Pulse
Original reporting by Pulse, synthesizing breaking news from multiple sources with AI-powered analysis. Each story combines insights from leading publishers, expert commentary, and real-time data.
Frieze New York’s 15th Edition Showcases Record International Participation
Frieze New York’s 15th edition, held May 13-17 at the Shed, assembled 68 galleries from more than 25 nations, including a notable influx of Latin American exhibitors. The expanded roster underscores the fair’s shift toward a truly global platform amid an uncertain art market.
Mac Barnett Sparks Kidlit Outcry After Claim 94.7% of Children’s Books Are ‘Crud’
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Mac Barnett’s new nonfiction work, Make Believe, includes a line that 94.7% of children’s books are “crud.” The remark has provoked a swift backlash from peers and sparked a broader conversation about standards and...
J.P. Morgan Private Bank Issues 2026 Mid-Year Outlook, Flagging Fragmentation, Inflation and AI
J.P. Morgan Private Bank released its 2026 Mid-Year Global Investment Outlook, "Promise and Pressure," outlining how geopolitical fragmentation, stubborn inflation and artificial intelligence are reshaping portfolios. The report cites soaring defense stocks, a 130% gold rally and low infrastructure exposure...
South Korean Ministry Backs MasAuto’s $1.5 M R&D Push to Grow U.S. Autonomous Truck Fleet
MasAuto, a Korean self‑driving truck startup, received 2 billion won (≈$1.5 million) from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to fund R&D and AI training for its U.S. long‑haul operations. The support backs a 3,379‑km fixed route from California’s Port of...
AI Wealth Drives San Francisco Luxury Home Prices Up 16% YTD, Defying National Slowdown
San Francisco's housing market surged in the first four months of 2026, with median listings up 16.2% to $998,400 and luxury homes climbing 4.7% to $3.84 million. The boom is tied to an influx of AI‑sector talent earning massive compensation, creating...
KKR’s $8 Billion Flora Food Carve‑Out Highlights Risks of Corporate Spin‑Outs
KKR paid €6.8 bn ($8 bn) for Unilever’s Flora Food Group in 2018, but the subsequent integration has proved difficult, casting doubt on the allure of corporate carve‑outs. The deal, once hotly contested by Apollo, Blackstone and CVC, now serves as a...
AST SpaceMobile Posts $14.7M Q1 Revenue, Reaffirms $150‑200M 2026 Outlook
AST SpaceMobile posted $14.7 million in first‑quarter revenue, driven by U.S. government contracts and gateway hardware sales, and reiterated its 2026 revenue target of $150‑200 million. The company’s $3.5 billion cash pile and a $1.2 billion commercial pipeline underpin optimism, while Alphabet’s stake drops...
Kroger Launches Limited‑Edition 7UP Mandarin Orange to Spark Summer Traffic
Kroger has added a new Mandarin Orange‑flavored 7UP, offered in full‑calorie and Zero Sugar versions, as a limited‑time product in partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper. The launch is designed to create urgency, draw shoppers back to stores, and capitalize on...
TanStack NPM Supply‑Chain Attack Deploys 84 Malicious Versions Across 42 Packages
A coordinated supply‑chain breach on May 11, 2026 saw an attacker publish 84 malicious versions across 42 @tanstack/* npm packages. The attack leveraged pull‑request_target abuse, GitHub Actions cache poisoning, and OIDC token extraction, and was detected within 20 minutes, prompting...
Publix Reverses Open‑Carry Policy Amid Flat Q1 Sales and Consumer Backlash
Publix announced it will no longer allow non‑law‑enforcement shoppers to openly carry firearms in its Florida stores. The move follows flat comparable sales in Q1 2025 and a 21.5% drop in net income to $794 million, as price‑sensitive shoppers push back...
PJM Interconnection Elects New Board, Shifts Grid Governance
PJM Interconnection announced that members have elected Larry Bekkedahl and Charles Berardesco to three‑year terms on its Board of Managers and re‑elected Margaret Loebl for another three years. The appointments come as PJM grapples with soaring data‑center demand and pending...
Brookfield Corp Eyes Strong Q1 2026 Earnings as AI-Driven Real Estate Surge Looms
Brookfield Corp is set to release its first‑quarter 2026 earnings on May 14, and investors will scrutinize REIT income and asset‑sale guidance. The firm signals a rebound in real‑estate earnings, bolstered by strong performance at its infrastructure and renewable units...
Digg Relaunches as AI‑Focused News Aggregator, Targeting the Fastest‑Moving Online Space
Digg has re‑entered the web as an AI‑centric news‑aggregation platform, live in alpha at di.gg. CEO Kevin Rose says the site will sift through the “noisiest, fastest‑moving space on the internet” by following 1,000 AI researchers, investors and media figures....
Ramit Sethi Unveils Ten ‘Money Dials’ to Redefine Personal Budgeting
Personal‑finance author Ramit Sethi released a framework of ten “money dials,” guiding readers to prioritize discretionary spending that matches their values. The model, highlighted on his website and in recent media, aims to help people tune their budgets for a...
Mazda Posts 69% Profit Drop as Production Slows, Rethinks Compact Lineup
Mazda Motor Corp announced a 69% plunge in full‑year net profit to ¥35.1 billion ($226 million), driven by a 2% dip in revenue and weaker production volumes. The decline has spurred the automaker to reassess its compact‑car strategy, especially in markets like...
SanDisk’s 2025 Spin‑Off Fuels $200 B Market Cap as AI Storage Boom Accelerates
SanDisk completed its spin‑off from Western Digital in February 2025 and has since surged more than 550% this year, lifting its market value above $200 billion. The rally is powered by exploding AI‑driven demand for NAND flash, while the company locks in...
Space42, Sindan Team Up to Test Autonomous Systems with Satellite Connectivity
Space42 and Sindan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly test satellite‑communication solutions on autonomous aerospace platforms. Announced at Make it in the Emirates 2026, the partnership aims to validate real‑time connectivity in operational conditions and aligns with the...
Burger King Pilots AI Assistant “Patty” To Streamline Drive‑thru Inventory and Staff Interactions
Burger King has begun piloting an AI assistant called “Patty” in select drive‑thru lanes to monitor stock levels, cue staff actions and suggest managerial focus areas. The system, championed by chief digital officer Thibault Roux, is positioned as a productivity...
VeriPark Expands in Canada with 12 New Credit‑union Partnerships and Central 1 Certification
VeriPark announced a wave of new credit‑union partnerships in Canada, securing Central 1 certification and launching a Canadian User Group with Tru Cooperative Bank. The moves accompany an 8× boost in digital onboarding for Innovation Federal Credit Union and reinforce VeriPark’s...
EDiscovery AI Rolls Out CaseBot™, a Conversational AI for Instant Case‑data Answers
eDiscovery AI, a HaystackID company, announced the general availability of CaseBot™, a conversational AI assistant that lets attorneys query case files in natural language and receive source‑cited answers instantly. The launch expands a limited‑release tool into a standalone solution for...
Arkana Laboratories Finishes $24 Million Lab Renovation, Adds 70 Jobs and Same‑day Kidney Biopsies
Arkana Laboratories has wrapped a $24 million overhaul of its Little Rock diagnostic pathology facility, adding a 24,000‑square‑foot lab that will generate more than 70 jobs. The new space lets the nation’s largest kidney pathology provider offer same‑day biopsy results across...
Betterworks Urges Simpler AI for Performance Management at HR Tech Europe
Betterworks Director of Solutions Engineering Bruce Walcroft told HR Tech Europe that AI will only improve performance management if it removes friction, not adds new steps. He warned vendors that layering AI onto legacy workflows will stall adoption, urging a...
Sony Launches Reon Pocket Pro Plus Wearable Air Conditioner with 20% Cooler Performance
Sony has introduced the Reon Pocket Pro Plus, a wearable air‑conditioner that delivers a 20% boost in cooling performance and up to 10 hours of operation on its second‑highest setting. Priced at £199 (≈$253) in the UK and €220 (≈$240)...
South Africa Pushes Biometric Smartphone ID System to Speed National Rollout
South Africa's Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber has gazetted draft amendments to the Identification Act, proposing a biometric and smartphone‑based digital identity system. The proposal, open for public comment until 6 June 2026, seeks to complement existing physical IDs with secure...
Kaltura Posts $44.6M Q1 Revenue, Sees 37% EBITDA Jump Amid AI Push
Kaltura (KLTR) posted $44.6 million in total Q1 2026 revenue, a 5% year‑over‑year decline, while adjusted EBITDA surged 37% to $5.7 million, a record for the quarter. The company credited AI‑powered avatar technology and the recent PathFactory acquisition for offsetting weaker media‑and‑telecom...
Lyrie.ai Secures $2 Million Pre‑Seed to Launch Open Trust Protocol for AI Agents
Lyrie.ai, the autonomous cybersecurity platform from OTT Cybersecurity LLC, closed a $2 million pre‑seed round and exited stealth on May 11, 2026. The funding will back the rollout of its open Agent Trust Protocol, aimed at securing AI‑driven DevOps tools and...
Chevron's Energy Forge Seeks $227 M Texas Tax Break for Gas Plant Powering Data Center
Chevron subsidiary Energy Forge One has filed for a $227 million tax abatement under Texas’ JETI Act for a new gas‑fired power plant in West Texas that will serve a data center. The request, backed by a Pecos‑Barstow‑Toyah school board endorsement,...
Electra AI and Iron Horse File Updated Materials Ahead of $250M SPAC Merger
Electra AI and Iron Horse Acquisition II Corp filed an updated investor presentation as they move toward a $250 million‑plus SPAC merger. The combined entity, slated to trade as AIBR, would become the world’s first publicly listed pure‑play AI battery intelligence...
GoPro COO McGee Charts New Sales Strategy as Q1 Revenue Falls 26%
GoPro President and COO Brian McGee presented a revised sales and distribution plan on the Q1 2026 earnings call as the company posted a 26% revenue decline to $99 million. The shift emphasizes direct‑to‑consumer channels while the board launches a strategic...
Wearables Aim to Predict Disease Risk as AI Models Gain Traction
Oura Health announced an AI model that will use ring data to flag heart attacks and strokes years before they occur, while competitors Whoop and Google’s Fitbit Air are rolling out similar predictive features. The moves come as the wearable...
Hong Kong Sets Dec 31 2026 Deadline for New RBC Rules, Steering Insurers Toward Infrastructure
Hong Kong’s Insurance Authority has closed its public consultation on revised risk‑based capital (RBC) rules and set a Dec 31 2026 implementation date. The final framework gives insurers capital relief for qualifying infrastructure investments and extends the benefit to general insurers, reshaping...
IBM Pays $17 Million to Settle First DOJ Civil Rights Fraud Initiative FCA Claim
IBM has agreed to pay just over $17 million to the U.S. government, marking the first False Claims Act resolution under the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative. The settlement stems from allegations that IBM’s federal contracts incorporated discriminatory hiring,...
Hedge Funds Snap Up Distressed Litigation Finance Assets at 10% of Value
Hedge funds such as Davidson Kempner and Attestor are buying litigation‑finance claims at valuations as low as 10 cents on the dollar, exploiting a slump in a $20 billion market. The move reflects a broader shift toward illiquid, distressed assets as regulatory...
Microsoft Teams Up with WWE for Gears of War: E-Day Sponsorship, Hinting at September Release
Microsoft announced that its upcoming title Gears of War: E-Day will serve as the presenting sponsor for WWE's AAA Triplemania 34, a two‑day event in Mexico City on Sept. 11‑13. The partnership, revealed during the Backlash show, suggests the game could...
Fidelity Flags Three ETF Trading Traps as U.S. Assets Hit $13.46 Trillion
Fidelity’s ETF Management & Strategy Team warned investors that three common execution mistakes—ignoring bid‑ask spreads, using market orders, and trading at market open or close—are eroding returns. The alert comes as U.S. ETF assets surged to a record $13.46 trillion with...
Philippines House Sends Vice President Sara Duterte to Senate Impeachment Trial After 257‑Vote Vote
The Philippine House of Representatives approved articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte with a 257‑25 vote, forwarding the case to the Senate. The move comes as Senate President Vicente Sotto III was ousted in a leadership coup, raising...
FBI Director Kash Patel Accelerates AI Overhaul of Legacy Systems
FBI Director Kash Patel unveiled a multi‑year AI modernization plan that adds a chief AI officer, an AI Review Board and partnerships with private‑sector tech firms. The agency reports a 30% rise in missing‑child identifications and a 20% jump in...
General Motors Trims up to 600 IT Roles to Recruit AI Talent for Autonomous Vehicle Push
General Motors announced it will eliminate roughly 500‑600 salaried IT jobs, mainly in Austin, Texas and Warren, Michigan, as part of a broader restructuring. The cuts are offset by new openings for AI, motorsports and self‑driving vehicle engineers, signaling a...
Barclays Flags Rheinmetall and Leonardo as Undervalued Amid 2026 European Defence Pullback
Barclays retains overweight ratings on German arms maker Rheinmetall and Italy's Leonardo, arguing that the recent 2026 sell‑off in European defence equities has over‑penalised the two firms. The broker points to robust order backlogs, expanding ammunition and vehicle exposure, and...
Redwood Materials Names Former Tesla Finance Chief Deepak Ahuja as CFO
Redwood Materials announced the hiring of Deepak Ahuja, former Tesla finance chief, as its new chief financial officer. The move comes after a $425 million Series E raise that pushed total capital to over $2 billion and follows a recent restructuring that cut...
Minnesota Hospitals Rank Among Nation’s Least Charitable as Uninsured Rates Surge
A joint Star Tribune‑KFF Health News investigation shows Minnesota hospitals devote roughly 0.8% of operating budgets to charity care, the lowest share in the nation. The finding comes as the state’s uninsured rate climbs to its highest level since 2017,...
Starmer Faces Cabinet Revolt as Over 70 Labour MPs Call for His Resignation
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under intense pressure after more than 70 Labour MPs and senior cabinet ministers urged him to set a timetable for his departure. The revolt follows a disastrous local‑election night that saw Labour lose hundreds of...
Krafton Pushes PUBG Beyond Battle Royale, Hits 1 Trillion‑won Q1 Revenue
Krafton reported a 24% year‑on‑year rise in PUBG franchise revenue, topping 1 trillion won ($740 million) in the first quarter. The surge was powered by new cooperative modes XenoPoint and the upcoming PAYDAY heist, signaling a strategic pivot from pure battle‑royale to a...
Babcock & Wilcox Shares Jump Over 20% After Q1 Earnings Miss but 44% Revenue Surge
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises reported first‑quarter revenue of $214.4 million, a 44% year‑over‑year increase, but posted a net loss of $80.7 million, widening from $25.7 million a year earlier. Despite the earnings miss, the stock surged 25% in trading, driven by massive AI...
WebAI Adds Oura CEO Tom Hale to Board, Boosting Sovereign AI Credibility
webAI announced the appointment of Oura CEO Tom Hale to its board of directors, underscoring the AI platform’s focus on privacy‑first, edge‑based intelligence. The move brings more than three decades of technology leadership to a company positioning itself as a...
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont Signs Labor Bill Expanding Pay Transparency
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a 124‑page omnibus labor bill that widens pay‑transparency rules and prohibits training‑repayment agreements. The legislation, set to take effect on Oct. 1, 2026, also adds protections for service‑contract workers and expands nursing‑room accommodations.
Botswana’s 2026 Growth Outlook Trimmed to 3.7% Amid Diamond Volatility and Fuel‑Price Inflation
Economist Keith Jefferis says Botswana’s GDP is likely to rise only 3.7% in 2026, down from the IMF’s 4.7% forecast, as diamond output volatility, a war‑driven fuel shock and inflation above 10% weigh on the economy. The outlook highlights the...
Forsite and Flyscan Team Up on Integrated Leak Detection for Pipelines
Forsite announced a strategic partnership and minority‑investment deal with Flyscan Systems to deliver a unified liquid‑leak and threat‑detection service for pipeline operators. The combined offering merges Flyscan’s onboard sensing hardware with Forsite’s aerial patrol and data‑management platform, promising faster leak...
Israel Sends Iron Dome Batteries and Crews to UAE Amid Iran War
Israel has transferred Iron Dome anti‑missile batteries and personnel to the United Arab Emirates, according to U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee. The move underscores a deepening defense partnership under the Abraham Accords as the Iran‑Israel war heightens regional security concerns.
AI‑Driven Data‑Centre Bonds Surge to $40 Bn, Redefining High‑Yield Market
AI‑related high‑yield bond issuance has exploded to nearly $40 bn, with about $30 bn issued since the start of the year. The new subsector now accounts for roughly 1.6% of the global and 2.6% of the U.S. high‑yield bond indices, prompting active...