Texas Murder Suspect Has Been Deported Multiple Times

US Immigration officials say Francisco Oropesa, the man accused of shooting five of his neighbors in Cleveland, Texas, including a 9-year-old boy, has been deported four times in the past but keeps re-entering the country illegally.

So far, despite a widening manhunt over three days involving more than 200 officers, officials say, they have “zero leads” and are offering an $80,000 reward.

The FBI released new photos of Oropesa, showing a prominent tattoo of a woman wearing a headdress on his arm. Police have warned the public that Oropesa is considered dangerous and not to approach him if they see him.

Military Tracking Another Mystery Balloon

The U.S. military is tracking a mysterious new balloon crossing the ocean from Hawaii towards Mexico. The government says the balloon poses no danger or security risk, but they have no idea who it belongs to or what it is.

Officials say the balloon is transmitting no signals and could be a weather balloon off-course. It will be subject to being shot down if it comes near land.

Meanwhile, newly revealed satellite photos (picture) from last November show a large blimp on the ground at a Chinese military base, a few months before a similar Chinese spy balloon crossed the United States and was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

States Protest New Equity-Based Mortgage Fee Rule

Top financial officials from 27 states sent a letter to President Biden protesting new White House rules that redistribute mortgage fees from people with good credit to people with worse credit in the name of equity.

The new federal rules will impact how much new borrowers pay for a home loan through government lenders. Those with good credit will essentially pay more in order to subsidize people with lower credit scores.

State officials and other mortgage experts warn the new rule, which went into effect May 1, is a “recipe for disaster,” penalizing those with good credit and endangering the overall mortgage lending market.

➤ Dem Senator Ben Cardin is retiring from office after 50 years in politics, and Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee says he won’t seek re-election when his term is up. Now all eyes are on a half-dozen other potential Democrat retirees, including Joe Manchin, Joe Tester and Bob Casey. (More)

➤ Former President Trump surprisingly agrees to participate in a CNN presidential town hall in New Hampshire next week, his first appearance on CNN since the 2016 presidential campaign. The decision is seen by some as pushback by Trump against Fox News in an effort to reach a wider audience, and CNN is being criticized for it. (More)

➤ Pushback to GOP candidate Nikki Haley’s remark that President Biden is likely to die in the next five years is forcing Republicans to weigh how they attack Biden on age. Some are taking a more indirect approach by targeting VP Kamala Harris, his potential successor should he die in office. (More)

➤ Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot begs Texas Gov. Greg Abbot to stop sending illegal migrants to Chicago, saying the city is being overwhelmed. Texas and other states have been sending undocumented migrants to northern cities as a protest against White House immigration policies. In response, Gov Abbott vowed to continue sending migrants to the Windy City.(More)

➤ NBA legends Stephen Curry and LeBron James will face off in tonight’s opening playoff game between the Golden State Warriors and the L.A. Lakers. Both men, near the end of their careers, carried their teams to first-round victories with top-tier performances. (More)

➤ A biological man took first place in the women’s category of the Tour of the Gila bicycle race. Trans cyclist Austin Killips is criticized for the victory over biological women on social media, and Tour officials limited social media replies in an effort to tamp down the controversy. (More)

➤ A Texas A&M baseball player hanging out in the bullpen during a game was struck by a stray bullet fired from a nearby neighborhood, Texarkana police say. The 18-year-old player is reported in stable condition following surgery. (More)

Market Report   Previous Week

➤ Hollywood writers could go on strike as early as today, bringing chaos to TV and movie production. Reality TV shows aren’t affected, but broadcast TV series, including soap operas and late-night talk shows, could be paralyzed. (More)

➤ Regulators seize failed First Republic Bank and and sell most of its assets sell to JP Morgan Chase for the fire-sale price of $10.6 billion. First Republic is the third mid-sized bank to fail in the last two months. (More)

➤ Sneaker giant Adidas says it wants to “double down” on the U.S. market, particularly in basketball. The company’s breakup with Kanye West cost it $600 million Euros in the 4th quarter and could lead to the company’s first annual loss in 30 years, a loss that has sparked a shareholders’ lawsuit. (More)

➤ Neuroscientists claim they can now “decode” people’s thoughts using MRI-based brain scans. The system requires a 16-hour stay inside an MRI machine, but shows remarkable accuracy in matching a person’s actual thoughts to their brain activity. (More)

➤ Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI” says he now regrets much of his life’s work spent developing Artificial Intelligence systems. He quit his job at Google last month in order to speak openly about the dangers of AI without worrying how it would affect the company. (More)

➤ Elon Musk says he expects SpaceX to spend about $2 billion this year on its Starship rocket development. Its first rocket exploded soon after launch, but Musk says he expects the next rocket to reach orbit. (More)

➤ Sports Illustrated unveiled this year’s Swimsuit edition cover model: Celebrity chef and best-selling author Padma Lakshmi. The magazine also released a first look at their photos of Lakshmi. (Pictures)

➤ Nearly 75 percent of Americans blame the media for polarizing and dividing the nation, according to a new survey from the AP. Almost half of the respondents say they don’t trust in the media’s ability to report the news fairly. (More)

➤ Bud Light continues its freefall, with sales dropping another 26 percent the week ending April 22, says Beer Business Daily. The Anheuser-Busch brand has struggled after tying the brand to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. (More)

Today’s Trivia

NBC superstars Stephen Curry and LeBron James have matched up 22 times in NBA playoff games. Who has won the most times?