“An Israeli air raid in northern Gaza has killed at least 10 people, including four children, health officials said, as Israel continues with its near-daily attacks despite a nominal ‘ceasefire’ being in place. More than 20 others were injured in the attack on a residential building in Gaza City late on Wednesday, officials said. … The air raid came hours after dozens of Palestinians attended the funeral of Mohammad Odeh, the head of Hamas’s armed wing, who was killed in an Israeli attack on Tuesday, as Israel continues its campaign to eliminate what remains of the group’s senior leadership. Odeh’s wife and son were also killed in the attack in Gaza City.” (05/28/26)
“A billionaire and insurance mogul with Bay Area ties was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after he orchestrated an elaborate scheme that defrauded multiple insurance companies out of $2 billion that he used to buy mansions and private jets, the U.S. Department of Justice said. San Mateo native Greg Lindberg, 56, was sentenced on Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on charges related to a multibillion-dollar fraud conspiracy that bankrupted several insurance companies and policyholders, the DOJ announced in a news release. Lindberg, now a Florida resident, was the founder and chairman of North Carolina-based international private equity and financial services firm Eli Global LLC, and Global Bankers Insurance Group, which managed international life insurance and reinsurance companies. Bloomberg Businessweek reported in December 2024 that Lindberg’s net worth had been more than $1 billion.” (05/28/26)
“The top prosecutors of New Jersey and New York announced Wednesday they’ve launched an investigation into FIFA’s ticket selling practices in the latest escalation of tensions between soccer’s international governing body and the governments of the region that will host the World Cup. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and New York State Attorney General Letitia James in a rare joint press release said they plan to probe ‘a range of issues that have arisen with FIFA’s ticketing process,’ including dynamic pricing that’s driven the cost of the most in-demand tickets to five figures. The attorneys general said they issued subpoenas to FIFA for details about their ticketing practices.” (05/27/26)
“The United States has carried out new strikes on an Iranian military site allegedly posing a threat to US forces and maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to news reports. Iranian media have reported that US forces struck near the Bandar Abbas port, causing no damage or casualties. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later said it launched an attack on an ‘American airbase’ in retaliation for the Bandar Abbas strike, and warned of ‘more decisive’ action should US ‘aggression’ continue, according to state media. Kuwait’s military said its air defences confronted ‘hostile’ missiles and drones, without providing information on where the attack came from.” (05/28/26)
“Bitcoin broke below $73,000 for the first time in months as fresh U.S. strikes on Iran sent risk assets lower and triggered one of the largest liquidation events of the year. Bitcoin traded at $72,978 in Asian hours Thursday, down 3.4% over 24 hours and 6.3% over the past seven days, per CoinDesk data, after touching a low of $72,912. … Risk assets fell across the board. The MSCI All Country World Index retreated 0.4% from a record high, a gauge of Asian shares dropped 1.7%, and futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 pointed lower. Oil climbed as the strikes clouded the outlook for a deal to reopen the strait.” (05/28/26)
“The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple reports. CNN was the first to report Wednesday night that the DOJ’s probe focuses on whether Carroll committed perjury while speaking at a deposition as part of her two civil lawsuits against Trump. … Prosecutors are reportedly focused on Carroll telling then-Trump attorney Alina Habba in a 2022 deposition that she received no outside funding for the lawsuit. Two weeks before the trial, though, Carroll’s attorneys informed the judge and Trump’s legal team that billionaire Reid Hoffman’s nonprofit covered some of her legal fees and expenses. … Two juries awarded Carroll a total of $88.3 million in damages, finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.” (05/27/26)
“The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for large parts of southern Lebanon, declaring the areas ‘combat zones’ ahead of fresh strikes against Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents to move north of the Zahrani River, about 40km (25 miles) from the border. The IDF said it would act ‘with extreme force,’ accusing Hezbollah of repeated ceasefire violations. It is the largest evacuation order since the ceasefire took effect on 17 April, covering about 14% of Lebanese territory. Earlier on Wednesday, Israel carried strikes on the southern city of Tyre. Hezbollah, which itself accused Israel of violating the ceasefire, said its fighters had clashed with Israeli troops.” (05/27/26)
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress asking for more American-made air defense ammunition to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers have backed a draft bill to have bank employees join the fight against Ukraine’s long-range drones that strike deep inside Russia — with trained bank staff shooting down the unmanned aircraft. The steps came after a recent escalation in aerial attacks by both sides in the more than four-year war that followed Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor. Neither side has been able to make much progress on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line.” (05/27/26)
“A Chinese dissident has washed up on the shores of South Korea after attempting to flee China in a rubber boat. Dong Guangping, 68, is in custody in South Korea, having been detained by the coastguard on Monday evening. He is thought to have travelled more than 30 hours by sea to reach the shores of China’s democratic neighbour. Dong has tried to escape from China on several previous occasions, according to media reports and interviews with two of his friends. … The coastguard released a statement on Wednesday confirming that a Chinese man in his 60s had been arrested and was being questioned on suspicion of immigration law violations, according to Reuters. The man was on a 3.3-metre boat with a 10-horsepower motor when he was spotted about 38 nautical miles off the coast. … Dong was previously jailed between 2001 and 2004 for ‘inciting subversion of state power.'” (05/27/26)
“A new study suggests GLP-1 medications may slow the spread of certain obesity-related cancers. … Researchers analyzed health data from more than 12,000 people who had one of seven types of cancer at stage 1, 2 or 3. They compared patients who started taking GLP-1 drugs after their diagnosis with similar patients taking another class of diabetes drugs called gliptins. ‘Our study found that use of GLP-1 drugs, compared to DPP-4 inhibitors and other antidiabetic drugs, was associated with a meaningful reduction in cancer progression across four solid tumor types,’ said co-author Dr. Mark David Orland of the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. The strongest results were seen in lung, breast, colon and liver cancer, where patients taking GLP-1 medications were found to be 38% to 50% less likely to progress to stage 4 or metastatic cancer.” (05/27/26)
