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How retirees can earn a recession-proof income in 2026

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How retirees can earn a recession-proof income in 2026

If the economy takes a turn for the worse this year, a few small, simple actions can collectively make a big difference.

james bramley
|The Motley Fool

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The market may be in turmoil right now. But between rising inflation, below-average GDP growth, weak consumer confidence, and the protracted conflict in Iran, the risk of a recession remains too high to ignore. Here’s how retirees can protect their retirement income if this worst-case scenario comes true.

1. Own dividend stocks that can be expected to provide reliable dividends

This is obvious to most people, but it still needs to be said clearly. Check whether the dividend payer is prepared to continue funding these payments even in the midst of economic turmoil. These reliable high-dividend stocks include stocks like Coca-Cola. (NYSE: KO) and Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)providing products that maintain market value regardless of the environment.

2. Shifting the maturity date of bonds

If you also hold bonds for income (or instead), make sure their underlying maturity dates are spread out over years, if not decades, into the future. This means that all bonds have different effective interest rates, but more importantly, it also minimizes the risk that the large amount of money you receive when one of these bonds matures will be locked in at an unusually low interest rate.

Preparing for retirement: Americans fear retirement setbacks more than death, according to a recent survey

3. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS)

Separately and at the same time, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) are an effective way to ensure that interest payments are not lost to inflation if inflation is a factor in the recession.

Simply put, TIPS are bonds issued by the federal government whose interest payments fluctuate to reflect changes in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI). Interest payments are typically lower than corporate bonds. However, if you are willing to accept lower interest payments in exchange for reduced risk, this option may be worth taking advantage of, especially during a recession.

That said, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) like the iShares TIPS Bond ETF (NYSEMKT: Hint) or the Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (NASDAQ:VTIP) It may be an easier option than figuring out which inflation-protected securities in the actual Treasury to buy.

4. Have plenty of cash (but make the most of it)

If economic turmoil is likely to affect your portfolio’s ability to generate adequate retirement income, try to carve out a large amount of cash now to meet your projected cash needs. The last thing you want to do is be forced to sell something when the market is down.

Be wise and careful with this cash. Savings and checking accounts at most banks don’t offer much in the way of profits. However, many online banks and most brokerages now offer 4% on cash-like money market accounts.

5. Pension some of your retirement savings

Finally, although it may not be suitable for everyone, consider annuitizing some of your retirement savings to generate a reliable annual return over a period of time. These returns are typically lower than the market’s average annual return. But you get paid even if the market goes down.

Note that this guarantee is only as strong as the insurance company offering the annuity.

Mr. James Brumley holds a position at Coca-Cola Company. The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner providing financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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Comcast agrees to $117.5 million settlement related to Xfinity data breach

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Comcast agrees to $117.5 million settlement related to Xfinity data breach

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Comcast has agreed to pay $117.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit stemming from an October 2023 cybersecurity breach that exposed the personal information of millions of Xfinity customers.

The complaint alleges that Comcast “failed to adequately protect personal information” and had “insufficient data security.” The carrier denied any wrongdoing. In a notice, Comcast advised customers that the personal information included in the data breach included usernames, passwords, contact information, dates of birth, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.

According to Comcast’s settlement website, the settlement is now open for claims, and current or former customers who received a violation notice from Comcast in December 2023 may be eligible for payment.

Here’s what you need to know about settlement funds, including who is eligible, how much to expect to pay, and when payments will be made.

Who is eligible to receive Comcast’s settlement payments?

Not all Comcast customers can automatically submit a payment request.

The money is set aside for people whose personal information was accessed during a data breach in 2023, according to the settlement website. Consumers who were notified of the breach in December 2023 are eligible for the settlement.

How much is Comcast’s settlement?

Eligible persons may submit a claim for up to $10,000 in reimbursement for documented out-of-pocket costs or lost time resulting from the violation.

This number is influenced by the total amount of the settlement and the number of customers who filed affected claims. Valid claims for out-of-pocket losses must be submitted by August 14th.

If an injured consumer chooses not to go through the process of proving out-of-pocket losses or lost time, they may instead elect a cash payment of $50, although this amount may also change depending on the total number of claimants.

The deadline to request alternative cash payments is also August 14th.

When will the payment be issued?

A final approval hearing is scheduled for July 7, and payments will be made thereafter.

Gabe Hauari is USA TODAY’s national trends news reporter. You can follow him at X @gabehauari Or email Gdhauari@gannett.com.

California gubernatorial race could hinge on Pelosi, Harris and Newsom

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California gubernatorial race could hinge on Pelosi, Harris and Newsom

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  • In the crowded California gubernatorial primary, he has virtually no support from the political establishment.
  • Recent polls show a tight race between Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra.
  • Many potential voters have not yet made up their minds before the June 2nd primary election.
  • The California Democratic Party chairman is still encouraging candidates with low approval ratings to drop out to avoid splitting the vote.

Time is running out to choose a final candidate in the high-stakes California gubernatorial race, but the support of four political power brokers could make a big difference.

All the millions of dollars spent on all the muddy arguments and attack ads may not matter to the six — yes, six — Democratic candidates still vying for the top spot in this forward-thinking blue state.

As ballots arrive in the mail and the final debate airs on May 14, some veteran political analysts believe the Democratic primary will be determined not by quick polls, union support or social media influencer posts, but by garnering the traditional support of certain political heavyweights.

Experts say such endorsements remain important in California because they provide clues to voters, especially those who are undecided. Those big backers include Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, possibly former Vice President Kamala Harris, and, in case of an emergency, Governor Gavin Newsom.

“If ever there was a time for the Democratic Party to introduce some of the biggest names in American politics, it’s now,” said Brian Sobel, a veteran political analyst in the San Francisco Bay Area. “It’s still a very crowded race.”

For Democratic front-runners such as former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Rep. Katie Porter, who have important support from California’s independent “jungle,” the primary could overwhelm their rivals. According to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, support from these powerful Democrats could clear up the voting landscape., More than a quarter of likely voters are still undecided.

Until this month, a poll conducted by the California Democratic Party had shown that two leading Republican candidates, former Fox News contributor Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, were in the lead. A May 4 poll showed Hilton and fast-rising Becerra tied at 18%.

Other polls, including a Survey USA poll released earlier this month, show Hilton, who has the support of President Donald Trump, ahead of Becerra and fellow Democrat, billionaire entrepreneur and climate change activist Tom Steyer. The top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Taken together, this poll suggests that Democratic voters are still looking for candidates to support.

Willie Brown, a former San Francisco mayor and longtime speaker of the California Assembly, endorsed Steyer, who spent more than $130 million on his campaign. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also endorsed Porter, a member of Congress and a former Harvard Law School student, although she is not a local.

“I hope this starts a trend for the party’s sake,” said Caroline Heldman, a political commentator and professor of politics and gender studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles and co-author of the book “Rethinking Madame President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House?” “Otherwise, I think Kamala Harris should have entered this race to rebuild her political capital, because the bane of this primary is that there are so many candidates.”

But Harris has hinted at a third run for president and recently announced a statewide endorsement. Given what remains a crowded race, her choices for governor were noticeably lacking.

“She deliberately left out the people she wanted,” said David McCune, a veteran political science professor at Sonoma State University. “I think she missed a tremendous opportunity.”

Pelosi, who played a key role in persuading President Joe Biden to resign and Harris to continue in the 2024 presidential election, has not announced her coveted choice in any state race.

Heldman believes support from Harris and Pelosi could tip the scales.

“Either one of them will help clear the field,” Heldman said.

And while Newsom recently announced his pick for lieutenant governor, he has chosen to remain silent about his successor leading the nation’s most populous state. In a May 8 press conference, Newsom described the choice as strategic.

Newsom, whose term ends in 2027, told reporters: “I’m not going to get involved in the primary.” “I will do everything I have to do to ensure that the Democratic Party’s choices are not compromised in the general election.”

There may be other reasons for Newsom’s reluctance.

Asked why, Newsom said he was withholding support “based on previous relationships” with many candidates, given that his support could woo voters in a crowded race and some polls show one in four voters are still undecided.

It’s also possible, as Sonoma State’s McCune believes, that “Democrats just aren’t that excited about one candidate. There just isn’t a sense of ‘it’.”

Two Candidates Lead in Latest California Poll: As the final debate approaches, the gubernatorial race will be close, with Hilton and Becerra leading a crowded field.

Democratic candidates with low approval ratings don’t want to be labeled as “spoilers”

California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks rattled off a list of reasons why the stakes are so high in the Golden State. First, one in eight Americans lives in California. This is the center of big technology and artificial intelligence. States often initiate national debates on issues such as environmental protection, fair working conditions, and minority rights, leading to parallel efforts and backlash in other parts of the country.

It is also home to some of the major players on the national scene. The last Democratic presidential candidate (Harris) and likely future presidential candidate (Newsom) are from California. Hicks said Newsom spearheaded the Proposition 50 effort in California, the first blue state to redraw its congressional district lines to counter the Trump-inspired redistricting effort in Texas three months ago. The Texas-California standoff sparked a polarizing redistricting battle across the country.

Also, whoever becomes California’s governor will inherit a state with an estimated $4 trillion economy, the fourth largest in the world. They also take over management roles California’s multi-billion dollar debtAccess to Medicaid amid federal spending cuts, soaring real estate prices making large cities nearly uninhabitable for working families, homelessness surging, and the ongoing crisis of wildfire prevention and recovery.

Why California’s top two primaries matter: What Americans especially need to know about California’s “jungle” elementary system in 2026

Dozens of candidates vie to become California’s next governor

Voters will see 61 gubernatorial candidates on their primary ballots (which, by the way, take up about two feet of tiny ink). Among them is former Democratic congressman and top gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell, who resigned amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, which he denies. Former state governor Betty Yee’s poll numbers were low and she ended her campaign. (State law prohibits the removal of a candidate’s name after a certain date.)

Democrats faced a dilemma last July when Harris declined to run for the state’s top seat. California U.S. senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff have resigned. This led to a flood of candidates and embarrassed state Democrats, who were unable to endorse a candidate at the party’s February convention in San Francisco.

In March, Party Chairman Hicks wrote an open letter urging potential candidates to withdraw from the gubernatorial race. He warned at the time that the scenario of two Republicans competing for the top spot in a deep blue state was “unlikely” but “not impossible.”

But as unlikely as that may seem, there’s always a chance that Democrats will cancel each other out, according to a poll sponsored by the state Democratic Party and seven out of 10 other past polls. With the exception of Mr. Yi, no candidate will drop out due to lack of funds, inability to participate in debates, or lack of significant support.

“It’s a matter of pride,” McCune believes.

That makes the possibility of two leading Republican candidates elected in the general election very interesting, Craig Dells, communications director for the California Republican Party, told USA TODAY. Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the state’s last Republican governor from 2003 to 2011. And, of course, there’s actor and former California governor Ronald Reagan, who served two terms as president.

DeLuce has noticed that Democrats have become more combative, taking shots at Becerra in the past two debates, as the former state attorney general is now considered the party’s front-runner. There has been renewed speculation that Mr. Becerra was involved in a fraud and wire transfer scheme involving Dana Williamson, a former Mr. Newsom aide and former Becerra political adviser.

Williamson was indicted by a federal grand jury last year on charges that he diverted $225,000 from a dormant Becerra campaign account to Sean McCluskey, Becerra’s longtime chief of staff. Becerra has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has repeatedly denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.

“The problem is that Democrats are doing crabs in a barrel. When one of them shows up, the rest will hit him hard,” DeLuce said.

He believes Southern California sheriffs running as Republicans could benefit from the fight. “I think that’s what gives Bianco a puncher a chance to be in the top two. The big question here is, ‘Are you going to be a Democrat or are you going to be Chad Bianco?’

California gubernatorial candidate delivers a lob jab: Explaining the argument,

Democratic Party Chairman stands silently

This heated argument may be the reason why Hicks’ position remains unchanged.

“What I’ve been calling on candidates to do is honestly assess the viability of their campaigns and their path to the general election,” Hicks told USA TODAY. “That call was important then, and it’s even more important now. My call from two months ago still stands.”

Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Silicon Valley’s Menlo College, said the real question facing Democratic candidates with low approval ratings, such as Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Thurmond, is whether they will leave now and be replaced by another candidate, or whether they will stay and be seen as dividing the Democratic vote.

“If you want to get Democratic support in the future, you have to show that you’re a team player,” Michelson said. “I don’t want to risk being labeled a spoiler, but I also don’t want to be seen as a quitter. It’s not an easy choice.”

McEwan, a professor at Sonoma State University, believes Thurmond, the state superintendent, has reason to resign. And while Villagrosa has “pushed the punches and punched above his weight in the last three debates,” McCune said the former Los Angeles mayor has no chance of winning.

“Mr. Villagrosa has the money to maintain, but I think all he’s doing is wasting money on the Democratic Party,” McEwan said.

Different strokes: How California’s top gubernatorial candidates disagree on key issues

Will Becerra’s momentum be enough to earn the backing of a big-name player?

Meanwhile, Hicks said he has been impressed with Becerra’s rapid growth. The former US health secretary’s candidacy has been languishing, with opinion polls repeatedly hovering in the single digits. After Swalwell’s dramatic departure, he is now one of the top candidates.

Becerra has risen 15 points since the first poll sponsored by the California Democratic Party was released on March 24. He has improved in similar polls and is tapping into loyal Democratic voters, Latinos and even voters without a party affiliation, Hicks said.

“This speaks to the fluidity of the race,” Hicks said. “As Eric Swalwell’s campaign falls apart and voters start looking at new and different avenues, some see Becerra as a viable candidate.” “He’s certainly moving in the right direction.”

But it’s probably not enough to garner enthusiastic support from the state’s top political figures.

“I think they might pass,” Sobel, a veteran political analyst, said bluntly.

Food prices have increased by the most in four years. How to save.

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Food prices have increased by the most in four years. How to save.

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Shoppers who found their grocery shopping a huge strain on their budgets last month were proven right by Department of Labor data released this week, with household food costs rising 0.7% in April, marking the largest monthly increase since 2022.

Food economist and Michigan State University professor David Ortega said the cost of groceries has increased 2.9% over the year, and pressure on food prices is now coming from multiple directions simultaneously. These price increases, along with the soaring price of gasoline, which has increased 28.4% over the year, are putting an economic strain on Americans.

Due to rising food prices, some people are cutting prices in other areas as well.

Ed Moore, 79, of Louisville, Kentucky, said prices at his local grocery store have increased significantly over the past year. His recent trip cost him $95 for one week’s worth of food. Retired and living on a fixed income, he said he doesn’t have much cash for emergencies, and the rising prices of essential goods are making it more difficult to save for emergencies.

In response, he stopped buying new clothes, except for Skechers, which he purchased using credit card benefits. He shops for deals, avoids big-name brands, and shops at Kroger to earn points that can be redeemed for discounts on gas.

“But with gas prices so high, I don’t know how much this discount will help,” Moore said, adding that since the Iran war began, he has gone from filling up twice a month to just once and driving less.

more: President Trump says he is not thinking ‘at all’ about Americans’ finances in Iran talks

Increases in various parts of the supply chain

Ortega told USA TODAY that the energy costs of the war are starting to show up in food prices through the so-called cold chain, or supply chain for fresh produce and goods.

“Refrigerated trucking runs on diesel, and diesel prices are rising rapidly,” he said. “Categories most reliant on the cold chain, such as fresh produce, dairy products, and prepared salads, saw the steepest monthly increases. For example, prepared salads rose about 3% over the month.”

Ortega said layered on top of that are category-specific issues that already exist, such as record beef prices. “Demand for beef remains unusually strong, with cattle herds at their lowest levels in decades and widespread high-protein trends that have reshaped the way consumers think about their diets.”

In addition, tomato supplies in Mexico and Florida have been hit by weather issues, and imports from Mexico are also subject to tariffs. He said coffee prices reflected the lingering effects of last year’s coffee import tariffs, as well as constraints from past harvests.

“Consumers are not facing one shock, but multiple shocks at the same time. The energy-related impact of the Middle East conflict is likely to increase in the coming months,” Ortega said.

Ortega said further increases in food prices could be affected by higher fertilizer prices due to the Iran conflict, but the full effects may not be felt until next year.

“And with price increases now outpacing wage growth, affordability is paramount for many households, leaving them with less of a buffer to absorb shocks than they did a few years ago,” he said.

Even some high-income earners are changing their behavior in response to rising prices. Koji Hosokawa, 65, of Norwalk, Conn., takes home about $10,000 a month, but said he is shifting investments into dividend-paying stocks to reduce expenses and increase cash flow to support his wife and recently laid-off son.

“I cannot control the prices of products such as food and gasoline,” Hosokawa said. “That’s natural. So what you can control is your income.”

Save money by choosing alternatives

The rise in meal-in costs in April was due to a 1.8% increase in fruit and vegetable prices and a 1.3% increase in the province’s Meat, Poultry, Fish and Eggs Index as beef prices rose 2.7% in the same month.

Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo Agri-Food Research Institute, said the choices you make about purchasing meat protein can impact your entire grocery tab.

“When it comes to protein, do you want beef on the table? … It’s what you buy that has a big impact on the checkout price,” Swanson says. Meanwhile, chicken and egg prices have fallen, while pork prices have remained flat, he said.

Similarly, in the produce section, while prices have increased for some items and others are flat from last year, shoppers could potentially adjust, Swanson said.

“If you want to keep your tomatoes for the next month or so until the next crop is harvested, you can erase that number from your budget,” he said.

How to save money on groceries

Here’s how shoppers can save money on groceries, according to Ortega.

  1. Let’s go shopping. Grocery stores compete for your business and run promotions on certain products. Shop around, compare weekly ads, take advantage of promotions, and save big over the course of a month.
  1. Shift your protein sources whenever possible. While beef prices have risen sharply over the past year, chicken and pork are more affordable and have remained relatively flat or down over the past month. Eggs are also significantly cheaper than a year ago as chicken flocks have been rebuilt. Replacing just one or two meals a week can significantly reduce your food costs.
  1. Whenever possible, buy seasonal produce locally. Seasonal and local produce tends to be less expensive to transport over long distances, so it can be a good way to save money on items hit hard by rising diesel prices.
  1. Consider store brands and private labels. These products are usually sold at much more affordable prices, and the quality of most staples is on par with national brands.

Cuba gives political prisoners ultimatum: deport or jail

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Cuba gives political prisoners ultimatum: deport or jail

Thursday, May 14, 2026, episode of the podcast The Excerpt: On April 10, the United States gave Cuban leaders only two weeks to release political prisoners if they wanted to preemptively reach a deal with the United States. Cuba then offered two high-profile prisoners, Maykel Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, either leave Cuba or stay behind bars and rot in prison. Both agreed to the expulsion. However, both men are still languishing behind bars. USA TODAY investigative reporter Rick Jarvis joins The Excerpt to talk about the future of Castillo and Otero, as well as high-level negotiations between U.S. and Cuban officials.

Press play in the player below to listen to the podcast and follow the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated and edited in its current format for clarity. There may be some differences between audio and text.

Podcast: For true crime stories, in-depth interviews, and more USA TODAY podcasts, click here

Dana Taylor:

Cuba, a longtime ally of Venezuela, has been a target of the White House since the moment the Trump administration overthrew former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. In the aftermath of the operation, President Donald Trump declared “Cuba will be next.” On April 10, the United States gave Cuban leaders only two weeks to release political prisoners if they wanted to preemptively reach a deal with the United States. Cuba then made offers to two prominent prisoners, Maykel Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara. They either leave Cuba or stay and rot in prison. Both men agreed to be expelled but are still languishing in prison.

Hello. Welcome to this excerpt from USA TODAY. I’m Dana Taylor. Today is Thursday, May 14, 2026. USA TODAY investigative reporter Rick Jarvis joins us here to talk about the future of Castillo and Otero, as well as high-level negotiations between U.S. and Cuban officials. Rick, thank you so much for taking the time to join us.

Rick Jarvis:

I’m glad to be here, Danna.

Dana Taylor:

Rick, could you start by telling us how you found out about these two prisoners, Castillo and Otero? Who are they and why is their story so fascinating to you and your colleagues?

Rick Jarvis:

So most people who have been following Cuba over the last few years have probably heard of these two guys. Maykel Castillo Pérez is a Cuban rapper and Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is an activist and visual artist who became very famous during the mass protests in Cuba in 2021, mainly because Maykel was actually part of the rap group that created the song “Patria y Vida”. It was a hip-hop song written by Cuban exile hip-hop artists on and off the island.

And it’s kind of a protest song. It basically denounced the lack of many freedoms in Cuba, and it spread quickly. And within a few months, it had over 1 million views. And the song became a kind of anthem for the massive protests that took place in Cuba in 2021. In other words, it was a really well-known song. It is known that Maykel was part of it, and Lewis was also deeply involved in the actual group that created it.

And they were arrested in 2021. Michael was arrested in May 2021, and Luis Manuel was arrested in July of the same year. They were then sentenced to nine years in prison and five years in prison, respectively. And the two became very famous later that year, as the song “Patria y Vida” won two Latin Grammy Awards later that year. Although Meikel was in prison, he basically couldn’t attend the actual ceremony, but the song became really popular, and after that, these two really gained worldwide recognition.

Dana Taylor:

Castillo and Otero each recorded audio from prison and shared those files exclusively with USA TODAY. I’d like to start with Otello’s audio. Could you please set this up?

Rick Jarvis:

Basically, we wanted to hear directly from these two individuals. So we can call these two people through a third party and basically record some of their thoughts. What you are about to hear is Luis Manuel’s first-hand thoughts on some of the protests that took place in 2021 that ultimately landed him in prison.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara:

(Translator Ramon Padilla) What we are talking about is a process that has been going on in this country for more than six or seven years. Change is happening in Cuba. The San Isidro movement, other movements, and the entire opposition. And on July 11, protests broke out outside the Ministry of Culture. All of these, we would argue, are signs of a Cuba in transition. The Cuba that Americans are now stepping up to help is a big boost to Cuba, which is built on civil society. All Cuban exiles. We are that civil society, and we have tried to organize in Cuba and abroad, with varying degrees of success.

Dana Taylor:

Rick, what did you think when you heard this?

Rick Jarvis:

It was really interesting. First of all, it is very difficult to understand someone’s thoughts inside a Cuban prison. These are obviously very heavily guarded facilities, and the individuals inside don’t have much freedom. So it was really amazing to hear someone’s story from behind bars.

But what Luis Manuel raises is also very interesting. People tend to forget that. There’s a lot of talk about Cubans, exiles, and civil society outside of Cuba, but Luis Manuel is basically trying to remind everyone that there is a civil society in Cuba, and that there are intellectuals and thinkers and artists and writers who are really trying to bring about change in Cuba.

Dana Taylor:

There is also an audio recording of Castillo talking about his determination to fight for change. Let’s listen.

Maykel Castillo Perez:

(Translator Ramon Padilla) We need people with sufficient capabilities to emerge. Someone who understands people’s problems and can move the country forward instead of backwards. We are 50 years behind. We need people who can move our country forward. When I say “progress” I mean the economy will improve. Improving justice. That courts are fair.

Dana Taylor:

Castillo is clearly frustrated, which is understandable given his current situation. What do you think here?

Rick Jarvis:

Yeah, this is interesting too. Meichel is very different from Luis Manuel in several ways. From what I’ve been told, he’s more of a street guy. So what you’re going to hear is a more intuitive answer from him. And there’s a lot of frustration exuding from him, both in his words and his tone. He was sentenced to nine years in prison. So there’s a certain palpable sense of hopelessness around him, and he’s very open about his sense of hopelessness and his lack of hope that change will ever happen in Cuba.

Dana Taylor:

Let’s zoom out a little bit now and talk about the steps this administration has taken against Cuba so far to force change.

Rick Jarvis:

Yeah. Following the January raid that effectively arrested Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration took control of virtually all of the country’s oil production and imposed an oil embargo on Cuba. Cuba has suffered from power outages before. They’ve been suffering from an economy that basically collapsed, and now they’re really struggling. There is very little oil flowing in and out of the country, and the country is suffering greatly from prolonged power outages.

The Trump administration tightened sanctions. They basically increased the economic pressure on the island. At the same time, they have held numerous backchannel talks with Cuban leaders, seeking long-standing economic reforms, some form of political reform, and the release of political prisoners in exchange for sanctions relief. But I think it’s kind of a really surprising turn of events and something that a lot of people didn’t expect from this administration.

Dana Taylor:

The Biden administration appeared to have made significant progress in releasing political prisoners in Cuba. Tell me about that and how the Trump administration’s approach has changed.

Rick Jarvis:

In January 2025, former President Biden took steps to essentially remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. And with that, through negotiations brokered by the Catholic Church, Cuba actually began releasing political prisoners, including some of the protesters who were actually arrested during the 2021 protests. And the traction was there. However, shortly after that, President Trump took office, presumably putting Cuba back on the state aid list, and these efforts have since stalled.

President Trump’s approach is actually very different. He has a fairly large stick to swing around along with a few carrots. So he’s doing both. He’s basically aggressively showing Cuba that he kind of holds all the cards with the oil embargo, but he’s also offering him another carrot. He proposes easing sanctions. He is proposing an economic agreement that could make Cuba truly prosperous. And it will be very interesting to see how it plays out.

Dana Taylor:

What will happen to the high-level talks between these two political prisoners?

Rick Jarvis:

Now, it’s just a wait and see game. We are told that both of these political prisoners, Castillo and Alcantara, are on the list of selected political prisoners who have asked for their release. High-level talks seem to have stalled at the moment. There were some very advanced talks that seemed to get a little traction, but nothing has happened since then.

So what the Trump administration does next is something of a wait-and-see game. And I think a lot of people are waiting to see if Cuba will start releasing some of its actual political prisoners as an act of goodwill. And obviously Maykel and Luis Manuel are at the top of the list, so we’ll see what happens.

Dana Taylor:

Rick Jervis is an investigative reporter for USA TODAY. Rick, thank you for sharing your report with The Excerpt.

Rick Jarvis:

of course. Thank you, Danna.

Dana Taylor:

Thank you for your attention. I’m Dana Taylor. Our stories come from USA TODAY journalists across the country. Come back tomorrow morning for a closer look at another important story.

Note: Cuban officials did not respond to USA TODAY requests for comment.

In response to a request for comment from USA TODAY, State Department officials said the Cuban regime continues to show indifference to the suffering of the Cuban people and continues to hold hundreds of political prisoners. The official reiterated that President Trump supports a diplomatic solution but will not allow Cuba to deteriorate into a larger national security threat.

NBA Playoffs, Cavaliers vs. Pistons Game 5 Key Points

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NBA Playoffs, Cavaliers vs. Pistons Game 5 Key Points

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In a pivotal Game 5, the Cavaliers did something they hadn’t been able to do all postseason. We won on the road against Cleveland.

The Cavs took a 3-2 lead over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday, May 13, and are one win away from advancing to the conference finals against the New York Knicks.

The series now returns to Cleveland, where the Cavaliers are undefeated in the playoffs and have won all six games played at Rocket Arena.

James Harden led the Cavs with 30 points on 8-of-21 shooting (38.1%), Donovan Mitchell had 21 points and Evan Mobley added 19 points.

After overtime, the Cavaliers won 117-113.

Here are the takeaways from Game 5 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.

Frankly, the Cavaliers got lucky with all their turnovers.

In some ways, this is a game the Cavaliers shouldn’t have won. Star players Harden and Mitchell shot just 38.5% combined. In the second quarter, the lead was 15 points. But more concerning were the 17 turnovers, many of which were unforgivable.

The Cavaliers were too casual with their ball security, letting lazy passes fly all over the court and sometimes telegraphing them. This allowed Detroit to turn those scores into 27 points and is also why the Pistons claimed a 23-7 advantage in fast break points.

The Cavaliers were better in the second half, but their careless offense could completely thwart the team’s chances of winning. If the Cavs make it to the conference finals, Cleveland should consider themselves lucky because the Knicks won’t let them get away easily.

Detroit Pistons rely too much on Cade Cunningham

It was another shocker for Cunningham, Detroit’s unquestioned star. Cunningham finished with 39 points on 13-of-27 shooting, nine assists and seven rebounds. But once again, the Pistons wasted a great game from Cunningham because the supporting cast didn’t contribute enough.

Danis Jenkins, making his first career postseason start, had a solid night on 8-of-17 shooting, scoring 19 points, although he struggled from 3-point range (2-of-8). However, Tobias Harris (13 points) and Jalen Duren (9 points, 5 rebounds) struggled. This is becoming a theme for the Pistons.

As long as they look to Cunningham as a savior, especially in the clutch, when teams can play a little more physical and throw double teams to him, Detroit will have a hard time advancing deep into the playoffs.

Cunningham is an outstanding player and one of the top 10 basketball players in the world. However, the pressure and responsibility on his shoulders is unsustainable, which leads to unforced errors. Six turnovers on Wednesday night (including a debilitating one late in overtime) is a problem he needs to fix.

Donovan Mitchell has been to some big playoff games in his career, but his team has never made it past the conference semifinal round. James Harden has a reputation (which, frankly, is unfair) for faltering when it matters most, despite his 185 career playoff games and several big postseason performances.

But if Cleveland can defend home court on Friday, May 15 and advance Cleveland to the Eastern Conference Finals, Mitchell and Harden will have a chance to rebuild those narratives.

There were times in this series where both struggled somewhat. But when Cleveland needed a clutch bucket, it was Mitchell and Harden who provided it.

The Pistons, who are 1-4 on the road this postseason, will be playing desperately, so the Cavaliers will need to be prepared and relentless. Notice Mitchell and Harden trying to set the tone.

Probably not. After all, Duren was named an All-Star for the first time this season and is still impacting games defensively, but it doesn’t necessarily show up in the box score.

But Reid is outperforming Duren again, and it’s clear that Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff is adjusting his rotation to that end. On Wednesday night, Reed played a series-high 17 minutes, just eight minutes fewer than Duren’s 25 minutes.

Reed had 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots, while Duren had nine points, five rebounds, and no blocks.

Duren’s plus-minus of 16 was the lowest on the team Wednesday night, but he is now minus-42 over the final three games of the series.

In the regular season, Duren developed a solid mid-range jumper, but it’s simply not a part of his game now. The only offensive contributions Duren seems to make are putbacks or the occasional lob. He took just five shots on Wednesday compared to Reed’s seven. Reed simply plays with more energy and pace from the moment he steps on the floor.

This seems to be a confidence issue for Duren, and Detroit needs him to at least put in the effort. That’s because his offensive rebounds give the Pistons second chances, and his defensive rebounds can create transition opportunities.

At times during the playoffs, Mobley found it difficult to assert himself offensively. However, he has made steady progress over the last three games. Mobley had 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and had three blocks. He hit two 3-pointers, the first at the end of the third quarter and the second with 1:22 left in the fourth, cutting Detroit’s lead to two points.

Strus also played well, making 6 of 8 3-point shots and recording 20 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Once he catches fire, Strus will be a key part of Cleveland’s offense and help start the run. He scored 64.5% of the team’s bench points Wednesday night. The Cavs will need the same type of production from both players to shut out Detroit in Game 6.

What is E15 gas? Will the price go down? What you need to know

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What is E15 gas? Will the price go down? What you need to know

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  • Congress is considering a bill that would allow E15 gasoline to be sold year-round in response to soaring fuel prices.
  • E15 is a gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, which proponents say saves drivers money.
  • The temporary exemption allowing summer sales of E15 is scheduled to expire on May 20th.

As Washington grapples with the soaring gas prices that upset many Americans during an election year, Congress is considering legislation that would allow the sale of gasoline that is high in ethanol.

On Wednesday, May 13th, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow the year-round sale of E15 gas, which is a blend of gasoline with 15% ethanol. The bill, known as the National Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, still needs approval from the U.S. Senate before being sent to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Supporters of the bill, including the National Corn Growers Association, say “year-round E15 would save motorists money on every gallon of gasoline and spur demand for bushels of corn.”

The measure’s consideration comes as a temporary waiver, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency traditionally issues in the summer for additional E-15 gas permits approved in March, expires May 20.

The average price of gasoline reached $4.51 on Wednesday, May 13, according to the AAA Auto Club. This is an increase from the national average price of gasoline of $2.98 on February 28, the day the United States launched its first military strike against Iran.

The Trump administration and Republican leaders in Congress are scrambling to contain the political fallout from soaring gas prices. President Donald Trump supports a proposal to suspend the 18 cents per gallon federal gas tax, and several members of Congress have introduced bills to do just that.

What is E15 gas?

E15 is a gasoline blended with 15% ethanol. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, most finished motor gasoline sold in the United States is E10, and most of the E15 gas currently available in the United States is sold in the Midwest.

The EPA said E15 is now offered at more than 3,000 gas stations across the country, and the agency said it is a “more affordable option for Americans.”

“Without this action, about half the country will not have access to E15 gasoline this summer,” EPA officials said when announcing the exemption on May 1.

Environmental groups have previously criticized the idea of ​​increasing the use of ethanol in gas, saying it emits the same harmful pollutants as regular gas.

How much does E15 gas cost?

The average price of E15 is not tracked as closely as the price of regular gasoline. A 2023 study conducted by the Renewable Fuels Association showed that drivers can save about 25 cents per gallon when using E15 gas.

According to the study, the last time national gas prices approached $4 per gallon in 2022, E15 gas averaged $3.41 per gallon.

Can E15 gas damage my car?

According to the EPA, E15 gas can be used in flexible fuel vehicles and most vehicles manufactured after 2001.

However, authorities said E15 gas cannot be used in the following types of vehicles:

  • On-highway and non-road bikes.
  • Vehicles with large engines such as school buses, transit buses, and delivery trucks.
  • Non-road vehicles such as boats and snowmobiles.
  • Engines of off-road equipment such as lawn mowers and chainsaws. or
  • 2000 model year or newer cars, light trucks, and medium-duty passenger cars.

Consumer Reports said in a post on its website that it agrees with the EPA’s position that E15 gasoline is safe for most modern vehicles, but the group argues that drivers should “check the manufacturer’s manual for the type of fuel recommended” before choosing the cheaper option.

“If your car is a 2001 model or older, you’ll find that the most common regular gasoline blend in the United States recommends no more than 10 percent ethanol. One tank of E15 won’t destroy your car, but it will take a toll over time,” Consumer Reports said.

BTS, Madonna, Shakira make World Cup history with halftime show

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BTS, Madonna, Shakira make World Cup history with halftime show

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K-pop supergroup BTS, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Madonna and Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira will headline the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show in the tournament’s nearly 100-year history. The World Cup final will be held on July 19th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

FIFA and non-profit organization Global Citizen announced on Instagram the lineup for the Super Bowl-style halftime show to be held on May 14th. The announcement video featured Coldplay’s Chris Martin, as well as Elmo, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Cookie Monster, who joked that BTS’s hit song “Butter” is Monster’s favorite song and an ingredient in his cookies.

When Elmo asked Martin what a halftime show was, the Grammy winner explained that it was a gathering of people for singing, dancing, and music.

“This is a chance to show how amazing all kinds of people are,” Martin continued. “And we can raise money for our children’s education.”

According to FIFA, “The program will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizenship Education Fund, which aims to improve access to quality education and football for children around the world.”

Late on May 13, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Madonna and FIFA World Cup Instagram accounts had begun following each other. The Queen of Pop will perform with Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella in April and will release Confessions II, the sequel to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, on July 3.

BTS, whose members recently completed military service in South Korea, released their fifth studio album “ARIRANG” on March 20th, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook are currently on a world tour, with stops in Stanford, California, and Las Vegas in May. The tour will perform in Chicago in August and Los Angeles in September before returning to the United States. The group has had six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2020 and has filled stadiums around the world.

Shakira, the best-selling Latina female artist of all time, is no stranger to the World Cup. The Grammy Award winner released the official song for the 2026 World Cup, “Die Die,” on May 14. The single features Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Shakira also sang the anthem “Waka Waka” during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Global Citizen will produce the halftime show with the help of Martin, who is also familiar with FIFA. Martin also supported Global Citizen in the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup Final Halftime Show, held for professional clubs (vs. national teams) at MetLife Stadium in 2025. In addition to performances from J. Balvin, Doja Cat, and Thames, Coldplay wowed the audience with a rendition of “A Sky Full of Stars.”

Martin joined Global Citizen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending world hunger, in 2015 as an international festival curator.

Who else will be playing in the 2026 World Cup?

FIFA will host three opening ceremonies, one for each of the first group stage matches of the host country (Mexico, United States and Canada). Each competition will feature performances by top music artists representing the host country and opponents.

Rockers Mana, Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Azures and South African singer Tyra will perform at the June 11 game in Mexico City.

Katy Perry, along with Future, Anitta, Lisa, Rema and Tyra, will perform at the US Opening Day in Los Angeles on June 12th.

Canadians Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara take to the stage during the kickoff match on June 12 in Toronto. Elianna, Jesse Reyes, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince will also appear.

FIFA releases official album including single “Lighter” by Jelly Roll, Carín León and Circut.

Who played in the 1994 World Cup final?

The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will mark the second time that a World Cup match will be held in the United States. The United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, which drew more than 3.5 million fans to venues across the United States. It led directly to the creation of Major League Soccer. And, according to the head of U.S. soccer at the time, he almost produced the first halftime show.

“We had Whitney Houston do the halftime show,” former U.S. Soccer president Alan Rosenberg, who oversaw the World Cup, told USA TODAY. “We wanted to do it Super Bowl style, but FIFA wouldn’t allow it.”

Instead, Houston performed at the closing ceremony, which was originally scheduled to take place 50 minutes before the final. According to the Los Angeles Times, FIFA executives were concerned about whether players would have enough time to warm up, so the start time of the ceremony was moved up by an additional 30 minutes.

“We just did everything under the sun to make it more than just a soccer tournament,” Rothenberg continued. “It was clearly a success. As a result, many people who were interested in the tournament became soccer fans.”

Contributor: Nancy Armour, USA TODAY; Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY

I got into the Chevrolet Blazer EV. this is what we liked

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I got into the Chevrolet Blazer EV. this is what we liked

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  • The Chevrolet Blazer EV is the first electric model to get the company’s “SS” performance trim.
  • The SS trim features a 17.7-inch touchscreen, a panoramic glass roof, and up to 59.1 cubic feet of cargo space.
  • The 2026 Blazer EV is compatible with both CCS and Tesla’s NACS charging stations via adapters.

The Chevrolet Blazer EV is the company’s first electric model with the iconic “SS” trim.

General Motors, which owns the Chevrolet brand, said in a press release that the Chevrolet Blazer EV, which debuts in 2025, is “the first all-electric addition to the Chevrolet SS family” and “the fastest Chevrolet SS ever.”

“With 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, it’s also the most powerful EV in its class,” the company said, noting that the Blazer is also “Chevrolet’s first high-performance EV.”

GM touts the fact that it is the nation’s second-largest EV seller, trailing only Tesla in cumulative sales when considering electric versions of Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC models. According to Cox Automotive, GM sold 169,887 EVs across its three brands in 2025. The Detroit-based company’s cumulative sales rank second only to Tesla’s 589,160 EV sales in the U.S. in 2025.

GM sold 22,637 Blazer EVs in 2025, making it the company’s second-best-selling electric vehicle model behind the Chevrolet Equinox EV.

Take a look inside and around the Chevrolet Blazer EV for yourself and see why the exterior and interior are so eye-catching.

17 inch screen

General Motors says the 2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS trim features a 17.7-inch diagonal color touchscreen display with built-in Google compatibility. The system includes navigation, connectivity to popular apps such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Audible, and allows owners to create personalized profiles for each driver’s preferences. GM says these cars feature natural voice recognition.

59 cubic feet of cargo space

The Chevrolet Blazer EV doesn’t have a front trunk, or “frunk,” like many other EVs. But GM says the Blazer EV “has a maximum cargo capacity of up to 59.1 cubic feet.”

“There is also a hidden storage space under the rear cargo floor to keep items out of sight,” the company added.

Easy charging with Tesla adapter possible

The Blazer EV’s charging port can be opened and closed with a button on the car’s touchscreen or manually with a double tap. The vehicle is charged by CCS (Combined Charging System). This is the most commonly used charger for non-Tesla EVs and most public charging stations.

The 2026 Blazer EV also comes with an adapter that allows it to be charged with a North American Charging Standard (NACS) charger, which is the standard for Tesla chargers.

Warren and Hawley target CVS Health and other big pharmacy companies

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Warren and Hawley target CVS Health and other big pharmacy companies

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers is renewing efforts to force some large pharmacy companies to spin off parts of their businesses and target drug price intermediaries.

This is a familiar bill to Tennesseans, as similar legislation has passed the state legislature and is awaiting Governor Bill Lee’s signature. CVS Health is threatening to close all 134 of its pharmacies in Tennessee as the bill takes aim at the pharmacy giant’s business model.

On May 13, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) reintroduced the Exclusive Pre-Patient Act. Under the law, companies that own pharmacy benefit management companies or insurance companies would be prohibited from owning pharmacies.

The bill focuses on large health care companies that own pharmacies, as well as the insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that influence the prescription drugs Americans can get through their insurance plans and the costs of those drugs.

The big companies that own health insurance companies also own the nation’s three largest PBMs: CIGNA’s Express Scripts, UnitedHealth Group’s Optum RX, and CVS Health’s Caremark.

Warren and Hawley introduced the bill in December 2024, but the bill failed to advance.

Warren and Hawley’s bill, introduced Wednesday, would give PBMs, or companies that jointly own pharmacies with insurance companies, one year to sell their pharmacy operations. In the original version, companies had three years to sell part of their business.

The bill also specifies enforcement actions that the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, and state attorneys general can take against companies that violate the law.

For Warren and Hawley, the bill targets a narrower segment of the health care industry than the Great Care Breakup Act, which prohibits PBMs, health insurance companies and drug wholesalers from owning health care providers and pharmacies.

Warren said in a statement that she expects “PBM legislation will gain momentum as people begin to realize that they cannot lower health care costs without confronting corporate greed in the health care system,” adding that it is time to finally rein in the health care intermediaries that drive up drug prices and drive small pharmacies out of business.

Hawley said PBMs are “at the heart of a broken system that rewards middlemen while driving up costs for patients and crowding out independent pharmacies.”

He added that the bill would increase transparency and make health insurance more affordable for Americans.

Promoting dismantling PBMs gains bipartisan support

Rep. Diana Hershberger (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) introduced a sister version of the bill in the House.

Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) signed on as co-sponsors of the Senate bill. Rep. Greg Landsman, Democrat of Ohio, Rep. Buddy Carter, Republican of Georgia, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Democrat of New York, and Rep. Troy Neals, Republican of Texas, are co-sponsors of the House version.

Supporters of the bill cited national momentum toward PBM reform.

In 2025, a coalition of 39 state attorneys general asked Congress to pass legislation that would prevent companies from jointly owning pharmacies and PBMs. Also in 2025, the state of Arkansas passed a bill banning companies that own PBMs from operating retail pharmacies.

Tennessee Governor Lee received the bill passed by the state House and Senate on May 11th. He has 10 business days to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to pass without a signature.

CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault said the company would close its Tennessee pharmacies if the bill becomes law, but that won’t happen right away because the bill doesn’t go into effect until July 2028. The company also said it was prepared to sue in federal court to block the bill.

Thibault said CVS does not take the Warren-Hawley Act into account, but the company provides a tailored platform to 185 million Americans.

“We support that and we really feel that our patients and members get value from it,” Thibault said.

Greg Lopez, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a group representing pharmacy benefit managers, said the bill would make it more difficult for patients to navigate the complex system.

“One of the things that American patients and families dislike most about our health care system is that it is fragmented and complex. This bill would only make that problem worse, sending patients deeper into the maze of intermittent care,” Lopez said.

In February, Congress ended the partial shutdown of the federal government and passed a bill that included provisions addressing PBM transparency and business practices.

The law prohibited PBMs from collecting compensation based on drug prices, rebates, or discounts under Medicare Part D, according to KFF, a health policy nonprofit. Instead, PBMs will only be able to collect service fees starting in 2028.

Vance says White House feels like ‘Home Alone’ during Trump’s visit to China

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Vance says White House feels like ‘Home Alone’ during Trump’s visit to China

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Vice President J.D. Vance compared himself to Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin in the “Home Alone” movie series, who is in the country during President Donald Trump’s visit to China.

“When I entered the White House, it was very quiet and empty, and it took me about a second to realize exactly what was going on,” Vance said at a May 13 press conference.

Mr. Vance pointed to Secret Service protocol as the reason he did not accompany Mr. Trump, who appeared briefly in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” on his visit to China. “Sometimes I feel like Macaulay Culkin in ‘Home Alone,'” he said.

President Trump arrived in China on May 13 just before 8pm local time. The highlight of the trip will be a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where they will discuss topics such as the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, Taiwan, and U.S. business interests.

While President Trump is away, Vance is scheduled to speak on May 14 in Bangor, Maine, about anti-fraud efforts, according to WABI-TV, the city’s NBC affiliate. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is seen as a potential rival to Vance as leader of the post-Trump MAGA movement, is also among the travelers on the two-day trip.

“Home Alone” comments amid Medicare membership freeze

This “Home Alone” irony came at the beginning of a May 13 press conference in which the Trump administration announced it would temporarily block new home health and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare as part of Vance’s fraud task force.

The six-month moratorium will temporarily prohibit new providers in these categories from enrolling in Medicare reimbursement, but will not affect providers already enrolled in Medicare, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The agency has in the past suspended registrations from a particular county if staff suspected fraud related to that county. In 2013, it banned the registration of new providers based in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and several counties in Illinois. However, it is unusual for registration to be temporarily suspended nationwide.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz gave reporters Wednesday no concrete evidence explaining why he believes the Trump administration needs to ban new registrations across the U.S. rather than in specific regions.

Vance also announced that the federal government would defer $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to California, claiming that the state “doesn’t take fraud very seriously.”

The Trump administration has made fraud a favorite cudgel to use against political opponents. When President Trump announced the fraud task force in March, he said, without providing evidence, that there were more allegations of fraud in Democratic-led states than in Republican-led states.

Citing the Minnesota child care scandal, the administration froze child care payments to the state in preparation for a surge in large-scale immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Two people were killed by federal agents during the surge.

Contributed by: Reuters.

Late Night with Stephen Colbert – What’s next for CBS and beyond?

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Late Night with Stephen Colbert – What’s next for CBS and beyond?

“The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert will officially end on May 21st. What will happen to the late night talk genre at CBS and beyond?

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We all know that Stephen Colbert and the CBS “Late Show” series are officially parting ways this month. But no one knows what will happen next.

Over the past 10 months, since the embattled Colbert announced he would be canceling his talk show after 30 years in July 2025, the countdown to his departure has loomed over him and the entire late-night genre like a guillotine with a frayed rope. With just a few days left until the May 21 finale (which will air without competition from other shows), only uncertainty looms on the other side of Colbert’s farewell.

CBS has announced that the comedy series “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” will take over Colbert’s weekday 11:35 p.m. slot after “Late Show” ends, but it’s unclear whether that’s a temporary or long-term solution. And as Colbert’s colleagues Jimmy Fallon (NBC’s “The Tonight Show”), Jimmy Kimmel (ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”) and Seth Meyers (NBC’s “Late Night”) resume their normal lives in a world without Colbert’s nightly voice, are they waiting for a knife to fall on their necks?

“It feels like the end of an era,” says Paley Center for Media curator Jason Lynch. “For decades, it seemed far-fetched that late night as we know it would cease to exist. It’s now fair to speculate whether the current group of late-night hosts will be the last to hold such a job.”

Will CBS ever return to traditional late-night talk shows?

Is CBS getting rid of late-night talk hosts, or just ones with Colbert-like tone?

From the moment Colbert announced the show’s cancellation, speculation abounded as to his motives for leaving CBS and parent company Paramount (now Paramount Skydance).

At the time, Paramount called it a “purely financial” decision, but commentators lashed out, pointing out that Colbert had recently criticized his boss and the company was in the midst of a merger with Skydance. Skydance was previously led by David Ellison, the son of prominent Trump supporter Larry Ellison (David Ellison is now CEO of the newly merged Paramount Skydance, which is also in the process of acquiring the storied Hollywood film company Warner Bros.). Did Colbert, a prominent Trump critic, not fit in with the new administration’s political atmosphere? Was Paramount worried about getting the merger approved, or was it purely mercenary as the media industry fights to survive?

“Two things could be true,” Colbert himself recently told the New York Times. “Sometimes the broadcast industry is in trouble. You can’t monetize it because of streaming competition because of things like YouTube. They’ve got the books, and I’m not going to argue with them about what their business model is and why it doesn’t work anymore. But less than two years after the call to end the show, they had been wanting to sign me for so long. So something changed.”

“Comics Unleashed” is a much different show than “Late Show” and ultimately costs less.

Media mogul and producer Byron Allen waged a massive campaign to acquire a self-funded show in this time slot, convincing enough for CBS to greenlight it for the 2026-2027 season. But like any TV show in today’s media environment, there are no guarantees about the future.

Clare Ransom, head of digital marketing and PR and founder of Aloha Digital, said Comics “works well for CBS when the goal is near-term cost control and predictable revenue, but it’s less clear whether it fits with the network’s long-term brand strategy in its flagship broadcast slot, which has historically used late night to build cultural relevance.”

“Current reports suggest that CBS is explicitly using this period as an interim step to develop other ideas,” Ransom added, “which means Mr. Allen’s tenure is not guaranteed.”

What would go into that time slot if “Comics” didn’t last? Well, there’s always the possibility that the network will run reruns of prime-time shows and other extremely cheap outsourced shows just to keep the lights on. But saying goodbye to “Late Show” doesn’t preclude CBS from trying the traditional (or non-traditional) talk show format again someday.

Although ratings are down for the 11:35 p.m. broadcast, there’s no denying that distinctly conservative talk host Greg Gutfeld is drawing viewers to his 10 p.m. Fox News show. But Gutfeld has the big advantage of being aired in an earlier primetime slot, where more viewers are awake and tuning in to all the networks. Shows like NBC’s “Chicago PD” and CBS’ “Boston Blue” typically draw 3 or 4 million viewers at 10 p.m. (Mr. Gutfeld’s viewership hovers around 3 million). Will CBS one day choose a host with a different perspective for 11:35 p.m.?Onlookers can only guess and speculate.

Is this the end of Colbert or the end of late night television as we know it?

For years, late-night TV comedians have suffered viewership declines, lean toward political humor over cultural perspectives, and struggled to adapt to a modern media landscape where streaming services, YouTube, and TikTok compete with traditional TV viewing. In 2025, CBS ended the 12:30 a.m. comedy panel show After Midnight after just over a year after host Taylor Tomlinson decided to leave the show in favor of a stand-up career. NBC’s Seth Meyers’ “Late Night” will eliminate its live studio band in 2024 as a cost-cutting measure. “The Tonight Show” will go from five nights a week to four in 2024, joining other late-night shows. Conan O’Brien, who briefly took over the Tonight Show throne in 2009 and 2010, transitioned from decades of traditional late-night television at NBC and then TBS to podcasting, now a huge media market in its own right. Samantha Bee’s TBS talk show was also canceled in July 2022.

But things aren’t as simple as ratings, TikTok views, dollars and cents. Whether we tune in live every weeknight or not, late-night TV remains one of the biggest places we go to process major cultural moments, from the shooting death of Charlie Kirk (which sparked the Jimmy Kimmel controversy in September 2025) to the release of Taylor Swift’s new album. Perhaps that’s part of why Colbert’s old friend Jon Stewart, who made his name as a prominent late-night voice on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” from 1997 to 2015, actually returns to his old home once a week to speak about politics and current events. A brief stint on a streaming Apple TV investigative show (“The Jon Stewart Problem,” 2021-2023) wasn’t as good as sitting behind the same old “Daily” desk at 11 p.m. Traditional late night is trickling into new media, rather than the other way around: Comedian and actor Ben Grave will launch “Goodnight with Ben Grave” on YouTube on May 28 with a leading veteran late night producer from “The Daily Show.”

But some in Hollywood are less optimistic about the future of late-night talk.

“I’d be surprised if it lasted more than a year or so,” former “Late Show” host and genre legend David Letterman told The New York Times this month. “Well, it might be a particular show. I don’t think it’ll ever go away because it’s just the best. It’s humans talking to humans.”

“If that were to happen, it would be very surprising to me that it was completely gone,” Kimmel said in January, when he accepted the Critics Choice Award for Best Talk Show. “Maybe it won’t be as big, and there won’t be a big band hosting the stage, and there won’t be 15 writers, but I think there will be a version of it that’s like a late-night talk show.”

“Late-night talk shows have been an integral part of television since the beginning of ‘The Tonight Show’ in 1954,” said Lynch, the Paley curator. “The current slate of shows and hosts prove that this format still has a lot of life left in it, and what happens on these shows still has the potential to occasionally make global headlines and dominate pop culture conversations.”

Watch for Trump and Kimmel’s latest feud, the steamy coverage of the last few episodes of Colbert’s reign, or Fallon launching a new show on NBC. There is history here and there is a powerful voice. There’s a moment of cultural fame, solidarity and catharsis in men in suits telling jokes (more women wouldn’t be a bad thing). It’s worth it, even if the genre has to evolve.

You’ll have to follow the laughs to find out what happens next.

President Trump’s tariff refunds begin. What does that mean?

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President Trump’s tariff refunds begin. What does that mean?

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U.S. companies that paid now-defunct Trump administration tariffs could start receiving billions of dollars in refunds this week as federal authorities introduce a new claims system aimed at speeding up the repayment process.

The refunds stem from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) before the Supreme Court ruled in February that the administration exceeded its authority under the 1977 law.

Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses a newly developed system called Consolidated Administration and Entry Processing (CAPE) to manage potentially billions of dollars in customs refunds.

Here’s what it means for businesses to start receiving money and how it benefits consumers.

What is a cape?

CAPE was created to streamline claims for refunds of IEEPA duties that courts have determined are due, customs officials said.

Rather than processing refunds for each shipment, CAPE consolidates eligible duty refunds, including interest, into a single payment to each importer.

The agency launched Phase 1 of the system on April 20. The initial rollout only applies to some shipments that are still in final processing or have been recently processed, with more options planned for future phases.

CBP calculated the final refund and interest as of May 11 at $35.46 billion, covering 8.3 million shipments, according to Reuters. All told, up to $166 billion in tariff collections could ultimately be refunded.

Who can apply for a customs duty refund?

Only the importer listed on the shipment and the intermediary acting on his or her behalf may submit a CAPE refund declaration.

Companies set to receive refunds include major retailers such as Home Depot, Nike, Target and Walmart, MSN reported.

Once a company’s application is approved, CBP will update its records, remove any tariff provisions that have since been canceled, and recalculate the duties before issuing the refund.

CBP said valid refunds are typically issued within 60 to 90 days after the return is received, but may take longer in complex cases.

What impact does this have on consumers?

Economists argue that many companies are passing on at least some of that cost to shoppers through higher prices, but consumers who paid higher prices tied to tariffs are not eligible for direct refunds from the government.

Still, some companies have suggested that consumers may benefit indirectly. Costco previously said it would pass on the savings through lower prices and added membership value once the tariff refunds were collected. FedEx said it plans to refund customers if it acts as a customs broker.

Trade experts say widespread price cuts are unlikely in the short term because many companies have absorbed significant tariff costs over the past year and may instead use government refunds to offset the hit.

Ongoing tariff uncertainty may also limit consumer relief. The Supreme Court struck down the original IEEPA tariffs, but President Trump has since imposed temporary 10% tariffs under another trade authority, and the administration is pursuing additional tariffs that could impose new import taxes later this year.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @athompsonUSAT.

Bill is trying to end “predation” in youth sports. Will it work?

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Bill is trying to end “predation” in youth sports. Will it work?

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WASHINGTON — What’s best for our children? What’s best for our families?

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says these should be central issues in youth sports.

“Instead, private equity owners ask, ‘What will make the most money?'” Murphy said.

Murphy spoke at the Capitol on Wednesday, May 13, with Representative Chris Deluzio (D-Pennsylvania) to introduce the Let Our Kids Play Act, a new federal bill targeting private equity firms active in the youth sports sector.

The bill defines what lawmakers call “predatory practices,” such as requiring families to stay in certain hotels for children’s sports tournaments, and provides impetus for a December congressional hearing to address what they call a “crisis” in the industry.

Lawmakers say these companies profit from families’ fears of not being able to attend their sons’ or daughters’ sports days.

The youth sports industry generates more than $40 billion in revenue annually and is often supported by parents who pay thousands of dollars per child to participate.

“I say it again and again: Youth sports should not be a luxury,” Delzio told USA TODAY Sports. “Where I live, I ask people, no matter the politics, are kids just allowed to play? It doesn’t matter if their parents are rich or poor, are they absolutely allowed to play? So I think we have to do something, because this is not just happening in Western Pennsylvania.”

“We’re seeing this happening all over America.”

Here’s what this bill means for young athletes and their parents.

Youth Sports Survival Guide: Order Coach Steve’s book

What is the “Let Children Play Act” and what does it do?

The bill aims to hold private equity firms accountable for their activities in the youth sports field. It would ban “vulture investors”. According to the law, “predatory activity” refers to “any practice, period, condition, tactic, means, method, or action that harms the acquired entity or creates a risk of long-term harm to the acquired entity in order to extract profits, assets, or other value for the benefit of the target company or its affiliates.”

The literature provides further details on what the practice is.

The bill also requires these investors to fully refund “junk fees collected through predatory practices” to their families, terminate “predatory contracts,” and “clean up any outstanding debt, interest, and late fees charged by private equity firms.”

It also holds companies accountable for debts and safety violations and establishes a Youth Sports Fund for fines and collections paid by private equity firms. According to the bill, the funds would be used to “provide scholarships, reduce costs for families, and keep local fields free and available to the community.”

“The Let Our Kids Play Act is based on a very simple premise: Wall Street and private equity have nothing to do with children’s sports,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who co-sponsored the bill and helped launch the Monopoly Busters Caucus in the House.

What is private equity as it relates to youth sports?

Jay Adia, managing partner at Elysian Park Ventures, a platform that invests in sports and seeks out sports opportunities around the world, says that private equity, as opposed to early stage venture capital, is “much more late-stage investing in much more mature companies, and usually, but not always, we kind of control the position that we own.”

“We’re going to spend our time thinking about where and how capital is being used, for what purposes and what problems it solves,” he said at the Project Play Summit in Boston last week.

Katherine Van Dyke, a senior legal fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, who is filing a lawsuit against Varsity Brands challenging its cheerleading monopoly, sat next to him as part of a panel discussion on private equity and youth sports.

“You hear a lot about these companies building ecosystems, but those ecosystems are really moats and walled gardens, as we like to call them in antitrust circles, designed to keep innovators out and keep families and children inside,” she said. “And then you end up having to stay to play or pay an admission fee to watch your child play. That’s why there’s vertical integration and roll-ups, and by controlling an entire sport or an entire industry, you need customers, in this case families and children, who have no choice but to use all of your products, services, and platforms.”

“That allows them to pile debt on businesses and strip them of their assets. And none of that is aimed at the development of children. It’s about exploitation.”

Is the “Let Your Kids Play” Act aimed at travel sports?

Not necessarily. It targets large companies like Black Bear Sports, which consolidates ice rinks and hockey teams in the Northeast and Midwest and uses that control to steer families into its own leagues, tournaments and high-fee systems.

“There’s a lot of them,” Delzio told USA TODAY Sports. “Varsity Brands, with its history of lawsuits and settlements, has rightly faced scrutiny for what it has done. I’m sure there are many others to list, but we’re here to practice. Here we are at our worst.”

Murphy, a Connecticut state senator, said his 14-year-old self plays in a youth hockey league managed by the Black Bears.

“I admit that I am one of those parents who has fallen victim to the lure of expensive travel sports,” he said. “I accept that I am partly responsible for our destiny. Not everything in the world has to be run for profit.

“What happens when profit is most important? Well, the initial price goes up, and a lot of kids go up in price. High-pressure travel leagues take precedence over low-pressure local leagues, and that’s often not good for kids. And youth sports start to mirror professional sports, where individual performance takes precedence over team performance.”

“We’re not just applying this bill to entities based on their corporate structure; we’re applying this bill based on the practices that companies use.”

Murphy and Delzio specifically point to stay-at-home tournaments that require families to stay in specific (and sometimes expensive) hotels, and organizations that charge a fee to stream games instead of allowing parents to stream the games themselves.

“I remember seeing one of my kids’ parents videotaping the game from a really bad angle from a corner of the arena. I asked why, and the reason was because they were worried that if they found out they were doing that, they would lose points in the standings,” Murphy said.

Delzio suggested that the bill targets not commercial travel organizations, but companies that engage in “practices that really hurt families,” such as “take-it-or-leave-it” multi-season contracts, non-refundable tuition, and mandatory tournaments that in some cases require travel.

“We’re seeing systems that mine kids’ data for profit, and we’re seeing apps and websites for league registration, but as any parent knows, without an app, you don’t even have a schedule,” Delzio said. “And those apps can be anything from data mining to physical metrics to financial data. All of that adds up to locking families up, driving up prices, and squeezing families.”

“Is it worth it?” Red flags to watch out for when watching youth sports programs

What are the long-term effects of this bill? Will it reduce youth sports costs?

The law would allow parents and state attorneys to sue companies that engage in “predatory behavior.” But it has to go through first. The bill has support from Democrats and will ultimately need to be signed by President Donald Trump.

But like the December hearing that said youth sports practices had reached “crisis” levels, the Let Kids Play Act continues to raise awareness of the inequities in the industry, even if it doesn’t pass.

As Van Dyck said at last month’s Project Play Summit, if there’s something you don’t like about the system, it’s up to parents to get involved and push back against the system.

“We’re going to fight to pass this bill, but the public relations here could have an embarrassing impact on an industry that would be helping children and families,” Delzio said.

Borrelli, also known as Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer for USA TODAY since 1999. He coached his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams for 10 years. He and his wife, Colleen, are now the sports parents of two high school students. His Coach Steve column appears weekly. Click here for past columns.

Have a question you’d like Coach Steve to answer in a column? Email him sborelli@usatoday.com

Powerball jackpot reaches $69 million ahead of May 13th drawing

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Powerball jackpot reaches $69 million ahead of May 13th drawing

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The Powerball jackpot has increased to $69 million with a cash value of $31.2 million ahead of the drawing on Wednesday, May 13th, giving players another chance to win multi-million dollar prizes.

According to lottery officials, the Powerball jackpot has been won nearly 200 times since the lottery was launched in 1992. The most recent win came on May 2, when a $20 million jackpot was split between two tickets sold in Texas and Florida, just days after players in Kansas and Indiana won $143 million in prizes.

Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing.

more: Which Powerball number should you choose?

What are the winning Powerball numbers for May 13th?

USA TODAY will publish the winning numbers at 10:59 p.m. ET after the lottery drawing.

Do I have to be a US citizen or resident to play Powerball?

No, you do not need to be a US citizen or resident to play Powerball.

Anyone visiting any of the 45 participating states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, can purchase a Powerball ticket from an authorized retailer, regardless of nationality, as long as they meet the legal age requirement, which is usually 18 years of age at the time of purchase.

Top 10 Powerball Jackpots

  • $2.04 billion in California on November 7, 2022
  • December 24, 2025, $1.817 billion in Arkansas.
  • $1.787 billion in Missouri and Texas on September 6, 2025
  • $1.765 billion in California on October 11, 2023
  • January 13, 2016, $1.586 billion in California, Florida, and Tennessee
  • April 6, 2024, $1.326 billion in Oregon.
  • $1.08 billion in California on July 19, 2023
  • $842.4 million in Michigan on January 1, 2024
  • March 27, 2019, $768.4 million in Wisconsin
  • August 23, 2017, $758.7 million in Massachusetts

more: First state lottery player wins Millionaire for Life jackpot

How to play Powerball

Powerball tickets cost $2 per play and are sold in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets can be purchased at authorized retailers such as convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores. In some states, tickets can also be purchased online depending on local regulations.

To play, select five white ball numbers from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 to 26. All six numbers must match to win the jackpot.

For an additional $1, players can add a power play. This will double, triple, quadruple, 5x or 10x your non-jackpot prize, depending on the draw.

Players can also select Quick Pick, which allows the computer to randomly select numbers.

Powerball drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights. If no ticket matches all six numbers, the jackpot continues to increase.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.

Vance said California’s $1.3 billion in Medicaid funding will be deferred.

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Vance said California’s $1.3 billion in Medicaid funding will be deferred.

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Vice President J.D. Vance announced Wednesday, May 13, that the Trump administration will defer $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements from California as part of a new effort to root out fraud in federal health programs.

The issue of hospice care fraud in California has become a major focus of scrutiny by state leaders, members of President Donald Trump’s administration and critics of Gov. Gavin Newsom. In his announcement, Vance argued that the administration sought to defer these funds “because California does not take fraud very seriously.”

“There are California taxpayers and American taxpayers who are being defrauded because California is not taking that program seriously,” Vance said at a news conference.

Notably, this decision was part of Vance’s anti-fraud task force’s plan to implement a six-month data-based pause on new Medicare enrollments for hospices and home health agencies.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, led by Dr. Mehmet Oz, will use the six-month grace period to conduct investigations and scrutinize data about the Medicare program, with the goal of weeding out hospices and home health agencies suspected of committing fraud.

“Today, we are closing the door on fraud. We will stop new bad actors from entering Medicare, while aggressively identifying, investigating, and removing those who are already abusing it,” Oz said. “This is about protecting patients, restoring integrity and protecting taxpayer money.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the administration’s actions “unlawful” and said the administration would “carefully consider all available information” and may challenge any administration decisions that threaten “California’s rights and access to critical services.”

“Once again, it appears California is being targeted solely for political reasons,” Bonta told X.

“The Trump Administration plans to defer more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding for critical programs that help seniors and people with disabilities stay safely in their homes.”

Bonta and his office are trying to counter criticism that the state is not taking action against hospice fraud.

Bonta announced in April that the California Department of Justice had arrested five people in connection with a large Southern California health system that defrauded taxpayers of nearly $250 million.

“California has been at the forefront of protecting public programs from fraud and abuse for years,” Newsom said in an April 10 press release. “We will hold those who seek to extort taxpayers and take advantage of public programs, especially sensitive programs like hospice care, accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Newsom has not yet publicly responded to his administration’s decision to delay California’s Medicaid reimbursements.

But immediately after Vance’s announcement, Newsom’s press organization slammed X’s decision.

“We hate fraud. But this is different,” Newsom’s news organization wrote in a post on X. “Mr. Vance and Mr. Oz are attacking programs that keep seniors and people with disabilities out of nursing homes. It’s pretty disgusting.”

Noe Padilla is a Northern California reporter for USA Today. To contact him, npadilla@usatodayco.comX Follow him at @1NoePadilla or Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow TODAY Californian on Facebook.

Major Supreme Court rulings approaching President Trump, elections, and civil rights

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Major Supreme Court rulings approaching President Trump, elections, and civil rights

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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will learn in the coming weeks whether the Supreme Court’s rejection of his signature tariffs is a one-off or whether the justices have more bad news in store for him.

Before adjourning for the summer, the court must rule on more than 30 cases, including several that test President Trump’s broader views on presidential power.

Several outstanding decisions could impact this year’s midterm elections.

Two pending decisions could protect the rights of gun owners.

It will also decide whether states can ban transgender athletes from women’s sports teams, whether the makers of the popular herbicide Roundup could be sued for failing to warn about possible cancer risks, and whether the federal government can systematically deny asylum-seekers before they reach the Mexican border.

Here we introduce the biggest cases expected to be decided by early July.

birthright citizenship

After the Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s tariffs in January, the president predicted that the justices would also strike down his efforts to sharply limit who can automatically become a U.S. citizen.

On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal authorities to deny citizenship to infants born in the United States if neither parent is a citizen or lawful permanent resident.

The order is widely seen as a significant legal challenge, and judges have multiple ways to block it.

They could rule that the order violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s citizenship guarantee to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.” The court could also rule more narrowly against President Trump by finding that his executive order violates the 1952 Immigration Act.

Will President Trump’s citizenship order be doomed? Six takeaways from the birthright debate

Federal Reserve System and other independent institutions

The justices also seemed unlikely to allow the president to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board.

But in other cases, a majority of the justices appeared willing to side with Mr. Trump on the question of the president’s control over other independent bodies. Such a historic decision could redefine how more than a dozen government agencies operate and shift power from Congress to the White House.

Other entry restrictions

In yet another dispute over presidential power, President Trump argued that courts had no say in his decision to end deportation protections for Syrians and Haitians. Cutting humanitarian programs for hundreds of thousands of immigrants is a key part of President Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration.

Immigrant rights advocates have challenged the firings, arguing that the administration has reached predetermined conclusions about whether Syria and Haiti are safe places for migrants to return. But the government counters that the law creating the Temporary Status Program bars judicial review of which immigrants can live and work in the United States.

The administration is also seeking options to reinstate immigration control practices to limit the number of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“No actual policy”: Supreme Court debates restrictions on asylum seekers

The practice involves federal agents standing at the border to prevent illegal immigrants from physically setting foot on U.S. soil, at which point they would have the right to seek asylum under U.S. law.

The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that required the government to process claims from people arriving at ports of entry.

Mail-in voting and campaign spending

In one of this term’s biggest cases, the Supreme Court has already shaken up this year’s election.

An ideologically divided court on April 29 sharply limited the scope of the landmark Voting Rights Act, making it harder for racial minorities to challenge electoral maps as discriminatory. The ruling set off a fight among some Republican-controlled states to impose new maps that favor Republicans.

Republicans also asked the court to deny some states a grace period for late-arriving mail-in ballots. The case tests a Mississippi law that says absentee ballots mailed by Election Day can be counted if they are received within five days.

“Various line drawing problems”: The Supreme Court appears poised to restrict mail-in voting, which could lead to a victory for Trump.

Republican lawmakers, including Vice President J.D. Vance, also hope the court will remove federal limits on how much each political party can spend to coordinate with candidates.

The cap, intended to prevent wealthy donors from circumventing restrictions they can place on federal candidates by funneling money through political parties, was passed in 1974 as part of Congress’ response to Watergate and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2001.

trans athlete

Courts have delivered several setbacks for the LGBTQ+ community over the past year, including a March ruling rejecting Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” for young people. The court said the ban violated Christian counselors’ right to free speech.

The justices are also expected to support efforts in more than half of states to prevent transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports teams. However, courts may leave open whether states must impose such bans rather than simply permitting them.

Transgender rights hit SCOTUS: “Kids who want to play sports may not be able to.”

gun rights

Four years after the court expanded gun rights by creating a new “historical tradition” test in firearms regulations, justices continue to wrestle with how to apply that test to various laws.

In a January case, the justices said they would likely strike down a Hawaii law that requires gun owners to obtain permits before taking firearms into stores or private property open to the public.

Guns or weed? Trump administration says you can’t have both

Property owners have always been able to restrict weapons. But Hawaii and several other Democratic-led states have reversed the default, banning people from owning guns unless the owner explicitly authorizes them, instead of allowing people to own guns unless explicitly prohibited.

In another gun rights case, a judge could weaken a federal law aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous or irresponsible people.

During oral arguments in March, the court debated whether a Texas man’s regular use of marijuana was sufficient reason to bring him criminally charged with gun possession. The Gun Control Act of 1968 makes it a felony for an “unlawful user or addict of a controlled substance” to possess a firearm.

Herbicide cancer claims

The ongoing battle over whether the popular herbicide Roundup causes cancer could diminish or intensify depending on whether a judge rules against the manufacturer for failing to warn of cancer risks from its active ingredient glyphosate.

Bayer, which acquired Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, faces a potential liability of billions of dollars. The company has said it may have to stop selling glyphosate to U.S. farmers if the lawsuit continues, a scenario that major agricultural groups say poses a “catastrophic risk to the U.S. food supply.”

President Trump has supported Bayer, and the move has alarmed some supporters of Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.

The justices are deciding whether federal laws regulating the pesticide prevent Roundup users from suing Bayer in state court. A Missouri jury has awarded $1.25 million in damages to one successful litigant who claimed he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after years of exposure to glyphosate.

Democrats want to flip Iowa’s Senate seats. Will they choose Worlds?

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Democrats want to flip Iowa’s Senate seats. Will they choose Worlds?

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  • State Representative Josh Turek and State Senator Zach Walls are facing off for the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, aiming to win the seat for the first time in 18 years.
  • Turek says he was “battle tested” after winning the Iowa House seat in Council Bluffs, even though President Donald Trump was leading in the district.
  • Walls says he has shown he is ready to take on the political establishment in both the Republican and Democratic parties, which makes him well-suited to win.

Iowa Democrats believe they have a chance to retake Iowa’s vacant U.S. Senate seat this year.

But first they need to choose a fighter.

State Representative Josh Turek and State Senator Zach Walls will face off in the state’s Democratic primary on June 2nd. And in a year when party voters are looking for someone who can win a tough election and stand up to President Donald Trump’s administration, each candidate is emphasizing their ability to take on the Republican front-runner, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.

Mr. Turek, of the Bluffs Council, said winning the Iowa House seat in the western Iowa district pushed by Mr. Trump was “a battle-test.” He tells the story of how he endured 21 surgeries by the age of 12 and went on to become a gold medal-winning Paralympic athlete representing Team USA.

Walls, a Coralville resident, says he wants to fight against a corrupt political system that is rigged to favor billionaires and big corporations at the expense of the middle class. He rose to political prominence at the age of 19 when he gave a speech on the floor of the Iowa House of Representatives defending the right of two mothers to marry.

Opinion polls show both candidates have a chance of winning.

A poll conducted by Democratic pollster GBAO from March 10 to March 16, which gave voters positive and negative messages about each candidate, found Walls and Turek trailing Hinson by three and four points, respectively, but Turek led Hinson by one point.

An Echelon Insights poll conducted April 3-9 shows both candidates performing evenly with Hinson, with Turek leading Hinson by 1 point and Walls leading by 2 points in a head-to-head race.

more: Hear from the candidates running for Iowa’s vacant U.S. Senate seat

Early voting is underway, and both candidates are making a final effort to get their messages in front of voters.

Josh Turek says: ‘We need someone with experience’

Turek says his plan was never to run for office.

“My goal in life was to win a gold medal,” he said. “My goal in life was not to be involved in politics.”

Alongside his basketball career, Turek has worked with people with disabilities at a mobility assistance company and a nonprofit that provides adaptive sports equipment to children with disabilities.

“I worked with people with progressive diseases like muscular dystrophy and ALS,” he said. “I decided to run for Congress because I saw a 1,000% increase in denial rates since Iowa privatized its Medicaid system.”

The fact that Iowa has never had a permanently disabled member of the Iowa Legislature was the final incentive he needed to run.

Turek will talk about how he won the Iowa House seat by six votes in 2022 and won reelection in 2024 with a nearly 6 percentage point margin with Trump leading the district.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be here if my story, background and politics couldn’t move beyond the usual tribalism and resonate with independents and moderate Republicans,” he said.

That’s why he says it’s the best choice going into the general election.

“Zach, he’s a good guy,” Turek said. “I don’t say a lot of derogatory things about him. But he’s never even run against a Republican. He represents the Harris Plus 37 district. And I think if we’re going to win Iowa, we’re going to need someone who’s battle-tested and has actually been through this.”

Turek said his time in high-level sports gave him the discipline, dedication and work ethic to focus on his goals and shut out distractions.

“When I was playing in arenas, at least 50 percent of the people didn’t want you to win and were yelling at you,” he said. “What it taught me is to just keep my head down and avoid outside noise.”

When Turek campaigned for his first run to the Iowa House in 2022, he always kept one of his gold medals in his bag and dragged it up the stairs when speaking to voters.

He didn’t always take out his medals, but if there were children at home, he liked to show them.

“I wanted my children to know that I didn’t win the genetic lottery, that I went through a lot of adversity, that I didn’t grow up wealthy, and this is what I was able to accomplish,” Turek said. “So if you really put your head down and put in the work, you can do it too. This was really about showing the kids that you shouldn’t let your circumstances define you.”

Zach Walls says Democrats need someone with ‘the courage to speak truth to power’

In 2004, when Walls was in eighth grade, his first social studies assignment was to watch the Republican National Convention and submit a report the next day.

On the campaign trail, he told voters about hearing “the most powerful people in this country” talk about the war on terrorism, “and the next moment warning our country about the existential threat of same-sex marriage.”

“I remember watching these speeches and realizing they were talking about families like mine,” he said.

But when he went to class the next day, he said, “I was scared. And I didn’t have the courage I needed in that moment.”

Walls says she has never forgotten the embarrassment of being too scared to speak up.

That’s why he said he championed mothers’ right to marry in the Iowa state legislature in 2011. And it propelled him to the Iowa Senate and launched his U.S. Senate campaign.

Walls said his promise to Iowa voters is to have the courage to speak out and fight back, something he couldn’t do as an eighth-grader.

“I think a lot of people are looking for someone who has the courage to speak truth to power,” he said.

He said that’s what sets him apart from Turek.

“Iowans want a warrior who has the courage to challenge a broken system and a status quo that is ruining our state. I think that’s the core contrast of this race for Democratic primary voters,” Walls said. “I’m willing to fight back against an establishment that has failed Iowans time and time again. Rep. Turek is supported by that establishment.”

Walls has indicated he is ready to challenge his party, saying, “I have the scars to show for it.”

In 2023, Walls’ Senate Democrats ousted him from his role as minority leader after a controversy over the firing of two longtime staffers. Walls said at the time that he faced resistance from the party’s older conservative wing as he pushed for changes.

“It’s not an easy task,” Walls said May 6 at a Democratic forum in Des Moines. “I learned a lot in that time. I certainly would have done things differently, but I was able to apply what I learned from that to this campaign and hopefully to the United States Senate.”

Walls said he has built a reputation for putting the interests of his constituents first.

“What I want to say to you is that when it comes to voting, your job is to represent the people to the government,” he said. “Some people think it’s their job to represent the government to the people, but that’s not the job. The job is to do what you think is best for your constituents. I’ve built that reputation in the Iowa Senate.”

Candidates at odds over outside funding and support for Chuck Schumer

Both candidates have garnered significant support for their campaigns.

Walls is touting the support of more than 25 labor unions, 150 community and elected leaders in the state, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Turek said he has the support of more than 80 Iowa leaders, including two former primary opponents and former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.

And Mr. Turek has received more than $6.7 million in advertising support on his behalf from VoteVets, a Democratic-leaning PAC.

This is miniscule compared to the amount raised and spent by the candidates themselves. Mr. Turek and Mr. Walls each raised $1.12 million in the first quarter of this year, and as of March 31, had each spent just over $2 million throughout the campaign.

Walls accused Turek of receiving what he called “dark money,” claiming he had an affair with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“For more than 20 years, VoteVets has effectively worked to elect veterans, national security professionals, and military families. We are proud to support Josh Turek because he knows firsthand the generational costs of war,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton (retired), VoteVets senior advisor.

On stage at the Iowa Press debate, Walls noted that Schumer is the only Democratic candidate to say he would not support him as party leader if elected.

“Unless Congressman Turek wants to join me here tonight to make good on that promise,” he added.

Turek said he agrees with Walls that “we have to break away from being a corporate Democratic Party” and become the party of the middle class and workers.

“I’m not a D.C. insider,” Turek said. “I don’t know these people. There’s only one thing I think about this: They’re not measuring curtains.”

“I’m not going to beat Ashley Hinson with an answer like that,” Walls replied. “It’s a very simple yes-or-no question. Chuck Schumer’s leadership has let the Democratic Party down. Democrats have let this state down and they have let this country down. It’s too much to expect Iowans to be able to answer straight yes-or-no questions about the future of this party and our country.”

At a Des Moines Register editorial board meeting, Turek was asked if he wanted VoteVets to stop airing ads on his behalf.

Although he noted his inability to coordinate with the group, he said, “We are grateful to have support from everywhere.”

Both of his grandfathers served in World War II, and his father was exposed to orange blight while serving in Vietnam, which caused spina bifida, Turek said.

“My father’s exposure to defoliants in Vietnam is what gave me the disability,” he said. “And I think it’s an example of a generational effect where even if the bomb stops, that impact definitely won’t happen.”

Stephen Gruber Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com, by phone at 515-284-8169, or at @sgrubermiller.

How to get a $1 Slurpee at 7-Eleven this summer

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How to get a $1 Slurpee at 7-Eleven this summer

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As the countdown to Slurpee Day begins, 7-Eleven is launching summertime initiatives to keep customers cool, including discounted frozen drinks, loyalty rewards, and even a chance to win a visit from the brand’s iconic Slurpee truck.

In a news release on Monday, May 11, the convenience store chain announced a new “Slurpee Drink Happy Hour” for members of its 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards loyalty programs, offering bulk Slurpee drinks for $1 on weekdays from 3pm to 6pm. The promotion will run through August 25th at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores in advance of Slurpee Day on July 11th.

Customers can join the free 7Rewards program through the 7-Eleven app to access sales and earn points on eligible purchases.

Here’s what you need to know about promotions.

$1 Slurpee and other summer deals

The limited-time promotion is part of the company’s build-up to Slurpee Day, an annual celebration tied to the frozen drinks that have become one of the chain’s most famous products.

In addition to the $1 Slurpee offering, the company is introducing a limited-edition Arizona Icy Tea Blue Raspberry Slurpee flavor this summer. Customers can also purchase Arizona tea and juice drinks for 99 cents, and loyalty members can purchase Big Gulp beverages for 59 cents through June 23.

“Slurpee Day is a beloved tradition for our customers, and the countdown is just as exciting as the big day,” Brandon Brown, 7-Eleven’s senior vice president of fresh food and beverages, said in a statement.

Slurpee truck sweepstakes hits the roads

The company is also running a national sweepstakes centering around the Slurpee truck experience. Starting June 24, Rewards members can enter for a chance to win a visit from a Slurpee truck by purchasing participating products through the 7-Eleven or Speedway apps or by playing the “Slurp, Snack, Win” game.

The sweepstakes runs through August 25th and is open to U.S. residents 16 years of age and older who reside in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.

How the Slurpee became an American staple

The Slurpee’s roots date back to the 1960s. At the time, businessman Omar Knedrik developed a machine to partially freeze soft drinks after noticing that customers at his Kansas Dairy Queen franchise were enjoying semi-frozen sodas.

According to a previous USA TODAY report, 7-Eleven licensed the frozen beverage concept from what would become Ice Inc. in 1965, renamed its version “Slurpee,” and helped turn the colorful drink into a summer staple across the United States.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @athompsonUSAT.

Mike Lawler accuses Rand Paul’s son of drunken, anti-Semitic bar assault

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Mike Lawler accuses Rand Paul’s son of drunken, anti-Semitic bar assault

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s son apologized to reporters after the incident and said he was “seeking help” for a “drinking problem.”

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WASHINGTON – The son of a prominent Republican senator apologized on May 13 after he claimed the Republican senator verbally accused him of anti-Semitic slurs in front of reporters at the Capitol bar.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said William Paul, the son of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, approached him at the Tune Inn Restaurant and Bar on the night of May 12. The Republican said the senator’s son warned him that if another Republican, Kentucky Republican, Thomas Massie, were to lose in the upcoming primary, it would be because of Mr. Lawler’s “people.”

When Lawler asked him for an explanation, William Paul yelled, “Jews!”

The next day, Lawler, who is not Jewish, told reporters on the steps of the Capitol: “He then went on a rant about Israel and Jews for about 10 minutes. And at one point he said he hated Jews and gays and didn’t care if they died.”

It all happened before the eyes of a reporter from the news agency NOTUS, who first reported on the incident.

William Paul, the grandson of former Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, has worked for Representatives Mike Collins of Georgia and Alex Mooney of West Virginia. He previously worked for the conservative advocacy groups FreedomWorks and Americans for Tax Reform.

William Paul apologized for his actions in a subsequent social media post, but did not specifically address what he accused the congressman of saying.

“Last night I drank too much and said something that didn’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry. Today I’m seeking help for my drinking problem,” he wrote to X.

A spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

This isn’t the first time the libertarian-leaning senator’s son has caused problems for his father. In 2015, USA TODAY reported that he was charged with drunk driving after a crash in Lexington. He later pleaded guilty in the case.

Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

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