TIME

Trump Says U.S. Navy ‘Like Pirates’ in Enforcing Sea Blockade of Iran

President Donald Trump compared the U.S. Navy to pirates when describing how it was carrying out his orders to blockade Iranian ports. "We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It's a very ⁠profitable business," Trump said on ⁠Friday evening, recounting a seizure of an Iranian ship. "We're sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games."The U.S. began a naval blockade of Iranian ports last month following the breakdown of peace talks between the two sides, ostensibly in response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The energy transit route saw one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travel through it before the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Feb. 28, beginning a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians.In response to the attack, Iran blocked all maritime traffic passing through the Strait. It loosened that blockade in recent weeks, allowing allies and other non-combatant nations to pass through after paying a toll. The U.S. blockade applies to Iranian and any other vessels that have paid a toll to Iran, according to Trump. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on April

Face Value: Why ‘Looksmaxxing’ Is More Than Mewing and Mirrors

Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Images: Eric Robert—Sygma/Getty Images, Lion's Gate/Getty Images)by Fay Bound-Alberti is a professor of history at King's College London and the author of "The Face: A Cultural History." May 2, 2026 11:00 AM CUTYoung men in bathrooms and bedrooms fix themselves on a scale via social media communities. Then, they agonize over their appearance and devise “soft” and “hard” ways to improve it. Welcome to the era of “looksmaxxing, " which has taken over the manosphere and is creating a new aesthetic vocabulary in the process. Underpinning it is a purportedly “objective” scale of attractiveness, based on such traits as “facial harmony,” balance, symmetry, and sexual dimorphism, to rank people on a scale from zero to eight, with eight being the highest (aka, in looksmaxing parlance, a “Giga Chad”) and zero the lowest (or what the phenomenon terms “subhuman.”) It doesn’t stop there; there are subcategories. Soft looksmaxxing involves skincare and grooming, fitness, and diet. There are specific techniques, such as “mewing”—pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth—that are supposed to enhance your jawline, as well as eyelid pulling in pursuit of “hunter eyes." Some even embrace “starvemaxxing” (not eating) to make the face thinner.

How Voting Rights Groups Are Rallying to Fight After the Supreme Court Hollowed a Landmark Law

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling to narrow a core provision of the Voting Rights Act, voting and civil rights advocates in Southern states are rallying to attempt to protect the electoral power of racial minority groups. The conservative-majority court overturned Louisiana’s electoral map in a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines on Wednesday, finding that redrawing the state’s voting lines to add a second Black-majority district constituted an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”The decision significantly weakens Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which outlaws racial discrimination in voting and has been used for decades to protect against attempts to diminish minority voters’ electoral strength.The ruling could have sweeping consequences for minority representation in government and the balance of power in Congress. It opens the door for Republican-led states, particularly in the South, to redraw congressional maps to eliminate some majority-minority districts represented by Democrats in favor of new lines that could help the GOP gain additional seats in the House.“Under the Court’s new view of Section 2, a State can, without legal consequence, systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissenting opinion joined by her liberal colleagues that she opted to read out loud

Trump Threatens to Withdraw U.S. Troops From Italy and Spain as Europe Rift Widens

President Donald Trump said “yeah, I probably will,” when asked whether he would consider pulling U.S. troops from Italy and Spain. “Why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible,” he replied, doubling down on his argument that NATO allies have not supported the U.S. during the Iran war.“We helped them [Europe] with Ukraine… but when we needed them, they were not there. We have to remember that.”As of December 2025, there were 12,662 U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in Italy and 3,814 in Spain, according to data from the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).While Spain has yet to respond to Trump mulling over the troops, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has pushed back.“I wouldn't understand the reasons behind it. As is clear to anyone, we haven't used the Strait of Hormuz. And we've even offered to carry out a mission to protect shipping—a gesture that, incidentally, was greatly appreciated by the U.S. military,” he told Italian ANSA news agency.TIME has reached out to the Prime Minister offices in Italy and Spain for comment.Trump’s remarks regarding Italy and Spain mirror a similar warning he issued to Germany this week amid

What to Know About the May Day Protests Bringing Out Demonstrators Around the U.S.

Protesters are taking to the streets in cities and towns around the U.S. during “May Day Strong” events Friday in honor of International Workers’ Day. A coalition of hundreds of organizations is calling for a day of economic blackout with “no school, no work, no shopping” to demand “a nation that puts workers over billionaires,” a website for the event reads. Walkouts, marches, and other events have been planned to take place across the country, a number of which were underway by Friday afternoon.The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate activist group, said that over 100,000 students would be striking from school on Friday. “Over a dozen schools have cancelled classes because so many students and teachers are expected to miss class,” the organization posted on X.Organizers for the day of action outlined demands including “that we tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first,” as well as “No ICE. No war. No private army serving authoritarian power. Expand democracy. Hands off our vote.” May Day, or International Workers’ Day, has long been marked as a day of protest by the labor movement. In the U.S., it traces back to the fight for an eight-hour workday in the

It’s Sinking In That Fossil Fuel Demand Won’t Grow Forever

Climate activists, oil executives, atmospheric scientists, and investors are all trying to make sense of the same picture using completely different language and with vastly different priorities. And this week was a particularly striking example of this split screen. Policymakers and climate advocates gathered at a global summit to phase out fossil fuels. Meanwhile oil and gas producers are trying to maximize their returns in this quickly evolving world. The two groups seemingly have little overlap. But both climate advocates and sophisticated oil producers are now operating from the shared premise that unbounded fossil fuel demand growth will not continue forever. We see the shift happening in the electricity sector already. For oil, it’s slower-moving and obscured by geopolitics. But the question remains: how do you respond to a market that may be smaller or flatter and certainly will be less predictable? To answer these questions, we didn’t see bold proclamations from climate advocates or oil producers this week. But, in 2026, the most telling moves are often made without fanfare. This week’s summit, held in the coastal city of Santa Marta, Colombia, was the culmination of years of planning with representatives of nearly 60 countries gathered for talks on

Iran Will Participate in the World Cup, FIFA Chief Says

FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino announced on Thursday that Iran will participate in the upcoming 2026 World Cup."Let me start at the outset confirming, straightaway for those who maybe want to say something else or want to write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026," Infantino announced while speaking at the FIFA World Congress in Vancouver, Canada. "And of course Iran will play in the United States of America.""The reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility," Infantino said. On Tuesday, Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj and other soccer officials from the country were turned away at the Toronto airport on their way to attend the FIFA Congress. The federation said the officials had valid visas to attend the gathering, but returned to Turkey due to what it described as the “unacceptable behaviour” of Canadian immigration officials. "I can provide the following assurances and facts. One is that, as you know, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and all those members have been listed as a terrorist organisation for several years," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said. "The

The DHS Shutdown Is Over, But Its Impact on the TSA—and Air Travel—May Persist

The partial government shutdown that left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unfunded for 75 days ended on Thursday. But the toll it has taken on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may still be felt for months to come, experts have warned.The most visible impact of the shutdown occurred at airports, where staffing shortages among TSA employees caused lengthy delays for passengers. TSA agents are required to work during a lapse in appropriations even if they’re not receiving their paychecks because they’re considered to be essential workers. But many agency staffers called out of work to take on other paying jobs, leaving airports across the country understaffed and travelers waiting in security lines for hours. Last month, President Donald Trump ordered DHS and the Office of Management and Budget to use existing funds to pay TSA staffers, and in the days after officers began receiving their paychecks, security wait times appeared to ease at several airports.But many TSA agents left their jobs entirely during the shutdown. On Thursday, a TSA spokesperson told TIME that more than 1,110 officers have quit since the shutdown began on Feb. 14. And the spokesperson stressed that replacing those staffers would take time, since new

'Everyone’s a Line On a Spreadsheet:' Inside Oracle’s Mass Layoffs and the Workers Fighting Back

On March 31, a longtime Oracle employee named Jill drove to the hospital for a very overdue back surgery when she received a call from her manager. Jill had worked at Oracle as a technical writer and instructor across three decades, teaching customers around the world about the company’s products. Last year, Oracle had asked her and others on her team to document some of their workflows in order to train the company’s AI systems. Now, her manager told her over the phone, she had been laid off. The sudden firing imperiled not only her ability to pay for post-surgery prescriptions, but her entire retirement plan. For years, she had received high performance scores from her managers and was rewarded with restricted stock (RSUs) in lieu of bonuses. But those RSUs were tied to a vesting schedule, meaning when she was fired, $300,000 worth vanished overnight.“It really makes you feel used and abused,” says Jill, who asked to use a pseudonym for fear of retaliation. “They’re having you do something, it’s recorded, and then they’re going to replace you with whatever you just built.” Jill is one of up to 30,000 workers who were laid off by Oracle in the

As the 5-Day Workweek Turns 100, It’s Time for an AI Era Upgrade

May 1, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of Henry Ford’s adoption of the five-day workweek.This standard workweek is now so ingrained in our society that it almost feels timeless. But the five-day rotation doesn’t claim roots in any historic text or religious practice. It wasn’t developed by the ancient Romans, Greeks, or Egyptians. Nobody sat down to conduct an objective analysis for the optimal number of days for humanity to rest and work and determined that our current schedule was ideal, or fair, or necessary. Our conventional workweek was instead forged by the Industrial Revolution, a period of rapid economic and technological change. As we enter another period of disruption driven by AI, we are once again in a unique position to reimagine how we work in ways that better suit the needs of our modern economy.As with the last time there was a systemic shift in our working hours, new technologies have catalyzed a reimagining of our professional schedules. Though it’s still early days, AI is already changing not just how we work, but the kinds of skills that deliver value. We believe the next phase in this evolution is a four-day work week. By reducing the workweek to

The Most Urgent Threats to Press Freedom in 2026

Coinciding with World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd), global media outlets unite as One Free Press Coalition to publish this annual “10 Most Urgent” list, bringing attention to fellow journalists who are being threatened for seeking to tell the truth. These 10 cases focus on journalists who are targeted for “terrorism” or “anti-state” charges.According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the majority of imprisoned journalists—61% of those jailed worldwide—are being held on “anti-state” charges, which include accusations of terrorism or accepting funds from a foreign government. The list is compiled in collaboration with CPJ, International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). According to CPJ data, 330 journalists are currently behind bars worldwide because of their work. The One Free Press Coalition crucially and emphatically unites our collective voices in support of the following individuals and their urgent cases of press persecution.Reza Valizadeh. Courtesy of the Valizadeh familyReza Valizadeh—IranAfter 16 years working as a journalist in the U.S., Iranian-American Reza Valizadeh returned to Iran in February 2024 to care for his aging parents. He claimed to have attempted to negotiate assurances from Iranian authorities for his safe return, but was repeatedly summoned and interrogated for cooperating with

Trump’s Grip on the Republican Party Faces 3 Big Tests in May

This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox.It’s been an article of faith that Donald Trump has a vise-like grip on his Republican Party. Those who defied him found themselves vanquished. Rare was the candidate he opposed who could weather his contempt: Gov. Brian Kemp survived in Georgia, where he tested his supremacy over the MAGA wing of the party in 2022; Sen. Lisa Murkowski defeated a ranked-choice challenge from a fellow Republican and Trump-backed contender that year; Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina prevailed in a Trump-led primary against her then, too.But, by and large, a Trump blessing has been more than sufficient to sideline heretics to the cult of Trumpism. In 2022, as an ousted ex-President, Trump still posted an enviable record: 93% of his candidates made it through the primary and 83% of them won in November that year, according to Ballotpedia. Two years later, those numbers were 96% and 89%.For a decade now, it seemed like the GOP ecosystem was one entirely at his mercy. But May’s primary calendar sets up three big tests of Trump’s influence—each of which carries a

Senate Rejects Measure to Restrict Iran War Hours Before Key Legal Deadline

The Senate on Thursday rejected a Democratic-led effort to force the removal of U.S. forces from Iran, turning back a War Powers Resolution just one day before a critical legal deadline that even some Republicans acknowledge amounts to a binding constraint on President Donald Trump’s authority.The procedural measure failed 47 to 50, with Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky the only Republicans breaking with their party as Congress again declined to assert its authority over a war that has entered its eighth week without formal approval. Significantly, it was the first time Collins had voted for such a measure, making her the first Republican to do so since the war began in late February. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania continued to be the lone Democrat voting against the resolution.The vote came on the eve of a May 1 deadline that carries unusual legal weight under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a statute enacted in the aftermath of the Vietnam War to restrain unilateral presidential military action. Under the law, a president who “introduces U.S. forces into hostilities” must terminate those operations within 60 days unless Congress declares war or passes an authorization for the use

Iran Vows to Protect Its Nuclear and Missile Capabilities as Oil Prices Soar to Four-Year High

Iran has vowed to defend its nuclear and missile capabilities in direct defiance of President Donald Trump, who is adamant that a deal can only be made to end the war if Tehran agrees to give up its nuclear ambitions.Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a written statement read by a state television anchor on Thursday, said his country will defend its “fundamental and modern technologies—from nano and bio to nuclear and missile—as their national capital and will guard them like their maritime, land, and air borders.”He also said that Iran would implement “new legal frameworks and management of the Strait of Hormuz” and argued that “foreigners” have no place in the Persian Gulf, except “at the bottom of its waters.”The Supreme Leader, who has not been seen in public since he succeeded his late father early on in the war, also directed a warning to U.S. bases and troops in the region, suggesting they "do not even have the strength to ensure their own security."His statement coincided with Iran’s National Persian Gulf Day. Iran’s indication that it does not intend to relinquish control of the Strait—and Trump’s vow to maintain the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s ports in the

After 75 Days, the DHS Shutdown Is Over

The longest government shutdown in American history ended on Thursday with President Donald Trump’s signature on an appropriations bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that was passed by the House earlier that day after previously being approved by the Senate.The bill funds much of DHS through Sept. 30, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. But the legislation doesn’t include funding for immigration enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Border Patrol.The shutdown began on Feb. 14 amid a bitter standoff between Democrats and Republicans over immigration enforcement that was spurred by federal officers fatally shooting two American citizens in Minneapolis at the start of the year. Democratic lawmakers refused to pass a funding bill for DHS unless it included new guardrails on federal immigration agents. But Republicans rejected their demands, arguing that such measures would impede the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.The lapse in appropriations left thousands of DHS staffers working without pay for weeks, including TSA officers. Many TSA agents called out of work or quit the force entirely to take on other jobs to pay their bills, throwing

The CDC's New Messaging May Be Damaging Trust in Vaccines, Study Says

Before Nov. 19, 2025, the CDC’s website was unequivocal on the topic: “Studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder,” it read. After Nov. 19, the guidance essentially reversed. “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” it now says. “Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”That claim, reflecting the longstanding vaccine-skeptical views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is false. But new research published in the journal Science suggests that it’s affecting what Americans believe about vaccines. “What concerns me is not only the immediate effect on vaccine attitudes, but also the broader downstream effects: reduced trust in the CDC and greater endorsement of science-denial practices may shape how people will engage, or not engage, with information about vaccines more generally,” says Robert Böhm, professor of psychology at the University of Vienna, who led the new study.To conduct their work, Böhm and his colleagues asked nearly 3,000 U.S. adults a range of questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. They also asked who should

Are We Losing Our Minds to AI?

AI now helps people with wedding toasts, tax returns, and processing the trauma of war. The technology’s generality lets it occupy roles that used to be human-only: assistant, tutor, friend, lover, therapist. It is endlessly patient, always available, and—unlike any prior tool—an active participant in our cognitive lives.While past tools let us externalize discrete mental processes—notebooks for memory, calculators for computation, maps for navigation—AI widens the aperture. Now, summarizing and analyzing information, generating ideas, and making decisions can all be offloaded too. “It's starting to creep into the things we thought were cognitively ours,” says Evan Risko, a professor at the University of Waterloo who studies “cognitive offloading,” or the practice of taking external action to make mental tasks easier.Although the creators of these AI tools describe them as “thought partners” and “collaborators,” the role AI plays in our lives is often stranger. With its jagged but expansive knowledge, ceaseless attention, and persuasive tone, AI dotes on us while asking for nothing but our data in return. This produces a structural asymmetry: no prior relationship, with tools or people, has this shape.The concern is that while experts—and people who already enjoy thinking, those high in what psychologists call “need for

Trump Lashes Out at Merz After Threatening to Pull Troops From Germany Amid Escalating Row

President Donald Trump has told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and matters within his own country rather than “interfering” with the Iran war."The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine. where he has been totally ineffective, and fixing his broken country, especially Immigration and energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran nuclear threat," said Trump Thursday morning.Hours earlier, Trump had warned he may pull troops from Germany.“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he said.As of December 2025, there were 36,436 U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in Germany, the highest number in any foreign country outside of Japan, according to data from the U.S. ⁠Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).During a visit to troops at a military base in Munster, Germany, on Thursday, Merz didn’t directly address the friction but reiterated the importance of the transatlantic partnership.“On all these [world] issues, we maintain close and trusting contact with our partners, including—and especially—those in Washington,” said Merz. “We do this in the shared transatlantic

Maine Gov. Janet Mills Ends Senate Bid, Clearing the Way For Graham Platner

Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate Thursday, all but ensuring progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.The announcement marks a stunning denouement for the two-term governor and former attorney general and district attorney in the state. Mills was recruited by national Democrats to run and had the backing of Senate leaders, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. For months, Mills had been telling voters she was the more electable candidate against Collins, who has held the seat since 1997 and defied tough political headwinds before. But Mills had recently pulled down her TV advertisement buys, and polling of the race showed her trailing Platner by as many as 30 points ahead of the June 9 primary. Mills did not mention Platner or the general election race in the announcement suspending her campaign, blaming her exit on a lack of financial resources she'd need to continue. Platner has outspent her $4.8 million to $1.5 million since entering the race, according to ad-tracking group AdImpact. The governor pledged to spend the remaining eight months of her term fighting “relentlessly for the people of Maine.” “I step back from campaigning with unending love, admiration,

King Charles Spends an Afternoon with Students at an Urban Farm in Harlem

In the middle of a city block in Harlem, King Charles III fed chickens and watched students make mango salsa, surrounded by beds of freshly planted broccoli and cauliflower. As part of his U.S. visit, King Charles spent Wednesday afternoon visiting Harlem Grown, a New York nonprofit that has transformed 14 abandoned lots into urban farms focused on increasing access to healthy foods for local residents and providing educational programs for kids. The visit wasn’t a big press moment for the King—rather than making remarks, he dedicated his time to meeting and engaging with community members one-on-one. Urban farms like Harlem Grown not only improve food security, but also climate resilience—lowering the carbon footprint of food production and reducing the effects of heat islands that cities are often prone to. The nonprofit's goals closely align with King Charles’s own commitment to sustainability and climate action. In 2020, he founded the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a CEO-lead climate coalition aimed at bringing world leaders and executives together toward the goal of mobilizing trillions of dollars for climate solutions. Last year, the royal family’s sovereign grant report made “environmental sustainability” a priority, cementing the King’s dedication to addressing climate change in his role

The Company That Brought Back the Dire Wolf Is Eyeing A Blue Antelope For Its Next De-Extinction

It’s been 226 years since humans last beheld a bluebuck—and we don’t know what we’ve been missing. The bluebuck was a species of antelope, but an especially elegant one—a trim, fleet beast, measuring about 4 ft. tall at the shoulders and 10 ft. from nose to rump, with long, sharp, backward curved horns measuring 22 inches from skull to point. Its belly was white and its face was brown, but the rest of the animal’s body was covered in a singular gray-blue coat. When it ran at its peak velocity of 50 miles per hour it resembled nothing so much as a speeding streak of pale blue sky.That blue pelt was irresistible to the European colonists who poured into the bluebuck’s native South Africa, and it took them only about 150 years—from 1650 to 1800—to hunt the animal to extinction. Today the bluebuck exists only in drawings from the naturalists who saw it while it lived, and in stray specimens in science museums. Now, however, the bluebuck may be on its way back, thanks to Colossal Biosciences, the company that last spring made headlines with the news that it had de-extincted the dire wolf, which last walked the Earth more

Netflix

Updated: Apr 30, 2026Published: Apr 30, 2026Streaming behemothby Senior EditorAt the Bridgerton Carnival Grand Ball, a Netflix-partnered event opening the 2026 Venice Carnival on January 31, 2026, in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy.At the Bridgerton Carnival Grand Ball, a Netflix-partnered event opening the 2026 Venice Carnival on January 31, 2026, in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy.Courtesy NetflixAt the end of 2025, Netflix was poised to complete a blockbuster deal: acquiring a major Hollywood studio. But in February, in a shocking reversal, the streaming giant walked away from its $82.7 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after refusing to counter Paramount Skydance’s revised offer of $111 billion. “We thought of Warner as a really exciting opportunity,” says Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters. “But just like in all the other cases, we size the opportunity based on the value back to our members in the business—and when someone's willing to go with a number that's bigger than that value to us, we say, ‘Great, good luck, and Godspeed.” The move—which resulted in a $2.8 billion termination fee from Paramount—was hardly an indication of weakness: in 2025, Netflix delivered $45.2 billion in revenue (up 16% from 2024) and surpassed 325 million

TIME Reveals the 2026 TIME100 Most Influential Companies in the World

Alongside the annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, TIME unveils the TIME100 Companies Impact Awards—recognizing five standout companies driving meaningful progress in AI, Health, Sustainability, Equality, and Culture Today, TIME reveals the sixth annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, highlighting 100 companies making extraordinary impact around the world.The 2026 TIME100 Most Influential Companies issue features three worldwide covers, each spotlighting top executives from a company on the list with an in-depth profile, including: Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google; Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), founder of Beast Industries; and Hailey Bieber, co-founder of Rhode. – See the complete 2026 TIME100 Most Influential Companies list: here– See the TIME100 Most Influential Companies covers: hereOf the 2026 TIME100 Companies list, TIME editor in chief Sam Jacobs writes: “One thread running through this year’s list is the power of narrative: the ability of a company and its leader to articulate a vision worth following, and to keep communicating it long enough for the rest of us to catch up.” Read more here.To assemble the list, TIME solicited nominations across sectors, and polled its global network of editors and correspondents, as well as outside experts. The result is a diverse group of 100 businesses helping

In Hostile Hearing, Democrats Accuse Hegseth of Misleading Public on Iran War Progress

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday facing what was supposed to be a budget hearing. Instead, he confronted something the Trump Administration has largely avoided during two months of war with Iran: direct, sustained questioning over whether it has misled the public about why the United States entered the conflict, what it has achieved, and how or when it will end.In a combative appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, House Democrats accused Hegseth and President Donald Trump of offering shifting justifications for the war, obscuring its mounting costs, and refusing to level with Americans about a campaign that has already killed 13 U.S. service members and cost at least $25 billion, according to the Pentagon’s first public estimate.Again and again, lawmakers pressed for a clear definition of victory, a timeline for ending hostilities, and an explanation of why the Administration’s public claims about Iran’s nuclear program have changed over time. Hegseth largely declined to provide specifics, instead denouncing critics as defeatists, questioning their patriotism and insisting the mission had broad public support.“The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,”

The 10 Most Influential Sustainability Companies of 2026

This year, TIME editors launch the TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders lists, an expansion of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies issue that dives deeper into 20 sectors to look at the companies shaping their industries. These are the 10 most influential companies in sustainability of 2026.GHGSatMethane monitorGovernments and the private sector can make all the pledges they want about curbing their planet-warming emissions, but without a way to measure compliance, those promises are empty. Enter GHGSat, a Montreal-based company that has 15 satellites in orbit scanning the surface of the Earth for sources of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. There are other satellites that do what GHGSat is doing, but none as well. GHGSat can zoom in on a sprawling refinery or other facility and pinpoint the precise loading dock or pipe array where the emission originates, allowing technicians to quickly deploy solutions to shut down the leak. “If we told you that the problem is in something the size of a baseball stadium or an airport, that's not super helpful,” says Deepak Anand, the company’s chief commercial officer. “If I can tell you, no, no, it's at this gate, or it's at this cargo bay, you can actually take

The 10 Most Influential Education Companies of 2026

This year, TIME editors launch the TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders lists, an expansion of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies issue that dives deeper into 20 sectors to look at the companies shaping their industries. These are the 10 most influential companies in education of 2026.Khan AcademyAI-enhanced tutorsTutoring a cousin struggling with unit conversion in 2004 led Sal Khan to build software exercises to help them practice. He then uploaded his first instructional videos to YouTube in 2006 as quick explainers for all students. Today, nonprofit Khan Academy serves tens of millions of learners globally. The platform's AI-powered tutor, Khanmigo, launched in partnership with OpenAI in 2023, has since scaled to 1.4 million users. Khan says AI can enable more open-ended responses and allow students to explain their reasoning. But he’s careful not to let the technology eclipse the humans at the center of learning. "If I had to pick between an amazing teacher and amazing technology for anyone's children, I would pick the amazing teacher every time," he says. A recent study that found students had significant improvement in learning outcomes only when using Khan Academy paired with a dedicated human coordinator backs up his view. Khan Academy plans to