Iniaes

In the UK

Local election results are still coming in across England, with Scottish and Welsh counts due later, and Keir Starmer says he takes responsibility after Labour lost hundreds of council seats. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and Plaid Cymru are all trying to put their own spin on the numbers, as parties do when the numbers refuse to cooperate.

Separately, Halifax says UK house prices fell for a second straight month in April, and it has cut its forecast for annual growth in half, blaming uncertainty linked to the conflict in the Middle East. A 17-year-old in London also avoided jail after admitting a long shoplifting campaign that took more than £100,000 in goods from Boots and additional items from Holland and Barrett.

In global news

At least three hikers are dead and 10 are missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Indonesia’s Halmahera island, sending ash about 10 kilometers into the air. Officials say two of the dead were foreigners and one was a resident of Ternate.

In another serious health story, a hantavirus outbreak on an Antarctic expedition cruise has left three people dead, and authorities are tracing contacts across multiple countries.

In business and tech

Nintendo says it will raise Switch 2 prices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Japan, citing changing market conditions. The company is also planning price changes for the original Switch in some regions, because apparently even consoles now have to keep up with inflation.

Elsewhere, the Pentagon has signed seven tech firms for classified AI work, while excluding Anthropic from the program. The government continues its long tradition of inviting innovation, then putting it behind a very thick door.

In world affairs

Southeast Asian leaders are meeting at the ASEAN summit to deal with the fallout from the Iran war, with energy security and reopening the Strait of Hormuz high on the agenda. In a separate sign of shifting anxiety, more Israeli and American Jews are applying for German citizenship, seeing a passport there as a hedge against uncertainty.

A judge in the U.S. has also blocked the Trump administration from canceling more than $100 million in humanities grants, after former DOGE staffers reportedly used ChatGPT to scan funding records for words like “DEI” and “LGBTQ.”

In Washington

Sen. John Fetterman says he has no plans to leave the Democratic Party, despite disagreeing with Democrats on foreign policy and immigration. He says his views on abortion rights, marijuana legalization, LGBTQ rights, SNAP, labor, and bipartisanship have not changed, which is about as close as modern politics gets to a calm statement.

The State Department says it will start revoking passports of some parents with large unpaid child support debts. A Trump-appointed FEMA review council has released its final recommendations for major changes to the agency, while the Air Force has approved $508 million to add missile-defense systems to tankers and cargo planes — a sign that even the big aircraft are being asked to dress for the apocalypse.

Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also met at the White House to discuss trade and security, but the session was abruptly closed to the press after cameras had been expected in the room.

In the Persian Gulf

The U.S. military says Iran launched missiles, drones, and small-boat attacks at American warships near the Strait of Hormuz, and that U.S. forces intercepted the threats before striking Iranian military sites tied to the attack. President Trump said the cease-fire with Iran is still in effect, while also warning Tehran to reach a deal quickly or face more consequences.

In court

A federal lawsuit accusing Ohio State of failing to stop sexual abuse by a team doctor has grown, with 30 former Buckeyes football players now joining the case. The claims stretch back decades and add new pressure to a long-running institutional abuse lawsuit.

In Mexico

At least five people were killed in a large fire at a fairground in Villahermosa, in southeastern Mexico. Officials have not yet given a full account of what sparked the blaze.

In health

The WHO says hantavirus should not be treated like a COVID-level pandemic threat, even as officials in Chile and Argentina report a sustained rise in infections and more deaths in Chile this year. Separate from that, a new Trust for America’s Health report says fewer than half of U.S. states are adequately prepared for a public health emergency, with only 20 states scoring in the top tier. Public health readiness, as ever, remains an ongoing concept.

Also, snack mixes sold at Target and other stores are being recalled over salmonella concerns. Consumers are being told not to eat the affected products and to return them for a refund.

In U.S. politics

A Trump-appointed panel has recommended cutting FEMA’s budget in half over time, shifting more disaster leadership to the states, and trimming or eliminating some federal reviews and programs. Supporters call it streamlining. Critics will probably use less polished language.

In Tennessee, Republican lawmakers approved a new U.S. House map that breaks up a majority-Black district in Memphis and tilts the state’s lines further toward the GOP, despite Democratic protests. Meanwhile, a federal judge in North Carolina has conditionally agreed to cancel James Comey’s upcoming court appearance in the case alleging he threatened President Trump, after Comey asked to skip the hearing and the government did not object.

And Republican Rep. Tom Barrett has introduced a bill that would force the Trump administration to wind down the Iran war by the end of July and limit the scope of the U.S. military campaign. Congress, once again, has discovered the concept of boundaries after the main event has already started.

In public health and travel

The Trump administration has eliminated all full-time civilian CDC inspectors who handled cruise ship hygiene, just as norovirus outbreaks are rising. That leaves fewer people checking sanitation on ships at exactly the wrong moment.

Separately, more than two dozen passengers from at least 12 countries have left a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak that has already killed one person. The WHO says the remaining passengers and crew are not currently symptomatic, but more cases could still appear during the incubation period.

In business and tech

Anthropic has signed a deal with SpaceX for additional computing capacity as demand for its AI products grows. The agreement gives Anthropic access to the full compute load at SpaceX’s Colossus 1 data center, which has more than 220,000 Nvidia GPUs.

In the courts

A UK immigration officer was among two men found guilty of working for Chinese intelligence. Prosecutors said Chi Leung “Peter” Wai used the main immigration database to track Hong Kong dissidents living in Britain.

In the U.S., former California immigration judge Tania Nemer has sued the Justice Department, saying she was fired because she is a Democrat. Her complaint says she was removed from the bench over her political affiliation.

In New York, a bill would ban childbirth in jail cells and sharply restrict restraints and solitary confinement for pregnant prisoners.

Superdry co-founder James Holder has been jailed for rape. In court, his victim said he took her “choice, dignity and body.”

In U.S. politics and law enforcement

Two members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors say they will move to remove Sheriff Chris Nanos over allegations that he lied under oath about his disciplinary history in Texas. The dispute is also feeding tensions with the FBI over the investigation into the suspected kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie.

In international affairs

Ukrainian negotiators are in the United States trying to restart talks with Russia, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The U.S.-mediated effort has made little progress since February.

In the Middle East

Iran says it is reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the fighting, after President Trump warned Tehran not to reject the deal. The foreign ministry says officials are still considering it. On the ground, people inside Iran say they are stuck between hopes for change and fear of more destruction, with war, strikes, and economic pressure closing in at once.

Turkey also unveiled what it says is its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Yildirimhan, with officials claiming a 6,000-kilometer range and a 3,000-kilogram payload. A very calm announcement for a very not calm kind of hardware.

In Europe

European leaders are weighing a backup defense plan in case the United States pulls key support from NATO before Europe can replace it. The concern is that Washington could step back faster than European governments can build the military and political structures to cover the gap, especially as support for Ukraine remains tied to broader tensions with Moscow.

Separately, the EU executive is reportedly considering dropping methane fines as it revisits energy rules under crisis pressure, a move that would further weaken incentives to monitor pollution.

In business and energy

Shell more than doubled its first-quarter profits after the war in Iran pushed oil and gas prices higher. The company benefited from the surge across the quarter, as energy markets did what they so often do: reward instability with better margins.

The same oil price spike is now feeding pressure across Africa, where several countries are seeking financial help as higher fuel costs add to economic uncertainty.

In security and investigations

The FBI is facing scrutiny after reports that agents may have opened a leak inquiry connected to reporting about Director Kash Patel. The question is whether the bureau was investigating a leak, a journalist, or the awkward overlap between the two.

Interpol says a global operation against illegal online drug sales led to the seizure of 6.42 million doses of counterfeit and unapproved medicines, including fake Viagra, steroids, and weight-loss drugs.

In sports

Paris Saint-Germain are through to the Champions League final after beating Bayern Munich, and Luis Enrique has already set the tone for the Arsenal meeting on May 30 in Budapest. He praised Mikel Arteta and expects a difficult final, while Vincent Kompany said refereeing decisions across both legs helped sink Bayern. Modern European football, once again, finding a way to make every semifinal about the officials.

In UK politics

Voting is under way in local elections that would normally be about potholes, bins, and the usual municipal thrills. Instead, Starmer’s opponents are trying to turn them into a national verdict on his leadership.

In business and tech

Anthropic has struck a major computing partnership with SpaceX, giving it access to a large data center as demand for Claude keeps climbing. Shell also reported first-quarter profit of $6.92 billion, lifted by higher oil prices during the conflict involving Iran.

In international news

EU lawmakers and member states failed to reach a deal on the EU-US agreement after more than six hours of talks, though negotiators said they made some progress and will meet again in 10 days. In the broader security picture, South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea has significantly softened its language toward the South in a revised constitution. Meanwhile, drought, conflict, and aid cuts are pushing more Somalis into hunger, with displacement camps around Kismayo under growing strain.

In U.S. news

A federal appeals court has blocked a Trump administration immigration policy that would have allowed broader detention without bond hearings, including for people who had lived in the U.S. for years. In a separate case, actress Q’orianka Kilcher is suing James Cameron, alleging he used her face as inspiration for an Avatar character without permission or compensation.

In Europe

Vienna is bracing for Eurovision with a major security operation, after officials raised concerns about a possible terror attack or mass protest. There is no specific threat, but organizers are planning airport-style screening, up to 30 security gates, a no-bag policy, and checks for banned items. Several hundred police officers will be on duty each day, and the FBI will monitor for cyberattacks remotely from New York. The contest is also drawing protests over Israel’s participation, because apparently even pop music now needs perimeter security.

In the Middle East

Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza in a single day. The fighting continues with no sign of a pause, and the daily toll keeps rising in separate incidents across the territory.

In U.S. politics

Stacey Abrams testified before Tennessee lawmakers as they weighed a new congressional map that would split the state’s only majority-Black district and put Tennessee’s lone Democratic House member at risk. The proposal is being reviewed in a special legislative session. In the South more broadly, Republicans are pressing ahead with election-year redistricting despite protests, with minority representation and party loyalty both hanging in the balance.

In U.S. courts and campaigns

A federal judge in New York has ordered the release of a purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note written to his then-cellmate, siding with The New York Times in a bid to unseal it. The note had been sealed in Nicholas Tartaglione’s case. Separately, a hacker stole more than $3,000 from Sen. Cory Booker’s reelection campaign, a small sum in dollar terms and an embarrassing one in every other respect.

In U.S. news

A federal jury in Sacramento has convicted California businessman Jia Bei Zhu on all 12 counts in a scheme prosecutors say sold more than one million faulty COVID-19 test kits nationwide through his Fresno company, Universal Meditech. Prosecutors said the kits were falsely marketed as FDA-approved and made in the USA, while some were missing parts or simply did not work. Zhu is due to be sentenced in August and faces decades in prison.

In a separate case, a search was carried out in Arroyo Grande on California’s Central Coast in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart. Investigators have not said what, if anything, was found.

At the Supreme Court

The Court is leaning more heavily on emergency orders, especially single-justice administrative stays, and legal experts say the pace has picked up sharply. The latest example came when Justice Samuel Alito temporarily blocked a ruling that would have tightened access to the abortion pill mifepristone while Louisiana and the FDA respond. These orders can have major nationwide effects, with very little explanation, which is a tidy way for a powerful institution to keep things mysterious.

Violence and manhunts

In Tennessee, authorities are searching for Craig Berry, a retired Special Forces veteran accused of shooting his wife during a domestic incident in Dover and then fleeing after crashing his car. Sheriff Frankie Gray said a financial dispute may have played a role, though he declined to go further. Berry is wanted on charges including attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, domestic assault, and leaving the scene of an accident. Officials say he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Meanwhile in Florida, police say Hector Manuel Cruz threatened and blackmailed a woman he met on Instagram after their monthlong online relationship ended. Investigators say he sent threats from multiple numbers and accounts, targeted her supervisor, and shared nude photos with her workplace. He was arrested in Pennsylvania and is expected to be extradited to Florida.

In the Middle East

Israel says it carried out an airstrike in the suburbs of Beirut and killed the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, along with others. The strike adds to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Public health and travel

Three people, including the ship’s British doctor, were medically evacuated from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius after suspected hantavirus infections. The other evacuees were a Dutch crew member and a German passenger. The ship is now heading for the Canary Islands after Spain allowed it to dock.

In the Middle East

Iran says ships can now pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz under unspecified procedures, as the Revolutionary Guard tries to calm one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. That comes amid reports that the U.S. and Iran are weighing a memorandum that could reopen the strait, lift the blockade on Iranian ports, and push nuclear talks down the road a bit, where they apparently feel more comfortable.

Oil prices fell on those reports, with Brent and West Texas Intermediate both sliding sharply. China has also stepped up diplomacy ahead of the Trump-Xi summit, as pressure builds to keep the war from widening further.

In U.S. politics and oversight

In Michigan, Democrats held the state Senate after a special election win, preserving control through the rest of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s term. It is also an early read on the political mood heading toward the midterms, which is always reassuring, in the sense that everyone gets to argue about it for the next year.

Separately, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set to face House questions over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, in a transcribed interview tied to the oversight committee’s broader inquiry. The issue is whether he kept corresponding with Epstein after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

In Europe

Britons vote in a wide set of local elections that could shift control in Scotland and Wales and across much of England. The results are being watched as an early test of Keir Starmer, whose Labour government has been losing ground after policy missteps, tax hikes, and criticism over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.

In Spain, Catalan minister Jaume Duch says the country has been more confident than the EU in confronting Washington, even as Brussels has taken a firmer line in recent months. European diplomacy, as ever, remains a lively seminar in who is talking toughest before everyone calls it coordination.

In health care and technology

The United States is heading toward a projected shortage of more than 113,000 physicians by 2028, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. The country has long depended on foreign-born doctors, but the Trump administration made it harder for some trainees and practicing physicians to work in the U.S., which is not exactly the staffing plan hospitals were hoping for.

And a new study in Nature says TikTok’s algorithm systematically favored pro-Republican videos in New York, Texas, and Georgia before the 2024 election. So the app that already knows too much apparently also had political preferences.

In the UK

The Canary Islands have refused to let a cruise ship carrying hantavirus dock, after Spain had approved the plan. The islands’ leader said public safety had not been adequately guaranteed, and three passengers — a Briton, a Dutch national, and a German — have already been evacuated. The ship’s operator says two infectious disease doctors are on the way. On this one, the port authorities and the ship are still arguing while the virus does the only thing it knows how to do: spread the worry around.

Separately, the UK government is planning new powers to crack down on antisemitic hate crime, including allowing the Home Secretary to designate proxy groups linked to attacks as foreign intelligence services. The proposal would carry penalties of up to 14 years in prison and speed up prosecutions after a series of attacks.

And in business, JD Wetherspoon says it may miss profit forecasts for the third time this year because of rising energy, food, labour, and tax costs. Chair Tim Martin says hospitality firms are being squeezed hard across the board, which is not exactly a revelation if you have looked at a pub bill recently.

In U.S. politics

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set to face questions from the House Oversight Committee over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He had agreed to a transcribed interview after Justice Department documents showed he kept corresponding with Epstein after Epstein’s conviction, and he has also acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island with his family in 2012 after earlier saying he had cut ties in 2005.

New polling from NPR, PBS News, and Marist shows more than 8 in 10 Americans say higher gas prices are straining household budgets, and a strong majority blames President Trump. The poll also finds Trump at his lowest approval rating yet in his second term, with Democrats leading Republicans by 10 points on the congressional ballot.

And a new look at campaign finance argues that the post-Watergate rules meant to limit big-money influence have been steadily outpaced, with six of the country’s richest billionaires each spending more than $100 million to help elect Trump in 2024. Outside spending by wealthy backers, for the first time, surpassed what the candidates’ own committees spent.

In sports

Leandro Trossard says Arsenal believe they can beat Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, after their 2-1 aggregate win over Atlético Madrid. Captain Martin Ødegaard says the result has given the squad “massive confidence,” which is usually helpful before the biggest match of the season.