News for April 16, 2026

Tennessee inspectors found dozens of serious safety violations at Accurate Energetic Systems after a deadly explosion killed 16 workers, and the company now faces a more than $3 million fine.

Sir Olly Robbins is leaving his role as the Foreign Office’s top civil servant after the Peter Mandelson vetting failure became a political scandal for Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used Tax Day to promote a new luxury pied-à-terre tax aimed at wealthy nonresidents, setting off a public clash with Ken Griffin and Citadel.

NPR received $113 million in new donations, led by an $80 million gift from Connie Ballmer, as it faces major federal funding cuts and pressure from the Trump administration.

Andres Zapata, a longtime DEA informant, avoided prison after pleading guilty to failing to pay taxes on nearly $4 million he earned from undercover work.

David Ellison said Paramount Skydance’s planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery will not cut film output and promised at least 30 movies a year.

A federal judge blocked above-ground construction on the White House ballroom project, while allowing underground security work to continue for now.

MacKenzie Scott is steering huge higher education gifts toward HBCUs and other underfunded colleges, with Howard University and Morgan State among the schools getting record support.

Gen. Dan Caine says the United States is widening its naval blockade and shipping enforcement against Iran, but no ships have been boarded yet.

Mayor Mamdani backed New York's plan for a new tax on ultra-rich second homes, using Ken Griffin's luxury penthouse as a high-profile example.

Pope Leo XIV used his Africa trip to stress peace and interfaith dialogue, while also showing how his public exchanges with President Donald Trump are shaping the news around his visit.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has launched a portal for businesses to seek refunds on tariffs the Supreme Court ruled were illegal, but the process is not automatic and may take time.

President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire as talks began in Washington to try to ease the wider regional war.

Stephanie Hatzenbuhler and other ranchers are unlikely to expand cattle herds quickly, which is helping keep beef prices high across the U.S.

John Eastman was disbarred in California after the state’s top court upheld findings that he played a major role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.