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US stocks inch
to more records
U.S. stocks inched to more records after oil prices fell back to where they were in mid-April. The S&P 500 edged up by less than 0.1% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.1%.
All three indexes set all-time highs. Bath & Body Works and Abercrombie & Fitch both rallied after becoming the latest companies to deliver stronger profit reports for the start of 2026 than analysts expected. That's even though U.S. consumers have been getting discouraged about inflation.
Median pay for CEOs rose nearly 6% in 2025
The typical CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, as company boards rewarded their top executives for bigger profits and higher stock prices, and gave them incentives to stick around and make even more money for shareholders in the years ahead.
The median employee at these companies earned $89,744, reflecting a 4.7% increase year over year. While that gain outpaced inflation in 2025, many workers were still feeling pinched by the accumulation of higher prices over the past few years.
Fair housing groups
file federal lawsuit
Fair housing groups have filed a lawsuit over a rule change by the Trump administration that they allege reverses decades of lending protections and opens the door to discrimination against Black people, Latinos and other minorities.
The federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C. It takes aim at a change made by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which bars lenders from discriminating against credit applicants.
Iran expands restrictions on giving news content
Iran is expanding restrictions on the distribution of news content from the country. In a directive, it instructed international news outlets based in the Iranian capital -- including The Associated Press -- to restrict the use of their content by Israeli media and also Farsi-language news stations broadcasting from outside the country.
It said the news organizations must include mandatory language on all content -- videos, photos and other reports. The new restrictions come three months after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran that grew into a continuing, occasionally flaring war in the region.
Canada will buy surveillance planes
Canada plans to buy early warning radar planes from Sweden's Saab and Canada's Bombardier, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday.
The decision moves away from two American options. Carney said the Saab planes, built on Bombardier's Global 6500 aircraft, will support domestic production and contain 20% U.S. content. Canada is in the market for six radar aircraft.
LEGO Foundation donates $97 million
The LEGO Foundation has committed $97 million to expand the International Rescue Committee's programs that use play to aid learning and recovery for children in conflict zones.
Announced Wednesday, the five-year initiative aims to reach 5 million children across East Africa and the Middle East. LEGO Foundation CEO Sidsel Marie Kristensen says they'll focus on "the most dire contexts." The partnership is designed to be agile, funding an education strategy that can be implemented anywhere as opposed to individual place-based grants that might become outdated as conflicts evolve.