MMN Editor

As the GOP and Democratic Party vie for control of the House chamber during the 2026 midterm election cycle, The Cook Political Report has shifted five districts toward Democrats, and one toward Republicans.The analysis shifts two districts in Ohio in the Democrats’ favor.Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, represented by incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman, has been shifted from toss-up to lean Democrat, according to the report. The district was redrawn last year, “turning it into a district that would have voted for Donald Trump by 2.5 points in 2024,” according to the report.The Buckeye State’s 13th Congressional District, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes is seeking re-election, has been switched from lean Democrat to likely Democrat, according to the election analysis.FOX NEWS POLL: SOUR VOTERS SAY WASHINGTON IS OUT OF TOUCH”In the redistricting deal negotiated by Ohio Republicans and Democrats last year, Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes was a clear winner. Her current Akron-based district, which narrowly voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, was redrawn to shift three points to the left,” according to The Cook Political Report.New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District, represented by Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou, has been shifted from lean Democrat to likely Democrat, according to the report. Pou is a member of the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus.The Cook Political Report noted that 2025 Garden State gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat who won the race, won the “district by nearly 20 points” last year after President Donald Trump “carried it by 1.5 points” in 2024.”Although Pou won’t be able to replicate Sherrill’s landslide victory, it’s hard not to see her as the obvious favorite after the district snapped back to Democrats in 2025 — and as an unsettled primary has kept Republicans from turning their full attention to the general election,” the report states.MIDTERM ALARM BELLS: DEMOCRATS FACE STEEP FAVORABILITY DEFICIT DESPITE ELECTION GAINSThe Cook Political Report has shifted Florida’s 27th Congressional District from solid Republican to likely Republican.Trump has endorsed incumbent GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents that district in the Sunshine State, for re-election.The analysis shifted Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, represented by GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan, from lean Republican to toss up, saying that his “stock trades have dogged him all cycle, giving Democrats a potent line of attack in a district that has been trending Republicans’ way but is very much in play this cycle.”In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Bresnahan campaign spokesman Chris Pack said, “We’re not focused on Washington, D.C. political race handicappers whose business model depends on creating the perception of a close race to drive paid subscriptions.””The reality on the ground in Northeastern Pennsylvania tells a very different story,” Pack said. “Rob continues to rapidly consolidate labor union support and post strong fundraising numbers, while Mayor Cognetti is defined by an extreme record that includes supporting mass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, eliminating maternity leave for new mothers, and personally calling for disarming the police.”Trump has endorsed Bresnahan for re-election.TRUMP COMMANDEERS CABINET MEMBERS TO CAMPAIGN IN MIDTERMS, ORDERING THEM TO DROP OR MUTE CONTROVERSIAL STANCESThe report highlighted one bright spot for the GOP: Colorado’s 3rd District has been shifted from likely Republican to solid Republican.Trump endorsed incumbent GOP Rep. Jeff Hurd, then withdrew the endorsement, then endorsed Hurd again.”We’re shifting this district from Likely Republican to Solid Republican for now, though if either Democratic candidate picks up momentum it could move back onto the board later this cycle,” The Cook Political Report analysis stated.Trump is facing underwater job approval polling, which could potentially serve as a drag for the Republican Party during the elections this year.

Nearly a decade after making a high-profile food sourcing pledge, Chick-fil-A says it may not meet its own deadline.The chain may fall short of its promise to consumers to switch to 100% cage-free eggs by the end of 2026 — citing ongoing industry challenges and the impact of bird flu, according to its website.The Atlanta-based fast-food chain announced the goal in 2016, saying it would source only cage-free eggs within a decade as part of a broader push toward “transparent and responsible sourcing,” according to a company news release at the time.FAST-FOOD SHOCKER: TEXAS CHAIN BEATS MCDONALD’S, BURGER KING ON VALUE”In 2016, Chick-fil-A communicated we would source only 100% cage-free eggs by 2026,” the company website now states.”Currently, our ability to meet this commitment in the stated time frame is uncertain due to numerous industry dynamics and the significant impact the bird flu has had over the past several months and continues to have on our industry.”The company did not disclose what percentage of its eggs are currently cage-free — but it did say its suppliers must meet its “strict quality standards” and that it complies with state laws requiring cage-free sourcing.CHICK-FIL-A’S NEW FROSTED SODAS, RETRO CUPS SPARK BUZZ AND QUESTIONS FROM FANS AND WORKERSWhen reached by Fox News Digital, Chick-fil-A declined to provide any additional comment beyond its existing website statement.At least nine states, including California, Massachusetts and Colorado, currently require eggs sold within their borders to come from cage-free hens.The fast-food chain pointed to avian influenza as a key obstacle, an issue that has disrupted egg supply across the country in recent years. Some industry data, however, suggests cage-free farms may have been less affected, with more losses occurring among birds raised in cages, according to Tasting Table.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERMeanwhile, cage-free eggs have become more widely available in the U.S. over the past decade, with nearly half of the nation’s egg-laying hens raised cage-free as of 2025.Other major restaurant chains, including McDonald’s and Starbucks, have already completed their transitions to 100% cage-free eggs, according to reports. Several other casual dining brands and fast-food competitors have also met similar commitments.CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIESCost differences between conventional and cage-free eggs have also narrowed as supply has grown, with cage-free eggs averaging only slightly higher prices per egg, according to Tasting Table.Animal welfare advocates have long pushed for cage-free eggs as a baseline, but the label still doesn’t mean chickens go outdoors or have significantly more space, unlike higher standards such as pasture-raised foods.Chick-fil-A maintains that it continues to prioritize animal welfare through its broader supplier requirements. The company says its chicken suppliers must adhere to detailed standards, including climate-controlled environments, access to food and water, and third-party audits to ensure compliance, according to its website.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ”We are constantly evaluating our policies and seeking to ensure our policy best reflects what is best both for our guests and animal well-being,” the company states.

China leads in solar panel manufacturing and sales, not in implementation. Caixin Daily
If solar were actually feasible and cheaper, companies would be switching to save money on operating costs. However, they are not. This suggests that those mean, greedy corporations liberals complain about, because they only care about profits, do not see their profits increasing by switching to solar.
Oil prices are high right now and were even higher during the Biden era. The economic law of substitute goods holds that when the price of a good rises, demand for a substitute increases. For example, when beef gets expensive, people buy more chicken. In the energy sector, rising oil prices should drive increased demand for solar. If consumers were genuinely switching to solar during price spikes, demand for oil should not fully recover when prices fall.
However, there appears to be no major switch to solar. After oil prices come down, demand returns to essentially the same level as before the spike.
The left claims that arguments that solar cannot replace fossil fuels are propaganda and right-wing fake news. However, the data does not support that dismissal. The proof is that not only have companies not switched, but China, which claims to be the world’s leader in renewable energy, is still getting nearly all of its energy from fossil fuels.
What China actually leads the world in is the production of solar panels. China uses fossil fuels to produce those panels, sells them to the world, and continues expanding its own coal consumption year after year.
Coal generates over 60% of the electricity used for global solar PV manufacturing, significantly more than coal’s share in global power generation overall, largely because production is concentrated in China. China controls over 80% of all manufacturing stages of solar panels, polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells, and modules, and it powers that manufacturing with coal.
According to the IEA, China consumes 30% more coal than the rest of the world combined and continues to define global coal market trends. In 2025 alone, China commissioned more coal power capacity than India did over the entire previous decade.
China claims that it now generates over half of its energy from renewable sources. Solar’s share of China’s actual electricity generation is far smaller than renewable energy headlines suggest. Figures commonly cited for China’s renewable energy output bundle hydropower, wind, and solar together. Separated out, hydropower contributed 13% of China’s electricity in 2024, wind and solar combined contributed 18%, and solar alone contributed approximately 9%.
Even the 9% figure overstates solar’s functional contribution for several reasons. First, approximately 70% of China’s utility-scale wind and solar farms are built in sparsely populated northern and western provinces with low local energy demand, and the resulting power does not reliably reach the heavily populated eastern coast, where industrial and residential demand is concentrated.
Second, curtailment rates in some western provinces exceed 30%, meaning that power is generated but the grid cannot absorb or transmit it. The average solar panel utilization rate fell 12% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the 2020–2023 average, and the share of potential solar output that went unutilized rose to 5.7% in the first half of 2025, from 3.2% a year earlier.
Third, from 2020 to 2024, China installed an unprecedented 900 GW of renewable capacity and still failed to meet the energy and carbon intensity reductions its own 14th Five Year Plan required, a 13.5% reduction in energy intensity and an 18% reduction in carbon intensity. The installations are not translating into actual fossil fuel displacement.
Just like with other socialist programs supported by Democrats and liberals, the switch to solar is only occurring in markets where governments mandate or subsidize it. The residential solar growth seen in the United States during the Biden era, with installations rising 40% in 2021 and 43% year over year in Q3 2022, is sometimes cited as evidence that high energy prices drive solar adoption. But the primary driver was the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit and net metering policy, not oil prices.
Another crucial issue is that the 40-year-high inflation under Biden artificially inflated the sales revenues of solar companies. Another driver of solar adoption is government coercion. The growth in U.S. markets was concentrated in California, where net metering policy created a deadline-driven demand surge before NEM 3.0 took effect.
When the 30% residential solar tax credit expired at the end of 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill, residential solar installations were projected by Ohm Analytics to fall 25% in 2026. If high energy prices had genuinely driven a structural shift to solar, removal of the tax credit would not produce a 25% demand contraction.
Oil demand, by contrast, has shown no permanent destruction from any price spike. The EIA projects global liquid fuel consumption to continue rising through 2026. Brent crude averaged $103 per barrel in March 2026 and is forecast to peak around $115 per barrel in the second quarter of 2026 before easing as Strait of Hormuz production shut-ins resulting from the U.S.-Iran conflict gradually abate.
Even at those prices, there is no documented evidence of a structural consumer shift to solar. Analysts and industry observers noted increased interest in solar inquiries following the oil price spike, but interest is not demand, and demand is not installation. The substitute goods dynamic that economic theory predicts has not materialized in any durable form across multiple oil price cycles, including the Biden-era highs of 2022, the Russia-Ukraine-driven European energy crisis, and the current Strait of Hormuz disruption.
The pattern is consistent across every cycle: oil prices spike, solar interest rises, prices fall, oil demand recovers, and solar’s share of actual energy consumption remains anchored to the level that subsidies and mandates support. This is proof that solar cannot compete with oil or, said another way, cannot replace oil.
The post The Solar Myth: High Oil Prices Never Trigger a Real Shift appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The IRS should investigate and potentially revoke the tax-exempt status of the American Medical Association’s philanthropic arm, according to a new complaint filed Tuesday.
“Based on the evidence in our complaint, we believe the IRS should revoke the AMA Foundation’s tax-exempt status for operating a racially discriminatory program,” Dr. Kurt Miceli, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Do No Harm, told The Daily Signal.
“Racially discriminatory scholarships are unlawful and morally wrong, to say nothing of the negative impact they have on public confidence in our medical system.”
Do No Harm, a watchdog group of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, aims to expose racial discrimination, transgender ideology, and other politically divisive practices in medicine.
The complaint, first provided to The Daily Signal and addressed to the IRS’ section on Exempt Organizations and Government Entities, asks the IRS to investigate the AMA Foundation over “invidious racial discrimination” in its Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship program.
The complaint notes that the foundation only extends specific scholarships to Americans of certain races.
“The AMA’s obsession with identity politics is no secret, and it should be held accountable for allowing race to dictate applicants’ eligibility for valuable and lucrative learning opportunities,” Dr. Miceli added. “If the AMA Foundation wants to retain its federal tax advantage, it must open its scholarships to applicants of all races.”
The Dr. Richard Allen Williams & Genita Evangelista Johnson/Association of Black Cardiologists Scholarship pays $5,000 to medical students interested in cardiology, but only if they are “African American/Black.”
The Underrepresented in Medicine Scholarship offers $10,000 to winners, who must be “African American/Black, Latine/Hispanic or Indigenous (American Indian, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native).” The Patricia L. Austin Family Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship also offers $10,000, but winners must be “of Eastern European descent.”
“Each of these racist exclusions is repugnant to our civil rights laws and ‘the congressional intent underlying [federal law],’” the complaint states. It cites Bob Jones University v. United States (1983), in which the Supreme Court ruled that the IRS had rightly revoked the 501(c)(3) status of Bob Jones University because it forbade interracial dating and marriage.
The AMA Foundation’s racially discriminatory scholarships are “sufficient grounds for the IRS to revoke the AMA Foundation’s tax-exempt status under 26 U.S.C. §501(c)(3),” the complaint states. It quotes the Bob Jones Supreme Court finding that “racially discriminatory” institutions “cannot be viewed as conferring a public benefit within the ‘charitable’ concept” of the common law.
The complaint also cites Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023), in which the Supreme Court found that racial preferences in college admissions—often referred to as “affirmative action”—constituted racial discrimination in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
If Supreme Court precedent were not enough, President Donald Trump’s “executive orders also leave the [IRS] with no discretion” on the matter, the complaint claims. “The president has rescinded prior executive orders that agencies had invoked to justify race-based classifications in the name of ‘equity.’”
Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025, order directs federal agencies to terminate “all discriminatory programs,” including those related to “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” as well as policies “allowing or encouraging” third parties “to engage in workforce balancing based on race.”
Do No Harm asks the IRS to open an investigation, unless the AMA Foundation alters its policies.
“If the AMA Foundation wishes to avoid such an investigation and maintain its tax-exempt status, it can simply open each of its scholarships and any similar programs to all races,” the complaint notes.
Do No Harm has previously criticized the American Medical Association, particularly on transgender issues. When the world’s largest organization of plastic surgeons recommended delaying “transgender” surgery until a patient reaches the age of 19, the American Medical Association stated it would follow that guidance—but Do No Harm flagged a specific word in the statement that it said gave the AMA “wiggle room” on the issue.
About a month later, the AMA’s board chair suggested that the association would not change its previous support for “gender-affirming care.” This follow-up statement appeared to confirm Do No Harm’s suspicions.
The Daily Signal has reached out to the IRS and the AMA for comment and will update this article with any response.
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]

PBS debuted a new two-part documentary on Tuesday by Lucy Worsley that seeks to cover the American Revolution from the British perspective and how its series of missteps led to the loss of the colonies. At one point in part one, Worsley interviewed Prof. Olivette Otele in a segment that sounded like it came out of The 1619 Project, as both suggested the Dunmore Proclamation had a lot to do with the Southern colonies being pushed to join the rebellion despite the historical timeline not matching up with such an assertion.

Worsley teased that, “At the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, I’m meeting a historian to examine newspaper reports from December 1775. They tell a remarkable story about Lord Dunmore, Britain’s royal governor in Virginia.”

After Otele repeated that biographical information, Worsley asked, “And what was going on in Virginia? Was it a tough assignment? Was there rebellion?”

 

On PBS’s documentary on the American Revolution from the British perspective, Lucy Worsley and Prof. Olivette Otele give a 1619 Project-esque view of the rebellion in the southern colonies.
Worsley says “I guess if I were a plantation owner then and I was feeling pretty loyal to… pic.twitter.com/3uOJDXiYtM
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) April 8, 2026
 

Otele replied:

He found a colony that was extremely wealthy and that had the largest enslaved people’s population in the colonies, in the 13 colonies.

But at the same time, he was lacking supplies and he didn’t have reinforcement, and he was more or less forced to do—to take initiative. So what he decided to do is to issue a proclamation, and this is what the proclamation says. ” And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes, or others, (appertaining to Rebels,) free that are able and willing to bear Arms, they joining His Majesty’s Troops as soon as may be.”

He is willing to offer freedom to any enslaved people or to indentured servants who’d be willing to join the British side.

After the pair discussed how Dunmore did not issue the proclamation out of the goodness of his heart but rather as a strictly practical measure, Worsley declared, “I guess if I were a plantation owner then and I was feeling pretty loyal to the British, not very keen on the rebellion, this might tip me over the other way.”

Otele agreed, “Yes, the colonists were absolutely outraged. They actually believed that enslaved people would be freed by the British all across the colonies, and therefore it was an assault on their livelihood, on the economy. They saw it as an attempt at, you know, stopping their right to ownership and property.”

The duo then discussed how Dunmore’s move backfired before Worsley added, “This proclamation had dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Emancipation was being used as a weapon of war. And it pushed more Southern, slave-owning colonies straight into the revolutionary camp.”

The idea that the Dunmore Proclamation helped fuel the rebellion was The 1619 Project’s key bit of evidence that the American Revolution was fought to preserve slavery before professional historians called them out on it. The main counterargument is that the Dunmore Proclamation was a response to a rebellion that was already growing and not the cause of one, which Worsley and Otele sort of alluded to but ultimately minimized with Worsley’s conclusion.

Additionally, the Dunmore Proclamation was issued in November 1775, but by that point Virginia had sent delegates to the First Continental Congress in September 1774. George Washington, a Virginian himself, was appointed to lead the Continental Army in June 1775 by the Second Continental Congress that convened a month earlier. By July of 1775, all 13 colonies would join Congress.

Human motives are not always pure, and there were probably some people who fell into the camp Worsley and Otele were describing, but Virginia joined the Revolution out of solidarity with Boston and opposition to British taxes and other offenses. No matter how much PBS or The 1619 Project tries to make slavery a key part of the revolution, it will not suddenly become true.

Here is a transcript for the April 7 show:

PBS Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution: The Break Up

4/7/2026

9:44 PM ET

LUCY WORSLEY: At the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, I’m meeting a historian to examine newspaper reports from December 1775. They tell a remarkable story about Lord Dunmore, Britain’s royal governor in Virginia.

Tell me a bit about Lord Dunmore. Who was he?

OLIVETTE OTELE: He was the fourth Earl of Dunmore, known as John Murray, and he was the royal colonial governor of Virginia.

WORSLEY: And what was going on in Virginia? Was it a tough assignment? Was there rebellion?

OTELE: He found a colony that was extremely wealthy and that had the largest enslaved people’s population in the colonies, in the 13 colonies.

But at the same time, he was lacking supplies and he didn’t have reinforcement, and he was more or less forced to do—to take initiative. So what he decided to do is to issue a proclamation, and this is what the proclamation says. ” And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes, or others, (appertaining to Rebels,) free that are able and willing to bear Arms, they joining His Majesty’s Troops as soon as may be.”

He is willing to offer freedom to any enslaved people or to indentured servants who’d be willing to join the British side.

WORSLEY: That’s a really extraordinary statement, isn’t it? He’s saying, “Look, if you’re enslaved, and you’re on the rebel side, and if you come over to the British loyalist side, I will give you your freedom.”

And do you think he was doing that because he actually believed that they deserved freedom and that slavery was a bad thing?

OTELE: No, Dunmore was calculating, it was strategic. What he wanted to do was to have more men fighting on the British side, and he was backed into a corner. That’s why he made the decision.

WORSLEY: Do you know how many formerly enslaved black Virginians joined up who actually, you know, became part of the British army?

OTELE: We don’t have the exact numbers, but it’s between 800 and 2,000 people who joined him. And he set up a regiment, which was the Ethiopian Regiment.

WORSLEY: I guess if I were a plantation owner then and I was feeling pretty loyal to the British, not very keen on the rebellion, this might tip me over the other way.

OTELE: Yes, the colonists were absolutely outraged. They actually believed that enslaved people would be freed by the British all across the colonies, and therefore it was an assault on their livelihood, on the economy. They saw it as an attempt at, you know, stopping their right to ownership and property.

WORSLEY: So from the point of view of Lord Dunmore, this seems to me like a total own goal.

OTELE: Yes, Lord Dunmore didn’t think, I think, this through. He thought about the immediate consequences, but not necessarily the long-term impact on the war after that.

WORSLEY: This proclamation had dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Emancipation was being used as a weapon of war. And it pushed more Southern, slave-owning colonies straight into the revolutionary camp.

Imagine opening an app, booking a ride, and a vehicle with no driver shows up to take you to a long-awaited errand. That’s no longer a concept. It’s a reality in Nashville.Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is a U.S.-based autonomous driving technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California.As of March 2026, Waymo operates commercial robotaxi services across 10 major U.S. metropolitan areas, with a fleet of about 3,000 vehicles. Waymo also delivers roughly 500,000 paid rides each week and has surpassed 200 million fully autonomous miles driven, proving its growing scale and leadership in self-driving technology.Waymo has taken that initiative further. It has officially launched its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the public in the city. The move marks another major step in the company’s push to scale robotaxis across the United States.“Waymo is serving more riders than ever, as we are on track to serve over one million rides per week by the end of this year,” said Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.But this isn’t just another city launch. It’s part of a much bigger race. In fact, it could reshape how people move, commute, and even think about car ownership.Waymo launches autonomous ride-hailing service in NashvilleWaymo’s new service covers a 60-square-mile area, including some of Nashville’s busiest and most recognizable neighborhoods. That includes Broadway, 12 South, Midtown, and East Nashville.Waymo is also testing operations at Nashville International Airport, with plans to expand service to travelers soon.Riders can access the service through the Waymo app, at least for now, on an invitation basis. But there’s a bigger integration coming. Waymo plans to bring its service to the Lyft platform later in 2026, with Lyft acting as a fleet management partner.

Waymo introduces autonomous ride-hailing in Nashville.Sundry Photography via Shutterstock

Why is Waymo coming to Nashville?The city’s mix of tourism, nightlife, and rapid growth makes it an ideal environment for autonomous transport, according to Mawakana.And the timing is no accident. Waymo has now expanded to 11 U.S. cities, signaling a clear shift from testing to scaling.“Nashville is buzzing with music, tourism, and nightlife, and now Waymo helps connect it all,” said Mawakana. “As Nashville continues to grow, Waymo is proud to support that momentum by providing a safe, reliable, and magical way for locals and visitors to experience everything the city has to offer.”More Automotive:Hyundai admits deadly defect caused more injuries than previously knownConsumer Reports names 5 popular EVs with the best real-world rangeUber targets 50,000 robotaxis in major Rivian, Nvidia dealsLeaders in Tennessee and Nashville also embraced Waymo’s fully autonomous service. They are recognizing the opportunity to expand access to innovative and safe transportation options for everyone.“As families and businesses move to Tennessee in record numbers, our state continues to lead the nation in finding innovative solutions to transportation challenges,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “By leveraging private sector technologies like Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles, we’re expanding mobility in ways we couldn’t achieve on our own and further accelerating economic growth.”Waymo’s expansion is surging fast amid rising competitionNashville is just one piece of a much larger expansion strategy. On Feb. 24, 2026, Waymo also opened robotaxi access to select riders in cities including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, deepening its footprint across Texas and Florida.That expansion puts Waymo firmly ahead in the U.S. robotaxi race. But competitors are closing in fast. Rivals include Tesla, Amazon-owned Zoox, and startups such as Waabi and Nuro. Related: United Airlines makes big change to its bags policyAnd globally, companies like Baidu (through Apollo Go) are rapidly gaining ground. But still, Waymo has one key advantage: scale. The company’s fleet has logged more than 200 million miles. That’s the equivalent of driving to the moon and back 200 times. And it’s already delivering about 400,000 paid rides per week across the U.S. It looks like Waymo may be pulling too far ahead for competitors to catch up.Waymo’s ambitions go far beyond adding new citiesApart from doing the early groundwork for ride-hailing operations in more than 20 additional cities in 2026, Waymo targets massive growth as robotaxi adoption rises. By the end of 2026, the company aims to surpass 1 million paid rides per week, more than double its current pace.And it’s already halfway there. As of early 2026, Waymo is delivering roughly 500K+ fully autonomous EV (electric vehicle) trips weekly, up sharply from 250,000 just a year ago.Related: Amazon quietly introduces new fee sellers didn’t see comingThe autonomous driving company’s growth is backed by serious investment. On Feb. 2, 2026, it confirmed it had raised $16 billion in funding, CNBC reported, pushing Waymo’s valuation to $126 billion. The round included major investors and continued support from Alphabet.So what’s driving this rapid expansion? Two key factors: increasing consumer adoption and strong safety data. Waymo says its vehicles have significantly fewer serious crashes compared to human drivers. This is a critical selling point as regulators and the public weigh the risks of autonomous technology.Based on reports released on March 19, 2026, covering over 170 million fully autonomous (“rider-only”) miles, Waymo revealed that its Driver system has achieved a 92% reduction in crashes resulting in serious or fatal injuries compared to human benchmarks.Waymo’s claim is based on data from operations in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin through December 2025. It’s important to note, however, that some have questioned the company’s methodology.Safety, regulation, and public trust remain key challengesDespite the momentum, not everything has been smooth for Waymo.It has faced:Federal safety investigationsScrutiny over how vehicles behave in complex situationsCriticism following incidents like traffic disruptions during outagesAccording to a February 2025 AAA survey, approximately six in 10 U.S. drivers (60%) remain afraid to ride in fully autonomous vehicles, holding steady despite a slight increase in trust to 13%. While cautious about full autonomy, consumers still show strong interest in purchasing vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as emergency braking, indicating a preference for assisted driving rather than total automation.And regulators are paying attention. Lawmakers have called on companies like Waymo to be more transparent about the role of remote human assistance in guiding vehicles during tricky scenarios. So while the technology is advancing, public trust is still catching up.What Waymo’s Nashville move signals for the future of transportationAutonomous driving is no longer experimental. It’s becoming commercial. Waymo is now expanding into more than 20 cities, with international plans targeting London and Tokyo.At the same time, its fleet is evolving, with new vehicle platforms being introduced to support scale. Looking at the bigger picture, Waymo is no longer trying to prove the technology works. It’s trying to prove it can dominate the market.Related: UBS Resets 2026 S&P 500 target

Today, Morningstar is announcing the winners of its US 2026 Awards for Investing Excellence. There are four categories:Exemplary StewardshipOutstanding Equity Portfolio ManagerOutstanding Fixed-Income Portfolio ManagerOutstanding Allocation Portfolio ManagerThese winners, and all the nominees, meet a high set of standards. The full list of nominees is here: The Nominees for Morningstar’s 2026 Awards for Investing Excellence.Now, here are the winners of the awards this year.Exemplary Stewardship: PimcoFor more than five decades, Pimco has been home to a topnotch research culture that allows it to attract and retain exceptional investors. Indeed, five Pimco portfolio managers have won annual Morningstar awards. The firm is well-known for hiring highly qualified young people and grooming them over the years. Once known for star managers at the top of massive portfolios, most of Pimco’s flagship strategies now rely on comanager teams to smooth transitions and reduce key-person risk. The firm is famously demanding, but its best people tend to stay put, and there’s always a new wave of talent. Once known for savvy bond trading vehicles, Pimco consistently strives to improve and gain new expertise. It has expanded its private credit offerings and invested in technology, including artificial intelligence and analytical tools to boost efficiency, improve precision, and detect risk. Some vehicles have relatively high fees, but over its lifetime, Pimco has lived up to its reputation as a premier fixed-income asset manager. Its Parent rating moved up to High in early 2026. Outstanding Equity Portfolio Managers: Harry Hartford and Sarah Ketterer, CausewayCauseway founders Harry Hartford and Sarah Ketterer worked together at value standout Hotchkis & Wiley before leaving to form their own firm in 2001. They’ve built it into a $71 billion international and global equity powerhouse.They have been active portfolio managers for a quarter-century at Causeway International Value CIVIX and at Causeway Global Value CGVIX since its 2008 inception. Gradually, they’ve elevated six other fundamental value investors to join them as named managers on those two strategies. Their portfolios have some of the trademarks of traditional value investing: They invest with conviction in favored holdings and areas and willingly look quite different from indexes and peers. But Hartford and Ketterer have also been trailblazers, melding quantitative investing with their hands-on fundamental craft. Causeway portfolios can be more volatile than their peers and look out of favor for multiple years but have consistently rewarded patient investors. Both Ketterer and Hartford have been planning for their retirements, but neither has set a date. They’ve prepared diligently already, so Causeway’s investing philosophy and practice should remain strong and stable after they depart.Outstanding Fixed-Income Portfolio Manager: Jerome Schneider, PimcoJerome Schneider of Pimco now is a two-time winner. He was Morningstar’s Fixed-Income Fund Manager of the Year in 2015, when he had steered ultrashort bond strategy Pimco Short-Term PTSHX for just five years. More than a decade later, he has a top-quintile record over his full tenure and has proved his ability to capture excess returns while consistently ensuring liquidity and preserving capital.Schneider moved to Pimco in 2008 from Bear Stearns, where he worked for more than a decade. He became the short-term desk leader in 2010 and took charge of the Pimco Short-Term strategy in 2011. Like other Pimco managers, a slew of other talented investors, including liquidity specialists, credit experts, and structured products research teams, assist him. Most importantly, he leaned on Andrew Wittkop, a rates/derivatives specialist who stepped down on March 6, 2026.For more than 15 years, however, Schneider has been the intellectual force behind the strategy. His investing universe is expansive: high-yield bonds, international bonds, currencies, and more. The potent analysis that Pimco is known for across its lineup has led to consistently strong performance on his watch. Outstanding Allocation Portfolio Manager: Michelle Black, Samir Mathur, and Wesley Phoa, Capital GroupThis trio of managers has led Capital Group’s multi-asset vehicles since the firm revamped the team in early 2020. Michelle Black, Samir Mathur, and Wesley Phoa have improved oversight of the investments and expanded the analyst roster from just three to 17 in six years. Their remit includes the firm’s target-date, target-risk, and 529 college savings funds and plans. Their work has improved the portfolios to serve the long-term needs of their investors. Over the collective tenure of Black, Mathur, and Phoa, Capital Group’s multi-asset strategies have performed admirably. For instance, the R6 share class of American Funds 2040 Target Date Retirement RFGTX gained 10.1% from early 2020 through March 2026, topping its target-date Morningstar Category median’s 8.6% mark and the benchmark’s 8.1% return. It was also less volatile than similar target-date vehicles, so its Sharpe ratio, which measures risk-adjusted return, was at the top of the category for the period.

White House economists said banning rewards wouldn’t significantly boost banks’ financial health, amplifying the crypto industry view in the Clarity Act debate.

Iran Gives Approved Hormuz Shippers “Few Seconds” To Submit Payment In Bitcoin

Iran plans to require shipping companies to pay transit tolls in Bitcoin for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Financial Times report.

As Micah Zimmerman reports for BitcoinMagazine.com, this links bitcoin to one of the world’s most critical energy corridors and current events.

The policy would apply to oil tankers seeking passage during a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, announced after a shift in posture from Donald Trump. The arrangement aims to reopen a route that handles a large share of global oil flows while allowing Tehran to maintain control over access.

According to statements attributed to Iranian officials, shipping firms would receive a payment request prior to transit. Once approved, vessels would be given a short window to complete the transaction in bitcoin. The structure reflects an attempt to bypass traditional financial rails that remain constrained by sanctions, while preserving a mechanism for enforcement over passage.

As The FT details, Hamid Hosseini, a spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, told the FT on Wednesday that Iran wanted to collect tolling fees from any tanker passing and to assess each ship.

“Iran needs to monitor what goes in and out of the strait to ensure these two weeks aren’t used for transferring weapons,” said Hosseini, whose industry association works closely with the state.

“Everything can pass through, but the procedure will take time for each vessel, and Iran is not in a rush,” he added.

Decisions on the conditions for passing the strait are taken by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Hosseini’s remarks suggest Iran will require any tankers to use the northerly route close to its coastline, raising questions over whether western or Gulf state-linked vessels will be willing to risk transit.

Hosseini said that each tanker must email authorities about its cargo, after which Iran will inform them of the toll to be paid in digital currencies.

He said that the tariff is $1 per barrel of oil, adding that empty tankers can pass freely.

“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions,” Hosseini added.

Bitcoin, Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz

The move places bitcoin at the center of a geopolitical flashpoint. Iran has faced restrictions on dollar-based settlement systems for years, limiting its ability to collect fees or process payments tied to maritime trade. By shifting to bitcoin, authorities seek a channel that operates outside conventional banking networks and offers resistance to seizure.

Shipping companies face a different calculation. Compliance may secure safe passage through a narrow waterway that links the Persian Gulf to global markets, but it introduces exposure to digital asset volatility, operational risk, and legal uncertainty tied to sanctions regimes. 

Markets have begun to react. Bitcoin rose above $72,500 following the ceasefire announcement, reversing earlier weakness tied to fears of escalation.

Currently bitcoin is trading near $73,000. The price move reflects a shift in risk sentiment as traders reassess the likelihood of supply disruptions and broader conflict.

The proposed toll system underscores how digital assets can intersect with state policy under pressure.

For Iran, bitcoin offers a tool to collect revenue and assert control without reliance on intermediaries.

For global shipping, it signals a potential change in how access to key infrastructure could be priced and enforced.

The ceasefire remains limited in scope and duration. Any breakdown in negotiations could halt transit or alter the payment framework, leaving companies exposed to sudden shifts in policy.

For now, the introduction of bitcoin as a toll mechanism marks a test case for cryptocurrency use in sovereign-controlled trade routes, with implications that extend beyond the region.

Unpalatable

Allowing Iran to continue to control the crucial waterway is likely to be highly unpalatable to Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

It also raises questions for Opec+, the oil producers’ group, with analysts warning that handing Iran control of Hormuz could fundamentally alter the balance of power within the organisation by giving Tehran a potential veto over rival members’ exports.

Ali Shihabi, a commentator close to the Saudi royal court, said the kingdom would demand “unimpeded” access to global markets.

“Allowing Iran any form of control over the strait would be a red line,” Shihabi said. “The priority has to be unimpeded access through the strait.”

Several traders said they thought the situation in the coming days would resemble the system that has developed over the past fortnight, in which a handful of ships that have been approved by Iran are allowed to pass on a specific route.

Tyler Durden
Wed, 04/08/2026 – 10:00

The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in Aaron Rodgers to salvage a couple years of mediocre quarterback play, taking a gamble on the then-41-year-old.But there were hardly any issues, as the Steelers were once again in the playoffs, as Mike Tomlin again finished above .500.However, Rodgers, like last year, is playing the waiting game and remains a free agent.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMIt does seem like in all likelihood that Rodgers will return to Pittsburgh for a 22nd NFL season, and one Steelers legend believes that the team doesn’t really have many other answers.”When you have no alternative, then you have no choice,” Jerome Bettis told Fox News Digital. And I think there’s some players that are afforded a little bit more latitude than others, and Aaron Rodgers is one of them, especially when you are limited from a quarterback perspective, in terms of depth and experience, right?”Bettis, though, actually sees a positive in Rodgers’ wait-and-see.”There is an opportunity for our number two guy to get a lot of reps, a lot of opportunity, right? So there’s some positives to this, because you’re letting the young guys get an opportunity to run the offense and kind of learn the offense as they go.”CHIEFS HEIRESS GRACIE HUNT ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT TO SON OF TEAM’S FORMER QUARTERBACK: ‘IT WAS ALWAYS YOU’Bettis “of course” understands that players could be upset by waiting on their starting quarterback and wants some “continuity” in the locker room.”I’d be like, what’s going on? What are we doing? But now that, you went through it, you know the value, you know that Aaron is a team player, right? He understands the culture. So, now it’s not that big of a concern,” Bettis continued.The Steelers, for the most part, have had pretty consistent quarterback play for two decades, but that has come at the expense elsewhere, Bettis said. With several holes to fill, Bettis is teaming up with The Athletic and its NFL Draft guide, “The Beast,” and meeting Steelers fans in Pittsburgh to discuss what they want in this month’s NFL Draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh.”They can look at players that they don’t know about, players that are maybe being talked about, that they don’t have any real understanding of. Now they get that really detailed information about some of the young guys that they’re gonna be rooting for the next 10, 15 years,” Bettis said. “You can’t possibly know a lot on all these guys, and that’s why The Beast is gonna be so helpful and so useful for the fans, so that they’re up to date understanding of who that young, young man is, um, that’s possibly being drafted. … “They have let the other pieces deteriorate in the sense of, the running game struggled, the receivers struggled. So, they’ve got to do a lot to help the quarterback,” Bettis said, adding defensive help is necessary, too. “And, I mean, get the receivers, get the offensive line help, get the running back position figured out. They gotta do some things before you get to the quarterback, because right now, the other pieces aren’t good enough.”Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.