German Authorities Unmask Leader Behind Ransomware Groups That Extorted Dozens of German Victims

The Wall Street Journal dispatched reporters to gas pumps for a day to capture what Americans are saying about the economy. The decision to make pump conversations a reportable beat—and to frame it as news—tells us something about where we are in the economic story: at the point where macro data and lived experience have diverged enough that elite media is actively seeking ground truth.

North Korea is doing something unusual: staying quiet about a war involving a longtime partner. According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, Pyongyang has sent no weapons or aid to Iran since the February conflict began, and has issued no public statements of support—a departure from past patterns that Seoul's spy agency interprets as North Korea keeping the door open for potential talks with Washington.

The secondhand electric vehicle market is doing something unusual: thriving while new EV sales slump. According to the Financial Times, Americans are snapping up used electric cars even as new vehicle sales decline—a divergence that signals the used EV market may be maturing into its own distinct segment with different buyers and different economics.

A global scramble for oil is underway as Asian countries compete with Europe and Africa for alternative supplies amid threats to close the Strait of Hormuz—a waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil. Saudi Arabia is now charging Asian buyers a record $20 premium per barrel above benchmark prices, while U.S. crude premiums have hit all-time highs as buyers worldwide bid against each other for scarce tanker capacity.

Japan is arranging a summit with Iran's leadership as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz escalate—a move that matters because it represents the first major diplomatic effort by a U.S. ally to defuse a crisis that could instantly reshape global energy markets. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed the outreach as President Trump threatened to bomb Iranian power plants unless Tehran reopens the strait, through which 20% of the world's oil flows.