The American Express Times
Saturday, May 2, 2026
President Trump Declares Iran Conflict Over, Legal and Military Implications Discussed
President Donald Trump informed Congress that hostilities with Iran have ceased following a ceasefire agreed on April 7, 2026, effectively pausing the 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline. Despite ending active combat, U.S. forces remain deployed to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports, raising legal and political debates over the administration’s authority to continue military…
★ Featured Stories
Pentagon signs AI deals with Nvidia, Microsoft and Amazon
The Pentagon has entered new agreements with tech giants like Nvidia, Microsoft, AWS, and others to deploy their AI tools and infrastructure on classified military…
Sea traffic around South Africa hits record
Tanker traffic around the Cape of Good Hope reached a record high in April as shipping companies increasingly avoid the Suez Canal due to ongoing…
UK trade with US suffers a hangover following Trump tariffs
UK goods exports to the United States have remained lower since the introduction of American import tariffs in April 2025, leading to a trade deficit…
America’s Trump makeover
The U.S. government plans to release limited-edition passports featuring President Donald Trump's image to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary, reflecting his expanding presence on official…
★ All Stories
Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means Faces Confirmation Setback
Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, withdrew her nomination after more than a year of delays and opposition over her vaccine stance…
Trump Orders Withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. Troops from Germany Amid NATO Tensions
President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, reversing a prior plan to deploy additional forces and signaling increasing tensions…
Hezbollah Won’t Disarm—For Now
Hezbollah’s military wing has declared it will not disarm and is actively rebuilding its forces after losses in its 2024 conflict with Israel. This stance…
U.S. Factory Activity Expanded in April Amid Iran War Concerns
US factory activity expanded in April with a PMI of 52.7, despite increased price pressures driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions related to the Iran conflict.…
Colleges Use Early Admissions to Boost Enrollment Yield
Colleges are increasingly relying on expanded early-admission options and strategic wait-list management to boost their enrollment yield amid a surge in applications. This trend, including…
Court Halts Access to Abortion Pills by Mail
A U.S. appeals court has temporarily blocked the FDA’s rule allowing doctors to mail mifepristone, siding with Louisiana’s challenge that the mailing provision violates state…
Tehran Eases Terms for Talks as Trump Remains Unsatisfied
Iran has submitted a new proposal to the United States offering to link discussions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program to…
Fed Officials Debate Timing for Interest Rate Increases
Federal Reserve officials are increasingly debating whether future interest rate changes should include potential hikes, signaling a shift from the previous focus on cuts. This…
Pentagon Makes Deals With AI Companies to Boost Classified Capabilities
The U.S. Department of Defense has secured contracts with eight major AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and SpaceX, to deploy their AI technologies within…
New Air Force One Keeps Security and Speed Priority
The U.S. Air Force is set to introduce a Boeing 747-8, donated by Qatar, as an interim Air Force One to replace the aging current…
South America EU Trade Pact Takes Effect
The Mercosur-EU trade agreement took provisional effect, creating a $22 trillion market with 720 million consumers and aiming to boost exports by over 10% by…
China’s ‘Teapot’ Refiners Offer Financial Lifeline to Iran
China's network of over 100 privately operated "teapot" refiners continues to process the majority of Iranian crude exports despite intensified U.S. sanctions targeting these entities…
Ukraine Strike Hits Black Sea Terminal
Ukrainian forces attacked an oil terminal in the Russian Black Sea city of Tuapse, causing explosions and a fire with no reported casualties. This strike,…
Zambia Assisted Pollution Cover Up
A U.S. House Select Committee report reveals that the Zambian government cooperated with Chinese-owned Sino-Metals to cover up a toxic tailings dam collapse that severely…
ECB, BOE Diverge On Rate Outlooks
The European Central Bank and the Bank of England both paused interest rate changes but signaled differing future paths, with the ECB leaning toward a…
The Weekend Interview with Reihan Salam
Reihan Salam, president of the Manhattan Institute, criticizes New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist policies, arguing they undermine economic growth and public safety. Salam…
Democrats Have a Jim Crow Fantasy
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais that race cannot be the primary factor in drawing electoral districts, reaffirming the move away from…
Where Are All the Americans in American College Tennis?
American players now make up a small minority of competitors in top college tennis tournaments, with only three of 24 singles players at recent SEC…
U.K. to Crack Down on Protests After Latest Attack
The UK government has heightened security measures and imposed stricter controls on protests following a surge in antisemitic attacks, including an attempted murder in London’s…
Berkshire Hathaway Website Reflects Warren Buffett’s Style
Berkshire Hathaway continues to maintain its original, minimalist corporate website design from 1996, reflecting Warren Buffett’s preference for straightforward communication focused on substance over style.…
Trump’s Resolve on Iran at 60 Days
President Donald Trump reaffirmed the U.S. blockade on Iran and warned of resuming military strikes if Iran does not concede on nuclear issues and reopen…
How Not to Respond to Political Violence
Political violence in the U.S. has surged with multiple attempts on high-profile figures, including former President Trump, leading to unprecedented security measures such as government…
He Won the Kentucky Derby—10 Months After It Ended
Trainer Brad Cox returns to the Kentucky Derby with two promising horses, Commandment and Further Ado, aiming for his first uncontroversial win after the 2021…
A Lawsuit Raises Questions About Popular Tax-Saving Charity Funds
A federal lawsuit in Colorado challenges the rights of a donor-adviser to control over $21 million held in a donor-advised fund managed by a Christian…
Americans Caught in Dragnet
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has expanded its surveillance program to use advanced technologies like facial recognition and data aggregation from public and private…
Marylanders of Modest Means Bear the Cost of Public Disorder
Residents of the Marylander Condominiums in Prince George’s County are facing eviction and unsafe conditions after multiple buildings were declared uninhabitable due to infrastructure failures…
Iran as a Non-Proliferation Monitor
The United Nations appointed Iran as one of the 34 vice presidents to oversee the upcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review, despite objections from the U.S.,…
Trump Can Escape His Bay of Pigs
The Trump administration has intensified a naval blockade and economic pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions and limit its oil exports, rejecting Iran’s…
BlackBerry Stopped Making Phones—and It’s Still Running Your Life
BlackBerry has transformed from a smartphone maker into a leading provider of embedded software, with its QNX operating system now powering safety and driver-assistance features…
The Influencer Working the Kentucky Derby
Social media influencer Griffin Johnson is playing a key role at the Kentucky Derby by promoting horse racing to younger audiences through content creation and…
Estée Lauder Plans More Job Cuts and Boosts Profit Outlook
Estée Lauder Companies announced it will increase job cuts to between 9,000 and 10,000 positions as part of its ongoing restructuring while raising its full-year…
Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub to Retire Amid Industry Uncertainty
Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub is retiring next month after leading the company through a transformative decade highlighted by the $38 billion Anadarko acquisition and…
Is Pickleball the Perfect Sport For People With Parkinson’s?
A Parkinson’s patient in Beaufort, South Carolina, has found that playing pickleball improves his motor skills, balance, and social connections. Medical experts affirm that the…
How These New Funds Squeeze 14% Yields Out of Stocks
Autocallable ETFs, which provide high income payouts linked to structured notes and underlying stock or index performance, have attracted over $1.5 billion in assets amid…
Sarah Friar's Strategic Role at OpenAI Amid IPO Race
Sarah Friar, former CEO of Nextdoor, has been appointed CFO of OpenAI as the company prepares for a potential IPO amid internal restructuring and increased…
Apple Raises Mac Mini Starting Price Amid Supply Constraints
Apple has raised the starting price of its Mac Mini from $599 to $799 while doubling its storage capacity to 512GB due to ongoing supply…
Elon Musk’s 2025 Tesla Compensation Package Valued at $158 Billion
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a 2025 compensation package valued at about $158.4 billion, contingent on the company reaching ambitious milestones such as expanding market…