Pulitzers

awarded

NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for scrutinizing the Trump administration’s sweeping, choppy cuts and changes to federal agencies. The Associated Press won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for an investigation into mass surveillance tools and their impact in China.

Reuters won the award Monday for reporting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s use of executive power. Spanning three years, thousands of pages of documents and numerous interviews, the AP project found that American companies help lay the foundations of the Chinese government’s system for monitoring and policing its citizens. Reuters’ work looked at how Trump has used the federal government to expand presidential authority and to try to punish his foes.

Shooting

injures 23

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma police have made no arrests and are seeking suspects in connection with a mass shooting at a weekend party beside a lake. Authorities say at least 23 people were injured in the shooting Sunday night at Arcadia Lake, just north of Oklahoma City.

Hospitals in the Oklahoma City area said they treated at least 18 people afterward. But it’s unclear how many had been shot. Police said the violence erupted at an unsanctioned party jammed with young people at a public park near the lake.

A witness says the shooting started after an argument broke out at the party.

Cruise ship

awaits help

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A cruise ship with nearly 150 people is waiting for help off Cape Verde’s coast in the Atlantic Ocean after three passengers died and three others were left seriously ill in a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus.

The World Health Organization and the ship’s operator reported the deaths and illnesses. The MV Hondius was on a polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several South Atlantic islands. A 70-year-old Dutch man was the first victim. His wife also died, after leaving the ship. The ship operator says the body of a third passenger who died is onboard.

A British man tested positive and is critically ill in a South African hospital. A health official said the woman who died also tested positive, posthumously. Cape Verde said Monday it wasn’t allowing the ship to dock.

Spears

avoids jail

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Britney Spears has avoided jail time in a California driving under the influence case by pleading guilty to a lesser charge through her lawyer. Spears was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs following her March 4 arrest in Ventura County, where she lives.

She didn’t appear in court Monday, but her lawyer, Michael A. Goldstein, agreed on her behalf to what’s commonly known as a “wet reckless” guilty plea. This allowed her to be sentenced to a day in jail that the judge said she served when being booked, a year of probation, a required DUI class, and fines.

The plea is standard for first-time offenders with low blood-alcohol levels. Spears recently completed a rehab stint.