The lop News

Business

Spirit Airlines Is Dead. A TikToker Wants to Crowdfund Its Corpse.

Every Spirit flight is cancelled. Rivals are picking up stranded passengers. And a crowdfunding campaign has raised $23 million to buy the airline back — roughly 1 percent of what that would actually cost.

Maynard Keys May 04, 2026

World

Project Freedom: Trump's Hormuz Plan Has Everything but Specifics

Project Freedom deploys 15,000 troops and 100 aircraft to break Iran's Hormuz blockade. Iran calls it a ceasefire violation. Nobody has said what happens if a US-escorted freighter comes under fire.

Von Clause May 04, 2026

Business

GameStop Offers $56 Billion for eBay. It Has $9 Billion.

The $12 billion video game retailer wants to buy the $46 billion e-commerce giant for $56 billion. Ryan Cohen says TD Bank is good for $20 billion. The remaining $27 billion is, presumably, a creative exercise.

Maynard Keys May 04, 2026

Business

China's Courts Tell Employers: You Can't Fire Workers Because AI Exists

A Hangzhou court has declared that replacing an employee with AI is not lawful grounds for termination — the first appellate ruling of its kind globally, from a country better known for chasing AI dominance than defending workers from it.

Maynard Keys May 03, 2026

World

China Orders Its Companies to Ignore US Sanctions. A New Economic Front Just Opened.

Beijing has deployed its 'Blocking Rules' for the first time, ordering Chinese companies not to comply with US sanctions on five oil refiners. Firms now face contradictory laws — and the precedent could spread.

Von Clause May 03, 2026

Business

Iranian Drones Hit AWS Data Centers. Repairs Will Take Months.

Iranian drone strikes damaged three Amazon data centers in the UAE and Bahrain two months ago. AWS has stopped billing affected customers — at an estimated cost of $150 million — and warns full recovery could stretch to nearly six months.

Maynard Keys May 03, 2026

Politics

Two US Military Planes Landed in Beijing. Trump's China Visit Is On.

Two US Air Force C-17s touched down at Beijing's main airport this week, their tail numbers captured by aviation photographers. A Trump-Xi summit appears imminent — and neither government is trying to hide the preparations.

Von Clause May 03, 2026

Politics

A Quarter of DOJ Lawyers Gone. What Remains Bends the Law for Trump.

The DOJ has filed court motions in a president's voice, indicted a civil rights group over conduct that may not be illegal, and prosecuted a former FBI director over seashells. A quarter of its lawyers have already walked out.

Von Clause May 03, 2026

Business

$5 Billion and Counting: The Iran War Just Hit Detroit's Assembly Lines

Ford faces $1 billion in added commodity costs from the Iran war, and GM expects up to $2 billion more. The $5 billion combined shock is working through petrochemicals, aluminum, and paint — and hasn't reached showroom prices yet.

Maynard Keys May 03, 2026