Coast Guard looks to send divers to new Bahamas waters in search for Lynette Hooker, official says

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By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard has asked Bahamian officials for permission to send divers to new locations in its search for Lynette Hooker after investigators found inconsistencies between her husband’s location data and his statements to investigators about where to search for his wife, a US official familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Lynette Hooker, a 55-year-old American mother and sailor, went missing in early April. Her husband of 25 years, Brian Hooker, told authorities she fell from an 8‑foot dinghy in the rough waters near the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands as the couple was traveling back to their yacht, according to police.

But location data recovered from Brian Hooker’s electronic devices contradicts his early statements to investigators advising them where to look for his wife, the official said.

The Coast Guard has been conducting a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance. The agency declined to comment Wednesday on the ongoing investigation.

Brian Hooker has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with his wife’s disappearance. He was arrested and questioned repeatedly by Bahamian police a few days after reporting his wife missing April 5, and he was released without being charged.

CNN has sought comment from Brian Hooker’s attorney and sought more information from Bahamian police.

The Michigan couple, both US nationals, had been sailing together for more than a decade, documenting their life at sea on social media. They were navigating the Bahamas on their yacht, Soulmate, when the incident happened.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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NY federal prosecutors charge Google engineer with making roughly $1.2 million in profits on Polymarket

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By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — Federal prosecutors in New York charged a Google software engineer with making roughly $1.2 million in profits from bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket by using confidential insider information he learned about the most searched people of 2025.

Michele Spagnuolo, the Google software engineer, allegedly used an account called “AlphaRaccoon” to place multiple “yes” and “no” bets related to who would be the most searched person on Google, according to a criminal complaint.

“Unlike the counterparties to his trades, Spagnuolo knew the outcome of these wagers before the trading public did because he had accessed Google’s confidential, commercially valuable internal data,” authorities allege in the complaint.

Spagnuolo is charged with commodities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He appeared in court Wednesday and was released on a $2.2 million bond with travel restrictions.

Google said Spagunolo has been placed on leave. A lawyer for Spagunolo was not immediately identified on the court docket.

“We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation. The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies,” a Google spokesperson told CNN.

Spagnuolo is now the second person this year to face criminal charges alleging insider trading on prediction markets.

Last month the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York announced insider trading charges against a US special forces soldier for allegedly using his knowledge of the planned military capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to place bets on Polymarket ahead of it. The solider allegedly made over $400,000 in profits. He has pleaded not guilty.

Authorities allege Spagnuolo used confidential internal Google data to place numerous bets about the most searched person.

In one case, Spagnuolo placed a $381.12 bet “yes” that d4vd would rank in the most searched people of the year and $5 that d4vd would be the number one searched person on Google with an implied probability of “slightly higher than 0%,” according to the complaint.

Spagnuolo also bet $613,000 “no” that Pope Leo would be the most searched person and just over $500,000 that Donald Trump would not be the most searched person. When Google announced the most searched results, authorities allege, Spagnuolo made over $1.2 million in profits.

CNN has a partnership with another prediction market, Kalshi, and uses its data to cover major events. Editorial employees are prohibited from participating in prediction markets.

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SLO Elections Office Open for Early Voting on Saturday, May 30

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Below is a press release from the County of San Luis Obispo, Office of the Clerk-Recorder regarding early voting made available for the upcoming Primary Election.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Turnout in primary elections is typically low, and here in SLO County the June 2 Statewide Direct Primary Election looks to be following this trend. Fortunately, the Elections Office is making it easier for voters to balance voting later in the cycle with convenience — while also ensuring their vote is reflected in Election Night results.

The office will be open on Saturday, May 30 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm for early, in-person voting. Voters can opt to have their signature verified on the spot, allowing them to vote and cast their ballot at the counter without a return envelope. This new process streamlines the steps that confirm a voter’s eligibility and will help speed the process of counting ballots cast at the office.

In past elections, any ballot cast at the Elections Office needed to be returned in a sealed and signed return envelope. This system requires the envelopes to be scanned and every signature to be verified before the ballots could be extracted, processed, and tabulated.

“We’re excited to be able to offer this new voting option,” said Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. “Importantly, ballots cast in person at our office will be counted on Election Night, just like the ballots cast at the polls. Voting this way means that your vote is included in those Election Night results, not added to the total in the days afterward.

This new efficiency will be particularly useful as a new law effective January 1, 2026, requires the vast majority of mail ballots to be processed and counted within 13 days of the election. In the past, the processing of mail ballots dropped off at a polling place on Election Day has created a bottleneck in the official canvass, which can be particularly challenging when more than 90 percent of local voters choose to use their mail ballot.

“Voters still have all of the same options as before, including putting a mail ballot in any official drop box, like our 24/7 box here. They can also drop it off at any polling location, or they can surrender it in exchange for a precinct ballot at their assigned location on Election Day,” said Cano.

She hopes the Saturday hours and the ability to vote early in person will inspire many voters to check voting off the to-do list before Tuesday.

“It will mean more comprehensive Election Night results and a faster path to getting all of the ballots counted and reported.”

Voters are encouraged to bring in their mail ballot if they want to vote at the Elections Office but it is not required; staff can void the mail ballot and issue them a replacement while they wait.

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