News Wrap: DOJ Drops Criminal Probe Into Jerome Powell
The Justice Department has ended its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over alleged false statements about a headquarters renovation. The probe, launched amid former President Donald Trump’s criticism of Powell’s monetary policy, is now being referred to the Fed’s inspector general for a cost‑overrun audit. The decision removes a major political hurdle for the Senate’s consideration of former Fed governor Kevin Warsh as Powell’s successor. Wall Street responded with mixed moves, as the Dow slipped while the Nasdaq rallied.
Soldier's Arrest over Polymarket Bet on Maduro Raid Fuels Insider Trading Concerns
A U.S. Special Forces soldier who helped plan the January raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted for allegedly using classified details to place bets on the prediction‑market platform Polymarket. The indictment alleges he netted more than $400,000 from...
Trump Media Replaces Nunes as Truth Social CEO After Stock Plunge that Wiped Out Billions
Trump Media & Technology announced that former congressman Devin Nunes is stepping down as CEO of Truth Social, with digital‑media veteran Kevin McGurn taking over on an interim basis. The change follows a 67% plunge in the company’s stock that erased...
Iran Targets Ships in Strait of Hormuz as U.S. Talks Remain Uncertain
Iranian forces seized at least two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, escalating a standoff over renewed negotiations. The Trump administration said the attacks did not breach the cease‑fire it extended, noting the ships were not U.S. or...
Hormuz Standoff the 'Largest Supply Shock' Ever Experienced, Says Global Energy Expert
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has virtually stopped after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, cutting off roughly 20% of the world’s petrochemical flow. Karen Young of Columbia University estimates that about 600 million barrels of oil have been stranded...
RFK Jr. Defends Vaccine Guidance Changes and Health Spending Cuts
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate, defending recent vaccine‑policy shifts and a sweeping health‑spending reduction. He highlighted a rapid response to the nation’s worst measles outbreak in decades and pledged transparency while asserting that the incoming...
Appeals Court Rules Texas Can Require Public Schools to Display Ten Commandments in Class
A U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas can require Ten Commandments posters in public school classrooms, finding the law does not violate the First Amendment. The decision overturns a 2024 district‑court injunction and clears the way for...
Trump Extends Iran Ceasefire as Talks to End War Stall
President Trump announced an extension of the U.S.-Iran cease‑fire at Pakistan's urging, despite stalled negotiations for a permanent peace deal. Iranian officials dismissed the extension as a tactical ploy, while the United States maintains its naval blockade of the Strait...
Fed Nominee Warsh Questioned on Independence From Trump and Personal Wealth
President Trump’s nominee for Federal Reserve Chair, former governor Kevin Warsh, faced a contentious Senate hearing focused on his monetary‑policy stance, personal wealth and ability to resist presidential pressure. Warsh pledged to restore the Fed’s “price stability” and ethical standards...
Chernobyl Full of Life as Wildlife Reoccupies a Radioactive Landscape
Four decades after the 1986 disaster, the Chernobyl exclusion zone has transformed into a thriving wildlife sanctuary. Przewalski's horses, introduced in 1998, now graze alongside wolves, bears, lynx, moose and deer across a 30‑kilometre radius that remains off‑limits to humans....
U.S. Invests in Project to Remove Rare Earth Minerals Despite Differences with South Africa
Washington’s International Development Finance Corporation has pledged a $50 million equity stake in the Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project, an effort to extract rare earth elements from 35 million tons of phosphogypsum waste in South Africa. The venture, led by Rainbow Rare Earths...
Russian Strikes Kill at Least 2 as Ukraine Targets Drone Factory Inside Russia
Russian drone attacks overnight killed at least two civilians in Chernihiv and wounded several others, while Ukraine retaliated by striking the Atlant Aero drone factory in Taganrog, Russia, using domestically produced Neptune cruise missiles. Russia launched 236 drones into Ukraine,...
How Consumers Can Navigate the Cost of Available Flights Impacted by the Iran War
The U.S.–Israel‑Iran conflict has driven jet‑fuel prices from about $99 to $209 per barrel, forcing airlines to add fuel surcharges, raise checked‑bag fees and, in some cases, suspend routes. Air Canada, for example, will pause service to New York’s JFK from...
Iranian Official Says Excessive Demands Made by U.S. Are Barrier to In-Person Talks
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the Associated Press that Tehran will not hold in‑person talks with the United States until Washington drops what Iran calls "maximalist" demands, including the hand‑over of enriched uranium. He reiterated that no enriched...
House Rejects Effort to Withdraw U.S. Forces From Iran War as GOP Lawmakers Stick with Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 213‑214 against a resolution demanding President Donald Trump pull U.S. forces out of the Iran war without congressional authorization. Democrats framed the fight as an expensive, unwinnable conflict, highlighting 13 fallen service members, soaring...