Good morning! Today’s edition is 657 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Medicaid fraud

• Mount Everest record

• Highest-paying American jobs

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*Editor’s note: I’ll have limited internet access until May 26, so The Neutral will shift to a shortened 5-day format, with weekday editions resembling Saturday’s edition. Regular 6-day publishing will resume when I’m back. — Adam

Today’s Big Story

Colbert's Late Show Says Goodbye

• Stephen Colbert hosted the final episode of The Late Show on Wednesday night, ending a decade-long run with Paul McCartney as his last guest. A running bit about the pope canceling over wrong dressing room snacks drew laughs before McCartney ultimately closed the show performing the Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye" at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

• Colbert's monologue was repeatedly interrupted by star cameos, including Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, and Ryan Reynolds. Fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon also appeared, offering Colbert advice on how to go out.

• CBS canceled the show in July after Colbert publicly criticized parent company Paramount's $16 million settlement of a Trump lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview. CBS called it a purely financial decision, citing losses estimated at $40 million a year. The show won the best talk show Emmy two months after the cancellation was announced.

Today’s Quick Hits

• Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in NASCAR history across all three national series with 234 victories, died Thursday at age 41 after a brief illness. Busch won championships in 2015 and 2019 and 63 Cup Series races, including the 2018 Coca-Cola 600. He had been hospitalized earlier Thursday and was not expected to compete this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (More)

• The Justice Department charged 15 people in Minnesota on Thursday with defrauding Medicaid and other state programs of more than $90 million, including what prosecutors called the largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by the DOJ. Two defendants allegedly stole $46.6 million from a program providing autism services to children by paying kickbacks to parents and billing for services never provided. (More)

• The Democratic National Committee released a long-delayed 192-page post-election autopsy Thursday, concluding that Kamala Harris "wrote off rural America" and failed to hit Trump with enough negative advertising in 2024. The report's release, which DNC chair Ken Martin had withheld for months, drew immediate criticism from Democrats who said the rollout was mishandled and the document itself was incomplete. Martin said he did not endorse what was in the report. (More)

• A Paris-to-Detroit Air France flight was diverted to Montreal on Wednesday after a passenger from Congo boarded despite US entry restrictions put in place over the Ebola outbreak. There was no medical emergency on board. The US also announced that all flights carrying passengers who recently traveled to Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan must now land at Dulles Airport in Virginia for enhanced screening. (More)

• House Republican leaders pulled a planned vote Thursday on a Democratic war powers resolution that would have forced President Trump to end the Iran war, after it became clear they lacked the votes to defeat it. A similar resolution nearly passed last week on a tie vote. In the Senate, Republicans are also scrambling to block a separate war powers measure that advanced earlier this week with support from four GOP senators. (More)

• A record 274 climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest from the Nepalese side in a single day on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record set in 2019. The rush came after a late start to the climbing season caused by dangerous ice conditions on the main route. Veteran guide Kami Rita Sherpa also set a record this week, reaching the summit for the 32nd time. (More)

Extra Credit

Service dog celebrates graduation with a “dogploma.”

Ranking the 30 highest-paying jobs in America.

How do erasers actually work?

Why are European forests getting covered in human hair.