“Cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas and prescription pills are being offered for sale in mini-marts on UK High Streets, a BBC investigation can reveal. They were readily offered to our undercover researchers who secretly filmed in shops across four neighbouring West Midlands towns. One street we visited was described as ‘lawless’ by an anonymous law enforcement source. Just a few miles away, in a town where we found illegal drugs being sold in shops, legitimate businesses told us they had been intimidated by gangs – and witnessed knife and gun violence. Across the country, shopfronts are being exploited by organised criminal gangs that have gained a foothold pushing illegal drugs, say both the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).” (04/23/26)
“Senate Republicans green-lit their party-line plan early Thursday morning to send tens of billions of dollars to immigration enforcement agencies in the coming years. Senators voted 50-48 to adopt a budget blueprint for legislation that could fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and other agencies for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term. The vote was almost entirely on party lines, with GOP Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only lawmakers to break ranks. The vote just after 3:30 a.m. completed the first step in the GOP’s plan to approve roughly $70 billion in additional funding without help from Democrats, who have refused to fund the immigration agencies without a slate of new restrictions on how they operate.” (04/23/26)
“After the Dragon Bravo wildfire incinerated the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park last summer, destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, the visitor center and more than 100 other buildings, a looming question remained: Could the disaster have been prevented? At the center of that query was the initial fire management strategy employed by national park officials. And, confusingly, what park leaders communicated about that strategy conflicted with the park’s own social media posts. Leaders said the park used a ‘full suppression’ strategy from the beginning. But social media posts reported an initial ‘confine and contain strategy,’ which allows a fire to continue burning a defined area. In a Senate subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum weighed in on the discrepancy for the first time, affirming the information shared on the park’s social media accounts and undermining the credibility of Grand Canyon’s superintendent and park spokesperson.” (04/23/26)
“Pope Leo returns to Rome on Thursday after wrapping up an ambitious four-nation Africa tour in which he forcefully decried the direction of global leadership, denouncing despotism and war, and drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump. The first U.S. pope closed the nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) tour with a final Mass in a stadium in Equatorial Guinea, where tens of thousands began gathering in pouring rain before dawn for a last chance to see him. Leo told worshippers in a homily, his 25th speech over the 10-day tour, that the Christian message means ‘every people is set free from the slavery of evil.’ He urged them to live their faith with joy. The pope has taken on a new forceful speaking style during his time in Africa, in which he also visited Algeria, Cameroon and Angola.” (04/23/26)
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two vessels in the strait of Hormuz for what it called maritime violations and escorted them to Iranian shores, according to the shipping companies and Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Wednesday’s move was the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began in late February. … Iranian officials said they had not agreed to any extension of the truce, and criticised Trump’s decision to maintain the US naval blockade. Lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a full ceasefire only made sense if the blockade was lifted. … The Pentagon said the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office ‘effective immediately,’ without providing an explanation for his sudden exit amid the naval blockade.” (04/23/26)
“The price of bitcoin continued its April surge, rebounding to prices not seen since early February. … Bitcoin Wednesday afternoon traded around $78,600, surging 3.9% over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin peaked at $79,468 intraday Wednesday, marking its highest price since Feb. 2. Although bitcoin has trended higher in April, it still remains well below its October peak of $126,200. … Meanwhile, Strategy on Monday announced it acquired 34,164 bitcoin for roughly $2.54 billion, representing a price of about $74,395 per bitcoin. … With the acquisition, Strategy became the largest publicly-traded holder of bitcoin, surpassing BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), which holds 806,699 bitcoin.” (04/22/26)
“European Union officials on Wednesday took a key step toward approving a loan of roughly $105 billion for Ukraine, after Hungary dropped its long-standing opposition. The loan is moving forward after its main opponent, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, lost his campaign for reelection this month. The money will provide a crucial lifeline to Kyiv, helping to finance its government and fight Russia’s ongoing invasion. The package is expected to get formal approval Thursday, according to officials from Cyprus, which holds the E.U.’s rotating presidency.” (04/22/26)
“A high-ranking counterterrorism official is insisting she ‘did nothing wrong’ after her ex-boyfriend reportedly triggered a watchdog probe over accusations she used him as a ‘sugar daddy’ and demanded he spend thousands to fund her lavish lifestyle. The Daily Mail reported that in December, a divorced business executive identified only as Robert B. matched with 29-year-old Deputy Assistant Homeland Security Secretary for Counterterrorism Julia Varvaro on Hinge, beginning a months-long dalliance that ended with him filing an official complaint with DHS. ‘This is just a mad ex-boyfriend putting crap together. And it’s just really weird,’ Varvaro insisted to the outlet. … Robert B., who appears to be decades older than Varvaro, told the outlet that he shelled out up to $40,000 on her — funding trips to destinations like Italy, San Diego, South Carolina, and Aruba during their three-month romantic entanglement.” (04/22/26)
“U.S. health officials stopped the publication of a study on whether the COVID-19 vaccine was keeping adults from becoming sick enough to have to go to the hospital. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman on Wednesday confirmed the decision to halt publication, citing a dispute about the study’s methodology. The research paper was to appear in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s flagship publication. … the new study concluded that the vaccine cut ER visits and hospitalizations among otherwise healthy adults by about half this past winter, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the cancellation. HHS officials did not say exactly why that methodology was a problem in this instance but argued that prior infection, behavior and differences in who seeks care can affect results.” (04/22/26)
“The Trump administration is in advanced talks about a potential rescue of low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which is struggling to exit bankruptcy, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The discussions underscore one of the unintended consequences of the Iran war launched by Washington: a surge in jet fuel prices that is rippling through the aviation industry, squeezing margins and pushing weaker airlines closer to the brink. Fuel costs have roughly doubled since the conflict began, forcing carriers to raise fares, cut flights and scramble to preserve cash. For Spirit, which was already struggling to turn a profit before the fuel shock, the spike has intensified doubts about whether it can survive on its own. The U.S. government is weighing a financing package that could include lending the airline up to $500 million in exchange for warrants, the Wall Street Journal reported.” (04/22/26)
