Iran prepares extreme response

Source close to Speaker Ghalibaf: Iran’s “Third Struggle” plan will close Bab el-Mandeb Strait by fire and disable all 7 undersea internet cables in Strait of Hormuz if US strikes resume this weekend. Iran will also fire hundreds of next-generation missiles & drones daily at Gulf energy targets.

🚨 BREAKING: 🇮🇷 Iran prepares extreme response 🔥
Source close to Speaker Ghalibaf:
Iran’s “Third Struggle” plan will close Bab el-Mandeb Strait by fire and disable all 7 undersea internet cables in Strait of Hormuz if US strikes resume this weekend.
Iran will also fire hundreds… pic.twitter.com/B0twu0uqnN

— Ebrahim Zolfaghari Commentary (@Irantimes02) May 23, 2026

This is the strongest signal that Trump will resume bombing imminently

No commercial aircraft over Iran pic.twitter.com/2g6UPvP4oi

— Robert A. Pape (@ProfessorPape) May 23, 2026

JUST NOW: U.S. President Donald Trump just posted a map on Truth Social labeling Iran as part of a 'United States of the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/K6baEMw6Jj

— WORLD NEWS (@_MAGA_NEWS_) May 23, 2026

https://p.dw.com/p/5E8vB

Following the money: Terror financing from Germany

Pause Skip backward 10 seconds Skip forward 10 seconds Mute

Remaining Time -38:55

1xPlayback RatePicture-in-PictureFullscreen

TerrorismGlobal issues05/21/2026May 21, 2026

Islamist terrorism continues to claim numerous victims worldwide. Extremist networks are financed in part by donations from Germany. But investigations often prove to be difficult.

Politics United States of America

Tomi Oladipo 05/21/2026May 21, 2026

Citing US President Donald Trump’s alliances with tech billionaires and the pressure on US media outlets, investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr tells DW we are accelerating toward “a techno‑fascist future.”

https://p.dw.com/p/5E5T9

Link copied

Carole Cadwalladr is working to expose the “broligarchy” and its increasing influence on state power in the US and UK through her new outlet “The Nerve.”

She told DW her reporting shows how tech titans are collaborating with the US president and using artificial intelligence to target political messages and sway elections.

Despite the dystopian picture, Cadwalladr insisted nothing is inevitable. She sat down with DW to discuss how democracies are being reshaped and how citizens can push back.

Tomi Oladipo Tomi Oladipo is a British-born Nigerian journalist based in Berlin.

Generational rejection of AI? Why are university students booing big tech at graduation ceremonies?

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and two other speakers have been jeered by students at three US universities

Jordi Pérez Colomé

Madrid – MAY 19, 2026 – 13:44 CEST

Share on Whatsapp

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter Desplegar Redes Sociales

Prefer EL PAÍS on Google

“The rise of AI is the next industrial revolution,” Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, told recent graduates of arts, humanities, and communication at the University of Central Florida. The response? A chorus of boos. Caulfield turned to the organizers: “What happened?” she asked. She looked back at the young people in the audience: “Ok, I’ve struck a chord, may I finish?” And she continued: “Only a few years ago, AI wasn’t a factor in our lives,” she added. And then they applauded, and Caulfield smiled with relief. The video of her bewilderment went viral.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7639090876890877215?lang=en-GB&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.elpais.com%2Ftechnology%2F2026-05-19%2Fgenerational-rejection-of-ai-why-are-university-students-booing-big-tech-at-graduation-ceremonies.html&embedFrom=oembed

The booing of AI in Florida wasn’t the only such incident at American universities over the weekend. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, was presiding over the commencement ceremony at the University of Arizona before thousands of students. Schmidt uttered phrases that young people have heard a thousand times before: “The question isn’t whether AI will shape the world. It will. The question is whether you will help shape AI,” he said. He continued: “AI will affect everything, whichever path you choose.” And he was booed.

The reasons for the jeers will be varied: from fear of an uncertain future to weariness with the evangelical rhetoric surrounding AI. Just recently, at the University of Central Florida, there was controversy over a class called “Art of AI” for art students. One student argued that he pays tuition to learn skills, not to use a generative AI that would prevent him from then using those skills.

This trend is reflected in recent polls. Over the past year, according to a Gallup survey published in April in the U.S., Generation Z’s sentiment toward AI has become more negative. The percentage of young people enthusiastic about AI has fallen 14 points to 22%, while those angry about it have risen nine points to 31%. Anxiety about AI remains stable at 42%.

In a Pew Research global survey on AI, the generation most consistently concerned about the technology is those aged over 50. Those least concerned are the youngest, aged between 18 and 34. This pattern holds true, with a significant percentage difference of more than 24 points between younger and older generations in countries like Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, and Japan. The United States, however, is the country where this difference is smallest: young people are almost as concerned as older generations about the emergence of AI in everyday life.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7639209018803670302?lang=en-GB&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.elpais.com%2Ftechnology%2F2026-05-19%2Fgenerational-rejection-of-ai-why-are-university-students-booing-big-tech-at-graduation-ceremonies.html&embedFrom=oembed

In another commencement address, music industry executive Scott Borchetta also had to defend himself against some heckling during his speech at Middle Tennessee State University: “This industry will change. It’s changed more in the last 10 years than in the 50 years prior. Streaming rewrote the economics. Social media rewrote the discovery model. AI is rewriting production while we sit here,” he said, eliciting some boos. Borchetta then went off-script: “I know, accept it. Like I said, it’s a tool. Either you can hear me now or you can pay me later. Do something. The things you learned here in your first year may already be obsolete.”

In the case of Schmidt, the booing was already anticipated. In 2025, a former lover accused him of rape, and he also appears in the Epstein files. University organizations had distributed leaflets encouraging the booing. To make matters worse, at their historic rival, Arizona State University, the graduation sponsor was actor Harrison Ford, who was being awarded an honorary doctorate for his environmental activism.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7640593030357077262?lang=en-GB&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.elpais.com%2Ftechnology%2F2026-05-19%2Fgenerational-rejection-of-ai-why-are-university-students-booing-big-tech-at-graduation-ceremonies.html&embedFrom=oembed

A university spokesperson told a local media outlet that Schmidt’s invitation was extended due to “recognition of his extraordinary leadership and global contributions” and because “he continues to drive research and discovery through important philanthropic and scientific initiatives, including collaborations that support key projects at the University of Arizona.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition

Walmart shoppers are filling their gas tanks with less than 10 gallons for the first time since 2022, and its CFO calls it ‘an indication of stress’

By 

Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez

Reporter

May 22, 2026, 12:42 PM ET

Add us on

John David Rainey, chief financial officer of Walmart.Michael Nagle—Bloomberg via Getty Images

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Ffortune.com%2F2026%2F05%2F22%2Fwalmart-shoppers-gas-prices-iran-war-us-economy-donald-trump-american-politics%2F&FAB=fabAfterClick&subscriptionLockedURL=https%3A%2F%2Ffortune.com%2Fsubscribe%2F%3Fitm_source%3DSite_0_HCL_TRINITY_CTA_0_2026_ZZ&contentHash=791fd11845923466e6136eab4be3f5d377f826326df3a6f080fd4d3cc58d0427&unitId=2900017491&userId=2a6c9956-2c9b-4618-ac43-822176b148e3&isLegacyBrowser=false&version=20260521_e070d41bbea9f32b4271b7e78039487054cef678&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=551&isMobile=0&unitType=tts-player&integrationType=web

Walmart shoppers are feeling the crunch of higher prices at the pump, and it could be a sign of where the economy is heading.

Recommended Video

---

I spent 1 hour with Donald Trump – Behind the Scenes With The President

Walmart CFO John David Rainey said during the retailer’s latest quarterly earnings call this week shoppers were filling their gas tanks with fewer than 10 gallons of gas on average for the first time since 2022.

“That’s an indication of stress,” he said during the call. 

While high-income customers are doing fine and spending robustly, he said, the same can’t be said about lower-income consumers.

“The lower-income consumer is more budget conscious and perhaps navigating financial distress,” he added. 

Rainey’s comments come as the national average for gas prices stood at $4.55 Friday, a whopping 42% increase from a year ago. As of this week, the price of gas in all 50 states was above $4, and as high as $6 in California.

The war in Iran has upended global supply chains and nearly ceased oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 million barrels flowed daily before the war. In total, Americans have spent $44.8 billion more than they usually would on gas and diesel since the war started in February, translating to about an extra $190 per household, The New York Times reported, citing data from Brown University researchers. 

These rising prices have contributed to increasing inflation, which came in at 3.8% in April, up 0.6% month-over-month, according to the latest Consumer Price Index. Consumer sentiment also fell for the third straight month in May and is now at an all-time-low, according to the University of Michigan’s monthly survey.

The higher inflation fueled by skyrocketing gas prices has the potential to hit customers’ wallets, Rainey added.

https://322d48026a5700873c3786b821c8e424.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html

“I think it’s possible that if fuel prices persist at this level, you may see some upward pressure on average unit retail prices,” he said.

Paid Content

Inside the 2026 Breakthrough Prize ceremony

From Breakthrough Prize

Walmart isn’t the only company sounding the alarm about consumers changing their buying habits due to economic pressure.

Earlier this year, Costco CFO Gary Millerchip warned the wholesale retailer was seeing inflation in products like beef and candy, as well as a slight pickup in non-food items. While he said this trend was not concerning so far, he noted: “Members are very focused on quality and value.” 

Dollar General’s latest earnings from March also revealed a surge of 122% in the company’s $426 million net income compared to the same period last year. This was partly a result of a value-conscious consumer, CEO Todd Vasos said.

“I think that the consumer really needs a Dollar General at this point as we look ahead with all of what’s ahead of that consumer, including the macroeconomic pressures that are out there and the geopolitical pieces that we’re all watching very closely,” Vasos said on the company’s earnings call.

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter will deliver clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.

About the Author

By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezReporter

Role: Reporter
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez is a reporter for Fortune covering general business news.