Iranian women hold portraits of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei (R) and Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) while gathering in front of Tehran's Mellat park on April 2, 2026

(The Center Square) – Illinois may soon allow prediction markets to operate in the state, but lawmakers and the federal government are at odds with how they want it done. 

State legislators have introduced a bill proposing regulation and a tax on the services, hedging against any negative outcomes they think could stem from services operating in the state.

Operators say it would be overly burdensome and effectively prohibit them from operating.

Prediction markets allow users to effectively place bets on the outcomes of sports and real-world events by buying contracts. 

The ability for states to regulate prediction markets’ operations has been brought into question by a federal lawsuit against Illinois and several other states last week. 

The lawsuit against the Illinois and the Illinois Gaming Board was filed on the grounds that regulation should be exclusively overseen by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission and states have illegally blocked these companies from operating.

State lawmakers say they should have extra oversight powers, regardless of the lawsuit.

Senate Bill 4168, the Prediction Markets Regulation and Taxation Act, would require prediction market services – such as Kalshi or Polymarket – to pay a $1 million license fee to the Illinois Gaming Board to obtain a master prediction market license, along with yearly renewal fees of $1 million. 

The bill would also impose a 50% tax to the market operator’s adjusted gross earnings from prediction contracts placed in the state and by residents.

A state senate committee heard from Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, regarding his bill Monday. He says the bill intends to protect bettors while allowing them to access the increasingly popular services.

“By passing this bill, we ensure that every entity seeking to serve Illinois bettors plays by the same rules And that we protect our consumers through strong oversight,” Hastings said.

While no outside testimony was spoken at the hearing, legal representatives for Kalshi Inc. did file a written statement to the committee, which was not acknowledged by lawmakers during the hearing.

The Center Square obtained a copy of the seven-page testimony submitted to lawmakers through Neil F. Flynn & Associates, the company’s legal counsel in Springfield.

“Kalshi also goes beyond what is required under its federal regulatory obligations to protect consumers,” the Kalshi statement said. “Kalshi has voluntarily implemented deposit caps, self-imposed trading breaks, and self-exclusion tools that allow users to restrict their own access to trading.” 

The statement is also critical of the proposed 50% tax, saying it is overly burdensome and likely unconstitutional.

Lawmakers said they have concerns with how markets currently operate, including the threat of insider trading, low age requirements, and what specific events can be bet on.

“There was a wager that was made to bet on Armageddon. When the end of the world would occur,” Hastings said. “I had asked myself and a couple of my friends the question, what happens if you win the bet?”

Hastings also said that some real events being bet on, like who would streak at the Super Bowl or which world leader would be assassinated, promote poor and unlawful behavior.

The bill in its current form would only apply to non-sports event contracts, with sports related contracts being subject to previous state law on sports wagering, according to Hastings. He said in his research for the bill, he learned that well over half of all contracts are sports related.

Federal support for betting platforms came last year in the wake of backing from Wall Street and Silicon Valley investors and, notably, the President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. – who is directly invested in Polymarket and serves as a strategic advisor to Kalshi.

Kalshi and Polymarket, the two biggest prediction market platforms, have also recently signed partnership deals with national news companies, including CNN and CNBC, to provide insight into public opinion on notable current events through prediction data.

The Illinois bill recognizes prediction markets can serve a legitimate purpose.

“Prediction markets, when limited to non-sports events, serve a legitimate informational and hedging function by aggregating dispersed knowledge about future uncertain outcomes, contributing to more accurate public forecasting and risk management,” according to the bill

The Illinois Attorney General’s office says they are reviewing the federal complaint.

Hastings said he wants to address issues brought about by the federal lawsuit and industry criticisms.

“I do intend on filing an additional piece of legislation to counter any arguments that the industry does choose to make to ensure that there's proper oversight in the state of Illinois,” Hastings said.

NASA on Tuesday released a historic photograph of Earth dipping below the lunar horizon, more than 57 years after an iconic "Earthrise" image was captured by an Apollo 8 astronaut.

Members of the Artemis II crew captured the shot from their Orion capsule during the mission's record-setting lunar flyby, echoing the legendary "Earthrise" photograph taken by US astronaut Bill Anders in December, 1968 during the first space mission to carry humans around the Moon.

The US space agency posted its "Earthset" photo on X, as did the White House.

"Humanity, from the other side," the White House said. "First photo from the far side of the Moon. Captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon." 

The crew of four -- US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- are on a historic mission to loop around Earth's natural satellite as part of a broader program paving the way for a Moon landing in 2028.

The astronauts have reported in vivid detail features of the lunar surface and later witnessed a solar eclipse, when the Moon passed in front of the Sun.

The White House also posted a NASA photograph of the eclipse, revealing what it said is "a view few in human history have ever witnessed."

Back in 1968, Apollo 8 orbited the Moon 10 times without landing. During one orbit, Anders captured Earth's brilliant blue hue standing out against the vast darkness of space and accentuated by the desolate, grey lunar horizon in the foreground.

"Earthrise" often appears in selections of the most iconic images, and was included in 2003 in Life magazine's book entitled "100 Photographs That Changed the World."

bur-ico/mlm/ksb

While Tommy Fleetwood dreams of winning his first major title at this week's Masters, the Dubai resident's thoughts are also on the Middle East War and people at his golf academy there.

The 35-year-old Englishman, runner-up at the 2018 US Open and 2019 British Open plus the 2024 Paris Olympics, has a best Masters finish of third in 2024 as he prepares for his 10th start at Augusta National.

"It would be very special," Fleetwood said Tuesday of winning this week.

"We've watched some of the best shots of all time here on the back nine of Augusta over the last however many years, and you can relate to that because you feel like you know it. Whether you've played here or not, you feel like you know so much about it."

World number four Fleetwood, an eight-time winner on the DP World Tour, captured his first US PGA Tour title at last year's Tour Championship to take the FedEx Cup playoff crown.

But he yearns for the major title that has eluded him through 41 major starts and eight top-10 finishes.

"You always know that how much you want it is there in the background, so I try to let that be a thing and then just focus on what I'm doing at the time," said Fleetwood.

"I would love to be there late on Sunday in with a chance. Those juices flowing on the back nine of Augusta... But I've never had that joy yet of playing on the back nine with a chance to win the Masters. Yeah, I'd really love that so much."

Fleetwood opened a youth golf academy in Dubai in 2022, but with the region engulfed in war, he worries for the safety of staff, students and friends there.

"I'm lucky that my family are with me this week. I think it's difficult," Fleetwood said.

"You can only go on your personal experiences of whatever is going on and not get caught up in the bigger picture of things that are out of your control and whatever is going on in the world.

"I think the main thing is hoping that everybody is always safe, and that's the main thing, whether that be family, friends, students, whatever is going on.

"I think we have no impact on what's going on in the world at any given time, but you just hope that anyone that's close to you or associated with you or anybody in general is safe. That's the main thing and there's nothing more you can do about that."

- 'Never hit enough' -

Fleetwood also realizes his limitations at Augusta National in practice rounds, where too much shotmaking is never enough.

"You just never feel like you've hit enough golf shots on this golf course -- like you want to hit a chip from over there, I need to hit that putt because it does this," Fleetwood said.

"There's always something about every hole or the course when you're playing that you want to do that little bit more. You just learn you can't do everything in the practice rounds.

"The course makes you feel like you want to do more. It's doing the right amount of things and going from there."

js/dmc

(The Center Square) – An education group has uncovered that teacher’s union the National Education Association has given nearly two million dollars in donations since 2020 to an organization that trains for May Day school “walk-in” protests, as well as demands agendas such as “tax the rich” and the removal of ICE.

Defending Education – the organization that released the report – director of research Rhyen Staley told The Center Square that “teachers unions turning children into far-left political pawns is a betrayal of the public trust.”

“Gone are the days of these public sector unions simply fighting for better wages, insurance, and working conditions,” Staley said. “They are leftwing political activist organizations who benefit fiscally from taxpayer dollars.”

Staley made the point that “roughly 70% of American students are not proficient in reading and math, yet the teachers unions are using their influence and positions of power and authority to train children to protest and agitate for far-left causes.” 

“This reinforces that the unions’ priorities are about advancing a radical political agenda, not the education of America’s children,” Staley said.

The National Education Association has not yet responded to The Center Square’s request for comment.

Defending Education’s report revealed that “a May Day 2026 Host Toolkit includes training information for a ‘coordinated day of action’ that demands taxing the rich, removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and ‘expanding democracy.’”

The toolkit additionally “promotes tactics such as a school ‘walk-in’ where participants enter a building to ‘protest harmful school conditions and policies.’”

Defending Education’s report showed that the National Education Association (NEA) has provided “$1,735,000 in funding to one of the organizations behind the training efforts” since 2020.

Staley told The Center Square “it should be deeply concerning that one of the suggested tactics is to enter schools to protest against policies they don’t like.”

“Putting children's education and safety at risk for political gain is unethical and immoral,” Staley said.

“This is yet another example of how activists and teachers unions view schools as a tool to advance their political agenda,” Staley said.

The May Day 2026 Host Toolkit uncovered by Defending Education states that May 1 will be a “coordinated day of action” where “tax the rich” will be demanded, along with “ICE Out” and “expand democracy, not corporate power” – the latter in the name of defending “free and fair elections, not a rigged disaster.”

May Day is also known as International Workers’ Day and commemorates “workers and the history of labor organizing” with demonstrations as UCLA explained.

The May Day toolkit uncovered by Defending Education said that “thousands of organizations across the country are calling for a day of ‘No School, No Work, No Shopping’ to disrupt the violent billionaire takeover of our country and to put working families first.”

“We are excited for you to join us in making this day a reality, and hosting an action where your neighbors can gather to make our voices heard,” the toolkit said.

The toolkit contains a section entitled “Hosting a Corporate Action,” where it’s stated that “corporate actions give us a chance to stand up to the billionaires who are directly causing us harm – and profiting from it.”

According to Defending Education, “actions include wide awake, or all night noise, campaigns, boycotts, and protests” and “corporate targets” for the actions include Hilton Hotels, Chevron & Citgo, and Enterprise Car Rentals.

The toolkit’s complaints against Hilton and Enterprise spring from both organizations allowing ICE officers to use their services.

Meanwhile, the toolkit claims that Chevron and Citgo have played a “critical role in supporting Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and ongoing displacement of Palestinians.”

The toolkit provides a link to a map of Chevron stations directly owned by the company in order to take action.

President Donald Trump warned that "a whole civilization will die" in Iran on Tuesday if the country does not heed his ultimatum to accept US war demands.

With Trump ratcheting up his strident language in recent days, Vice President JD Vance offered his own threatening assessment of what may follow, warning Tehran that US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" against the Islamic republic.

Through weeks of conflict, the United States and its ally Israel have leveled Iranian military targets, killed the country's top leadership and devastated parts of the country's infrastructure.

Early Tuesday he issued one of his most glaring threats of the war.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump did not give details but he has already said the US military could bomb Iran's bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure into the "stone age."

Trump has announced a deadline of midnight GMT Tuesday for Iran to end its de facto closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow, strategic waterway used to transport oil and other commodities.

On Monday, he said a temporary ceasefire proposal being circulated was insufficient.

Iran has rejected US pressure, with state media reporting authorities are insisting that instead of just a ceasefire it wants a full end to the war.

On Truth Social, Trump left the door open for a last-hour agreement.

"Now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight," he wrote.

Trump said Monday that starting in Washington late Tuesday evening, US forces would destroy "every bridge in Iran" and cripple "every power plant" in the country -- something that many experts say would be a blatant war crime.

The extent of Trump's saber rattling and provocative language has appalled critics.

"This is an extremely sick person," top US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted on X. "Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is."

Meanwhile Vance, visiting Hungary, delivered an ominous warning even as he told reporters that Washington has "largely accomplished its military objectives," and that more negotiations were expected ahead of the deadline.

"They've got to know we've got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven't decided to use," Vance said. Trump "will decide to use them if the Iranians don't change their course of conduct."

US and Israeli warplanes have been continuously bombing Iran since February 28, and on Tuesday Tehran said that its crucial oil export terminal on Kharg island was under attack.

sms/mlm/ksb

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continued their duel for the world number one ranking before the French Open as they opened their clay court seasons by crushing their opponents into the red Monte Carlo dirt on Tuesday. 

With Usain Bolt in the crowd, the world's top two sprinted to second-round victories at the Masters event. 

No. 2 Sinner took one hour and four minutes to dispatch Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-0. He was followed onto centre court by top-ranked Alcaraz, who took five minutes longer to beat Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-3. 

Sinner is chasing a first significant clay court title and seeking to dethrone defending Monte Carlo champion Alcaraz as world number one, although the Spaniard said after his match that it was inevitable the 24-year-old Italian would take top spot in the next few weeks. 

Sinner came into the season's first clay court event following his impressive "Sunshine Double" in March at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 tournaments, winning the two titles without dropping a set. 

His victory on Tuesday ran his winning streak in 1000-level events to 18 matches.  

"It was a good performance from my side," Sinner said, adding the first clay event "is never easy".  

"You have to change your game style a little bit, how you approach certain situations," he said. 

"I come here with good feelings but, at the same time, not many expectations." 

Alcaraz had no such reservations. 

"It's been almost one year the last match I played on clay," he said. "To be honest, I missed it. I missed getting myself dirty a little bit." 

Last season, Alcaraz entered four clay-court tournaments, winning three, including Monte Carlo, and losing the final in Barcelona.  

Sinner missed the start of the 2025 clay season as he finished a ban, but returned to reach the finals in Rome, where he fell to Alacraz, and at Roland Garros, where he led the Spaniard by two sets and had three championship points before losing a five-set, five-hour marathon. 

Ranking points are wiped out after a year, but as Sinner has none to lose in Monte Carlo, Alcaraz said the Italian's return to the top is inevitable. 

"I'm going to lose the number one in the world," said Alcaraz after his win. "I don't know if it's going to be in this tournament or the next one." 

"It is going to be really difficult to defend all the points and even if I do, Jannik is going to add some points in this tournament. Number one is not on my mind but to be my best on clay and let's see how the clay court season is going to be."  

- 'I surprised myself' -

Sinner took a few games to find his rhythm against Frenchman Humbert, whom he had faced only twice, the last time five years ago, but broke serve in the fifth game before holding to love and taking a 4-2 lead. 

Humbert saved a double break point but eventually lost his serve again and the first set 6-3. 

The second set was a one-way affair. The Italian did not concede a single game to the Frenchman, sweeping him aside 6-0 in 23 minutes. 

Sinner will face either Argentine Francisco Cerundolo or Czech Tomas Machac in the next round. 

Alcaraz raced through the first set but stuttered in the second before winning the last seven points to surge to victory. 

"A really good start to the tournament for me," he said "I surprised myself with the level. I thought I was going to play a little bit worse." 

He will next face either another Argentine, Tomas Etcheverry, or Frenchman Terence Atmane.

jde/pb/ea

The UK government Tuesday blocked US rapper Kanye West from visiting the country to headline a music festival due to his past antisemitic outbursts, forcing organisers to cancel the event.

The rapper had submitted an application to travel to Britain on Monday, but it was refused on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good, the BBC cited the Home Office as saying.

The organisers of the Wireless Festival in London, where West, now known as Ye, was booked to play all three nights in July, swiftly cancelled the event.

"As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel," organisers said on Instagram.

They added all ticket holders would receive "an automatic full refund". Tickets only went on sale on Tuesday.

As the row heated up earlier Tuesday, West had offered to meet members of the British Jewish community.

The offer from the disgraced 48-year-old hip-hop star followed a decision by drinks giants Pepsi and Diageo to pull out of sponsoring the festival in the British capital.

In an advert in the Wall Street Journal headlined "To Those I've Hurt", West tried to defuse the growing controversy.

"My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music," he said.

"I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person."

In May 2025, West released a song called "Heil Hitler" to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

"I know words aren't enough -- I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here," he added.

- 'Appalling' -

West has previously expressed regret over his antisemitic rants, which he blamed on his bipolar disorder.

But British government minister Wes Streeting told UK broadcasters on Tuesday that he regarded West using bipolar disorder "to justify his actions" as "appalling".

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the weekend it was "deeply concerning" that West had been booked despite "his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism".

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said earlier on Tuesday the group would be willing to meet West if he pulled out of Wireless.

"The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage at the Wireless Festival," he said.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism, which had called for the government to intervene, said it had "clearly made the right decision here".

"For once, when it said that antisemitism has no place in the UK, it backed up its words with action," it said in a statement.

"Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika T-shirts and who released a song called 'Heil Hitler' just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK," it added, urging sponsors to "continue to stay away".

West's European comeback tour has already provoked controversy. In France, the mayor of Marseille said the rapper was "not welcome" for a concert there in June.

har/jkb/jhb

A pet ostrich went for a speedy jaunt down a busy Thai highway on Tuesday, before being returned safe and sound to its enclosure at an animal-themed cafe.

The six-month-old male ostrich raced along a three-lane highway in Thailand's coastal Chonburi province as cars and trucks sped by the flightless bird, according to a video posted by a man who was driving directly behind it.

"Who lost an ostrich on the road? Come get him. He runs so fast," the motorist, Chairat Sompong, is heard saying in the video.

Chairat, 33, later told AFP that he was driving home when he came upon a traffic jam.

"At first, I thought it was an accident but when I drove close, I saw an ostrich running in the middle lane," he said.

The ostrich "looked afraid and panicked", Chairat said, adding that he tried to make it move to the left lane, where it eventually stopped running.

Adult ostriches are the fastest running birds, with top recorded speeds of around 70 kilometres (43 miles) per hour.

The ostrich, named B1, was finally corralled around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from its pen in resort town Pattaya, said the animal's owner, Itsara Boriboon.

"I was mortified and worried," Itsara, 43, told AFP. "I was concerned he might have had an accident."

He said he had bought B1 and a female ostrich called B2 five months ago for 15,000 baht ($460) and neither had fled their enclosure before.

Itsara, who owns a cat cafe that also features the pair of ostriches, said his employees told him B1 had escaped after noise from a truck delivering construction materials frightened off the big bird.

The man who later caught B1 contacted Itsara, who drove to a neighbouring province to pick up his pet.

"I will have to take care of them very well from now on so that this kind of incident will not happen again," he said.

tp-sco/ami

(The Center Square) – “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” President Donald Trump warned the Iranian regime as the clock ticks toward the 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline Tuesday for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” the president continued. “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

Trump's warning comes as multiple reports indicate the U.S. targeted several Iranian military sites on Kharg Island, striking ammunition storage, radars and bunkers on the vital Iranian island. The island, located in the Persian Gulf off the southwest coast of Iran, hosts up to 90% of the nation’s oil exports.

The president has been issuing stern warnings to the Islamic Republic over the past week as Trump gave Iran a 10-day deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In response to the threats, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said that “restraint is over,” telling the U.S. not to cross “red lines.”

Kanye West on Tuesday offered to meet members of the British Jewish community amid a backlash over the US rapper's previous antisemitic outbursts.

The offer from the disgraced 48-year-old hip-hop star -- now known as Ye -- came as drinks giants Pepsi and Diageo pulled out of sponsoring a festival in the British capital where West is due to headline.

Asked if the government would intervene to ban West appearing, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "all options remain on the table".

West is booked to play all three nights at the Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park, London in July as part of a European comeback tour.

In an advert in the Wall Street Journal headlined "To Those I've Hurt", West said he knew he had to make amends.

"My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music," he said.

"I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person."

In May 2025, West released a song called "Heil Hitler" to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. 

"I know words aren't enough -- I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here," he added.

- Bipolar excuse -

West has previously expressed regret over his antisemitic rants, which he blamed on his bipolar disorder.

But British government minister Wes Streeting told UK broadcasters he regarded West using bipolar disorder "to justify his actions" as "appalling".

Starmer said earlier it was "deeply concerning" that West had been booked despite "his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism".

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the group would be willing to meet West if he pulled out of Wireless.

"The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage at the Wireless Festival," he said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has faced calls from politicians and the Campaign Against Antisemitism to intervene to stop West from coming to the UK, on the grounds that his presence would not be "conducive to the public good".

As tickets went on sale on Tuesday, the PA news agency reported that West's permission to enter the UK was being reviewed by ministers.

West's European tour has already provoked controversy. In France, the mayor of Marseille said the rapper was "not welcome" for a concert there in June.

har/jkb/ach