Oil prices and markets seesaw over uncertainty of war as Iran names new leader
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Oil prices surged and stock markets slid after hard-line Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed his late father as Iran’s supreme leader. His appointment on Monday, and new strikes on regional oil infrastructure, signaled that Iran was digging in 10 days into the war launched by the United States and Israel. Oil prices later fell, and the U.S. stock market closed higher, amid hope that the war with Iran may not last that long as world leaders discussed options. Khamenei is a secretive 56-year-old cleric and only the third supreme leader in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Here are the Iran war's biggest unknowns, from Tehran's new leader to oil prices
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Big questions remain about the Iran war as it barrels into week two. How long will the fighting last? What do all sides want to achieve? And how high will oil prices go? Israel and the United States keep pounding Iran. Iran keeps carrying out retaliatory attacks against Israel, U.S. military assets in the Middle East and its Arab neighbors. There’s the risk of other countries joining the fight. The naming of Iran's new supreme leader is the latest variable that could affect where things go from here.
How the Iran war and surging oil prices are affecting consumers at the gas pump and beyond
NEW YORK (AP) — As the price of crude oil surged, consumers were feeling the effects of the Iran war and its damage to worldwide energy production. Gasoline prices are climbing. Many people will find some of the most immediate economic pain at the pump. But you don’t have to drive a car to be affected. Nearly all goods that are bought and sold must travel from where they’re produced. That includes food. Those costs will climb with higher gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices. Heating a home and cooking with natural gas are likely to cost more as the war grinds on. And the spike in oil prices will likely be a big factor for U.S. inflation. As the war continues, some experts say the price of everything could be affected.
Men who brought explosives to NYC protest cited Islamic State as inspiration, complaint says
NEW YORK (AP) — A court complaint says two men who brought explosives to a protest outside New York City’s mayoral mansion said they were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group. Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi are being held without bail. They appeared in court Monday on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. The complaint says Kayumi blurted out as he was being arrested Saturday that “ISIS” was the reason for his conduct. The homemade devices did not explode. They were hurled Saturday during raucous counterprotests against an anti-Islamic demonstration led by far-right activist Jake Lang.
Alexander brothers are convicted of sex trafficking in case that shocked real estate world
NEW YORK (AP) — Three brothers, including two of the nation’s most successful luxury real estate brokers, have been convicted of charges that they conspired to drug and rape multiple women. The verdict in the five-week trial of Oren, Alon and Tal Alexander came on Monday, leaving all three brothers shaking their heads as “guilty” was repeated 19 times. The verdict followed weeks of testimony by 11 women who said they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers at fancy locales, often after receiving a drink that they believed was laced with drugs. The brothers had pleaded not guilty to charges that carried a potential life prison sentence. A defense lawyer promised to appeal.
Justice Department and Live Nation reach settlement over illegal monopoly case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says it's reached a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, California-based Live Nation Entertainment that will benefit consumers by letting competitors play a role in ticket sales and force Live Nation to give up control of 13 amphitheaters. Some states, though, are not joining the deal and say they'll continue a trial in New York federal court. The case alleged there was an illegal monopoly over live events in America. The settlement announcement angered a judge who said he was kept out of the loop. The government has said Live Nation's monopoly costs consumers. Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
AI company Anthropic sues Trump administration seeking to undo 'supply chain risk' designation
Anthropic is suing the Trump administration, asking federal courts to reverse the Pentagon’s decision designating the artificial intelligence company a “supply chain risk” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits Monday, one in California federal court and another in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., each challenging different aspects of the Pentagon’s actions against the company. The Pentagon last week formally designated the San Francisco tech company a supply chain risk after an unusually public dispute over how its AI chatbot Claude could be used in warfare. The lawsuits aim to undo the designation and block its enforcement.
Multiple gunshots fired near Rihanna’s LA home and a woman is taken into custody
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple gunshots were fired at the Los Angeles home of Rihanna and police have taken a woman into custody. That's according to the Los Angeles Police Department and local news reports. Police say there were no injuries following the Sunday shooting. It's not clear if Rihanna was home at the time. Police say they took a 35-year-old woman into custody. The law enforcement officials did not identify the residents of the home. Emails seeking information were sent to Rihanna’s publicist and manager. Local news outlets say Rihanna lives in the home. Property records show it is owned by a trust run by someone linked to her foundation.
Australia grants asylum to 5 members of the Iranian women's soccer team, official says
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says that Australia has granted asylum to five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who were visiting the country for a tournament. The women were transported from their hotel in Gold Coast, Australia “to a safe location” by Australian federal police officers in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time. There, they met with Burke and the processing of their humanitarian visas finalized, the minister told reporters in Brisbane hours later. An official team list numbered 26 players, plus coaching and other staff. Burke didn’t detail what threats the players faced in Iran.
Man who helped recruit players into a sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme pleads guilty
One of the so-called fixers in a sprawling betting scheme to cash in on big bets on rigged NCAA basketball games has pleaded guilty. The federal prosecutors' office in Philadelphia says Jalen Smith appeared Monday in federal court and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery charges. Prosecutors say the Charlotte, North Carolina, man trained local basketball players and used those connections to recruit players in the scheme. Charges against Smith were unsealed in January along with 25 others. Prosecutors say Smith helped fix games in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. They say he placed bets and recruited players with the promise of a big payment in exchange for purposefully underperforming during a game.
