A weekly newspaper in a rural Oklahoma community was at the center of a path of destruction. But the damage isn't stopping the Sulphur Times-Democrat from getting out its next issue as Oklahoma recovers from severe weather that killed four people across the state on April 28. The most extensive damage was in Sulphur, a community of about 5,000 residents south of Oklahoma City. Kathy and James John have been covering Sulphur for the paper for more than 50 years. They’re worried the town may condemn the newspaper's building and have it razed with the rest of downtown. Meanwhile, the Johns still planned to publish the paper this week.

Asian shares are mostly higher ahead of a report on the U.S. jobs market. Several markets, including Tokyo and Shanghai, were closed for holidays. Oil prices and U.S. futures were higher. The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar amid signs of heavy central bank intervention to tamp down the U.S. dollar's advance. On Thursday, U.S. stocks closed higher and trimmed their losses for the week. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9%, a day after swinging sharply when the Federal Reserve said it’s likely delaying cuts to interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1.5%.

April 16 - May 2, 2024

The second week of testimony Donald Trump's hush money case will wrap up Friday after jurors heard a recording of the former president that's central to the case. Prosecutors have spent the week using detailed testimony about meetings, email exchanges, business transactions and bank accounts to build on their foundation of their case. Trump’s defense has worked to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors’ witnesses, and show Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family — not his campaign — by paying the women. The prosecution is setting the stage for pivotal testimony from Michael Cohen, the former Trump attorney who paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her silence.

Jon Singleton homered and had three RBIs and Jose Altuve added three hits to lead the Houston Astros to an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. The victory gives the Astros, who are last in the AL West at 11-20, consecutive series wins for the first time this season. The Astros trailed by 1 with one out in the sixth inning when Jeremy Peña tripled on a ball that deflected off the glove of center fielder Gabriel Arias. There were two outs when Singleton knocked a ball from Logan Allen into the front row in right field to put the Astros up 3-2.

Police have arrested more than 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks. They have sometimes used riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings. At Columbia University, one officer accidentally discharged his gun inside an administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside. That's according to the NYPD. No one was injured by the officer's actions. A tally by The Associated Press found at least 50 incidents of arrests at 40 different U.S. colleges or universities since April 18 stemming from recent campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

April 26-May 2, 2024