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EU under
scrutiny
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump says the United States will open a formal investigation into the European Union’s trade practices. He claims the bloc has unfairly levied billions of dollars of fines against Google, Apple and other U.S. tech giants.
Trump made the announcement Friday. A day earlier, the EU hit Google with a fine of $1 billion after it said the technology behemoth broke digital antitrust regulations by setting up Google Play and its ubiquitous search engine to corral consumers toward its own services and apps to the detriment of competitors.
Google says the fine hurts European businesses and consumers.
Paramount
delays deal
NEW YORK (AP) -- Skydance-owned Paramount has agreed to delay closing its $81 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery well into next year. The move comes as a judge continues to consider a challenge from 12 states seeking to block the deal altogether.
In a court filing, Paramount said it wouldn’t close the merger until a court ruling on the merits of the lawsuit or June 1, 2027. Just days ago, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order requested by the states to freeze the transaction for several weeks.
The states allege the merger would “extinguish competition” in Hollywood and lead to fewer choices for consumers.
Measles
on the rise
(AP) -- The U.S. has surpassed 2025’s record for measles cases, with five months left in 2026. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it has logged more than 2,300 cases of measles as of Thursday.
Major outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona have contributed to the rise. Experts say the actual spread might be greater due to underreporting and declining vaccination rates. For example, experts relying on mathematical modeling and genetic analyses believe a large outbreak on the Utah-Arizona border could be around three to four times bigger than the official count.
Democrats select South Carolina to kick off presidential nominating contest in 2028, leave Iowa out
Georgia teen
pleads guilty
WINDER, Ga. (AP) -- A teenager has pleaded guilty to all 55 counts in a deadly shooting nearly two years ago at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
Sixteen-year-old Colt Gray entered the plea Friday without having reached a deal with prosecutors. He had previously pleaded not guilty to charges in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting that killed two students and two teachers, and left several others wounded, at the high school about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Because he pleaded guilty to murder, Gray faces a minimum sentence of life in prison. The judge must decide whether he should be eligible for parole.