Donald Trump is set to **press Xi Jinping on China’s support for Iran at an upcoming summit, as nations brace for long-term economic woes with Trump calling the Iran truce plan ‘garbage’ and oil prices rising due to stalled peace talks and warnings from Saudi Aramco about critically low fuel stocks if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, impacting US fuel tax considerations** and global trade.
**Hims & Hers Health swung to a first-quarter loss due to a weight-loss pivot driving up costs, while BMO Financial Group is selling significant businesses and Sony completed a nearly $4 billion deal to buy Blackstone’s music rights portfolio, amidst mixed earnings reports from companies like iHeartMedia, Webtoon Entertainment, Vodacom, and Hannover Re, and major M&A bids** including GameStop eyeing eBay and Dream Finders Homes bidding for Beazer Homes.
Victoria's Secret is accusing a major investor of spying for sales data, while the U.S. Postal Service faces insolvency issues, and an FCC Commissioner has criticized the agency's campaign to censor Disney; concurrently, hantavirus cases emerged on a cruise ship, prompting calls for vaccine research, and RFK Jr. is driving inquiries into vaccines despite public silence, while companies like Deloitte and Zoom cut paid family leave and American agriculture is deemed broken.
Facing a UK leadership crisis, Prime Minister Starmer is making a last-ditch bid to save his premiership amidst calls from cabinet ministers to resign and intense pressure following dire election results, while the UK government will take full ownership of British Steel and the PM vows to put Britain at the 'heart of Europe', as political uncertainty grips the nation.
BYD and its peers are making strides in new sectors like AI and robotics, as Byron Allen acquires a controlling stake in BuzzFeed with its co-founder Jonah Peretti becoming president of A.I.; meanwhile, Microsoft's Nadella criticized the attempt to remove Altman from OpenAI, and companies are racing to put satellites in low-Earth orbit, while concerns about AI layoffs and the impact of AI mania on corporate valuations persist.
**Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff is facing a major corruption probe in Ukraine, while South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa vows to fight impeachment attempts**; the EU is weighing carbon costs for outbound flights, and an ECB official criticized German opposition to a bank merger, alongside **Australia’s far-right party winning a key seat and France’s crowded presidential race**.
Sony has made a **nearly $4 billion deal to acquire Blackstone’s Recognition Music Catalog, securing rights to major artists**; Fox is picking up two more NFL games, and NBC plans to adapt Wordle into a TV game show, while Dua Lipa is suing Samsung over image use and the Hearn boxing and darts empire is now valued at over £1bn.
Small online shops are embracing creative return policies to attract customers, while major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Dollar General are investing billions in store renovations; culturally, London offers top exhibitions, and is emerging as an English winemaking hotspot, amidst shifts in fashion trends towards idealizing skinniness.
Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy is generating **adviser fees totaling $80 million and climbing, with repo men collecting the airline's jets as the company's collapse deeply impacts local communities like Latrobe, PA**.