• Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has retained her position following internal White House restructuring amid ongoing political upheaval.
• Wiles' continued tenure signals stability in the administration's senior leadership despite recent personnel shifts.
• The decision reflects Trump's confidence in her management of day-to-day White House operations.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) inadvertently exposed Social Security numbers of thousands of doctors through a data breach.
• The agency failed to adequately secure sensitive personal information in its systems, raising concerns about federal data protection practices.
• The breach has prompted investigations into CMS security protocols and potential regulatory reforms.
• Y Combinator's security startup cohort has expanded to 103 funded companies, reflecting accelerating investment in cybersecurity solutions amid rising threat landscapes.
• The proliferation of YC-backed security startups demonstrates investor conviction that emerging cyber threats create durable market opportunities and venture-scale business potential.
• This growth underscores the strategic importance of security infrastructure across enterprise and consumer markets, with founders addressing gaps in traditional defense mechanisms.
From Virginia to New York, the bugs drain vines, cut yields and leave growers resorting to one simple fix: squash themAround grape harvest time about three years ago, an employee at Zephaniah Farm Vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia, noticed bugs, about 1in long with gray and black wings and a bright red underwing, atop some trees.While the insects were pretty, they were there for the grapevines and not welcome guests at the vineyard, which sits atop a farm that the Zephaniah family has run since 1949. Continue reading...
Actors Richard E Grant, Michael Sheen and Bella Ramsey among celebrities hoping for victory this year as BBC’s hit spin-off series returns to screensConsidering the Traitors is a game of murderous treachery played out in a castle, the Shakespearian actors in the cast of the new celebrity spin-off series should be well set.Oscar-winner Richard E Grant, acclaimed actor Michael Sheen and The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey are among the thespians vying for victory this year, all of who have the Bard on their CV. Continue reading...
Figures for England and Wales prompt calls for more rigorous police investigations of casesOnly 3% of suicides related to domestic abuse in England and Wales in the past five years have resulted in any sort of prosecution, figures show.Between 2020 and 2025, 553 people took their own lives after suspected abuse in an intimate relationship, but only 17 posthumous charges were brought.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
• SkyfireAI raised $11 million in funding to advance AI-driven autonomy in public safety and defense drones, announced this week amid booming AI investments.
• The funding supports development of autonomous drone technologies tailored for critical missions, positioning the startup in high-stakes defense applications.
• This reflects surging investor confidence in AI hardware integrations, following Big Tech earnings boosted by AI spending from Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.
• At CETaS conference on May 1, 2026, director Alexander Babuta highlighted Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview's advances in math, cybersecurity, software engineering, and vulnerability detection.
• The frontier model promises improved automated tools for security professionals.
• Experts express optimism on AI's defensive potential against powered hacking threats.
Sloths were set to be displayed at controversial new theme park but report revealed mammals died in warehouseProsecutors in Florida said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park.A Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025. Continue reading...
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill on Thursday, clearing the way to end a two‑month agency shutdown that had idled parts of federal immigration, border, and cybersecurity operations.
• President Donald Trump signed the measure shortly after, restoring full funding for the Department of Homeland Security and averting potential disruptions to airport security, deportation operations, and border enforcement through the fiscal year.
• The shutdown clash pitted Trump allies against centrist Republicans and Democrats over border enforcement levels, but the final bill preserved core Trump‑era border initiatives while softening some hard‑line spending demands.
• Oracle released a new customer security advisory on April 30, 2026, preempting threats to AI models.
• The advisory highlights a cybersecurity harbinger, urging updated security postures for AI deployments.
• It signals proactive measures against novel vulnerabilities targeting generative AI systems.
Home secretary pledges to ‘do everything in my power’ to keep British Jews safe as police say suspect is Somalia-born UK nationalShabana Mahmood has promised to “do everything in my power” to keep British Jews safe, as police said the suspect in the stabbing of two men in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday was a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia.Ministers said a further £25m would be invested to increase security for Jewish communities after the suspected terrorist attack in north London. Continue reading...
New court document made public in case of singer charged with murder and sexual abuse of Celeste Rivas HernandezProsecutors described in a new court document how D4vd, who has been charged with the murder and sexual abuse of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, allegedly fatally stabbed her to prevent the teen from speaking out about the abuse.The singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, killed Celeste to protect his music career, prosecutors said in a brief. He met Celeste when she was 11 and began a “sexual relationship” with her when she was 13 and he was 18, according to the document. Continue reading...
• The Pentagon launched GenAI.mil in December 2025 as part of Project Maven, providing secure generative AI access to approximately 3 million Department of Defense staff members.
• The platform embeds multiple leading AI models including Anthropic's Claude, Google's Gemini, xAI's Grok, and OpenAI's ChatGPT, enabling widespread AI adoption across military operations.
• The initiative reflects the U.S. military's strategic priority to integrate advanced AI capabilities into defense operations and demonstrates significant government investment in dual-use AI technology.
Attorneys, citing new evidence including selfies, filed a motion to detain Cole Tomas Allen until his trial Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxFederal prosecutors provided in a filing Wednesday the most detailed account to date of Cole Tomas Allen’s alleged weeks-long plan to kill Donald Trump and several members of his cabinet who had joined more than 2,500 members of the Washington press corps for their annual White House correspondents’ dinner.The motion, aimed at keeping Allen detained and filed by the US attorney for DC, Jeanine Pirro, includes two selfies of the alleged shooter standing in front of a mirror in his hotel room in a black suit, a slight smirk crossing his face. He is kitted out with two firearms and multiple knives tucked into his belt. Prosecutors allege they are the same weapons that were confiscated from Allen after the attack. Continue reading...
Article 42.7 had languished in obscurity for decades – until Donald Trump began casting doubt on US commitment to Nato• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereMost people have heard of Nato’s article 5. The “one for all, all for one” clause states an armed attack on one member country should be considered an attack on all, requiring member states to come to the victim’s aid – including with “the use of armed force”.Not so many, till this week, had heard of the EU’s own mutual defence clause, article 42.7 (pdf), which says that if a member state comes under armed attack, the others “shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power”. That’s perhaps because there hadn’t, until recently, been much need for Europeans to consult article 42.7. More than 40 US military bases and 85,000 troops across the EU (and UK) were testament to Washington’s defence commitment to the old continent. Continue reading...
Cocaine use also reaches record highs, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission figures showGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMethamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled in the past decade and stimulants are being taken at record highs, new wastewater monitoring reveals.On Wednesday evening the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) released its latest annual report after testing wastewater samples from 64 treatment plants across the country between August 2024 and 2025. Continue reading...
• Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for a second time on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, over an Instagram post interpreted by the DOJ as a threat against President Donald Trump.
• The Justice Department expanded its probe following renewed scrutiny of the post described as a coded message referencing the president.
• Comey maintains his innocence, stating the charges stem from misinterpretation of his social media activity amid ongoing political tensions.
• Skye AI, a home screen app for iPhone powered by artificial intelligence, raised $3.58 million in pre-seed funding while still in private testing phase.
• The funding supports development of the app, which aims to enhance iPhone user experience through AI-driven features accessible directly from the home screen.
• This investment highlights growing investor interest in mobile AI applications amid competition in the smartphone ecosystem.
• Framingham, MA-based Tortugas Neuroscience raised $106 million in combined seed and Series A funding for small molecule therapies targeting neurological disorders.
• Cure Ventures led the seed round, with The Column Group and AN Venture Partners co-leading Series A on April 21.
• The investment accelerates development of treatments using validated biological targets, addressing unmet needs in US biotech.
An 89-year-old man was apprehended in Patras after allegedly injuring at least four people in two separate shootings in Athens. Authorities believe pension grievances and psychological issues fueled the attacks, which targeted a social security office and a court building. The suspect, found with a weapon, is under investigation.
An 89-year-old man armed with a shotgun wounded an employee at a social security office in Athens before opening fire at a courthouse, injuring several more people. Police are actively searching for the suspect, with the motive behind the attacks currently unknown.
Motorists are forced to queue up to six hours for fuel or pay more on the black market, while farmers lack fuel to operate machinery and harvest crops.
The Politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, was cited as saying by state news agency Xinhua that the economy got off to a better-than-expected start this year.
The regional bloc agreed to safeguard regional energy security through strengthened cooperation, timely policy responses and engagement with dialogue partners.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took questions from reporters as Cole Allen, the suspect accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, prepared for his first court appearance on Monday.
• Allen is accused of opening fire at the annual dinner while politicians, journalists, and celebrities were in attendance, with Leavitt and other Trump Cabinet members present in the room.
• The incident represents a serious security breach at a high-profile event attended by senior government officials and media figures.
• SkyfireAI Inc., a US-based autonomous drone startup, raised $11 million in new funding to advance dual-use technology.
• The investment targets AI autonomy for public safety, defense, and commercial drone applications.
• This funding accelerates development amid rising demand for intelligent unmanned systems in critical sectors.
• GetReal Security appointed cybersecurity veteran Varun Kohli as Chief Marketing Officer to address surging enterprise needs.
• The hire responds to rising deepfake and AI-powered identity attacks in the cybersecurity landscape.
• Kohli's expertise will drive expansion of real-time protection solutions for businesses facing AI threats.
Massachusetts woman jailed for six months after court heard she admitted to freeing bees on sheriff’s deputiesA beekeeper has been jailed for six months after she set swarms of her insects on sheriff’s deputies attempting to carry out an eviction at a friend’s house.Rebecca Woods insisted she only released her truckload of hives to allow the bees to enjoy the “lovely, flowering landscape” near the home of an elderly friend and cancer patient. Continue reading...
Fiona Hill tells MPs UK is ‘vulnerable’ because it does not educate people on how to deal with information warfareBritain is becoming a soft target for Russian and other state propaganda because the UK is not prepared to educate people on how to deal with information warfare, according to a former White House adviser and security expert.Fiona Hill told a parliamentary committee that she feared the UK had become “extraordinarily vulnerable” to online manipulation feeding into the electoral system because there was a lack of discussion about civil defence. Continue reading...