News from May 9–May 15, 2026
Each week, we scan the latest headlines to spot words in action. From major news stories to pop culture buzz, this feature highlights language as it’s unfolding. Stories about a political pencil, a flagrant foul, and a tourist’s torment all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
cybercrime
noun: crime committed using a computer and the internet
From the headlines: Google issued a report stating that hackers tried to launch a major cyberattack after using AI to detect an unknown software flaw. Security experts say it’s the first known attempted cybercrime carried out primarily through code written by AI. The unrecognized bug allowed criminals to bypass two-factor authentication in one of the company’s system administration tools.
flagrant
adjective: conspicuously and outrageously bad or noticeable
From the headlines: San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama was ejected from a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after an uncharacteristic flagrant foul. Early in the second quarter, Wembanyama hit Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the throat with his elbow, an obvious foul that referees upgraded to flagrant 2 for “unnecessary and excessive contact above the neck.” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson defended his player, citing unrelenting physicality by the other team against Wembanyama.
gubernatorial
adjective: relating to the governor of a state
From the headlines: Oregon has an unconventional gubernatorial candidate this year: an anthropomorphic pencil. The unlikely contender, who simply goes by “Pencil,” campaigns in a bright yellow pencil costume. Running as a write-in candidate to draw attention to the state’s education crisis, Pencil has made Oregon’s low fourth-grade literacy rate a central focus of his campaign.
livestock
noun: useful animals, such as cattle and sheep, raised on a farm or ranch
From the headlines: Researchers developed a virtual reality system that allows farmers and meat processors to see the world through the perspective of livestock. A helmet fitted with a 360-degree camera and virtual reality goggles enables users to perceive their surroundings with a cow’s peripheral vision and reduced color perception. The system is intended to help workers manage cows, pigs, and other farmed animals more efficiently and humanely.
proximity
noun: nearness in place, time, or relation
From the headlines: A mining company in South Dakota has called off an exploratory dig following weeks of protests. Several Native American tribes and local residents opposed the project because of its proximity to Pe’ Sla, a sacred location in the Black Hills. The meadow, long used for ceremonies, prayer, and buffalo grazing, sits just half a mile north of the planned graphite mining site.
punitive
adjective: inflicting punishment
From the headlines: The American Academy of Pediatrics has revised its guidance on school recess, stating that it is too important to be withheld for academic or punitive purposes. The update, the first in thirteen years, draws on research showing that recess supports students’ academic performance as well as their mental and physical health. The policy makes clear that time for breaks should not be removed as a form of punishment.
rogue
adjective: unusually dangerous or unpredictable
From the headlines: An Indian billionaire has offered to adopt and relocate at least eighty of Colombia’s rogue hippos, which have become a growing danger to both residents and the environment. The large, non-native animals, descended from hippos brought into the country by Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, lack natural predators. Their numbers have surged from four to more than 200, disrupting local ecosystems and displaying increasingly unpredictable and aggressive behavior toward people.
somber
adjective: dark or dull in color
From the headlines: A petroleum byproduct used to make colorful ink is in short supply in Japan, as oil shortages caused by the war in Iran mean the component is harder to come by. The country’s largest snack maker, Calbee, will transition from cheerful, multicolored chip packages to somber black and white ones. The new, monochromatic bags are also missing their bright yellow potato mascot.
vex
verb: irritate, annoy, or provoke
From the headlines: For the third time in two years, a Canadian hospital had to close its operating room after it was infested with ants. The bugs appeared at Carman Memorial Hospital in Manitoba, vexing staff there, most of whom remember 2024 and 2025 infestations that disrupted scheduling for medical procedures. The hospital was forced to delay elective surgeries while exterminators searched for the source of the latest irritating insects.
vindicate
verb: show to be right by providing justification or proof
From the headlines: A German court ruled in favor of a bitter tourist, vindicating him after he sued a tour company for allowing guests to use towels to reserve pool chairs. The man and his family had spent a week at a resort on the Greek island of Kos, where they repeatedly encountered rows of empty lounge chairs that had been claimed early each morning. Frustrated at having to sit on the ground by the pool, he brought the case to court and was awarded $1,200, about fifteen percent of the trip’s total cost.
