These are the top stories for Friday, May 1st.
Headlines
House Passes Three Major Pieces of Legislation
The House of Representatives passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The bill’s passage capped off a whirlwind 24 hours where the House also passed the Farm Bill and an extension of Section 702 of the FISA Act. Read More
The Supreme Court ruling weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act opens the door for multiple states to draw new Congressional maps ahead of the midterm election. See Details
The Trump administration argued that the two-week ceasefire with Iran paused the 60-day clock that would have triggered a War Powers resolution vote. Source
Politics
Maine Governor Janet Mills ended her Senate campaign, clearing a path for upstart challenger Graham Platner to run against Republican incumbent Susan Collins. Source
President Trump pulled Casey Means’s nomination to serve as Surgeon General after opposition from Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski tanked her confirmation chances. President Trump announced Fox News medical commentator Nicola Sapphire as his new pick. See Details
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden called up a bill to extend the FISA Section 702 surveillance authority for three weeks and require the declassification of a recent FISA Court ruling — but Sen. Cotton immediately objected, killing the unanimous consent request. Read More
U.S. News
At least four students and a security guard were stabbed at Henry Foss High School. Four victims were seriously injured. The suspect was also injured and taken into custody; the school was placed on lockdown. See Details
The Texas summer camp, devastated by last year’s deadly floods, formally withdrew its application to reopen for the 2026 summer season, citing ongoing recovery concerns. Find out More
The Commerce Department reported the economy grew at a 2% annualized pace in Q1 2026, a rebound from 0.5% in Q4 2025 but below the 2.2% consensus estimate. Analysts pointed to geopolitical drag from the Iran conflict as a headwind. Source
Business
Global oil prices surged to $126 per barrel on Thursday as the US naval blockade of Iranian ports continues to squeeze supply. The spike is feeding inflation worldwide, with Pakistan’s finance ministry projecting 8–9% CPI for April and the US CPI running at 3.3% YoY. Find out More
Stock futures are flat after blowout big tech earnings powered a Thursday market rally. Source
Apple’s $100B buyback and massive first report showing Revenue hit $111.18B (vs. $109.66B expected), EPS $2.01 (vs. $1.95). iPhone revenue jumped 22% YoY. Services came in at $30.98B — about $600M above expectations. The board also boosted the dividend to $0.27/share. Source
World News
Tehran warned it possesses a new, unspecified weapon capable of causing a “heart attack” among US and Israeli troops, as Washington rejected Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a delay in nuclear talks. See Details
A commercial flight landed in Caracas today, as the US resumed flight services. The two countries suspended direct air service in 2019, signaling a notable thaw in relations between Washington and the Maduro government. Read More
Israeli airstrikes across multiple Lebanese locations killed at least 28 people in one of the deadliest single-day tolls of the renewed Lebanon conflict. Read More
Entertainment
During The Devil Wears Prada 2 press tour, Meryl Streep took a lighthearted swipe at Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s fiancé. TYravis Kelce. Kelce responded publicly, and in the words of entertainment outlets, “perfectly.” See Details
Police charged pop star Brittany Spears with DUI after officers pulled her over after observing her driving erratically on a Southern California highway. See Details
Sports
The New York Knicks set an NBA Playoff record, racing out to a 47-point halftime lead en route to closing out their First Round Series against the Atlanta Hawks by winning Game 6 140-89. Find out More
Major League Baseball players and owners are entering into negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement centered on a salary cap. Baseball’s labor deal expires after this season, and there is fear of a repeat of 1994, where a players’ strike ended the season after 112 games and led to the cancellation of the World Series. See Details
Major League Baseball players and owners are entering into negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement centered on a salary cap. Baseball’s labor deal expires after this season, and there is fear of a repeat of 1994, where a players’ strike ended the season after 112 games and led to the cancellation of the World Series. See Details
Off the Wall
JP Morgan says a banker’s lawsuit alleging his female boss drugged him and turned him into her sex slave is a complete fabrication. See Details
