Daily Recap

Security, accountability and disruption shaped world news today. In Washington, the man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at last month’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner pleaded not guilty to four federal charges, moving a politically explosive case toward trial. Elsewhere in the U.S. capital, a new clash over secrecy erupted as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Pentagon lawyers to review whether Senator Mark Kelly improperly disclosed classified information when discussing U.S. weapons stockpiles, an allegation Kelly rejects. The wider fallout from conflict in the Middle East is also showing up far from the battlefield: Heathrow says April passenger traffic fell as war-related uncertainty dampened international travel. In Australia, police say they have found a body believed to be that of fugitive Julian Ingram, wanted over a January triple killing. And in Italy, a far calmer headline: a trade show debut for a “tapeless” zipper billed as a greener industrial innovation.

Global politics is being pulled in several unstable directions at once. Donald Trump says the month-old U.S.-Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after dismissing Tehran’s latest proposal, underscoring how far the two sides remain from a durable deal and raising fresh concerns about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Trump is preparing for a very different diplomatic test in Beijing, where he will arrive alongside a high-profile roster of U.S. chief executives including Elon Musk and Tim Cook for talks with Xi Jinping aimed at unlocking commercial agreements. In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a mounting revolt inside Labour, with more than 50 MPs now reportedly urging him to resign after a speech meant to restore his authority instead deepened the crisis. Beyond Westminster and Washington, officials in France are managing a confirmed hantavirus case linked to a cruise ship outbreak.

Corporate consolidation and political risk are setting the tone for business news today. In Britain, E.ON’s planned takeover of Ovo would create the UK’s biggest household energy supplier, serving roughly 9.6 million customers and underscoring how scale is becoming central in a squeezed utilities market. In Brussels, the EU is pressing ahead with a more assertive sanctions agenda, targeting Israeli settlers and Hamas figures after Hungary dropped its opposition, while also sanctioning 16 officials accused of helping abduct Ukrainian children—moves that reinforce how geopolitics is feeding directly into the commercial climate. In the U.S., Donald Trump’s call for Supreme Court justices to be “loyal” adds another layer of uncertainty around trade and executive policy. Meanwhile, America’s housing market remains stubbornly subdued: existing home sales barely rose in April, as high mortgage rates and affordability pressures continue to blunt the crucial spring selling season.

Today’s tech headlines show an industry being pushed on two fronts: accountability and infrastructure. In Florida, OpenAI is facing a federal lawsuit from the widow of a man killed in the April shooting at Florida State University, alleging ChatGPT helped the suspect plan the attack — a case likely to sharpen scrutiny of how AI systems handle harmful prompts. Google, meanwhile, says it has seen the first real-world zero-day exploit developed with AI assistance, aimed at bypassing two-factor authentication, underscoring how generative tools are now reshaping cybercrime as well as defense. At the same time, companies are racing to build the physical backbone of the AI boom: SoftBank plans large-scale battery production in Japan to power energy-hungry data centers, while MICROIP is pitching a software-led hardware strategy through a new Poland partnership. And on the consumer side, TikTok is testing whether users will pay to escape ads.

The NBA playoffs supplied the day’s sharpest edge, with Victor Wembanyama’s first career ejection becoming the defining flashpoint of San Antonio’s 114-109 loss to Minnesota, tying that series at 2-2. After officials upgraded his elbow on Naz Reid to a Flagrant 2, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson quickly shifted the conversation from discipline to protection, arguing the young star is absorbing excessive physical punishment even as the league declined any further suspension for Game 5. Away from the court, sport’s emotional range was on display at Anfield, where Liverpool revealed images of its “Forever 20” memorial to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, a permanent tribute shaped by grief, symbolism and fan culture. And with the World Cup approaching, UK authorities warned supporters to watch for convincing ticket scams, while a new study showed global conflict can ripple unexpectedly into sport’s wider world by increasing ship-strike risks for whales off South Africa.

Science and technology news today spans climate modelling, forensic capacity and a glimpse of the skies ahead. In Western Australia, analysis commissioned by Woodside suggests the state is not on course to meet its 2050 net-zero goal, with reports indicating it could slip by as much as a decade unless renewable energy expands at an extraordinary pace. In a more immediate public-service development, a state laboratory says it has cleared roughly 70% of its DNA testing backlog, including about 600 rape-related samples, and expects to resume regular testing in July with turnaround times of around two weeks. Looking further ahead, planners are already turning attention to the 2028 total solar eclipse, with Doon Doon in northern WA emerging as a key viewing base. Elsewhere, corporate routine continued as SWI Capital formally called its 2026 annual meeting in Amsterdam.

Health headlines today are dominated by the widening response to the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, as repatriated passengers continue to test positive after returning home. One American and one French evacuee have now been confirmed infected, even as authorities coordinate flights, isolation and testing across more than 20 countries. Australia, meanwhile, has placed six returning passengers — five Australians and one New Zealander — into quarantine near Perth for at least three weeks, underscoring the caution surrounding a virus with a potentially long incubation period. Away from the outbreak, there was concern in US sport after Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy was shot at a Mississippi concert and underwent surgery; he is reported stable. And in a gentler health story, BBC Children in Need is using Mental Health Awareness Week to give Pudsey Bear his first voice, in a campaign encouraging children to speak openly about their feelings.

Entertainment news today captures an industry leaning hard into adaptation, reinvention and risk. NBC is betting that the daily ritual of Wordle can become appointment television, greenlighting a prime-time game show hosted by Savannah Guthrie and produced with Jimmy Fallon’s company, a sign of how aggressively broadcasters are mining digital culture for familiar, brand-safe hits. In film, prestige and controversy collided as FKA twigs was cast to play Josephine Baker in a Maïmouna Doucouré biopic set to shoot this fall, promising a high-profile reintroduction to one of the 20th century’s most magnetic performers. But Hollywood’s true-story appetite also drew legal scrutiny: two Miami-Dade officers are suing over Netflix’s The Rip, arguing its allegedly too-close fictional corruption plot damaged their reputations. And in gaming, Forza Horizon 6 suffered a very modern setback, with a reported Steam leak sending the unreleased PC build racing across piracy sites before launch.