“Sean Donovan has rented his childhood home in San Francisco on Airbnb for years. Tech workers in town for conferences, and families coming for graduations are common customers, but last month he had a new guest: a robot that he said left a mess. Donovan alleges that a San Francisco startup booked his home on Airbnb last month ‘under false pretenses’ to conduct tests on the ‘robotic prototype,’ and left the place in shambles, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court. He’s seeking more than $12,000 for a laundry list of damages from the Bot Company, (identified in court records as ‘Botco’) for personal property damage and unauthorized entry into a locked closet. Donovan told SFGATE that he and his partner had never put more hours into fixing the house after an Airbnb rental.” (05/27/26)
“Anti-mafia investigators in Italy have seized cash, companies and other assets worth more than €200m (£175m) in an operation they say targeted the network of notorious late Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro. The funds, described as ‘huge amounts of capital’ by the financial police in Palermo, are said to be proceeds from over four decades of drugs trafficking linked to the presumed former head of the Cosa Nostra group. Announcing their results in Sicily on Thursday, investigators released a video showing masked police officers, some in riot gear, barging down doors and scaling walls to raid a series of vast luxury villas surrounded by palm tree-lined lawns. Messina Denaro spent three decades on the run until his arrest in 2023 as he left a clinic where he was being treated for cancer. He died in custody soon after.” (05/28/26)
“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)
