Monday is the last day to register to vote in California’s statewide primary election to be held June 2. Califor…
In “Veer,” her 20th poetry collection, Bay Area native Cole Swensen reimagines everyday life through unexpected and often playful shifts in perspective. She invites readers to reconsider the boundaries between humans and nature in poems that suggest that people, animals, plants and inanimate…
Not too sharp — A man was arrested on Middlefield Road in Redwood City for running from restaurant to restaurant with a knife in hand, it was reported 6:17 p.m. Thursday, May 14.
Monday is the last day to register to vote in California’s statewide primary election to be held June 2. California residents can check to see if they are registered at the Secretary of State’s My Voter Status at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov
A cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection. The MV Hondius reached Rotterdam on Monday morning, carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel. All passengers had disembarked already. The crew will enter immediate quarantine. During the outbreak, three passengers died, including a Dutch couple believed to have been exposed in South America. The outbreak has reached at least 11 cases, with nine confirmed. The ship will be decontaminated based on Dutch public health guidelines before being allowed to sail again.
Italy's foreign minister says divers found bodies of 4 Italians in a Maldives sea cave.
The Congolese health minister has announced the opening of three treatment centers in eastern Congo as the Ebola outbreak continues. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday. Over 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths have been reported. Cases have also appeared in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, and in the city of Goma. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola variant with no approved treatments. Congo accounts for most cases, but two have been reported in Uganda. Health authorities are assessing the need for increased measures but caution against overreactions.
Officials in Austin, Texas, say three young people are in custody in at least 10 random shootings that left four people hurt in the city over the weekend. Authorities ordered residents of a large part of southern Austin to shelter in place on Sunday while the investigation continued. They lifted the order Sunday afternoon. Police Chief Lisa Davis says the shootings occurred Saturday and Sunday morning, including two outside fire stations. Davis says the suspects apparently were stealing vehicles. Two were described as boys ages 15 and 17. Police say the third was a juvenile, but did not provide an age or any other details.
Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant as US and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war
World shares are mostly lower and oil prices have jumped after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that the “clock is ticking” as talks over a permanent end to the war stall. Markets in Japan and South Korea pulled back from their records. Yields on Japanese government bonds shot higher. Investors have remained concerned about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global energy flows. A drone strike over the weekend on a United Arab Emirates’ nuclear power plant raised worries over further escalations in the region. Elevated oil prices are also driving a global bond rout, and U.S. futures are lower after stocks on Wall Street fell Friday.
Today is Monday, May 18, the 138th day of 2026. There are 227 days left in the year.
Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak arrives in the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection.
Israeli troops begin intercepting vessels from a flotilla trying to breach the Gaza blockade.
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake has struck south China's Guangxi region, killing two people and toppling buildings. State media reports the quake hit early Monday, injuring four others and forcing over 7,000 residents to evacuate from Liuzhou city. Authorities say the search for missing residents wrapped up around midday Monday. A 91-year-old man was found alive in good condition. State broadcaster CCTV shows images of excavators clearing debris. At least 13 buildings collapsed, and landslides blocked roads. Train services around Liuzhou were canceled or delayed.
Remote Ushuaia in Argentina, known as the southernmost city on earth, has found itself at the center of a global media storm involving the deadly hantavirus outbreak. Local tourism operators and officials are scrambling to stem the reputational fallout that they fear could cause foreign tourists reconsider their Antarctic cruise plans for next season, with devastating economic consequences. Some tour agencies saying they've already seen cancellations even though authorities in Ushuaia and the wider province of Tierra del Fuego insist that it’s extremely unlikely the Dutch couple caught the rat-borne virus on the island for various environmental and epidemiological reasons. Three weeks after news of the virus-stricken ship surfaced, the source of the contagion remains unclear.
A debate over congressional redistricting is shifting to South Carolina. The state House there is to take up debate Monday on legislation that would redraw U.S. House districts to try to help Republicans win an additional seat in the November elections. Similar debates already have unfolded in Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana. The Southern redistricting efforts come after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts. That has opened the door for Republicans to redraw districts with large Black populations that have elected Democrats. The effort is being encouraged by President Donald Trump.
The strike shutting down North America’s largest commuter rail system will continue into a third day. Lengthy negotiations failed to reach a deal in time to save Monday morning's commute on the Long Island Rail Road in New York. The talks that began Sunday afternoon went past 1 a.m. Monday before negotiators called it a night, agreeing to resume discussions six hours later. The failure to reach a deal means the strike will mar the start of the work week for about a quarter million commuters. The talks involved five unions representing about half the railroad's workforce and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the railroad. The strike started Saturday. The two sides have negotiated for years over a new contract.
Cody Johnson won entertainer of the year, but it was Ella Langley's night from the start. The first honor of the Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday was for the coveted song of the year, given to Langley for the crossover hit “Choosin’ Texas,” presented to her by Michael Bublé.
Officials say all four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed during an air show at a military base in Idaho. Emergency crews responded after the EA18-G Growlers crashed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho on Sunday. Officials say the four crew members are in stable condition and the remainder of the show was canceled. Nobody on the ground was hurt. Videos posted online by spectators show four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummet to the ground near the base about 50 miles south of Boise.
The collapse of Spirit Airlines isn't the only curveball confronting people planning summer trips. Rising jet fuel costs tied to the Iran war have pushed up airfares and associated fees across the industry. Two of the remaining U.S. budget carriers just finalized a merger. The developments illustrate how difficult it's gotten for low-cost airlines to operate while squeezed by jet fuel prices, changing consumer preferences and competition. For decades, budget carriers thrived by targeting price-conscious passengers. But big airlines like American, Delta and United have gotten better at tailoring prices to different travelers and matching low fares. Major carriers also can more easily generate revenue to offset higher fuel costs.
Officials in Austin, Texas, say two teenagers are in custody and a potential third suspect is being sought in at least 10 random shootings that left four people hurt in the city over the weekend. Authorities ordered residents of a large part of southern Austin to shelter in place on Sunday while the investigation continued. They lifted the order Sunday afternoon. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson says the shootings appeared to be random. Police Chief Lisa Davis says the shootings occurred Saturday and Sunday morning, including two outside fire stations. Davis says the suspects apparently were stealing vehicles as they moved about.
Parents with newborns in intensive care units have long faced a difficult but overlooked plight: Any parental leave they might have does not take into account the days or even months their newborns spend in intensive care. Many choose to return to work immediately rather than use up leave they will need when their baby comes home. Colorado and Illinois became the first states this year to adopt dedicated neonatal leave programs, galvanizing a grassroots movement for more state programs and a federal policy.
The White House says China has agreed to increase its imports of U.S. agricultural products like beef and poultry, after President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing last week. It says China will buy at an annualized rate of $17 billion per year for 2026 and at that level for 2027 and 2028, on top of previous commitments to buy U.S. soybeans. China sharply curtailed its imports last year after Trump launched a trade war against the country, and U.S. farmers felt the brunt of the impact. The agreement includes restoring market access for U.S. beef and resuming poultry imports from certain states. There was no immediate confirmation of the terms from Beijing, but China on Saturday had signaled an agreement to reduce some trade barriers.
Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant as US and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president on Sunday stressed that arms purchases from the United States are “the most important deterrent” of regional conflict and instability, after President Donald Trump called into question continued U.S. support of Taiwan following his visit to China.
Thousands of people have streamed onto the National Mall in Washington for a daylong prayer rally. The event Sunday is billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.” President Donald Trump read a passage of Scripture in a video shown at the rally, the same footage used in a Bible-reading event last month. Most speakers celebrated Christianity’s ties to American history. It's a blending of ideas that critics flagged in advance of the prayer gathering as supporting Christian nationalism. The event was organized by a public-private partnership backed by the White House. Congressional Democrats see it as a Trump-controlled end run around a commission charted by Congress a decade ago to prepare 250th anniversary events.
The World Health Organization has declared an Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. More than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths have been reported. The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus which has no approved treatments or vaccines. A laboratory-confirmed case also has been reported in Congo’s capital Kinshasa. WHO's emergency declaration aims to prompt international action. But the response to past declarations has been mixed. Conflict and migration in the region complicate containment efforts. The outbreak started in April but slow detection delayed the response.
Suspects being sought in at least 10 random shootings, including at fire stations, across Austin, Texas, mayor says.
Hundreds of cheering fans waving Bulgarian flags have welcomed Eurovision Song Contest winner Dara upon her return home. The 27-year-old singer was visibly tired but smiling when she arrived on Sunday at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport holding up the Eurovision trophy. Bulgaria’s major television stations made changes to their regular programs to air live coverage from the airport. Dara said that “this award marks the beginning of my future international career.” She won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday in Vienna with her infectious party anthem “Bangaranga.” It gave the southeast European country its first-ever victory in the competition.
A drone strike has targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant. No one has been blamed and no major damage is reported. But Sunday's incident highlights the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signal they would be ready to fight again. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and shortly afterward said on social media that Iran “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.” Tensions continue over Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace have repeatedly faltered.
Four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets crash during air show in Idaho, organizer says.
NEW YORK (AP) — As his daughter Olivia was born, Marlon White felt his wife's hand slacken as she fainted. The baby, born at 29 weeks weighing about 2 pounds, wasn't making a sound as she was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit. Terrified, he waited in the hall while the doctors stabi…
It was a hurdle too high for Bill Cassidy to clear. The Republican senator from Louisiana had tried to satisfy Donald Trump and his supporters, but they couldn't forgive him after he voted to convict at the president's impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. That was more than five years ago and the ill will lingered. Trump backed one of Cassidy's challengers in Saturday's Senate primary, and the incumbent finished third. He didn't even make the June runoff. Cassidy is the latest name on an increasingly long list of Republicans who crossed Trump and were punished by voters.
Authorities say a driver crashed into multiple cars and pedestrians in Oakland, California, late Saturday night, killing three people. The crash happened shortly after 11 p.m. Oakland police said three other pedestrians and the driver were taken to hospitals. Police said the driver is under 18 and was arrested. Police said it appears that the vehicle was moving fast and traveling north on 85th Ave. and struck a parked vehicle and several pedestrians as the driver turned left onto International Blvd. The crash remains under investigation.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Growing up, Mikala Sposito dreamed of being a trailblazer.
Recent outbreaks of hantavirus and norovirus on cruise ships are making headlines, but they’re unlikely to dim the growing popularity of vacation cruises, according to industry representatives and travel experts.
The Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael,” is reclaiming the top spot in the North American box office. Studio estimates on Sunday show the film earned $26.1 million in its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing its worldwide total to over $700 million. “The Devil Wears Prada 2" took second place with $18 million, reaching $546.2 million worldwide. Newcomer “Obsession” exceeded expectations with $16.1 million. “Mortal Kombat II” secured fourth place by bringing in $13.4 million. Amazon MGM Studios had three films in the top 10, including “The Sheep Detectives,” “Project Hail Mary” and newcomer “Is God Is,” which rounded out the top 10.
WAIALUA, Hawaii (AP) — The reddish-brown mud that smothered Bok Kongphan's Hawaii farm has hardened in the tropical sun. Irrigation tubes lie in a tangle where his lemongrass, cucumber and okra once flourished.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Sen. Bill Cassidy was decisively defeated in Saturday’s Republican primary in Louisiana, unable to convince voters that he deserved another term five years after voting to convict President Donald Trump during an impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Russian officials say overnight Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least four people including three near Moscow. A dozen others were wounded. Authorities said Sunday that debris fell on Russia’s largest airport without causing damage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the drone strikes. He said that they were “entirely justified.” Russia has repeatedly launched similar attacks on Ukraine’s capital and other cities during the war. An expert said that the strikes appeared to be retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities said that Russian drone strikes on Ukraine overnight wounded eight people.
The Trump administration has run the names of at least 67 million voters through government databases as it looks for noncitizens and people who've died. The effort is fueling a push for more aggressive purges of state voter rolls before the November elections. But thousands of hits using a federal program known as SAVE include mistakes. In Texas, Anthony Nel's registration lapsed last fall while he obtained a new passport to document his citizenship as an immigrant from South Africa. At least 25 states, most controlled by Republicans, have used SAVE to check their voter rolls. Critics say outdated and incomplete data will lead to eligible voters being wrongly disenfranchised.
Researchers in Dublin have uncovered the oldest surviving English poem in a Roman library. The poem, "Caedmon’s Hymn," was composed in Old English by a Northumbrian worker in the seventh century. It appears within the Latin text "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" by the monk known as the Venerable Bede. The discovery highlights the diffusion of the English language centuries earlier than previously believed. The manuscript had a complex history, traveling across Europe and the Atlantic before being found in Rome's public library. The library's digitization efforts may lead to more discoveries.
Indigenous leaders say that federal contractors are desecrating sacred Native American places and cultural sites at an unprecedented pace in the rush to build more walls on the U.S.-Mexico border. Construction accelerated after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security waived cultural and environmental laws. The action allows more barriers along the border even as illegal crossings have plummeted. The Trump administration says the border walls are needed for national security and are meant to keep people, including drug smugglers, from entering the U.S. illegally. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” devoted over $46 billion to the effort.
The year was 1965 and Black Americans had come to Montgomery, Alabama, to demonstrate peacefully voting rights. Many were beaten by state troopers, but marchers returned two weeks later to complete their mission under federal protection. Keith Odom was a toddler then. Now he's 62 and a grandfather of three. On Saturday, Odom came from Aiken, South Carolina, to Atlanta, and joined several dozen other activists on buses to Montgomery. A few hours later they were on Dexter Avenue, where the original march concluded. Saturday’s “All Roads Lead to the South” rally was the first mass organizing response after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that severely diminished the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The shutdown of North America’s largest commuter rail system has continued into a second day with no end in sight after unionized workers went on strike. The Long Island Rail Road in New York was not operating Sunday, a day after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job early Saturday morning. The two sides have been negotiating for months on a new contract. The MTA has said it would provide limited shuttle buses to New York City subway stations in the event of a strike. Gov. Kathy Hochul planned a news conference for late Sunday morning.
A drone strike caused a fire outside a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE authorities say.
Maryna Homeniuk fled Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago. She managed to complete her degree in the Czech Republic before returning home the following year and meeting her beloved, Yurii Orlov. Homeniuk and Orlov, who captained the Kyiv Floorball Club after a hockey career, were among the 24 people killed Thursday during Russian airstrikes that Ukrainian officials described as the biggest barrage of the war. Family and friends paid their final respects to Homeniuk on Saturday. They recalled how the 24-year-old English teacher loved to travel and learn languages. They had hoped to honor Orlov, too, but his body wasn’t ready for burial yet.
Massive Ukrainian drone strike against Russia leaves at least 4 people dead.
Félicien Kabuga, accused of bankrolling the Rwandan genocide, died in a hospital in The Hague while in custody, a U.N. court said. Kabuga, whose exact birthday is not known but was over 90, had dementia and had been stranded in legal limbo since 2023 when judges ruled that he was not fit to stand trial. He was one of the last fugitives charged in connection with the 1994 genocide, accused of encouraging and bankrolling the mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority. After years of evading international efforts to track him down, Kabuga was arrested near Paris in May 2020.
Wes Streeting's ambition to head the British government was one of the worst-kept secrets in U.K. politics. The former health secretary made it official on Saturday, announcing his intention to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a move that's likely to lead to an intense leadership contest within the Labour Party. Starmer has become unpopular due to missteps and disastrous losses for his party in the May 7 local elections, leading to calls for his resignation. Streeting, who became the first to quit Starmer's Cabinet, is an effective communicator who rose from humble beginnings to a key political figure tasked with saving an ailing state-run health system.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A North Korean women’s soccer team arrived in South Korea on Sunday to compete in a regional tournament, the first visit by North Korean athletes in eight years amid political tensions between the two nations.
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