Good Morning! Today’s edition is 937 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Texas voting map redraw

• Robot baggage handlers

• Beekeeper’s revenge

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Big Stories

UAE Exits OPEC, Oil Surges

• The United Arab Emirates said it is leaving OPEC, the cartel that coordinates oil output among major energy producers. The UAE, OPEC's third-largest producer behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq and a member since 1971, is expected to boost output following its exit. However, the Strait of Hormuz closure limits how quickly that supply can reach global markets.

• Oil surged past $100 per barrel the same day as peace talks with Iran showed no meaningful progress. US crude reached nearly $102, crossing $100 for the first time since mid-April. Meanwhile, Brent, the international benchmark, rose to $113. The nationwide gas average hit $4.18, its highest level of the year. The war has cut off 14.5 million barrels per day of Persian Gulf crude.

• Airlines worldwide are cutting capacity as jet fuel costs surge. JPMorgan warned that gasoline prices, which have risen less than diesel and jet fuel so far, are likely to climb as summer demand builds.

Supreme Court Clears Texas Map

• The Supreme Court cleared Texas to use its redrawn congressional map. The ruling adds no new reasoning, pointing to the court's 6-3 decision in December that found challengers had not met their burden in proving the map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

• The League of United Latin American Citizens had argued that the map diluted Latino voting power. A federal judge agreed in November, finding "substantial evidence" of racial gerrymandering, before Texas successfully appealed. The remap was initially projected to add five Republican seats to the party's current 25 of 38 in Texas.

• Trump has warned Republicans that losing the House in November could lead to his impeachment, driving a national redistricting push. Texas is one of four Republican-led states that have redrawn maps mid-decade, with two Democratic-led states doing the same. Texas is the first to clear final legal review. The rest remain under challenge.

No Homework

• A rural Louisiana school district eliminated all homework for its 2,500 students this semester. The announcement went viral, and parents from neighboring districts asked how to get their own schools on board. Superintendent Jonathan Garrett said math teachers have been permitted to slow instruction and build practice time into the school day instead.

• The move reflects a national trend that AI has accelerated. Federal data shows the share of fourth graders with no math homework rose from about 5% in the late 1990s to over 25% by 2024. Meanwhile, 40% of teachers say homework has declined in the past two years, with nearly a third citing AI as students turn to chatbots to complete assignments.

• The homework debate has raged for over a century — California's 1901 homework ban barred it for children under 15. Research remains mixed, but a Johns Hopkins University researcher says the key question isn’t how much homework, but whether it’s purposeful. In math, shorter targeted assignments often outperform long drill sheets.

Quick Stories

US News

• The Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly threatening President Trump by posting an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell "86 47." (More)

• The FBI and federal agents executed at least 22 search warrants across Minnesota yesterday as part of a welfare fraud investigation. (More)

• A federal appeals court ruled journalists must have escorts inside the Pentagon while a legal challenge to the Defense Department's press access policy plays out. (More)

World

• A commuter train rear-ended a stopped passenger train near Jakarta, Indonesia, killing at least 15 people and injuring 84. (More)

• Japan Airlines is deploying humanoid robots at Tokyo's Haneda airport starting in May to haul luggage on the tarmac, addressing a worsening worker shortage as tourist arrivals hit record highs. (More)

• Mexico arrested a top Jalisco cartel commander wanted by the US for a $5M reward, triggering roadblocks by cartel gunmen in two states. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Tuesday (S&P -0.49%, Nasdaq -0.90%, Dow -0.05%) after a report pointed to financial weakness in OpenAI. (More)

• South Korea's stock market surpassed the UK to become the world's eighth-largest, hitting $4 trillion after a 45% rally in AI-driven tech shares this year. (More)

• GM raised its profit forecast by $500 million after the Supreme Court ruled Trump's tariffs illegal, entitling the automaker to a refund on duties it already paid. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The NBA plans to expand its draft lottery to 16 teams and penalize its three worst finishers under a new anti-tanking proposal owners will vote on May 28. (More)

• The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson after going 9-19, replacing him with Don Mattingly, whose son Preston is the team's general manager. (More)

• Ted Lasso returns August 5 on Apple TV+, with Jason Sudeikis coaching AFC Richmond's new women's team in the just-released Season 4 trailer. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Researchers found that inaudible low-frequency sounds from old pipes and boilers raise stress hormones and irritability, potentially explaining why some people sense a ghostly presence in aging buildings. (More)

• Neanderthal brain sizes fall within modern human variation, suggesting they were likely our cognitive equals rather than less intelligent competitors. (More)

• Germany loaded a stranded humpback whale onto a barge yesterday, aiming to tow it to deeper water after a month-long rescue effort. (More)

Extra Credit

The science behind hosting the perfect dinner party.

Beekeeper jailed after releasing swarm during eviction.

Watch Italian chefs assemble the world’s longest tiramisu. 

Six countries you can walk across in a day.