Tim Cook to Step Down from CEO of Apple
By Joy Ferguson
On Sep. 1, 2026, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, will step down due to the company being in a strong business position. Cook has been the CEO for the last 15 years and will be succeeded by John Ternus, who is currently the Senior Vice President of Apple. Ternus joined Apple in 2001, as a member of Apple’s product design team. In 2013, he claimed the role of Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, and, in 2021, he became the Senior Vice President of the whole company. Cook said his decision wasn’t sudden, saying a successor had to be ready to take charge. Cook has stated that Ternus is prepared for the role and told Apple employees that “now was the time” for such a transition. There have been speculations around Cook’s health, but Cook shot down those rumors, saying that he was healthy and will stay with Apple, helping them and staying active in operations, assuming the role of Executive Chairman of Apple’s board of directors. When given the role, Ternus said: “I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”
Cooper Flagg Wins ROTY
By Tatum Trammell
Dallas Mavericks’ forward, Cooper Flagg, has just received the Rookie of the Year Award for the 2025-26 NBA season. This victory was announced on Monday, April 27, 2026, and was an extremely close competition between Flagg and Charlotte Hornets’ forward, Kon Kneuppel. Cooper has had an extraordinary rookie season and set outstanding records while also being the league’s youngest player, at just 19-years old. He is the second-youngest person to ever receive the honor, following LeBron James, who won the award at 19 years and 106 days.
Falcons Draft Avieon Terrell, brother to Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell
By Shaw Gordon
On the night of Friday, April 24, the Falcons selected a key addition for the team at the 48th pick in the NFL draft. This addition was Avieon Terrell, a lockdown cornerback from the University of Clemson. Avieon Terrell will join his brother, A.J. Terrell, who is already an impactful player for the Falcons. The brothers are now one of four pairs of siblings who have been drafted to the same team.
Japan Airlines introduces humanoid robots as baggage handlers
By Kaden Bruton
Starting in May 2026, Japan Airlines (JAL) will test humanoid robots to use as baggage handlers. This trial will run until 2028. The company behind these robots is GMO AI & Robotics Corporation. Humanoid robots will be great to supplement human labor due to their bipedal human-like form. The main goal of the deployment is to help with the labor shortage in the baggage handling industry. Most of these labor shortages come from an aging workforce. According to the president of JAL, using robots will “inevitably reduce the burden on workers and provide significant benefits to employees.” These robots will be deployed at major airports in Japan and they will not do key tasks, such as safety management. This is the first major airline to utilize humanoid robots as baggage handlers.
Supreme Court Voting Rights Decision
By Joy Ferguson
On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in the Louisiana v. Callais case to strike down a map containing two majority-Black districts. This ruling was authored by Justice Samuel Alito. In it, he said that the map “is an unconstitutional gerrymander.” Alito also said that there was evidence of racial disparity in the drawing of the earlier maps was too weak to justify the use of race to draw on new maps. The majority vote held that adhering to the Voting Rights Act doesn’t justify using race to determine where to move legislative districts. The Voting Rights Act (1965) followed the Civil Rights Act (1964) and was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It ended discriminatory actions against Black voters that were practiced specifically to prevent African-American people from voting, including literacy tests and Grandfather Clauses. Governor Brian Kemp made a statement regarding this decision, saying it’s restoring fairness to Georgia’s redistricting process. He says it “allows states to pass electoral maps that reflect the will of the voters, not the will of federal judges.” Gov. Kemp believes that the Supreme Court decision is requiring Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before 2028 elections. Critics suggest that the Supreme Court’s decision will only exacerbate current gerrymandering efforts across the country.
Wildfires in Southern Georgia
By Harper Scully
Two large wildfires have been spreading in southern Georgia. As of April 29, the fires have burned over 50,000 square miles of forest and farmland and destroyed over 80 homes in Brantley and Clinch counties. The first fire reportedly started in Clinch County on April 18, and the second fire started in Brantley County on Highway 82 on April 20. The Clinch County fire is 23% contained and Brantley County fire 32% contained, as of April 29. The Clinch County fire is believed to have been started by someone welding their own gate which ignited nearby vegetation. The Brantley County Fire was allegedly caused by a balloon hitting a power line. The ongoing drought conditions in Georgia have also created conditions ideal for forest fires to spread. Governor Brian Kemp has declared a level one drought response as the fires continue to spread.
White House Correspondent Dinner Shooting and Attempted Assasination
By Trey Voegtlin
On April 25, 2026, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were escorted out of the White House Correspondents dinner following a security threat. The incident, which appears to be an attempt to assassinate the president, was perpetrated by a recently identified suspect, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, who rushed through a security checkpoint carrying several weapons and shot a secret service agent. Allen is a high school tutor with a background in mechanical engineering and didn’t show signs of being radicalized or violent, but according to his family, he had been known to make radical statements and his social media posts had taken shifts in recent years from video game content to political criticism of the Trump regime. In an uncovered email to his family, Allen critically referenced several events during Trump’s time in office, such as the ICE detention centers, Trump’s involvement in the Epstein files, and the bombing of the Iranian girls’ school.
