A sign sits outside of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Roybal campus in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 18, 2026.
Megan Varner | Reuters
One American has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection to the deadly outbreak in central Africa that global health agencies are racing to contain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.
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The person was exposed as part of their work in Congo, developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday, Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response incident manager, told reporters on a call. The CDC and State Department are working to move that individual and six other Americans exposed to Ebola to Germany for treatment, care and monitoring.
But Pillai emphasized that no cases tied to the outbreak have been confirmed in the U.S., and that the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low.
Still, the CDC also announced on Monday that for the next 30 days, it will restrict entry into the country for people without a U.S. passport who were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the last three weeks.
The update came one day after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola epidemic a “public health emergency of international concern.” The outbreak does not meet the criteria of a “pandemic emergency,” but the WHO warned that the high positivity rate and increasing cases and deaths point toward a “potentially much larger outbreak” than what is being detected and reported.
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As of Sunday, more than 300 suspected cases and 88 suspected deaths have been reported, primarily in Congo but also in neighboring Uganda, according to the CDC.
The specific virus involved in this outbreak, called Bundibugyo, has no vaccine or treatment. Historically, that virus has death rates ranging from 25% to 50%, the CDC added.
The symptoms of Ebola disease can be sudden and include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, according to the WHO. Those flu-like symptoms can be followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash and impaired kidney and liver functions.
“One concern, specifically with this outbreak, is that this Ebola strain is one that’s not very common and really hasn’t been seen recently, and we really don’t know if the current Ebola vaccine is going to be effective to prevent disease, prevent infection,” Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Health, said in an interview.
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CDC officials told reporters on Monday that work is underway to develop a monoclonal antibody therapy as a potential treatment for this specific strain of Ebola. But it’s unclear how long that process would take.
Blumberg said cases in the U.S. may appear, but emphasized that the outbreak is unlikely to escalate to a Covid-style pandemic.
That’s because there is “no person-to-person transmission in the pre-symptomatic phase, so there is no risk for someone who is appearing well,” he said. Patients who have Ebola are going to be “very sick” and won’t be out in public to expose others, so there should be “limited transmission.”
The global awareness of this outbreak should also prompt screening of patients who have traveled to affected areas, he added. Those who do show symptoms should immediately be placed in isolation and will likely need treatment at a healthcare facility, he said.
PAR Technology Corporation (PAR) J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference May 18, 2026 3:30 PM EDT
Company Participants
Savneet Singh – CEO, President & Director
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Conference Call Participants
Neil Dalal – JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Presentation
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Neil Dalal JPMorgan Chase & Co.
All right. Let’s hop right in, given we have a tight calendar here. So Savneet, thanks for joining us once again at the conference. Let’s hop right into it.
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Question-and-Answer Session
Neil Dalal JPMorgan Chase & Co.
So for those not familiar, can you just give a brief snapshot of PAR and what PAR is?
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Savneet Singh CEO, President & Director
PAR is a platform to run your enterprise restaurant. We sell software and now AI-related products to enterprise restaurants. Think of that as restaurants greater than 50-plus units, and we cover everything from front of house, which is loyalty and online ordering to the back of house and point of sale. And so our goal for the last number of years has been to integrate these solutions to more of a unified platform as opposed to a bunch of disparate services.
Neil Dalal JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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Great. And we’ll spend some more time on the strategy in a minute. But let’s kind of talk about some current events. So you reported Q1 earnings last week. Anything you want to — anything stood out that you want to talk about with the group here?
Savneet Singh CEO, President & Director
Yes. I mean I think we had a great quarter. We, I think, beat expectations pretty substantially and then gave guidance that was better than expectations. I think maybe the critical points to highlight in the quarter were, obviously, our guidance was very strong, sort of reiterating our belief that we are taking — continue to take share and continue to move
Alliance Global Partners chief global strategist Mark Grant discusses his income tax strategy for retirees on Varney & Co.
Americans looking to retire this year may be considering relocating to a new city that allows their retirement savings to go further, and a new analysis by GOBankingRates spotlights five cities to consider.
The amount an individual or couple needs to have saved to retire can vary significantly across different parts of the country.
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A recent GOBankingRates report noted that the amount needed to retire in Oklahoma is $735,284, whereas the figure for Arizona would be $1,110,019 and illustrates how those amounts may differ depending on the location.
GOBankingRates identified five communities that people retiring in 2026 should consider given the cost of living, housing prices, quality of life and other amenities for seniors.
The low cost of living is a key reason Midland topped the rankings, as the community has a median home price of around $206,000 – well below the national average of about $360,000 which gives retirees the opportunity to save on housing costs.
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Located inland from Saginaw Bay, Midland has nearly 43,000 residents and has been noted for its walkability and access to nature, with the area also experiencing diverse seasons in Michigan’s climate to allow locals to take part in winter activities. Midland topped U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best communities for retirees.
Homosassa Springs, Florida
A view of Homosassa beach in Homosassa, Florida. (Getty Images)
Florida is a popular destination for retirees and the small community of Homosassa Springs ranked highly for its affordability as well as its location on the state’s western coast north of Tampa.
Homosassa Springs also has low housing costs, with a median price of about $220,000, while also offering easy access to the coast along with the warmer climate and no state income taxes.
A waterway winding through the business district of The Woodlands, Texas. (Getty Images)
Located north of Houston, The Woodlands is near the city’s world-class healthcare facilities, a range of housing options and also low tax burdens with Texas not having a state income tax.
The cost of living is relatively higher than the smaller communities at the top of the list, with the suburb’s median home value coming in at $474,000, above the national average.
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
A view of Sandia Mountain with the expanding sprawl of Albuquerque’s suburb of Rio Rancho in the foreground. (Getty Images)
New Mexico is known for its dry, sunny weather, which makes it an appealing destination for retirees – particularly those who enjoy outdoor recreation.
Rio Rancho is a suburb of Albuquerque and is near healthcare facilities and is relatively affordable in terms of housing, with a median home value of $310,000.
Asheville, North Carolina, made the list of top retirement destinations in 2026. (iStock)
Located in the mountainous western portion of North Carolina, Asheville has around 95,000 residents and offers residents access to amenities found in smaller metro areas along with access to outdoor activities and healthcare.
The median home price in Asheville is listed at $442,000 according to Redfin, so housing is relatively affordable even though it may be less so than other locations on the list.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq closed lower on Monday as investors booked profits while surging Treasury yields and high oil prices fueled concerns that inflation and borrowing costs could stay elevated.
The 10-year Treasury yield, the benchmark for global borrowing costs, climbed to its highest level since February 2025 earlier in the session as continued worries about the disruption of oil supplies stoked concerns that high inflation would keep borrowing costs elevated. U.S. crude settled up more than 3% after a volatile session. Oil pared gains after settlement when U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was holding off on a planned military attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday, while efforts continued to reach a deal. But he added the United States was ready to resume attacks in the absence of a deal.
“It seems like the one issue that’s been moving markets on a day-to-day basis is oil prices. The main variable is the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz that pushes oil higher and increases the risk in the longer run of inflation expectations becoming unanchored. That lifts Treasury yields,” said Burns McKinney, portfolio manager at NFJ Investment Group in Dallas, adding that higher yields are “particularly bad for long-duration stocks, like the tech sector and a lot of the high-flying chip stocks.”
RALLY PAUSE
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The Nasdaq posted its second straight decline as investors took a break from a rally that started in late March. The S&P closed Thursday’s session up more than 18% from its March 30 finish, which was its lowest close since the Iran war began in late February. In the same timeframe, the Nasdaq gained 28% as enthusiasm about artificial intelligence and solid technology earnings helped investors look past inflationary threats.
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“There’s concern about the rally we’ve had in a short period of time, and there’s some profit taking,” said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 4.90 points, or 0.07%, to end at 7,403.60 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 135.79 points, or 0.52%, to 26,089.35. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 159.52 points, or 0.33%, to 49,688.25.The heavyweight information technology sector led declines among the S&P 500’s 11 major industry sectors with chip stocks among the biggest drags. Energy was the biggest sector gainer during the session.
Traders are pricing in a 37.8% chance that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by 25 basis points by year-end, according to CME’s FedWatch tool, after last week’s hotter-than-expected inflation readings.
NVIDIA RESULTS IN FOCUS
The world’s most valuable company, Nvidia, is scheduled to report results on Wednesday.
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Expectations are high for the company, whose shares have risen sharply from a March low, while the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index has surged this year on strong demand for AI-related chips.
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is also expected to report earnings this week, which could offer a clearer picture of how U.S. consumers are coping with high energy prices and broader inflation.
Dominion Energy shares jumped after power firm NextEra Energy said it would buy the utility in an all-stock deal valued at about $66.8 billion. NextEra’s shares fell. Shares of Regeneron tumbled as the drugmaker’s experimental treatment missed the main goal in a late-stage trial in patients with advanced melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
Kyndryl Holdings, Inc. (KD) J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference May 18, 2026 2:50 PM EDT
Company Participants
Martin Schroeter – Chairman & CEO
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Conference Call Participants
Tien-Tsin Huang – JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division
Presentation
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Tien-Tsin Huang JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division
All right. We’re going to get started. Thanks, everyone, for joining. My name is Tien-Tsin Huang. I’m the IT services analyst here at JPMorgan. And really happy and grateful to have Martin Schroeter here, CEO at Kyndryl, to join us and have a fireside chat. I’ve taken a lot of questions from the investment community, Martin, and we’ll go through them over the next 30 minutes or so. But thank you for being here. It means a lot to me.
Martin Schroeter Chairman & CEO
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Thank you, Tien-Tsin. Delighted to be here. I appreciate it.
Question-and-Answer Session
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Tien-Tsin Huang JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division
I know how busy you are and a lot of demands on your time. So I’ll be efficient, but thinking about how to start the conversation, Martin, I know you’re always on the road, you’re meeting with clients, you’re talking to CEOs, CIOs, boards, what have you. You guys touch a lot of IT estate across large enterprises. So what are you hearing from those counterparts that I mentioned? What’s been changing? How are you changing the strategy to address what you’re hearing on the ground?
Martin Schroeter Chairman & CEO
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Yes, it’s a great question. Good afternoon, everybody, and thank you for joining us here in person, Brendan, nice to see you. I guess there are some, what I’ll call kind of long arc themes that are evident in nearly every customer conversation. A little bit different. And as you said well, we run a lot of workload — regulated workloads, right? We’re mission-critical. So the way we feel things is
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai delivered one of the most composed final-round performances in recent major championship history Sunday, firing a 5-under-par 65 to capture the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club and become the first Englishman to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy in 107 years.
The 31-year-old from Wolverhampton, England, posted rounds of 70-69-67-65 for a 9-under 271 total, pulling three shots clear of runners-up Jon Rahm of Spain and Alex Smalley, both at 6 under. Rai’s closing 65 featured an eagle, six birdies and three bogeys on the demanding 7,394-yard, par-70 layout west of Philadelphia, showcasing pinpoint iron play and clutch putting under intense pressure from a stacked leaderboard.
Rai entered the final round two shots behind third-round leader Smalley but seized control with a blistering back nine. After an early eagle on the par-5 ninth that ignited his round, he navigated Aronimink’s tree-lined fairways and challenging greens with remarkable precision. A 68-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th effectively sealed the victory, drawing roars from the gallery and sending Rai into a moment of pure disbelief.
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“I can’t really put it into words right now,” Rai said afterward, fighting back tears during the trophy presentation. “This is what every kid dreams of — winning a major. To do it here, with my family watching, it’s special.”
The win marks only Rai’s second PGA Tour victory, following his 2024 Wyndham Championship triumph. It also ends a streak of 10 consecutive American winners at the PGA Championship and highlights the resurgence of international talent in golf’s biggest events. Rai, of Indian heritage through his family, becomes the first player of Indian descent to win a men’s major championship.
Aronimink Golf Club, hosting its second PGA Championship after 1962, presented a stern test with firm, fast conditions and strategic demands that rewarded accuracy over power. The course, redesigned over the decades but retaining its classic Donald Ross influences, saw 21 players within four shots of the lead heading into Sunday — one of the most bunched final rounds in recent memory.
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Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion, carded a solid 68 but couldn’t match Rai’s closing surge. The Spaniard mixed four birdies with two bogeys, finishing tied for second alongside Smalley, who posted a 70. Justin Thomas charged with a 65 to finish in a tie for fourth at 5 under, while Rory McIlroy ended at 4 under after a 69 that included a notable fan incident on the 16th.
Rai’s round unfolded like a masterclass in momentum. He made bogeys on holes 6 and 8 but responded immediately. The eagle on nine got him to 5 under for the tournament. Birdies on 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16 followed, with the par-5 16th yielding a textbook two-putt birdie after a strong approach. His only late drama came on the 18th, but a confident two-putt par closed out the historic victory.
Born in England to Indian parents, Rai grew up honing his game on custom-length courses created by his father in the backyard. He turned professional in 2012 and steadily climbed the ranks on the European Tour before earning his PGA Tour card. Known for wearing two gloves — a habit from his junior days — and maintaining a low-key demeanor, Rai has earned respect for his work ethic, including rigorous gym sessions and range time praised by peers like Xander Schauffele.
“This guy outworks everyone,” Schauffele said post-round. “He’s been building toward this for years. No one deserves it more.”
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The victory catapults Rai into golf’s elite. He earns $3.69 million, 750 FedEx Cup points and a five-year exemption into all future majors, including the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship. His world ranking is expected to surge into the top 10.
For English golf, the win carries deep historical weight. Jim Barnes, an English-born player often associated with the early U.S. game, was the last Englishman to win the PGA Championship in 1919 (he also won in 1916). No native Englishman had claimed the title in the stroke-play era until Rai’s breakthrough. British fans erupted on social media, hailing the moment as a landmark for the sport across the Atlantic.
Rai’s path to victory wasn’t without obstacles. He entered the week as a relative longshot at around 150-1 odds. Early in the tournament, he stayed under the radar while bigger names like Scottie Scheffler, defending champion, and McIlroy grabbed headlines. But consistent scoring and clutch moments — particularly his iron play, which ranked among the week’s best — positioned him for the Sunday charge.
Aronimink’s setup drew mixed reviews from players, with some praising the challenge and others noting it allowed for a congested leaderboard. The par-4 10th hole and reachable par-5s proved pivotal, rewarding bold yet calculated aggression. Rai navigated these holes flawlessly in the final round, avoiding the big mistakes that plagued several contenders.
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Beyond the individual triumph, Rai’s story resonates as one of perseverance. After more than a decade as a professional with modest wins, he broke through in dramatic fashion on American soil. His celebration — embracing caddie and family on the 18th green — captured the emotion of a long-awaited breakthrough.
As the golf world shifts focus to the U.S. Open next month at Oakmont, Rai’s win injects fresh excitement into the major season. It also underscores the global nature of modern professional golf, where players from diverse backgrounds can rise to the top through dedication and skill.
For now, Aaron Rai stands atop the game as the 2026 PGA Champion. The Wanamaker Trophy, gleaming under the Pennsylvania sun, belongs to England once more after more than a century. In a sport often defined by superstars, a quiet, determined Englishman reminded everyone that majors can still produce unforgettable underdog tales.
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