US gas prices hit $4.23 high as Hormuz fears drive oil surge

Average US gas prices have hit a new high at $4.23 a gallon, their highest since 2022 and a record since the start of the war with Iran, according to the motor club AAA.The price of Brent crude, the benchmark that influences the price of gasoline in the US, now stands at $114.60 a barrel, up nearly 25% from the recent low since mid-April. US gas prices a year ago averaged $3

Jerome Powell says he’ll stay on Fed board after central bank keeps interest rates unchanged in defiance of Trump

The US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, is staying on the central bank’s rate-setting board after his term as chair ends in May, a contentious move that signals continued uncertainty at the Fed.Powell made the announcement after the Fed board left interest rates unchanged for the third time this year on Wednesday, despite Donald Trump’s continued demands for interest rate cuts.Before Wednesday, Powell initially said he will step down from the board when the White House’s investigations into renovations at the Fed are “well and truly over with transparency and finality”. Powell’s term ends on 15 May.While he is “encouraged” by the justice department dropping its investigation, Powell noted that there are “remaining steps in the process” that he is watching carefully

Musk laments being a ‘fool’ for funding OpenAI on day two of court testimony

After a dramatic first day of opening statements and testimony from Elon Musk in his case against Sam Altman and OpenAI, the trial continues on Wednesday with a cross examination of the Tesla CEO. Musk began his second day of testimony by repeating the accusation that Altman “stole a charity” and would endanger humanity with AI multiple times. OpenAI’s defense attorneys will have the chance to press the world’s richest man on his allegations.Peripheral to the legal showdown, the court was packed on Wednesday with a mix of media and eager young men who lined up before dawn to get a glimpse – and a picture – of Musk. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers at one point threatened that if observers did not stop taking photos and videos, a violation of the court’s rules, she would shut down an overflow room for watching the proceedings

Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

Maryland has become the first state in the US to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores.Maryland’s law bans grocers and third-party delivery services from using a person’s personal data to set higher prices. Wes Moore, the governor, signed the measure into law on Tuesday. “At a time when technology can predict what we need, when we need it, when we’ll pay for it and also – when we’ll pay more for it, and at a time when we’re watching how big companies are then using these analytics against us to make record profits, Maryland is not just pushing back. Maryland is pushing forward because we are going to protect our people,” Moore said at the bill signing ceremony

Revamped Maroons undergo radical reset to take 2026 State of Origin fight to Blues | Jack Snape

Queensland’s greatest player has been jettisoned and backup has been called in from across the ditch. The side has a new-look halves pairing, as many as five State of Origin debutants, and a new coach.Against New South Wales – the holders of the Women’s Origin shield after their comprehensive victory in 2025 – the Maroons have undergone a radical reset. Back to the drawing board? Try again. New coach Nathan Cross is on his way to Officeworks, imagining a whole new fit-out

Sticking with same players for Women’s T20 World Cup leaves England in a twist | Raf Nicholson

Insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. England’s head coach, Charlotte Edwards, is perfectly sane, but on Tuesday she announced a squad for the home T20 World Cup that starts on 12 June almost exactly the same as the one that surrendered the Ashes, by a score of 16-0, 15 months ago. The optics are dreadful.For anyone who has followed England closely over the past year, the conservatism of Edwards and her selection panel comes as no surprise. Last summer, the main selection news was that Kate Cross – who did not play in the Ashes due to injury – was discarded