Snowbirds grounded? Canada confirms PC-21 turboprop replacement for Tutor

Snowbirds grounded? Canada confirms PC-21 turboprop replacement for Tutor
Canada will retire the CT-114 Tutor after the 2026 airshow season, with the Snowbirds set to transition to the CT-157 Siskin II, based on the Pilatus PC-21, in the early 2030s.
Joanna Bailey

May 19, 2026
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Canada has confirmed plans to procure a new aircraft for their aerial display team, the Snowbirds, bringing an end to more than five decades of CT-114 Tutor operations.

Not only is it goodbye to the Tutor, but it’s also goodbye to the jet engine for the team. The new aircraft to be procured are turboprops.

Fear not, however, because the Pilatus PC-21, known as the CT-157 Siskin II in Canadian military service, is one of the most capable and jet-like turboprops in the world.Photo: Pilatus

However, with the new fleet not expected to become operational until the early 2030s and the Tutor retiring after the 2026 season, the Snowbirds now face a lengthy transition period.
The Pilatus PC-21 is picked for Canada’s Snowbirds

Announced on 19 May, David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, revealed the intention to procure new aircraft for the display team. The timeline for deliveries is unclear, but he noted that the fleet will ultimately grow to nine aircraft.

The PC-21 is one of the world’s most advanced military training aircraft and is already operated by several air forces, including those of Australia, France and Spain. Designed to bridge the gap between basic trainers and front-line fast jets, it combines turboprop operating costs with handling characteristics intended to mimic modern fighters.Photo: Pilatus

Powered by a 1,600 shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine, the aircraft can reach speeds of around 370 knots and is equipped with a fully digital glass cockpit, head-up display and embedded simulation systems. The type is primarily used for advanced pilot training, replacing older jet trainers in several countries.

For the Snowbirds, the move represents a major shift away from the jet-powered Canadair CT-114 Tutor, which has defined the team’s appearance and sound since 1971.
SpecificationPilatus PC-21Aircraft type Advanced turboprop trainer
Canadian designation CT-157 Siskin II
Manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft
Engine Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68B turboprop
Power output 1,600 shp
Maximum speed 370 kt / 426 mph / 685 km/h
Maximum operating altitude 38,000 ft
Range Up to 1,333 km / 720 nm
Rate of climb Approx. 4,000 ft/min
G limits +8g / -4g
Crew Two, tandem seating
Key cockpit features Glass cockpit, HUD, HOTAS controls, embedded simulation systems


The PC-21 offers several advantages. It is significantly newer, safer and cheaper to operate than the ageing Tutors, while also providing better reliability and easier maintenance support.

Importantly, it is already in Canadian service as the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) programme selected the PC-21 platform for pilot training, simplifying logistics and support.

The new fleet will be based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and is expected to become operational in the early 2030s. Canada said the Snowbirds will ultimately rebuild to their distinctive nine-aircraft formation.
Related: Is Canada trying to cancel the RCAF Snowbirds?Related: Is Canada trying to cancel the RCAF Snowbirds?
Canadian Snowbirds not cancelled, just temporarily paused

While Canada can look forward to safe, new aircraft for the Snowbirds, the demise of the Tutor will mark the end of an era for the display team.

Originally entering RCAF service as a jet trainer in 1963, it’s been flying for the Snowbirds since 1971. Over 55 years, the team has performed more than 2,700 air displays for more than 140 million people.

“2026 will mark the final air show season for the CT-114 Tutor aircraft prior to the fleet’s retirement,” the RCAF said.Photo: RCAF

The maths is difficult to ignore. With the Tutors retiring in 2026 and the replacement fleet not expected to become operational until the early 2030s, the Snowbirds appear set for a significant operational pause while the new team is rebuilt around the PC-21.

This isn’t so unusual; other demonstration teams have paused operations while transitioning to a different platform. The RCAF says it will support airshows and public engagement opportunities with other aircraft and personnel in the meantime.

For now, the Snowbirds are grounded. But far from being cancelled, Canada has just assured their future for many years to come.

US gov’t bonds plummet amid inflation concerns

  US gov’t bonds plummet amid inflation concerns

Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

On Wednesdays, the Brew’s Sam Klebanov highlights a fascinating stock, commodity, or other asset that’s worth your attention. Investors are dumping IOUs from Uncle Sam. Government bond prices fell this week, pushing 30-year yields—which move in the opposite direction to prices—to 5.19% yesterday, the highest level since July 2007. Everyone is worried about inflation accelerating: Analysts say the risk of prices rising faster due to a prolonged Strait of Hormuz closure has investors expecting that the Fed won’t lower borrowing costs this year, which makes the current bonds that offer lower interest look as appealing as a hot tub in July. The market went from anticipating three rate cuts this year to now a rate hike. Growing government debt further cheapens federal bonds. The US national debt for last year’s Q4 was 122% of GDP, up from 105% during the same period in 2019. This affects you even if you’re not a bond trader. Rising government bond yields can translate to higher mortgage rates and more expensive auto loans.

SpaceX shows its finances and future in IPO filing

 SpaceX shows its finances and future in IPO filing

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch on April 29. Nurphoto/Getty Images

SpaceX filed its first comprehensive prospectus yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, giving investors a peek at its finances, as it prepares to list on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker SPCX. The company aims to raise up to $80 billion at a valuation that could reach $2 trillion. It’s expected to surpass Saudi Aramco for the title of largest IPO in history. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, CTO, and chairman, will hold 85% of the company’s voting control. The listing will likely propel Musk to become the world’s first trillionaire. So, how’s business? SpaceX reported a net loss of $4.3 billion for Q1 2026, despite taking in $4.69 billion in revenue. The company breaks its business down into three units: Space (rockets), Connectivity (Starlink satellite internet), and AI (xAI, the Grok chatbot, Colossus data centers). The Connectivity unit made $1.19 billion in the first quarter. By comparison, the Space unit lost $619 million, and the AI unit lost $2.5 billion. Here are some other interesting factoids revealed by the filing: For the 1 billion performance-based restricted shares that Musk received in January to vest, the company must establish a permanent human colony on Mars with at least 1 million inhabitants, “subject to Mr. Musk’s continued employment with us through the date on which achievement is certified by our board.” SpaceX stock will be available to retail traders upon its debut via Robinhood, Schwab, Fidelity, E*Trade, and SoFi. Most appropriate company ever for hodlers to send to the moon? The company spent $15 billion developing its updated version of the Starship megarocket. SpaceX called the creation of trillion-dollar market opportunities one aspect of its “repeatable business model.” It sees a total addressable market of $28.5 trillion. Zoom out: SpaceX’s IPO is likely to be the first of three massive public offerings this year, followed by OpenAI and Anthropic. But Musk won’t be done with big business deals—Wedbush analyst Dan Ives predicts that SpaceX and Tesla will merge in 2027.

The biggest midterm donor (so far) is not a person

  The biggest midterm donor (so far) is not a person

Morning Brew Inc., Photos: Getty Images

It’s a venture capital firm. Andreessen Horowitz, one of the largest VCs in the world, and its billionaire founders have dumped $115.5 million into this year’s midterm election cycle, surpassing the contributions of individual billionaire donors including Elon Musk and George Soros, the New York Times reported yesterday. According to the NYT’s analysis, since Election Day 2024: Andreessen Horowitz has given $47.5 million to Fairshake, a super PAC network that supports crypto-friendly candidates on both sides of the aisle. The firm has also donated $50 million to Leading the Future, another super PAC that similarly backs AI-friendly Democrats or Republicans. Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and their eponymous firm have collectively given $12 million to President Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc. That includes $6 million in March—around the time that Andreessen was appointed to a White House tech council. Why this matters: Individual venture capitalists have pretty much always whipped out their checkbooks during election cycles, but firms themselves typically stayed out of political fundraising. The tides changed in late 2023, when Andreessen and Horowitz said their firm would start backing politicians who were committed to “advancing technology.” Elsewhere in Silicon Valley…AI lobbying is also heating up. Meta, Nvidia, and Alphabet collectively spent nearly $50 million to sway federal lawmakers last year, up 22% from 2024.

In last Late Show, Colbert pulled out the stops

 In the last Late Show, Colbert pulled out the stops and turned off the lights. After a 33-year run and 11 years with Stephen Colbert at the helm, CBS’s The Late Show played the Ed Sullivan Theatre in NYC a final time last night. In his opening, Colbert expressed gratitude for the 1,800 episodes he hosted, saying, “We call it the joy machine, because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears.” A stream of notable figures appeared, including Bryan Cranston, Jon Stewart, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Colbert’s final guest was not Pope Leo, but Paul McCartney, who made his American TV debut with the Beatles at the same theatre in 1964. McCartney ended the show by singing “Hello, Goodbye” with Colbert and former Late Show band leader Jon Batiste contributing backup vocals, before McCartney and Colbert turned off the lights together.

Swiftsure Yacht Race - Saturday 23

Swiftsure sends fleet of sailboats across Victoria’s seaside vista

Published 9:00 am Thursday, May 21, 2026


By Christine van Reeuwyk







A group of yachts cruise by as their sails catch the wind at the start of the 2023 Swiftsure International Yacht Race off Clover Point in Victoria. (Justin Samanski-Langille/Victoria News file)


Swiftsure returns to Victoria waters this weekend, and residents and visitors are invited to join the excitement around the Inner Harbour, Clover Point, Ship Point, and Ogden Point.

The 81st running of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club’s Swiftsure Yacht Race is the largest of its kind on the west coast of North America, and this year, it is expected to see 100 participants.

The fun kicks off Thursday (May 21) with visits to the Inner Harbour causeway docks where folks can greet arriving boats and query the skippers and crew.



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By Friday, all boats are anticipated to arrive, with guests welcome to walk the docs until 8 p.m. with a live band helping make a festive evening.

Saturday morning features a pancake breakfast hosted by the Central Saanich Lions Club starting at 8 a.m. at Clover Point – the best location to watch the six race starts from shore. Spectators can get a great view of the boats maneuvering for the start of the races at 9 a.m.

Those looking to enjoy the show are asked to consider arriving by foot, by bicycle, or by public transit, where possible, with a reminder vehicles may not access the Clover Point loop.





The event includes video from the live broadcast, with Swiftsure commentators explaining the race, start procedures, and tactics.

Swiftsure Inshore Races finish Saturday afternoon in Cadboro Bay and dock at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Oak Bay.

The best view of race boats finishing is from the end of the Ogden Point breakwater from late Saturday evening until the race finishes at midnight on Sunday (May 24).

Baseball fans are testing stadiums’ spaghetti policies

 Baseball fans are testing stadiums’ spaghetti policies

Nick Iluzada

The online world can be a beautiful yet confusing series of tubes. On Thursdays, the Brew’s Molly Liebergall untangles them for you. In the latest reminder that free will exists, a group of Milwaukee Brewers fans recently went viral for enjoying a full pasta dinner they brought from home, complete with garlic bread, while watching their team demolish the Arizona Diamondbacks. No sneaking necessary: The Brewers’ home stadium allows attendees to carry gallon-sized clear bags, so the spaghetti crew trusted that security would have no problem with their Ziploc-ed feast. Taking inspiration from this stunt, sports aficionados from a college football fan community called the Sickos Committee have taken it upon themselves to figure out every MLB team’s spaghetti policy (hat tip to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). They found that most stadiums will probably let you get away with it and bypass sky-high concession prices, as long as the food is in a clear bag. All that to say, don’t take me out to the ballgame unless you’re bringing meatballs.

Colbert’s 11-year Late Show run ends tonight

  Colbert’s 11-year Late Show run ends tonight

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

Lord of the Rings and Neutral Milk Hotel enthusiast Stephen Colbert will host The Late Show for the final time tonight, ending an 11-year run at CBS after the network canceled the show for what it said were “purely financial” reasons. But many—including Colbert—believe the cancellation came at the behest of President Trump, a frequent target of the comedian’s jokes and ridicule. The top-rated late-night show was informed of its fate last summer, shortly after CBS parent company Paramount settled a $20 billion lawsuit with Trump over its editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe.” Not long after, the FCC approved the Paramount-Skydance merger. The future of late night: Network TV viewership has been down for everyone in the last decade, as younger audiences gravitate away from appointment TV viewing and toward online clips—something that networks have a hard time monetizing. What’s next for Colbert? He is scripting a Lord of the Rings film for Warner Bros., a dream project for the longtime Tolkien nerd. He said he has no plans to get into politics, despite a mild endorsement from former President Barack Obama.

When athletes trade sports dreams for regular jobs

 When athletes trade sports dreams for regular jobs

Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images

Most retired athletes do not become coaches or broadcasters. Many more trade in their uniforms for J. Crew button-downs and Patagonia sweater vests, so they can take the jobs that the rest of us would quit today if we could become professional athletes. The length of an average professional sports career in the MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL is only five to seven years, with most calling it quits before age 30, according to a study by the RBC Sports Professionals group. That means linebackers, pitchers, and goalies are either scouring LinkedIn job listings or—if their careers were longer and more fruitful—launching their own businesses: LinkedIn data from 2022 showed that more than a quarter of retired athletes pivoted to sales, where traits like competitiveness and self-drive tend to translate well. Finance is also a popular second act—Goldman Sachs has made recruiting athletes a priority. Former New York Giants player Justin Tuck has been with the company since 2018. Others become the boss After years of taking orders from coaches, some ex-players decide it’s their turn to start bossing people around. Some of the notable success stories include: George Foreman: Perhaps the most memorable of them all, there’s an entire generation that knows him more for his grills than his boxing accolades. Shaquille O’Neal: It seems like he’s in every third commercial that comes across your TV screen. After investing in Papa Johns and Five Guys, he started a fast-casual chain called Big Chicken, opened a slate of car washes, and more. Magic Johnson: The former basketball star and one-time talk show host built a multibillion-dollar investment firm and holds ownership stakes in multiple pro sports franchises. Michael Jordan: Among other notable high-value business ventures, he was the majority owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets before selling his stake in 2023 at a $3 billion valuation (he bought it for $275 million in 2010). However…many other former athletes who start businesses struggle. MLB pitcher Curt Schilling’s video game company, outfielder Lenny Dykstra’s financial advice magazine, and quarterback Mark Brunell’s real estate business are among those that serve as cautionary tales.

Is grad school actually worth it?

 Is grad school actually worth it?

William H. Kelly III/Getty Images

Economic downturns or uncertainty have historically pushed adults back to school to wait out the rocky hiring market and come out the other side with new, irresistible skills. But do you get a return on your investment? A study released last month by the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center at American University found that while some classic postsecondary degrees, like pharmacy, law, and medicine, offer high returns on investment, fields like psychology and social work often yield negative returns. Ballooning tuition costs and skyrocketing interest rates on loans—up to 9.08% for the 2024–2025 school year—have made grad school even more of a gamble. There are other reasons to go to grad school besides the potential for a higher salary, like networking, earning certifications, and getting another diploma to hang next to a Pulp Fiction poster. Plus, some MBA programs are offering steep discounts for prospective students. One career path that pays: Registered nurses are locking in an average salary of $93,600 a year, according to the Labor Department. The healthcare sector created the most jobs in the US last year, and employment of advanced-degree nurses is expected to jump 35% from 2024 to 2034.

What happened in Vegas?

 What happened in Vegas?

Unsplash

It’s not just David Copperfield—everyone seems to be vanishing from Vegas. Last year, annual trips to Las Vegas dropped 7.5%, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Outside the Covid-19 pandemic, that marks the biggest decline since the group started tracking visits to Sin City in the 1970s. Everyone has thoughts on why Vegas is sputtering out Some observers chalk it up to a decline in international tourism due to geopolitical tensions. (Mayor Shelley Berkley even publicly begged Canadians to come back to the Strip last September.) Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, meanwhile, pitched a theory that GLP-1s have curbed not only appetites, but also urges to gamble and drink, which are…kinda Vegas’s whole shtick. And it doesn’t help that Gen Z and millennials are drinking less than generations before them. But the strongest argument for fewer visits is likely declining value. Most casinos have tweaked their odds against gamblers in roulette and raised minimum bets at blackjack tables in the last few years. Like other recent changes in the travel industry, these moves were meant to attract higher-income customers, which seems to be working: Despite declining visits, Vegas casinos posted record revenue last year, at roughly $8.8 billion. An LVCA survey found that 44% of visitors had a household income of $150,000 or more. Big picture: Combined with a flood of resort fees, inflated food and drink prices, and even hotels abandoning free parking, budget-conscious travelers are getting priced out of Sin City. Maybe try Atlantic City?

The trial that could upend short selling

 The trial that could upend short selling

Andrew Left. Bloomberg Television via YouTube

A landmark fraud trial of legendary short seller Andrew Left began with jury selection yesterday, and the verdict could set an important precedent for pro stock bashers, aka activist short sellers, who publish damaging research about companies and profit from their shares tanking. Federal prosecutors indicted Left in 2024, claiming he made at least $16 million by weaponizing his massive media reach to manipulate markets with dishonest commentary about stocks like Nvidia and Tesla. Left’s defense will likely argue that he shared sincere stock opinions protected by the First Amendment. Is Left right? In the 2010s, Left earned clout by exposing fraud at Valeant Pharmaceuticals and debt issues at China’s real estate giant Evergrande. But prosecutors claim that, in later years, he engaged in chicanery: They’re accusing him of cashing in on short-term stock swings caused by his viral posts and TV appearances, while misleading investors about his exposure to those stocks. Left is also charged with concealing his deals with hedge funds affected by the stock moves. Left maintains that he’s being unfairly targeted due to his influence, and that there’s no clear requirements for prominent market commentators to disclose their trades. Big picture: A guilty verdict could send Left to prison for up to 25 years and undermine the bread and butter of activist short sellers, a group that’s already hurting due to losses from meme stock rallies.

It’s spring but nobody is buying houses

 It’s spring but nobody is buying houses

Morning Brew Inc., Photos: Adobe Stock

If you noticed a realtor looking particularly despondent at a recent open house, it’s probably because everyone is eating the free food but nobody is making an offer. Despite expectations for the sluggish housing market to take off during the usually busy spring season, home sales remained flat in April, a sign that a resurgence isn’t likely to happen. Sales of existing homes rose 0.2% last month—that’s better than the 2.9% they fell in March—but economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had anticipated a 3% increase for April after the 30-year mortgage rate dropped below 6% at the end of February. The reasons behind the reluctance to buy property are varied, but they mostly boil down to: “Nobody can afford nice stuff.” The war in Iran pushed mortgage rates back above 6% and triggered inflation concerns among buyers. Agents told the WSJ that buyers are also put off by a frozen job market and steep home prices. The national median existing-home price in April was $417,700, an all-time record high for the month, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). More inventory needed: There were 1.47 million unsold homes on the market last month, the highest number for April since 2019, but still far below the 2 million average that was the norm before the Covid-19 pandemic. Beyond having more people suddenly be able to afford to stop renting, NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, told the AP a 30% increase in inventory would help put buyers and sellers on more even terms. Looking ahead: What happens next may depend on where the current 6.37% mortgage rate goes. WSFS Home Lending president, Jeffrey Ruben, told the WSJ that if the rate falls back below 6%, sales will rise. But if it goes above 6.5%, it could scare away even more potential buyers.

When We Choose War, We Cannibalize the Solution

When We Choose War, We Cannibalize the Solution

When We Choose War, We Cannibalize the Solution
April 22, 2026
Reading time: 3 minutes

Full Story: Corporate Knights
Author: Ralph Torrie


Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. 1 April 2022. (UNDP Ukraine/flickr)



My father saw the devastation of the Second World War firsthand and often said, “There are no winners in war.” It sounded like moralism when I was young. Today it reads like systems analysis. In a world of tight carbon budgets and finite critical minerals, the war economy and the energy transition are not parallel projects. They are rival claimants on the same resources, and only one of them can ultimately keep us safe.

We already know the headline facts. The wars in Ukraine and Iran are producing emissions on the order of a mid-sized industrial economy. The scramble for energy and resources helped set the stage, and the destruction of pipelines, depots and power stations has become a recurring spectacle. Analysts have tallied the greenhouse gases, the poisoned soils, the bombed substations and the forests turned to smoke. Less discussed is what this means for the energy transition itself: every tank, missile and drone is built from metals and fuels we also need for wind turbines, batteries and resilient grids.

Every tonne of copper that ends up in shrapnel rather than in wires, every kilogram of lithium that ends up in loitering munitions rather than stationary storage, slows the transition and deepens climate risk for everyone, including the supposed winners. When we choose war, we are not just adding to the climate problem; we are cannibalizing the solution.

Here we face a fork in the road. One path is to treat transition minerals as the new oil: strategic assets to be hoarded, weaponized and fought over. That path is already visible in export controls, trade extortion and a growing list of violent incidents and community protests around mines in the GlobalSouth. The other path is to treat them as a global lifeline for common security, with shared stockpiles, transparent reporting, producer countries as real partners and apolitical norm that the first call on these minerals is decarbonization, not escalation.

Modern warfare also confirms, in the harshest possible way, the old principle that shows up in all the great religious traditions: what you do unto others, you do unto yourself. In a tightly coupled Earth system, the effects of our actions propagate through food webs, supply chains and the atmosphere. When a refinery or gas pipeline explodes, the carbon doesn’t check passports on the way up. When artillery fires shell after shell into fields, the contaminants do not ask permission before entering rivers and crops. Thermobaric weapons suck oxygen from the air and generate firestorms; forests and towns burn, releasing greenhouse gases and black carbon that darken ice and accelerate melting thousands of kilometres away. High-precision missiles and drones can target power plants and transmission lines with uncanny accuracy; the replacement steel and concrete, when they eventually arrive, carry their own enormous carbon price tag. In Ukraine, war-related emissions are now estimated to exceed the emissions from all of the country’s civilian sectors.

And yet, from a certain narrow corner, war looks like a success story. Defence budgets climb; order books for missiles, shells and air defence systems fill; share prices rise. Headlines announce record revenues for the world’s largest arms makers. If your horizon is the next quarter and your constituency is shareholders, war is indeed “good for business.”

But that business model is parasitic on the larger economy and on the biosphere. War destroys infrastructure, scares off investment, shreds trade links and forces governments to divert money from health, education and decarbonization into replenishing stockpiles and repairing damage. It also burns through critical minerals that the low-carbon economy will need for generations.

Militarization is itself a threat to our security and that leads to some uncomfortable but necessary questions for business and finance. Should climate-aligned investors treat defence exposure as compatible with net-zero strategies, given what we now know about war’s emissions and mineral demands? Should governments that proudly report power-sector decarbonization be allowed to keep military emissions off the books? Should critical-mineral off take agreements be judged only on price and supply security, or also on whether they prioritize uses that reduce net global risk?

My father’s line about there being no winners in war was, in its way, a statement of planetary accounting. In the 21st century, with the atmosphere full and the mineral supply tight, any war anywhere threatens states and markets everywhere, and the thin atmospheric envelope that makes any kind of economy possible at all.

Ralph Torrie is director of research at Corporate Knights, where this post was first published.

Air Force One Leaked 32,000 Gallons of Jet Fuel Into the Potomac River

The Military Base Home to Air Force One Leaked 32,000 Gallons of Jet Fuel Into the Potomac River Over the Last Few Months
"There's an equation with a lot of blank spaces that have to be filled in."



By Joe Wilkins


Published May 10, 2026 1:30 PM EDT
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Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images




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With nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil under lock and key thanks to Donald Trump’s ill-fated war on Iran, oil derivatives like jet fuel are at a premium. That makes it all the more devastating that the US Air Force leaked some 32,000 gallons of the stuff into the Potomac river over the course of just four months.

According to bombshell reporting by NOTUS, Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews, the facility that stores and maintains Air Force One, has lost tens of thousands of gallons of valuable jet fuel over two separate leaks. That would be bad enough on its own, but Joint Base Andrews is situated directly on Piscataway Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River.

The timeline established by NOTUS is a little convoluted, but basically this could’ve all been prevented as early as December, when the base’s fuel system failed a critical leak safety test. Across the first two months of the year, base personnel noted the loss of roughly 10,000 gallons of jet fuel, though they believed at the time that the leak was contained to the base itself, and had not impacted the surrounding environment.

On March 23, however, an observer reported what appeared to be oil floating in the Piscataway, forcing the Department of Defense to make an incredibly embarrassing call to the state of Maryland.

Yet according to NOTUS, military officials failed to disclose how much fuel had actually spilled into the state’s waterways during that initial call. It took a further two weeks for the DoD to bring state officials up to speed on the full impact of the leak, prompting outrage from environmental regulators.

“There’s an equation with a lot of blank spaces that have to be filled in,” deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment Adam Ortiz told NOTUS. “That’s why the rules are what they are. People are supposed to report immediately.”

While it remains to be seen how much of that fuel ended up in the Potomac, the environmental consequences are surely catastrophic. For Maryland officials, the extent of the coverup so far makes it all the more urgent to get to the bottom of things. If the DoD can lie about two separate fuel spills for months, there’s no telling what else has yet to come to light.

“Efforts to properly control, contain, and clean up the release of fuel have been minimal and insufficient,” Maryland’s inspectors wrote in an April 15 report, viewed by NOTUS. “Deadlines are now considered past due.”

More on environmental damages: Trump’s US Forest Service Spraying Deadly Toxins on America’s Woodlands



Joe Wilkins
Correspondent


I’m a tech and labor correspondent for Futurism, where my beat includes the role of emerging technologies in governance, surveillance, and labor.

Private-taxi-for-your-burrito app adds hotel bookings

 Private-taxi-for-your-burrito app adds hotel bookings

Jakub Porzycki/Getty Images

Nothing says cultural immersion like ordering Uber Eats to the accommodation you booked through Uber while you’re Ubering there from the airport. This scenario became reality yesterday: Uber launched a hotel-booking feature for US users. As part of the rideshare app’s latest effort to become an everything app: A new hotel tab lets you book Expedia accommodations on the Uber app, with Vrbo rentals coming later this year. Uber One subscribers can get discounts on bookings, including 10% back in Uber credits and up to 20% off some hotels. Regular users can apparently also get deals. A Washington Post travel reporter without Uber One said she booked a discounted Hilton room that was slightly cheaper than it would’ve been through Booking.com, Hotels.com, or the Hilton website. Back scratch: Expedia said it’ll add Uber ride bookings to its app in June. This partnership was a long time coming—Uber’s current CEO previously led Expedia in the 2000s and 2010s, and Uber reportedly considered buying Expedia in 2024. Other assistant-like offerings announced yesterday include: OpenAI-powered voice booking for rides, a room service-like feature for hotel-door deliveries, and, for Uber Black customers, the option to request that drivers have coffee or food waiting for them.

Shell Puts Canada at Heart of Growth Plans in $13.6 Billion Deal

Shell Puts Canada at Heart of Growth Plans in $13.6 Billion Deal
Shell Puts Canada at Heart of Growth Plans in $13.6 Billion Deal · Bloomberg
Mitchell Ferman and Robert Tuttle
Mon, April 27, 2026 at 9:20 AM PDT 3 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Shell Plc agreed to buy Canadian oil and gas producer ARC Resources Ltd. for $13.6 billion, its biggest deal in more than a decade as it seeks to sustain output in the long term.

It’s the first major acquisition in the three-year tenure of Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan, who has been pressed recently to bolster the company’s fossil fuel reserves. In the absence of major discoveries, and with Shell saying last year it won’t bid for troubled rival BP Plc, a smaller deal has been the likeliest path to growth.

ARC’s low-cost shale gas and liquid hydrocarbon production complements Shell’s existing operations in Canada, which include a stake in a major liquefied natural gas export facility on the west coast. The country, which under Prime Minister Mark Carney has accelerated approval of energy projects, is now core to Shell’s ambitions, Sawan said.

“This establishes Canada as a heartland for Shell,” Sawan said in a statement announcing the transaction on Monday. The deal “strengthens our resource base for decades to come.”

The deal reinforces the London-based company’s move to refocus on its core oil and gas business in a drive to boost returns to investors. ARC’s assets will raise the compound annual growth rates of Shell’s production between 2025 and 2030 to 4%, up from 1% previously. It will help sustain liquids production toward 2030 and beyond at about 1.4 million barrels a day.


ARC’s shares jumped as much as 24% to the highest in more than 10 years. Shell dropped 1.7% to 3,252.5 pence in London.

LNG Canada

The transaction will help support output from LNG Canada, an important export project that gives access to Asian markets to the country’s natural gas resources. A second phase of expansion is possible at the project, in which Shell has a 40% stake, although Sawan told reporters acquiring ARC doesn’t mean a final investment decision is imminent until at least the end of the year.

ARC’s operations are situated in the same region as Shell’s Groundbirch asset in British Columbia, which supplies LNG Canada, and the Gold Creek project in neighboring Alberta, according to the statement. The acquisition also gives Shell exposure to another export project with ARC’s supply deal into Cedar LNG, a smaller facility under construction nearby.
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Domino’s Pizza stock falls on disappointing sales

Domino’s Pizza stock falls on disappointing sales — and CEO thinks more chains will follow
Published Mon, Apr 27 202612:26 PM EDT

Amelia Lucas@ThxamelianWATCH LIVE

Key Points
Domino’s Pizza stock fell after the pizza chain reported disappointing U.S. same-store sales and lowered its full-year forecast.
CEO Russell Weiner said he expects more fast-food chains will report winter weather and weak consumer sentiment hurt their quarterly sales.
Domino’s also faced stiffer competition from rival pizza chains Papa John’s and Pizza Hut.

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A pedestrian walks by a Domino’s Pizza on Dec. 9, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images


Domino’s Pizza stock fell 10% in morning trading on Monday after it reported weaker-than-expected U.S. same-store sales growth.

The chain’s domestic same-store sales rose just 0.9%, lower than the 2.3% bump expected by Wall Street analysts, based on StreetAccount estimates.


“We’re not happy with it,” CEO Russell Weiner told CNBC.

The pizza chain also lowered its full-year U.S. same-store sales forecast to low-single digit growth, down from its prior projection that U.S. same-store sales will increase 3%.

Weiner said he expects more fast-food chains to report similar headwinds from winter weather and weak consumer sentiment, which took a dive in March due to spiking fuel prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

“One of the bad things about reporting first is you don’t get to hear about anybody else,” Weiner said.

Domino’s kicked off the earnings season for restaurant chains. Starbucks is on deck after the bell on Tuesday, and Chipotle Mexican Grill and Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands are expected to share their results on Wednesday. Rival Papa John’s will report its earnings next Thursday.


During the quarter, Domino’s also faced stiffer competition from rival pizza chains. Papa John’s and Pizza Hut both matched Domino’s $9.99 “Best Deal Ever” with promotions at the same price point. And Little Caesars undercut Domino’s $6.99 Mix & Match deal with a $5.99 version.

“People are seeing what we’re doing, and they’re sick of losing share, and they’re coming at it,” Weiner said, adding that he still expects Papa John’s and Pizza Hut to report same-store sales declines for the quarter despite the new promotions.

Looking ahead, Weiner expressed confidence that Domino’s will prove itself in the long run.

“Domino’s has got a bigger advertising budget than our second two competitors combined,” he said. “And those competitors are both going up for sale, so we know things aren’t good there right now.”

Yum announced in November that it was exploring strategic options for Pizza Hut, which could include a sale. And Papa John’s is reportedly in talks with Qatari-backed Irth Capital to go private. Both chains have also announced plans to close hundreds of restaurants this year, which could further boost Domino’s dominant position in the pizza category.

And if either Pizza Hut or Papa John’s goes private, Weiner said he expects that a new owner would shutter even more locations — a win for Domino’s.

Shares of Domino’s have lost nearly a third of their value over the last year. The company’s market cap has fallen to roughly $11.2 billion.

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada's 1st sovereign wealth fund

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the country's first national sovereign wealth fund on Monday, pitching it as a way for Canadians to invest in nation-building projects.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Pressabout 2 hours ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during an announcement on the Canada Strong Fund, Canada's first sovereign wealth fund, in Ottawa on Monday, April 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Listen to this article

00:00:53

OTTAWA —

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the country's first national sovereign wealth fund on Monday, pitching it as a way for Canadians to invest in nation-building projects.

Carney said the Canada Strong Fund will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology.

The prime minister said the federal government will put up funds starting at $25 billion to invest alongside private investors. He said individual Canadians can also put money into the fund and suggested it would be similar to purchasing a government bond, where the initial investment is protected.

Returns from those investments will be put back into the fund to expand its capacity and build out capital projects in Canada.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Carney compared the fund to a "national savings and investment account." He also called it "the people's fund."

Carney cited the Canadian Pacific Railway as an example of a privately funded project supported with public money that ultimately delivered benefits for generations of Canadians.

He said the fund can support construction of new ports, mines and energy corridors that will have similar national benefits.

"We're taking lessons from our history, which is that a lot of wealth has been created in these transformative projects," Carney said.

"It creates an opportunity to invest alongside for Canadians and spread that wealth over time."

Countries such as Norway and many Gulf states already have large sovereign wealth funds. Alberta's Heritage Savings Trust Fund functions in a similar way, by reinvesting proceeds from the province's resource sector.

The Canada Strong Fund will be set up as an independent, arm's-length Crown corporation. The federal government says it will consult over the coming months on the specific design of the investment instrument.

Carney made the announcement Monday morning at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, a day before the Liberal government tables the spring economic update.

The prime minister was asked where the federal government will get the money to cover the initial $25-billion capitalization. He said he didn't want to "front-run" his finance minister's fiscal update.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, in Montreal to discuss the Canada Strong Fund on Monday, was also asked where the money would be coming from.

Champagne did not answer directly but said the federal government's relatively strong fiscal standing internationally would allow it to borrow at favourable rates.

In Ottawa, Carney suggested there would be "good news" in Tuesday's update on the government's deficits and spending reduction targets.

He was asked by a reporter why the deficit would be lower than projected in the 2025 federal budget back in November.

"Because we're good fiscal managers," he said.

The Liberals' fall budget projected a deficit of $78.3 billion for the last fiscal year, with deficits declining and averaging around $64 billion annually over the five-year horizon.

Carney also pushed back when a reporter suggested the government's revenues would be better because of higher inflation. He noted the annual rate of inflation has been within the Bank of Canada's target range of one to three per cent for the entirety of his time in office.

Many economists predict the federal government's revenue stream will benefit from the recent spike in gas prices tied to the war in Iran. Ottawa has offset some of the higher revenues from the energy shock with affordability measures, such as a pause on the federal fuel excise tax until Labour Day.

Since the fall budget, Statistics Canada has also revised up gross domestic product data from the previous three years, giving the federal government a stronger-than-expected starting point for many of its fiscal guideposts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.