboard the monarch’s personal A340 aircraft.
Flight tracking data shows an A340 departed Eswatini Monday, currently en route to Taiwan via a lengthy path across the southern Indian Ocean and through Indonesian, Malaysian, and Philippine airspace. However, tracking services could not confirm whether this was the royal aircraft.
Chinese officials have intensified their campaign to limit Taiwan’s global presence, labeling Lai a “separatist” and dismissing the island as simply a Chinese province lacking any legitimate governmental authority. Lai continues to reject Beijing’s territorial claims, maintaining Taiwan’s right to participate in international affairs.
A devastating explosion rocked a fireworks manufacturing facility in China’s Hunan province Monday afternoon, leaving 21 people dead and injuring 61 others, according to Chinese state media reports.
The deadly incident took place in Changsha city at approximately 4:40 p.m. local time on Monday, as reported by state broadcasters CCTV and Xinhua news agency.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the tragic explosion, state media outlets confirmed Tuesday. The president also directed government officials to implement stronger risk assessment procedures and improve hazard management protocols across critical industries.
According to Xinhua, Xi emphasized the need for enhanced public safety oversight and stressed the importance of protecting citizens’ lives and property through improved safety measures.
The National Hockey League has scheduled an in-person disciplinary hearing for Boston Bruins defender Charlie McAvoy on May 11 at league offices in New York, stemming from a stick-swinging incident involving Buffalo Sabres player Zach Benson.
League officials announced the hearing date on Monday. The decision to conduct the meeting face-to-face signals that the NHL’s Department of Player Safety may impose a suspension exceeding five games.
Since Boston’s playoff run concluded Friday following a sixth-game defeat to Buffalo in the opening round, any disciplinary action against McAvoy would carry over to the start of the upcoming season.
The controversial play unfolded with 1 minute and 31 seconds remaining in the final period when Benson caused McAvoy to fall while both players pursued a loose puck. McAvoy then rose and rushed toward Benson, swinging his hockey stick in a baseball bat-like motion at his opponent.
This season marked a career-best performance for McAvoy, who recorded 61 points including 11 goals across 69 regular season contests. During the Buffalo series, he contributed two assists.
Throughout his nine-year tenure with Boston, McAvoy has accumulated 71 goals and 361 points over 573 regular season appearances. His postseason statistics include six goals and 50 points in 97 playoff contests.
Currency markets showed mixed signals Tuesday as the Japanese yen maintained stability following what experts believe was government intervention last week, while the U.S. dollar strengthened as investors flocked to safer assets amid growing Middle East tensions.
The yen traded at 157.22 against the dollar, remaining near its strongest position in two months after experiencing several sharp rallies since Thursday. Market sources indicated Japanese authorities spent approximately $35 billion to support their currency, though experts question whether this will provide lasting relief for the struggling yen.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which tracks the U.S. currency against six major currencies, held steady at 98.452 after climbing 0.3% Monday. The euro remained weak at $1.1693, while the British pound traded at $1.353.
“While we have seen a clear shift toward risk aversion, we are yet to see the kind of outsized moves that would likely accompany a full escalation in hostilities,” said Nick Twidale, chief market strategist at ATFX Global in Sydney.
The currency movements come as fresh military strikes between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Gulf Monday renewed market anxiety, testing an already fragile ceasefire and dampening investor appetite for riskier assets.
Energy markets continue driving much of the uncertainty, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a critical pathway for roughly 20% of global oil shipments – creating supply disruptions that have kept crude prices elevated since the conflict began in late February. Brent crude futures traded at $113.8 per barrel Tuesday, down 0.6% after surging 6% the previous day.
Australia’s currency held relatively stable at $0.7168 as traders awaited the Reserve Bank of Australia’s policy announcement, where officials are expected to implement their third consecutive rate increase to combat inflation running above the central bank’s 2%-3% target since mid-2025.
Currency analysts remain watchful of the yen’s movements, particularly as it approaches the politically sensitive 160 level against the dollar. Japan’s currency has faced years of pressure from the country’s ultra-low interest rates and growing differences with higher-yielding markets elsewhere.
Deepali Bhargava from ING’s Asia-Pacific research team noted that the suspected intervention has only temporarily adjusted trading ranges without addressing the fundamental pressures weighing on the yen.
Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo, expects continued volatility in a 155-160 range, with Japanese authorities likely preventing any decisive break above 160 rather than engineering a complete reversal.
“Near term, USDJPY may stay volatile in a wider 155–160 range, with authorities likely leaning against a clean break above 160 rather than engineering a durable yen reversal,” Chanana explained.
The yen’s future performance remains closely linked to oil price movements and the resolution of Middle East hostilities, according to market watchers.
“A lot hinges on oil price,” said Vasu Menon, managing director of investment strategy at OCBC. “If it rises or remains elevated, then the yen could come under pressure once again.”
The Los Angeles Lakers must begin their second-round playoff matchup against Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday without their top-scoring player, as the team officially declared Luka Doncic unavailable for the opening game on Monday.
Head coach JJ Redick had refused to give details about his star player’s condition earlier Monday before the Lakers released their injury report that evening showing Doncic would not play.
The injury keeping Doncic sidelined is a left hamstring strain he sustained during a crushing 139-96 defeat against these same Thunder players. The injury has prevented the player who averages 33.5 points per contest from participating in any postseason games. Even without their leading scorer, the fourth-seeded Lakers (53-29) managed to eliminate the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets with a 4-2 series victory in the opening round.
Oklahoma City dominated the regular season with the NBA’s finest record of 64-18 before starting their playoff campaign by sweeping the Phoenix Suns in four straight games.
The Lakers have struggled mightily against Oklahoma City this year, losing all four regular season meetings with only one defeat decided by single digits.
Recent reports about Doncic’s recovery timeline align with the team’s decision to hold him out. ESPN reported Sunday that the player remains on a “slow path” toward returning to action, having not yet resumed full-contact practice sessions while being listed as week-to-week.
The six-time All-Star selection and two-time scoring title winner also contributed 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game during the 2025-26 campaign, his first complete season wearing a Lakers uniform.
After enduring a crushing road trip that resulted in six losses out of eight games, the Arizona Diamondbacks find themselves one game under .500 and desperately seeking answers.
The struggling team returns to Phoenix Tuesday evening to kick off a six-game stretch at home, starting with the first of three matchups against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Arizona’s troubles started even before their recent road swing, dropping three of four contests on their home field. Their away games began with a split against San Diego in Mexico City, followed by dropping two of three to Milwaukee and getting completely shut out in a three-game series against Chicago.
The team’s final four road defeats were particularly painful, getting outscored by a devastating 29-10 margin. Milwaukee alone tagged them for 13 runs in two separate losses, with only a 6-2 win breaking up the carnage.
Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo didn’t mince words when describing the recent performance to media members. “Bad,” Perdomo said. “Really bad. Win two out of eight? That’s not us. It was really bad. It was a disaster.”
The current slide is especially concerning given Arizona’s promising 13-8 beginning to the season.
Since that strong start, the team has managed just three victories in 12 contests, surrendering double-digit runs four times while being held to two runs or fewer on four separate occasions.
Manager Torey Lovullo remains confident his squad will bounce back quickly.
“I stand before you guys every single day and tell you that we’re working hard and things are going to turn, and we’re going to have good days. And I’m going to continue to believe in that,” Lovullo stated. “Because I see how hard these guys work, and I think they just get frustrated when they don’t have results. We’ve got to get the tide to turn a little bit. … I’ll expect their absolute best on Tuesday.”
First baseman Ildemaro Vargas has been a bright spot during the team’s struggles, earning National League Player of the Month honors for March and April.
The 34-year-old veteran saw his impressive 27-game hitting streak come to an end Saturday. The switch-hitting player currently tops the National League with a .382 batting average and paces Arizona with six home runs and 21 RBIs.
The Pirates arrive in Phoenix fresh off a series sweep of Cincinnati at home. Pittsburgh exploded for 26 runs in their first two victories before capturing Sunday’s finale by a 1-0 score.
Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin provided the game-winner with a clutch two-out double in the eighth inning.
Griffin expressed regret about the timing of his heroics. Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft had thrown 7⅔ shutout frames before departing, meaning reliever Gregory Soto got credit for the victory instead.
“He deserved it,” Griffin said regarding Ashcraft. “I wish we could have gotten it for him a little earlier, but he pitched his tail off and we tried to back him up the best we can.”
The 20-year-old Griffin, who celebrated his birthday on April 24, is hitting .262 with two homers and 16 RBIs across 29 major league games since his call-up. Pittsburgh selected him ninth overall in the 2024 draft.
Oneil Cruz paces the Pirates’ offense with nine home runs and 28 RBIs.
Left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.03 ERA) will take the mound for Arizona after receiving a no-decision versus Milwaukee last Wednesday. He surrendered two runs and five hits across 4⅔ innings in the Diamondbacks’ 6-2 victory.
The 33-year-old Rodriguez holds a 1-1 record with a 4.41 ERA in three previous starts against Pittsburgh. Brandon Lowe has connected for three homers in 20 at-bats against Rodriguez while striking out 11 times, and Bryan Reynolds has managed three hits in six attempts.
Pittsburgh will counter with rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler (1-3, 4.97), who has surrendered nine runs over nine innings while losing his last two starts.
In his most recent outing, Chandler allowed three runs and three hits over five innings during a 5-4 loss to St. Louis.
The 23-year-old Chandler has no previous experience against Arizona or any of their current hitters.
Crude oil markets retreated Tuesday following a successful U.S. naval operation that helped break Iran’s blockade of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz waterway. The development came after oil prices had surged as much as 6% in Monday’s trading session.
The United States initiated a new military mission Monday focused on restoring shipping access through Hormuz. Shortly afterward, shipping giant Maersk announced that its U.S.-flagged vessel Alliance Fairfax successfully navigated through the strait while under protection from American military forces, providing relief from immediate supply shortage concerns.
July Brent crude contracts dropped 68 cents, or 0.6%, to $113.76 per barrel at 0100 GMT, following Monday’s 5.8% gain. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude declined $1.59, or 1.5%, to $104.83, after Monday’s 4.4% increase.
“The successful escorted exit of the Maersk-operated vessel has helped ease some immediate supply disruption fears,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
“It shows that limited safe passage is possible under current conditions and helps chip away at some of the worst-case supply disruption fears. However, it’s still very much a one-off event rather than a full reopening,” he said in an email.
However, Iran responded to the American initiative with military strikes throughout the Gulf region Monday as both nations compete for control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf to international markets. The waterway normally transports oil and natural gas equivalent to roughly 20% of worldwide daily consumption.
Multiple commercial ships reportedly sustained damage in the region, while Iranian forces targeted a major oil facility in the United Arab Emirates, causing significant fires. This naval intervention marks the most serious escalation in the conflict since a truce was established four weeks earlier.
Washington is working to restore Hormuz shipping operations to address severe disruptions to international energy markets that began when Iran largely sealed the waterway following the start of U.S.-Israeli military action on February 28.
Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth warned Monday that physical oil shortages will soon emerge globally due to the Hormuz blockade.
Goldman Sachs reported Monday that worldwide oil inventories are nearing eight-year lows because of the supply interruptions, with analysts expressing concern about the rapid depletion rate while access remains limited.
“With the world rapidly burning through commercial stockpiles, strategic reserves, and crude held in floating storage, the underlying supply squeeze remains a potent tailwind for oil prices,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.
A Pennsylvania-based snack food manufacturer has pulled certain potato chip products from store shelves nationwide due to potential allergen contamination.
Utz Quality Foods, LLC, which operates as a division of Utz Brands, Inc., announced the voluntary withdrawal of select Zapp’s and Dirty brand potato chip varieties from the U.S. market. The company’s Hanover, Pennsylvania headquarters made the decision after learning that a flavoring ingredient containing dried milk powder may not have been properly disclosed on product packaging.
The recall specifically targets limited varieties of both chip brands, though the company has not yet provided a complete list of affected products or lot numbers. Consumers with milk allergies or lactose sensitivities could face serious health risks if they consume the recalled items without knowing about the undeclared dairy ingredient.
Food safety officials typically recommend that anyone who has purchased potentially affected products should check their pantries and discard any matching items. Customers seeking refunds or additional information are advised to contact the manufacturer directly.
This type of allergen-related recall has become increasingly common in the food industry as manufacturers work to ensure accurate labeling and protect consumers with food sensitivities.
State officials in California are demanding transparency regarding a Trump administration arrangement that compensates an energy company for abandoning its offshore wind development plans.
The California Energy Commission announced Monday it has served Golden State Wind with an administrative subpoena. The company had proposed a floating wind energy facility off the state’s central coastline.
Officials want access to records and details surrounding the firm’s recent arrangement with federal Interior Department officials. The deal provides financial compensation in return for the voluntary surrender of the company’s offshore wind development rights.
“The Trump administration is recklessly spending billions of taxpayer dollars on backroom deals that would turn back the clock on innovation,” stated CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Californians deserve immediate answers about the nature of this payout. Taxpayer dollars should be used to build a sustainable energy future, not to pay to make projects disappear.”
The current administration is allocating close to $2 billion to persuade energy firms to abandon offshore wind developments across the United States. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has argued that companies purchased lease rights for projects that could only succeed with substantial government subsidies when they made bids in 2022 during Joe Biden’s presidency.
This approach emerged after federal courts blocked President Trump’s attempts to halt offshore wind development through executive orders. Officials have announced three such agreements to date.
The initial arrangement, revealed in March, provides French corporation TotalEnergies with $1 billion – essentially reimbursing their lease costs for wind projects off North Carolina and New York – contingent on redirecting that investment toward fossil fuel ventures. Last week’s announcements detailed how Golden State Wind and Bluepoint Wind accepted lease terminations worth nearly $900 million combined, with requirements to match those funds in fossil fuel investments.
Ocean Winds, a partnership between EDP Renewables and French energy company Engie, holds ownership stakes in both Golden State and Bluepoint operations. Bluepoint Wind represented an early-stage offshore development planned for waters off New Jersey and New York.
Ocean Winds declined to discuss the subpoena Monday, stating the company avoids commenting on ongoing or potential legal proceedings.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office informed Golden State Wind that the state expects possible litigation involving federal officials and parties involved in lease buyouts that affect California’s energy requirements and offshore wind initiatives. The state has committed approximately $100 million toward offshore wind development to accelerate clean energy adoption and combat climate change.
Congressional Democrats are also conducting their own investigation. Representatives Jared Huffman of California, who leads Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, are requesting information about the TotalEnergies arrangement.
Nuclear safety inspectors confirmed Monday that weather tracking equipment at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility was knocked out of service following a drone attack.
The facility, which houses six reactors and stands as Europe’s biggest nuclear power station, fell into Russian hands during the initial phase of Moscow’s invasion that began in February 2022. Since then, both Ukrainian and Russian forces have repeatedly blamed each other for military actions that threaten the safety of the facility, which sits close to active combat zones.
In a post on X, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that its inspection team had examined the station’s External Radiation Control Laboratory one day after Russian plant operators reported the drone strike.
“Team observed damage to some of the lab’s meteorological monitoring equipment which is no longer operational,” stated the IAEA, which serves as the United Nations’ nuclear oversight body.
The agency noted that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had made another urgent request “for maximum military restraint near all nuclear facilities to avoid safety risks.”
The facility, which currently generates no power, has endured multiple drone attacks since the war began. Plant administrators reported Sunday that while damage occurred, it remained limited and did not disrupt other operations.
A critical external power connection needed to maintain cooling systems for nuclear fuel has remained offline since late March, and the IAEA announced last week it was working to negotiate a temporary halt in fighting to enable repair crews to restore the line.
Grossi has conducted multiple inspections of the Zaporizhzhia facility since Russian forces took control, and the IAEA maintains permanent monitoring teams at Zaporizhzhia as well as Ukraine’s three other operational nuclear plants.
With eight teams remaining in the NBA postseason, one franchise has clearly separated itself from the competition in the eyes of oddsmakers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been installed as strong betting favorites to capture their second consecutive NBA championship as the conference semifinals kicked off Monday evening.
Both DraftKings Sportsbook and BetMGM have listed the Thunder at -145 odds to claim the NBA Finals crown. The San Antonio Spurs, who earned the Western Conference’s second seed behind Oklahoma City, hold the next-best championship odds at +370 (DraftKings) and +375 (BetMGM).
Oklahoma City’s dominant campaign began with an impressive 24-1 record to open the regular season, ultimately leading to the league’s top mark of 64-18. The Thunder continued their excellence into the playoffs, becoming the only team to complete a first-round sweep by defeating the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns 4-0.
San Antonio could present the most significant challenge to Oklahoma City’s title aspirations should the regional foes meet in the Western Conference championship series. The two teams faced each other five times during the regular season due to their matchup in the NBA Cup semifinals, with the Spurs claiming victory in four of those encounters.
From the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons have emerged as the leading contenders, though third-seeded New York carries significantly better odds than top-seeded Detroit following the Pistons’ struggle against Orlando. Detroit was forced to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the eighth-seeded Magic.
New York stands at +900 to win the championship at both major sportsbooks. The Knicks are also favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, with +135 odds at DraftKings and +150 at BetMGM.
Detroit’s championship odds sit at +1800 (DraftKings) and +1700 (BetMGM), while their Eastern Conference odds are listed at +260 and +250, respectively.
Complete DraftKings championship odds as of May 4, 8 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City (-145), San Antonio (+370), New York (+900), Detroit (+1800), Cleveland (+2200), L.A. Lakers (+2800), Philadelphia (+4000), Minnesota (+7000).
BetMGM championship odds as of May 4, 8 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City (-145), San Antonio (+375), New York (+900), Detroit (+1700), Cleveland (+2000), L.A. Lakers (+2500), Philadelphia (+3500), Minnesota (+8000).
Venezuela’s central banking authority reported Monday that the nation experienced a decline in monthly inflation during April, with rates dropping to 10.6% compared to the 13.1% recorded in March.
However, the broader economic picture remains challenging, as the central bank’s website shows inflation has accumulated to 90% through the first four months of 2026. Reuters analysis of the banking data indicates the annual inflation rate has reached 611.86%.
During a state television appearance, acting central bank president Luis Perez expressed optimism about the country’s economic trajectory. “Our economy is healthy; it’s doing well,” Perez stated, while forecasting that inflation could drop into single digits for May.
Addressing concerns about data manipulation, Perez emphasized the bank’s commitment to accurate reporting. “We don’t cook the books,” he declared during the interview.
Perez also revealed that following Venezuela’s renewed relationship with the International Monetary Fund last month, the country has designated current Vice President for Economic Affairs Calixto Ortega to serve as its representative and governor to the international organization.
A Chinese pharmaceutical company focused on developing cancer treatments is preparing to go public on the Hong Kong stock exchange, with plans to raise as much as $117 million, according to financial documents obtained by Reuters.
Impact Therapeutics plans to sell 41.98 million shares with prices ranging from HK$19.75 to HK$21.75 per share, which translates to approximately $2.52 to $2.78 in U.S. dollars.
The fundraising total could potentially reach $134 million if investment banks exercise their option to purchase additional shares beyond the initial offering.
Several major investors have already committed to purchasing shares, including technology giant Tencent and five other cornerstone investors, who together plan to buy approximately $35.7 million worth of stock.
The company has scheduled May 11 as the date to finalize share pricing, with trading expected to commence on May 13 on the Hong Kong exchange.
Warren Buffett’s investment giant Berkshire Hathaway has reportedly identified General Re Chairman Charlie Shamieh to take the reins of its massive insurance operations, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday.
Sources familiar with the succession planning told the Journal that Shamieh is being positioned to lead Berkshire’s extensive insurance division once current head Ajit Jain chooses to step down from his role. Jain, who is 74 years old, has been a key figure in the company’s insurance business for decades.
The Wall Street Journal’s reporting cited unnamed individuals with knowledge of the internal discussions. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the succession plan, and Berkshire Hathaway has not yet provided a response to requests for comment about the reported leadership transition.
The potential change would mark a significant shift in leadership for one of Berkshire Hathaway’s most important business segments under Buffett’s corporate umbrella.
Motorists traveling on Route 54 will encounter periodic lane restrictions affecting traffic in both directions between Madison Avenue and Dukes Avenue.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports these temporary lane closures will remain in effect until 7 a.m.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution while navigating through the work zone area.
A major Australian scientific testing company announced Tuesday that cybercriminals breached portions of their computer network, leading to brief operational interruptions before security teams successfully contained the attack.
The company, ALS, which conducts scientific analysis for commodities, food products, and pharmaceutical industries, described the incident as causing a ‘temporary disruption’ to certain business functions. Quick response efforts by their security personnel helped bring most systems back online.
ALS has notified Australia’s Cyber Security Centre about the breach and is collaborating with customers, government officials, and regulatory agencies to determine whether any sensitive information was accessed or stolen during the attack.
Company officials declined to specify when the security breach occurred or provide additional details about the timeline of events.
According to ALS, their information technology and cybersecurity personnel immediately responded to what they characterized as malicious digital intrusion, receiving assistance from outside incident response experts during the containment process.
This cyber attack comes just one week after Australia’s banking oversight agency issued warnings that financial institutions are falling behind in keeping pace with rapidly advancing artificial intelligence technologies.
The regulatory body expressed concerns that new AI systems, including Anthropic’s Mythos platform, could potentially make cyberattacks more frequent and sophisticated.
SAN ANTONIO — Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards received medical clearance to take the court Monday evening for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio, making his comeback just 10 days following a hyperextended left knee injury.
The All-Star guard was initially projected to sit out at least the opening two contests in San Antonio, but the 6-foot-4 player accelerated his recovery process to participate in the series opener.
“He’s in,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Finch indicated that Edwards will face playing time limitations.
Edwards received approval to rejoin team workouts on Saturday and his status was elevated to questionable on Sunday’s injury listing. He participated fully in Monday morning’s shootaround session and earned final approval following pre-game warmups.
The injury occurred on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round matchup with Denver, when Edwards sustained both a bone bruise and hyperextension to his left knee.
Minnesota also suffered the loss of Donte DiVicenzo in that same Game 4 contest due to a torn right Achilles tendon, yet managed to capture the following two games against Denver to secure their advancement.
Edwards was absent from Game 6 while undergoing injury treatment.
During the regular season, Edwards posted averages of 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists across 61 contests. In three matchups against San Antonio this season, he averaged 36.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
Minnesota held a 2-1 regular season record against the Spurs.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, who received Defensive Player of the Year honors on April 20, was sidelined for the first regular season meeting with Minnesota due to a left calf strain. Wembanyama posted averages of 34 points and 8.0 rebounds in two contests against the Timberwolves, including a 39-point performance in a 126-123 victory on January 17 during the teams’ final regular season encounter.
A former corrections officer has admitted his role in the deadly beating of an inmate at a New York state prison, accepting an 11-year prison sentence as part of a plea agreement reached Monday.
Caleb Blair, who previously worked as a guard at Mid-State Correctional Facility near Utica, entered his guilty plea to manslaughter charges just as his trial was about to begin. Blair had originally been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the March 1, 2025 death of 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, making his case the most severe among the officers involved.
According to prosecutors, Nantwi endured a brutal assault consisting of 69 individual strikes from corrections officers who attacked him with fists, boots, and batons during multiple beatings. The young man died from severe head trauma and additional injuries. Blair was identified as one of two guards responsible for inflicting the fatal head wounds on Nantwi, who was serving a five-year term for engaging in a shootout with police officers.
The violent incident began when Nantwi resisted being handcuffed during a routine prisoner count, court documents revealed.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who handled the prosecution, confirmed that Nantwi’s family supported the plea arrangement.
“I’m satisfied that justice was done,” Fitzpatrick stated during a phone conversation with The Associated Press following the court proceeding. “There has to be systemic changes in the facilities regarding relationships between (corrections officers) and incarcerated individuals, and I hope that people just don’t turn the page.”
Defense attorney William Sullivan said his client took full responsibility for his conduct. Sullivan noted that Blair had maintained an unblemished record as a corrections officer without any disciplinary issues and had military service with the National Guard overseas.
“It was a terrible combination of eight minutes, six minutes, in that cell that ruined an otherwise exemplary life,” Sullivan explained. “If you had a daughter and Caleb Blair came home to ask for her hand, you’d be proud.”
The court scheduled Blair’s sentencing for June 17.
Legal representatives for Nantwi’s family emphasized that the relatives’ primary concern was ensuring accountability for his death.
“Most of the defendants here are going to jail. And hopefully the impact of that will resonate throughout the state prisons, which for far too long have tolerated and turned a blind eye to violence against inmates,” lawyers Earl Ward and Katie Rosenfeld wrote in their statement.
Jonah Levi, the second former officer whom Fitzpatrick identified as delivering head blows to Nantwi, was convicted of manslaughter and additional charges by a jury last month despite denying the accusations. He is awaiting his sentencing hearing.
Another ex-guard, Craig Klemick, entered a guilty plea on Friday to charges of filing false documentation, a charge typically used when someone lies in official incident reports. Multiple other former guards have also accepted plea deals, leaving just one remaining case for trial.
The original indictment from last year named 10 corrections officers, with six facing assault charges related to Nantwi’s beating. The remaining four were accused of orchestrating a cover-up that involved submitting fraudulent reports, attempting to plant a homemade weapon, and removing blood evidence from Nantwi’s cell.
The fatal assault took place during an unauthorized work stoppage by numerous officers, which prompted the governor to deploy National Guard personnel to maintain facility operations. Nantwi’s death occurred just months after Robert Brooks was beaten to death at another prison located directly across from Mid-State.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that electronic refund payments for certain Trump administration tariffs will begin May 12, pushing back the start date by one day from previous projections.
The customs agency revealed the updated timeline in a communication to shipping companies, announcing new status tracking systems that will allow businesses to monitor their refund claims as they move through the approval process.
Last week’s Court of International Trade ruling had indicated refund distributions would commence around May 11, though officials did not provide an explanation for the slight delay to May 12.
The refund program stems from a Supreme Court decision that found former President Trump exceeded his executive powers when he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose certain trade penalties. The 1977 sanctions legislation was ruled inappropriate for tariff implementation by the nation’s highest court.
Customs officials estimate the total value of refundable collections could reach $166 billion, representing tariffs collected under the disputed emergency powers framework during the Trump presidency.
California energy regulators launched an investigation Monday into a Trump administration agreement that resulted in a $120 million payment to terminate an offshore wind development project along the state’s central coastline.
State officials are demanding details about the substantial government payment to assess whether any laws were broken in the transaction.
The lease payment reimbursements, which came with requirements for fossil fuel investments, represent part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign to undermine America’s emerging offshore wind sector over the past year.
The California Energy Commission announced it had served a subpoena on Golden State Wind LLC, a collaborative venture between Ocean Winds and Reventus Power, a London-based offshore wind investment company. Ocean Winds operates as a joint enterprise involving France’s ENGIE and Portugal’s EDP Renewables.
“Californians deserve immediate answers about the nature of this payout,” stated CEC Chair David Hochschild. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to build a sustainable energy future, not to pay to make projects disappear.”
The state has established an objective to deploy 25 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2045 as part of its climate change mitigation strategy. California officials noted they have committed over $100 million toward developing necessary port facilities and transmission infrastructure for offshore wind projects.
Representatives from Golden State Wind and the Interior Department did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, revealed extensive financial connections to CEO Sam Altman during court testimony Monday, including a personal stake in the artificial intelligence company valued at nearly $30 billion.
The disclosure came as part of ongoing legal proceedings in a California courtroom, where Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pursuing a lawsuit against the ChatGPT creator. Musk claims the organization violated its original mission by transforming from a charitable nonprofit into a profit-driven enterprise.
During his testimony, Brockman confirmed his ownership interest in OpenAI approaches $30 billion in value – a figure that had not been publicly revealed before. Legal representatives for Musk argued these financial arrangements may have influenced Brockman’s decision-making and compromised his ability to act independently from Altman.
The court learned that in 2017, Altman provided Brockman with an ownership percentage in Altman’s family investment office, valued at $10 million during that period. This same year marked discussions among OpenAI leadership, including Musk and Brockman, about restructuring the organization as a for-profit entity to fund expensive computational resources needed for artificial intelligence development.
Email correspondence presented in court showed communication between Altman and Jared Birchall, who manages Musk’s family office operations. Birchall informed Musk about the compensation arrangement in writing.
“One thing worth mentioning now is that he compensated Greg on the side by giving him a percentage ownership of Sam’s personal family office,” Birchall stated in the message, suggesting the agreement might mean “Greg is going to have a greater allegiance to Sam as a result of this arrangement.” Musk responded by forwarding the message to Brockman with two question marks.
When questioned about his loyalty to Altman, Brockman responded, “I don’t know I would say it quite like that.”
Additional financial entanglements emerged during Monday’s proceedings. Brockman acknowledged owning shares in Cerebras, an artificial intelligence chip manufacturer, including periods when OpenAI considered acquiring the company. OpenAI announced plans this year to purchase substantial quantities of Cerebras processors.
Brockman also confirmed investment in Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion startup where Altman has committed hundreds of millions in funding. Altman recently resigned from Helion’s board of directors in March as the companies explored potential collaboration opportunities.
The legal battle, now in its second week, centers on Musk’s allegations that OpenAI leadership secured his $38 million in contributions and assistance by promising to maintain a nonprofit structure focused on safe artificial intelligence development. Musk contends they subsequently abandoned this commitment to pursue personal financial gain through for-profit operations.
The lawsuit seeks $150 billion in damages and demands the removal of both Altman and Brockman from their executive positions. Musk’s legal claims include breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment.
OpenAI has countered that Musk’s motivations stem from his desire to control the organization and resentment over the company’s achievements following his departure from the board in 2018. The company maintains that Musk showed little concern for safety protocols during his involvement and is now attempting to benefit his competing venture, xAI, which has struggled to match OpenAI’s market penetration.
The trial’s outcome could significantly impact OpenAI’s future direction. The company triggered widespread interest in generative artificial intelligence following ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022, subsequently raising more than $100 billion from investors to fund research staff, computing infrastructure, and expansion plans ahead of a potential public offering that could reach trillion-dollar valuations.
NEW YORK, May 4 – A parade of A-list celebrities walked the red carpet Monday evening at New York’s prestigious Met Gala while demonstrators gathered outside to voice opposition to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ major financial backing of the exclusive event.
Notable attendees making their grand entrances included recording artists Sam Smith and Doja Cat, along with acclaimed actress Nicole Kidman at the fashion industry’s most exclusive annual gathering.
Lauren Sanchez Bezos, wife of the tech billionaire, was spotted among the evening’s earliest arrivals at the yearly fundraising event benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which has gained worldwide recognition for its elaborate fashion displays and celebrity guest list.
The Bezos couple served as primary event sponsors through a contribution that media sources report reached $10 million, earning them honorary chair positions. This significant financial involvement sparked calls for boycotting the gala due to concerns about economic disparity and labor practices.
Demonstrators positioned themselves outside the museum wearing vibrant clothing while displaying letters that spelled out “tax the rich” alongside banners proclaiming “resistance red carpet” and “eat the rich.”
The evening’s anticipated guest list featured major names including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Kim Kardashian. While individual tickets carry a $100,000 price tag, most celebrity attendees receive invitations as honored guests.
Internet sensation Emma Chamberlain made an early appearance for photographers wearing a form-fitting outfit with floor-length sleeves, while La La Anthony showcased a jewel-encrusted gown.
The 2024 event embraced the theme “Fashion is Art,” encouraging attendees to view their bodies as artistic canvases.
French social media influencer Lena Mahfouf turned heads in a sculptural top designed to resemble silver hands paired with a flowing bottom portion.
Actress Gwendoline Christie created another memorable moment upon arrival, sporting an elongated crimson dress complemented by elaborate feathered headwear and a realistic facial covering.
Chicago Sky officials announced Monday they have released rookie guard Hailey Van Lith, who was selected 11th overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The 24-year-old first-year player posted 3.5 points and 1.6 assists per game across 29 appearances without making a start during her inaugural professional season.
During preseason action, Van Lith contributed 12.5 points and 4.5 assists over two contests for Chicago, which begins regular season play Saturday against the Portland Fire.
Chicago selected the 5-foot-9 Van Lith as their top pick following her outstanding college basketball journey that included stops at Louisville, LSU and TCU. She earned All-American honors and claimed both Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards after posting 17.9 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game with the Horned Frogs during the 2024-25 campaign.
The Sky made additional roster moves Monday, releasing forwards Maddy Westbeld (16th overall pick) and Aicha Coulibaly (22nd selection), both 2025 draft choices. Westbeld contributed 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds across 26 games as a rookie, while Coulibaly did not appear in any contests.
All WNBA franchises must finalize their rosters by Thursday at 5 p.m. ET ahead of Friday’s regular season opener.
The Dallas Wings also made significant cuts Monday, parting ways with six players including veteran guard Lindsay Allen.
Allen, 31, brings eight seasons of WNBA experience across 214 career games with six different teams, most recently appearing in 31 contests (nine starts) for the Connecticut Sun in 2025. The veteran guard holds career averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 assists but could not earn a roster position with Dallas after joining the organization last month.
Dallas also released Rayah Marshall, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Amy Okonkwo, Grace Berger and Costanza Verona.
Berger joined the Wings mid-season through multiple seven-day contracts and finished with 3.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 18 games (13 starts). Okonkwo averaged 11.0 points per game but participated in only eight contests late in the season.
Motorists traveling along Route 13 will encounter periodic lane restrictions during overnight construction work between two key intersections.
DelDOT reports that both northbound and southbound lanes of Route 13 will experience intermittent closures from Hyetts Corner Road to American Legion Drive as crews continue construction activities.
The lane restrictions are expected to remain in effect until 6:00 AM, after which normal traffic patterns should resume.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution when passing through the work zone area.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department took action Monday to halt a nearly six-year-old legal case where Minnesota state officials accused major oil corporations and a petroleum industry group of misleading residents about climate change impacts.
Federal attorneys submitted court documents in Minneapolis federal court contending that greenhouse gas emission regulation falls under federal jurisdiction rather than state authority, and accused Minnesota of attempting to wrongfully extend its policy decisions nationwide.
“The Constitution does not tolerate such a conflict,” Justice Department attorneys argued in the filing. “Nor does it allow Minnesota to national its regulatory powers.”
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison initiated the state court case in June 2020, targeting ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute, and Flint Hills Resources (a Koch subsidiary) for alleged consumer fraud and misleading business practices. More than 15 additional states have pursued comparable legal actions, including Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
Ellison released a statement Monday dismissing the Justice Department’s intervention as without merit.
“The American people deserve a Department of Justice that fights for us, and it’s a tremendous shame that Trump’s DOJ would rather sell us out to Big Oil,” Ellison said.
The Associated Press attempted to reach media representatives from ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute Monday but received no immediate responses. When Ellison filed suit in 2020, ExxonMobil representatives called the case groundless. The American Petroleum Institute stated at that time that the energy sector delivers dependable power to American consumers while significantly reducing environmental impact.
Trump has advocated for expanding domestic energy output. In February, the administration eliminated a scientific determination that has long served as the foundation for U.S. greenhouse gas regulation and climate action efforts, representing the Republican president’s most forceful attempt to dismantle climate policies. The Environmental Protection Agency rule eliminated a 2009 government finding called the endangerment determination that concluded carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose threats to public health and safety.
The Justice Department’s court filing represents another source of tension between the Trump administration and Minnesota leadership. Relations have been strained since January, when federal immigration agents fatally shot two Minneapolis residents in separate incidents during an enforcement operation in the city. Federal authorities conducted multiple searches in April related to an investigation of publicly funded children’s programs, further intensifying conflicts.
Motorists traveling on US Route 113 should expect delays tonight as construction crews have shut down left lanes in both directions along a key stretch of the highway.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that left lanes are blocked on Route 113 between Avenue of Honor and Delaware Avenue as work continues on the roadway.
The lane closures affect traffic moving in both the northbound and southbound directions, with the restrictions scheduled to lift at midnight tonight.
Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution when passing through the construction zone.
Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp delivered disappointing financial results on Tuesday, falling short of analyst projections while pointing to Middle East tensions as a factor affecting customer finances through elevated energy costs.
The country’s second-biggest home loan provider posted first-half net earnings of A$3.41 billion ($2.44 billion), which came in below the A$3.47 billion consensus forecast from Visible Alpha. The weaker performance stemmed from increased credit loss provisions and reduced Treasury earnings.
Credit impairment expenses climbed to A$443 million from A$250 million in the previous year, as the bank adopted a more conservative economic perspective, implemented additional portfolio protections, and saw a rise in problem loans.
Bank CEO Anthony Miller indicated the institution maintains strong positioning to handle Middle East conflict effects, though while customer stress has decreased, the bank chose a “prudent approach” in boosting its reserves.
“The war in the Middle East is presenting challenges for some customers and the economic impact of the conflict will continue through the year,” the bank stated.
“The disruption to energy supply chains has driven a rise in prices and we’re seeing this flow through to businesses and households.”
Nevertheless, the bank’s broader credit health stayed steady, with troubled loans dropping to 1.16% of total exposure, down 20 basis points year-over-year, while home loan payments delayed beyond 90 days decreased 19 basis points to 0.64%.
Australian residential lending, not including Westpac’s RAMS division, expanded 7% in the first six months, while commercial lending surged 16%, boosted by property, infrastructure and industrial activity.
The bank’s net interest margin, a crucial profitability indicator, declined three basis points to 1.89% from 1.92% the prior year, pressured by competitive lending markets, higher credit provisions and reduced Treasury revenue.
Westpac’s common equity tier 1 ratio, which measures financial cushion, reached 12.42% at period-end versus 12.24% twelve months earlier.
The financial institution announced an interim dividend payment of 77 Australian cents per share, up from 76 Australian cents in the comparable period.
The leader of American Airlines’ pilot union has commended United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby for displaying the type of forward-thinking leadership that American desperately needs, following Kirby’s recent merger proposal between the two carriers.
Allied Pilots Association President Nick Silva sent a message to union members on Monday expressing that Kirby’s approach demonstrated “bold vision” and could prove “transformative” for travelers, local communities, and American Airlines flight crews.
Though Silva’s communication fell short of formally supporting a potential merger between United and American, he leveraged the discussion to voice ongoing concerns about American’s current management team. The airline’s leadership has faced mounting criticism from labor groups regarding the company’s disappointing financial results.
American Airlines has not yet provided a response to requests for comment regarding Silva’s statements.
United announced last month that it had abandoned efforts to pursue a combination with American after the competing airline refused to participate in discussions following United’s initial overture. American has maintained that joining forces with United would harm market competition and negatively impact consumers.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reached an agreement with federal securities regulators to pay a $1.5 million penalty, bringing to a close allegations that he delayed reporting his initial Twitter stock acquisitions in 2022.
The resolution was announced Monday in Washington D.C. federal court, with a trust established in Musk’s name responsible for paying the civil penalty. Under the terms, Musk does not acknowledge any wrongdoing and will retain the estimated $150 million he allegedly gained from the delayed disclosure.
The agreement must receive approval from U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, who previously denied Musk’s attempt to have the case thrown out in February.
This settlement marks the end of a contentious seven-year period of legal confrontations between Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which began in September 2018 when regulators accused him of securities fraud for posting on social media that he had “secured” financing to take Tesla private.
That earlier dispute resulted in Musk paying a $20 million penalty, agreeing to have Tesla attorneys review certain social media posts beforehand, and stepping down from his position as Tesla’s chairman.
“Mr. Musk has now been cleared of all issues related to the late filing of forms in the Twitter acquisition, as we said from the outset he would be,” stated his attorney Alex Spiro.
The SEC chose not to provide comment on the settlement.
According to the agency’s January 2025 legal filing, Musk’s 11-day postponement in announcing his initial 5% ownership in Twitter during late March and early April 2022 allowed him to purchase more than $500 million worth of additional shares at below-market prices before ultimately revealing a 9.2% stake.
Federal regulators had sought both a financial penalty and repayment of the $150 million they claimed he improperly gained at other investors’ expense.
Musk maintained the delay was unintentional and claimed the SEC was infringing on his constitutional rights to free expression by pursuing the case.
The lawsuit was filed just six days before former President Joe Biden’s term ended and Donald Trump took office. Current SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has been shifting the agency’s enforcement approach.
“It’s an embarrassing day for the SEC,” commented Amanda Fischer, who previously served as chief of staff to Gary Gensler during his tenure as SEC chairman under the Biden administration. She suggested the settlement “should cause the public to question whether the SEC is protecting White House insiders at the expense of ordinary investors.”
Musk previously headed the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, focusing on reducing federal spending, before departing the role last May.
Robert Frenchman, an attorney with the Dynamis law firm in New York, characterized the $1.5 million fine as a “modest sum for the richest person on the planet” but noted it could discourage similar violations by other executives.
“That is a statement to the market that the rules apply to everyone, even to Elon Musk,” he explained.
Musk finalized his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022. He subsequently merged Twitter into his artificial intelligence venture xAI, which was then incorporated into his space exploration company SpaceX. Forbes currently estimates Musk’s net worth at $789.9 billion.
Both parties announced settlement discussions on March 17, just one day after SEC enforcement director Margaret Ryan unexpectedly resigned after serving slightly more than six months in the position.
Ryan’s resignation reportedly followed internal disagreements with other agency officials regarding enforcement strategies, according to sources familiar with the situation.
A representative for Ryan did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
According to someone knowledgeable about the settlement terms, Musk’s penalty represents the highest amount ever imposed by the SEC for this category of violation.
This matter is distinct from another civil lawsuit where a San Francisco jury determined on March 20 that Musk had misled Twitter shareholders following his buyout announcement.
In that class action suit, investors alleged that Musk deliberately raised concerns about Twitter being flooded with fake accounts and automated bots as a strategy to force renegotiation of the purchase price or abandon the deal entirely.
The shareholders contended that Musk’s public statements drove down Twitter’s stock value, causing them financial harm when they sold shares at reduced prices. They estimate potential damages could reach $2.5 billion.
Musk’s legal team, including Spiro, is seeking dismissal of that case or requesting a new trial, arguing the verdict was “the result of bias and prejudice toward a polarizing defendant.”
The image-sharing social media company Pinterest saw its stock price climb 15% in after-hours trading Monday after announcing revenue projections for the upcoming quarter that surpassed analyst expectations.
The platform’s positive outlook stems from continued advertiser investment and recent technological improvements, including enhanced artificial intelligence features in its Performance+ advertising platform that streamline ad creation and improve audience targeting precision.
These technological advances, combined with efforts to court smaller businesses, are helping offset reduced spending from major advertisers who have cut back due to increased expenses from trade disputes and global tensions.
“Large advertisers remain important for stability but are not the primary growth driver,” stated Lenny Zéphirin, principal and analyst at The Zéphirin Group.
While demand from smaller businesses shows improvement for Pinterest, Zéphirin noted it continues to fluctuate with trade policy changes and broader economic conditions.
The earnings announcement follows Elliott’s recent disclosure of a $1 billion investment in Pinterest, supporting the company’s advertising strategy and backing a new $3.5 billion stock buyback initiative.
Pinterest faces ongoing competition from well-funded rivals including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms, as major brands reduce platform spending amid rapid AI transformation in digital advertising and tariff-related cost pressures affecting profit margins.
Other social platforms are similarly investing in AI for growth acceleration. Reddit recently projected strong revenue increases powered by AI-enhanced advertising technology.
In February, Pinterest finalized its purchase of tvScientific, expanding advertiser reach from social media into connected television and accessing additional advertising budgets.
The company projects second-quarter revenue ranging from $1.13 billion to $1.15 billion, exceeding the $1.11 billion analyst consensus compiled by LSEG.
Pinterest reported 631 million global monthly active users at the end of the first quarter, representing growth from 570 million users during the same period last year.
First-quarter revenue increased 18% to $1.01 billion, surpassing analyst estimates of $966.25 million.
Motorists traveling through Dover should expect traffic delays on West North Street as lane restrictions continue through the early morning hours.
The Delaware Department of Transportation reports that the roadway between Saulsbury Road and Banning Street is experiencing periodic lane closures that will remain in place until 6:00 AM.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes when possible or allow extra travel time when navigating through the affected area. The intermittent nature of the closures means lanes may open and close throughout the restriction period.
A sports journalism podcast has been awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting following its investigation into alleged financial misconduct by the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.
Pablo Torre’s “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast received the prestigious honor Monday for its examination of the NBA team’s financial dealings with star player Kawhi Leonard. The investigation has sparked an ongoing league inquiry into potential salary cap violations.
“We are honored to have been named the winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting!” the podcast announced on its official social media account.
The award-winning investigation, published last September, focused on Leonard’s $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a California sustainability company that has since filed for bankruptcy. Torre’s reporting suggested the deal may have violated NBA financial regulations.
Pulitzer Prize judges praised the work as a “pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism.”
Both Leonard and the Clippers organization have rejected allegations of wrongdoing. Leonard has stated he never received the full payment amount from the company, while the team has expressed confidence in the league’s investigation process, which involves an independent firm.
The financial connections run deeper than the endorsement deal. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration, and the organizations announced a $300 million business partnership in September 2021. This partnership was established roughly one month after Leonard agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $176 million with the team.
The Clippers terminated their business relationship with Aspiration after two years, citing contract violations. Meanwhile, Aspiration’s co-founder Joseph Sanberg entered a guilty plea in August on federal wire fraud charges. Federal prosecutors accused him of stealing $248 million from investors and lenders, stating that “Aspiration’s financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received.”
Torre’s show, which produces three episodes weekly, has tackled numerous high-profile investigations since launching in 2023. Past reporting has examined Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to Harvard University, Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition technology usage, and alleged coordination among NFL teams.
The 40-year-old journalist’s podcast operates under Meadowlark Media and holds licensing through The Athletic, a subsidiary of The New York Times Company. Torre previously worked at Sports Illustrated and ESPN.
Drivers traveling on northbound U.S. Route 13 should expect delays as construction work continues to impact traffic flow in the area.
The Delaware Department of Transportation has implemented a right lane closure on the northbound side of the highway, affecting the stretch between Hamburg Road and Federal School Lane.
The lane restriction will remain active until 6 a.m., after which normal traffic patterns are expected to resume.
Motorists are advised to plan for additional travel time and exercise caution when navigating through the construction zone.
Delaware Department of Transportation crews are conducting construction work that has resulted in lane restrictions on Route 72, affecting traffic flow between Brookhill Drive and Bellevue Road.
The construction activity has forced officials to close the right travel lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions along this corridor.
According to DelDOT, the lane closures will remain active until 6:00 AM, when normal traffic patterns are expected to resume.
Drivers traveling through this area should anticipate possible delays and consider using alternate routes if available. Motorists are advised to exercise caution when approaching the work zone and to follow posted signs and flagging personnel directions.
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons have rewarded head coach J.B. Bickerstaff with a new contract following the franchise’s breakthrough playoff performance this season.
The organization announced the extension Monday but did not disclose financial terms or the length of the new agreement.
Since taking control of the team at the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign, replacing Monty Williams, Bickerstaff has compiled a 104-60 record during regular season play while guiding Detroit to two postseason berths.
After falling in the opening round last year, the Pistons dominated this season with a conference-leading 60-22 mark. They capped off their remarkable turnaround Sunday with a 116-94 victory over Orlando, securing their first playoff series triumph since 2008.
When Bickerstaff inherited the franchise in autumn 2024, the Pistons were coming off back-to-back seasons as the league’s worst team, including a dismal 14-68 campaign in 2023-24.
The transformation has been dramatic for a Detroit squad that had endured consecutive years at the bottom of the NBA standings before Bickerstaff’s arrival.
The Pistons will face an intriguing matchup Tuesday evening when they host Cleveland in their second-round opener. Bickerstaff previously led the Cavaliers from late in the 2019-2020 season until the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
OAKLAND, Calif. — During court proceedings on Monday, OpenAI president Greg Brockman revealed that his ownership interest in the artificial intelligence company has reached a value of approximately $30 billion.
Brockman, who serves as the chief deputy to CEO Sam Altman, made the revelation while providing testimony in a legal battle focused on how the company transformed from its 2015 origins as a nonprofit organization largely backed by Elon Musk into today’s profit-driven enterprise valued at $852 billion. The executive also stated he never put his own money into the company initially.
The massive valuation of Brockman’s holdings would place him among the world’s wealthiest individuals according to Forbes rankings, with riches similar to those of Melinda French Gates.
Musk’s legal challenge claims that Altman and Brockman betrayed him by abandoning the San Francisco-based company’s original purpose of serving as a responsible guardian of groundbreaking technology. The complaint argues they secretly pivoted toward profit generation without Musk’s knowledge.
Just before the trial commenced, OpenAI’s legal team attempted to introduce text messages Musk sent to Brockman two days prior to proceedings. Court documents indicate Musk initially reached out about potential settlement discussions.
However, when Brockman responded suggesting both parties should withdraw their legal claims, Musk reportedly replied with a threatening message: “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be.”
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the case, rejected the text message exchange as admissible evidence.
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — A criminal court in Mauritania’s capital has handed down four-year prison sentences to two female opposition legislators who criticized President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani on social media and made allegations of racial discrimination, according to their legal representatives who spoke with The Associated Press on Monday.
The charges against lawmakers Marieme Cheikh Dieng and Ghamou Achour included “attacking the symbols of the state” and “calling for gatherings with a view to undermine public security” following their social media activity last month that targeted the president.
Through multiple social media messages, the two legislators demanded Ghazouani’s ouster and claimed the country’s Arab-controlled judicial system discriminates against Black residents and people descended from enslaved populations, treating them as inferior citizens.
Three defense attorneys — Mohamed Ould Ahmed Miske, Yaghoub Ould Sèïf and Moctar Ould Ely — verified the court’s decision to the AP. Officials from the government have remained silent regarding the convictions.
This West African country has faced ongoing criticism from human rights organizations for violations and the enduring presence of slavery practices. Throughout history, Arab and Amazigh ruling classes held Black populations from the northwestern Sahara region in bondage.
While Mauritania became the final nation globally to ban slavery in 1981, advocacy organizations report the practice persists today. The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates approximately 149,000 individuals remain in contemporary slavery within this country of fewer than 5 million residents.
Following the court’s ruling, Biram Dah Abeid, who leads the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement coalition, denounced the proceedings during a press briefing. He described the trial as unfair and driven by political motives, praising the convicted women as “heroes” and “sincere fighters against injustice.”
Both legislators belong to this coalition organization, which lacks official party registration but formed an alliance with the legally recognized Sawab party to secure their electoral victories.
A deadly vehicle attack in Leipzig, Germany has claimed two lives and left three people with severe injuries after a driver intentionally struck pedestrians in a crowded shopping district on Monday, according to German officials.
The 33-year-old German suspect was apprehended at the scene and now faces murder and attempted murder charges, prosecutors announced. Additional victims suffered minor injuries in the attack, authorities confirmed.
This incident adds to a troubling pattern of vehicle-ramming attacks that have occurred globally in recent years. Last summer, 37 people were hurt when a driver steered onto a sidewalk and struck a crowd near a Los Angeles nightclub. In 2024, a similar attack at a sports facility in southern China resulted in 35 deaths.
Major vehicle-ramming incidents include:
LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2025 — A minimum of 37 individuals suffer injuries when a vehicle strikes a crowd gathered outside a Los Angeles nightclub. Law enforcement reports that witnesses then turned on the driver, who was shot and wounded. A 29-year-old suspect later faces numerous attempted murder charges for what prosecutors describe as an intentional assault on the crowd. Legal proceedings remain ongoing.
LONDON, May 26, 2025 — A 53-year-old British citizen drives his minivan through a group of Liverpool soccer supporters celebrating their team’s Premier League victory, transforming celebratory cheers into screams of panic and injuring over 45 individuals.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 26, 2025 — Multiple murder charges are filed against a suspect after an Audi SUV races down a blocked street lined with food trucks, striking festival attendees and causing 11 fatalities. Thirty-two additional people sustain injuries in the incident. The 30-year-old suspect reportedly had a documented history of mental health struggles, officials state.
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 1, 2025 — A minimum of 15 people lose their lives and dozens sustain injuries when a Texas resident drives into pedestrians in New Orleans’ busy French Quarter at 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Federal investigators name 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar as the perpetrator, who dies during an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement.
MAGDEBURG, Germany, Dec. 20, 2024 — No fewer than five people die and over 200 suffer injuries when a vehicle crashes into a Christmas market in eastern Germany. A 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor who supports Germany’s far-right AfD party is taken into custody.
ZHUHAI, China, Nov. 11, 2024 — A 62-year-old man drives into people working out at a sports facility in southern China, resulting in 35 deaths. Officials report the perpetrator was distressed over his divorce proceedings. He admits guilt to endangering public safety through dangerous methods and receives a death sentence.
WAUKESHA, Wisconsin, Nov. 21, 2021 — Six individuals die and dozens suffer injuries when a man drives his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee. Darrell Brooks Jr., who entered the crowd following an altercation with his former girlfriend, received a life sentence without possibility of parole.
LONDON, Ontario, June 6, 2021 — Four Muslim family members are killed when an attacker strikes them with a pickup truck. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau describes it as “a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred.” White nationalist Nathaniel Veltman receives a life prison sentence.
TORONTO, April 23, 2018 — Alek Minassian, 25, operates a rental van into predominantly female pedestrians on Yonge Street, Toronto’s primary thoroughfare, killing 10 and injuring 16. Minassian informs police of his membership in an online “incel” community of sexually frustrated men. He receives a life sentence.
NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2017 — Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan, operates a pickup truck onto a busy New York City bike path, causing eight deaths. He receives terrorism convictions and 10 life sentences plus 260 years imprisonment.
BARCELONA, Spain, Aug. 17, 2017 — A perpetrator drives a van into people on the Spanish city’s busy Las Ramblas boulevard, killing 14 and wounding others. The Islamic State group takes responsibility. Multiple members of the same extremist organization conduct a similar assault in the nearby resort town of Cambrils, resulting in one death.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 12, 2017 — During a “Unite the Right” demonstration, white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. operates his car into a group of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring dozens. Fields serves a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.
LONDON, June 19, 2017 — Darren Osborne, radicalized by far-right ideology, operates a van into worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, killing one man and injuring 15. Osborne receives a life prison sentence.
LONDON, June 3, 2017 — Three perpetrators drive a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before attacking people with knives in nearby Borough Market. Eight people die, and police shoot the attackers dead.
LONDON, March 22, 2017 — Khalid Masood drives an SUV into people on Westminster Bridge, killing four, then fatally attacks a police officer guarding the Houses of Parliament with a knife. Masood is shot dead.
MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 20, 2017 – Six people die and over 30 sustain injuries when a car strikes lunchtime crowds at a pedestrian mall. James Gargasoulas is determined to have been experiencing drug-induced psychosis and receives a life sentence.
BERLIN, Dec. 19, 2016 — Anis Amri, a rejected asylum-seeker from Tunisia, drives a stolen truck into a Christmas market in the German capital, killing 13 and injuring dozens. The perpetrator dies days later in a shootout in Italy.
NICE, France, July 14, 2016 — Tunisian-born French resident Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel operates a rented truck along a packed seaside promenade in the French Riviera resort on Bastille Day, killing 86 people in the most devastating attack of its type. Police kill him, but eight others receive prison sentences for assisting in orchestrating the attack.
STILLWATER, Oklahoma, Oct. 24, 2015 — A woman drives a car into a crowd at an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, killing four people, including a toddler, and injuring many others. Adacia Chambers, who entered a no contest plea to over 40 felony charges, serves four concurrent life sentences for the deaths.
APELDOORN, Netherlands, April 28, 2009 – Former security guard Karst Tates operates a car into parade spectators attempting to strike an open-topped bus carrying Dutch royal family members. Six people die, and Tates succumbs to injuries the following day, leaving his complete motivation unknown.
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, March 3, 2006 — University of North Carolina graduate Mohammed Taheri-Azar operates an SUV into a crowd at the university, slightly injuring nine people, in what he describes as retaliation for Muslim deaths overseas. He receives up to 33 years imprisonment.
SANTA MONICA, California, July 16, 2003 — An 86-year-old man crashes into a farmers’ market, killing 10 people and injuring dozens of others. He received probation after conviction on 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Doris Fisher, the retail pioneer who helped launch the Gap clothing empire more than five decades ago, has passed away at age 94.
Fisher passed away Saturday while surrounded by loved ones, according to a Gap company representative who made the announcement Monday. No details were provided regarding the cause of her passing.
The retail journey began in 1969 when Fisher and her husband Don launched their business following Don’s difficulty finding properly fitting jeans during a shopping trip, the company reports. Their first location opened as a modest storefront on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, selling exclusively men’s Levi’s denim and music records.
From those humble beginnings, the Fisher brand grew into a worldwide retail powerhouse that transformed casual American style, popularizing everything from khaki pants and denim to basic tees and coordinated knitwear collections.
Today’s Gap empire includes additional brands Banana Republic and Old Navy, with combined annual revenue exceeding $15 billion across international markets.
Well-known investor Michael Burry has completely divested from his GameStop holdings after the company’s CEO Ryan Cohen announced an acquisition deal involving eBay, according to a Monday report from the Wall Street Journal.
The financial news outlet confirmed that Burry has liquidated his entire stake in the video game retailer following Cohen’s business transaction announcement.
Delaware State Police have launched a death investigation following the fatal injury of an elderly corrections inmate at a New Castle County psychiatric facility.
Authorities were called to Delaware Psychiatric Hospital on DuPont Highway in New Castle around 6:00 p.m. on April 19, 2026, following reports of an assault. According to investigators, 73-year-old Fred O’Neal III, who was serving a sentence, got into a fight with another inmate at the facility. O’Neal sustained life-threatening injuries during the incident and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he subsequently passed away.
O’Neal’s body has been transferred to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy to establish how he died and what caused his death.
Detectives with the Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Anyone who has been affected by crime or sudden loss can reach out to the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center for support. Help is available around the clock by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461) or sending an email to [email protected].
The hospitality sector is experiencing unexpected challenges as the World Cup draws near, with reservation numbers falling significantly short of industry expectations.
According to a survey conducted by an industry trade organization, almost 80 percent of participating hotels indicate their current booking levels are trailing behind anticipated figures. This development raises concerns given that only a few weeks remain until the tournament begins.
The shortfall in reservations presents a troubling scenario for the hotel industry, which typically sees substantial increases in occupancy during major international sporting events. Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri stands ready as one of the venues that will welcome World Cup matches this summer.
The gap between projected and actual bookings suggests that either travel patterns have shifted or demand forecasts may have been overly optimistic for this year’s tournament.
International health authorities announced Monday that a deadly hantavirus outbreak has struck passengers aboard a luxury cruise vessel stationed off the West African coastline, with the majority of travelers hailing from Britain, the United States, and Spain.
According to the World Health Organization’s latest update, the situation has escalated to include multiple casualties and critical cases. “As of 4 May 2026, seven cases (two laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases) have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms,” WHO officials stated.
The health emergency unfolded on what was supposed to be a luxury vacation for the international passengers, turning the cruise into a medical crisis that has prompted immediate response from global health authorities.
LOS ANGELES — Board members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are preparing to examine a preliminary contract agreement reached with major studios and streaming platforms this week.
The tentative agreement, revealed on Saturday, requires approval from SAG-AFTRA’s board followed by ratification through a membership vote. Should both steps proceed as anticipated, Hollywood will sidestep a recurrence of last year’s devastating strikes by actors and writers that severely disrupted the entertainment business. This round of contract talks proceeded smoothly without significant conflict, making work stoppages unlikely from the start.
Both SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a combined announcement regarding the preliminary agreement. The Alliance serves as the bargaining representative for Hollywood’s leading studios, streaming companies, and production firms.
According to their joint announcement, contract specifics will remain confidential until union board members complete their evaluation.
A source with knowledge of the discussions revealed to The Associated Press that negotiators agreed to a four-year contract term rather than the traditional three-year standard. The individual requested anonymity as they lacked authorization to discuss the matter publicly.
Key union objectives during negotiations centered on strengthening safeguards against artificial intelligence technology that could generate digital performers or replicate actual actors’ appearances. The performers also sought enhanced long-term compensation for program reruns, commonly called residuals within the industry.
During a pre-negotiation interview with the AP, SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin emphasized the union’s commitment to maintaining previous strike victories.
“There is no going back,” he said.
Astin noted that studio executives were “sending signals of wanting stability, of wanting to work as partners.”
Studio representatives similarly expressed measured confidence about achieving an equitable agreement.
Approximately six weeks of discussions led to the final deal. Talks commenced on February 9 but paused temporarily while studios focused on writer negotiations, which also resulted in a four-year contract extension beyond their typical three-year terms.
The existing SAG-AFTRA agreement expires on June 30. Contract discussions frequently approach or exceed deadlines, even during years without labor disputes.
With actor negotiations concluded, AMPTP representatives can now turn their attention to upcoming Directors Guild contract talks. These discussions, scheduled to begin May 11, will mark the first negotiations under new guild president Christopher Nolan.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Communities throughout Israel came together to observe Lag BaOmer, a joyous occasion in Jewish tradition that unites people in celebration and cultural customs. The holiday occurs on the 33rd day during a seven-week span connecting Passover to Shavuot, offering a celebratory break within what is typically a time of mourning.
Throughout Israel, the most recognizable feature of this holiday involves bonfires that illuminate the darkness as families and friends come together in outdoor gatherings to enjoy music, share meals, and celebrate community bonds.
The celebration was captured in a collection of photographs assembled by Associated Press photo editors.
EDMONTON, Alberta — A separatist movement in Canada’s Alberta province announced Monday that it has delivered nearly 302,000 petition signatures calling for a referendum on independence from Canada, significantly surpassing the threshold needed to force provincial consideration of such a vote.
Stay Free Alberta, the organization behind the effort, required 178,000 verified signatures to compel the province to move forward with referendum proceedings.
Provincial Premier Danielle Smith has previously stated that a verified petition would result in a referendum being held, though she has expressed personal opposition to the oil-rich province’s departure from Canada.
Mitch Sylvestre, who leads Stay Free Alberta, delivered the petition signatures to the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton Monday, arriving with a convoy of seven trucks carrying the documentation.
“We’re happy with the number,” Sylvestre stated. He noted that signature verification procedures involved multiple reviews of most petition documents.
The delivery drew more than 300 supporters who gathered outside the elections office, displaying Alberta’s provincial flag and shouting “Alberta strong.”
The independence effort may encounter legal obstacles this week, as an Edmonton judge is anticipated to decide on a lawsuit filed by several Alberta First Nations groups. These Indigenous communities argue that provincial separation would breach existing treaty agreements.
Smith has criticized past federal Liberal administrations for enacting policies that she claims have restricted Alberta’s oil production and export capabilities, resulting in billions in lost revenue for the province. She has also expressed opposition to federal interference in provincial matters.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s federal administration has not yet issued a response to Monday’s petition submission.
Political battles over congressional district boundaries have intensified across the country as November’s midterm elections approach, following a Supreme Court decision that reduced federal voting rights protections and allowed states more freedom to alter districts previously designed to protect racial minority representation.
While congressional districts are normally redrawn once per decade using new census information, an unprecedented wave of mid-decade map changes has emerged. This trend began when former President Donald Trump encouraged Texas GOP leaders last year to redraw House districts to benefit Republican candidates in the midterms. California Democrats responded with their own strategic redistricting efforts, prompting additional states to follow suit.
Already, eight states have enacted new House district maps, with several others weighing similar changes. Republican strategists estimate they could capture as many as 13 additional House seats through new boundaries in Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democratic leaders believe they might secure up to 10 extra seats from redrawn districts in California, Utah and Virginia.
However, these projections rely on previous election results continuing into November. Traditionally, the sitting president’s political party loses congressional seats during midterm contests. Democrats require only a small number of seat gains in November to take House control away from Republicans, which would strengthen their ability to challenge Trump’s agenda.
At least three state legislatures are currently meeting to evaluate proposals for new House district boundaries.
Louisiana’s current delegation includes two Democrats and four Republicans. Republican Governor Jeff Landry delayed the May 16 congressional primary to give state lawmakers time to modify House districts following an April 29 Supreme Court decision that eliminated a majority-Black congressional district. Multiple legal challenges have been filed in both federal and state courts, arguing that Landry overstepped his authority by suspending the primary elections.
Alabama currently sends two Democrats and five Republicans to the House. Republican state leaders want to return to a House map approved in 2023 but never implemented, which could help the GOP capture another seat. The existing map was court-ordered and intended for use through the 2030 census. State officials have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn that directive based on the Louisiana redistricting ruling.
Tennessee’s delegation consists of one Democrat and eight Republicans. Republican Governor Bill Lee has convened lawmakers for a special session to examine a new House map that would divide a Black-majority district in Memphis and boost Republican odds of gaining another seat. The candidate filing deadline has already passed for primaries scheduled for August 6.
Eight states have adopted new House districts since last summer. Six chose to redistrict voluntarily, one was mandated by state constitutional requirements, and another acted under court directive.
Texas currently has 13 Democrats and 25 Republicans in its House delegation. Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed revised House boundaries into law last August that could help Republicans secure five more seats. The Supreme Court cleared the new districts for use in this year’s elections in December and has since reversed a lower court ruling that blocked the map for being “racially gerrymandered.”
California’s delegation includes 43 Democrats and nine Republicans. Voters approved revised House districts in November that were drawn by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and could help Democrats win five additional seats. The Supreme Court permitted the new districts for this year’s elections in February, rejecting appeals from Republicans and the Justice Department who claimed the districts improperly favored Hispanic voters.
Missouri sends two Democrats and six Republicans to the House. Republican Governor Mike Kehoe signed revised House boundaries into law last September that could help Republicans gain one more seat. A Cole County judge ruled the new map is valid while election officials determine whether a referendum petition meets constitutional standards and contains sufficient valid signatures. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected claims that mid-decade redistricting violates state law and will hear arguments in May regarding allegations that new districts violate compactness rules and should be suspended pending the potential referendum.
North Carolina’s delegation has four Democrats and 10 Republicans. The Republican-controlled General Assembly gave final approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat. A federal court panel denied a request in November to prevent the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.
Ohio currently has five Democrats and 10 Republicans in its House delegation. A bipartisan panel with a Republican majority voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republican chances of winning two more seats. The state constitution mandated new districts before the 2026 election because Republicans had previously approved the prior map without adequate Democratic support following the last census.
Utah’s delegation includes no Democrats and four Republicans. A judge imposed revised House districts in November that could help Democrats win a seat after ruling that lawmakers had bypassed anti-gerrymandering standards approved by voters when creating the previous map. Both a federal court panel and the state Supreme Court rejected Republican challenges to the judicial map selection in February.
Virginia sends six Democrats and five Republicans to the House. Voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 authorizing new House districts supported by Democrats that could help the party win up to four additional seats. The state Supreme Court allowed the referendum to proceed but has not yet determined whether the effort is legal, considering an appeal of a Tazewell County judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid due to procedural violations by lawmakers.
Florida’s delegation consists of eight Democrats and 20 Republicans. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on May 4 that he had signed revised House districts that improve GOP chances of winning four more seats. A court challenge argues the new map violates a state constitutional provision that prohibits districts from being drawn to favor or disadvantage a political party.
College-bound students are submitting standardized test scores at significantly higher rates during this admissions cycle, even though many universities continue to offer test-optional policies.
Data shows that student submissions of SAT and ACT scores have increased by 10% when compared to last year’s application period. This trend suggests that despite having the choice to apply without test scores, many students believe including their standardized test results strengthens their college applications.
The increase comes as numerous higher education institutions across the country maintain policies that allow prospective students to apply for admission without submitting standardized test scores, a practice that became widespread during the pandemic.
