Iran peace talks latest; new Apple CEO; Supreme Court retirement rumors — Searched - April 21, 2026

[0:06] Hey, what's going on? I'm Gio Benitez. It's Tuesday, April 21st. You've got questions, [0:10] we've got answers. This is Search, where we're breaking down what you're asking right now in [0:14] real time. So let's get right to it. We've got our Maya Ephraim right here. She oversees our [0:18] online search trends. So Maya, what are people searching for right now? [0:23] Hi, Gio. It's a brand new era at Apple. The tech world was rocked by news that Tim Cook is [0:27] officially stepping down as CEO. Hardware chief John Ternus is set to take the helm on September [0:32] 1st. Ternus has been at Apple for over 20 years and is the man credited with redesigning [0:37] of the Mac and iPad lines. Searchers are now diving into his background, his engineering [0:41] experience, and exactly what the post-Cook Apple will look like. Moving to the Middle East now, [0:47] the world is watching the clock ahead of tomorrow's ceasefire deadline between the U.S. and Iran. [0:51] All eyes are in Islamabad, Pakistan, for what many hope is a final chance at a diplomatic breakthrough. [0:57] We're seeing high search interest in what each side is demanding in these final hours and whether [1:01] President Trump will offer a last-minute extension to the truce. And finally, a wave of speculation [1:07] regarding a potential Supreme Court retirement has sent search volumes soaring. While no official [1:12] announcement has been made, the rumors have prompted a massive spike in questions about the [1:16] court's current composition, the ages of the justices, and how many seats President Trump could [1:21] potentially fill during this term. People are also looking back at the judicial legacies of Trump, [1:27] Biden, and Obama administrations to see how another appointment might shift the court's [1:31] balance for decades to come. Yeah, these are all big questions. All right, Maya, we will check back [1:35] in with you very, very soon in just a bit here. But let's dive deeper into this top search story [1:40] of the day, a major transition for Apple. Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO, as Maya just told you. [1:45] And we've got our tech reporter, Mike Dabuski, here following it all. Okay, Mike, so the number one [1:50] story on search right now, why is Tim Cook stepping down? Yeah, so this was, as Maya said, a huge change for [2:00] Apple, one of the most valuable tech companies in the world. At one point, a $5 trillion tech company [2:06] now announcing a new CEO. Tim Cook announcing that he's stepping away from that company after [2:11] almost 15 years. And, Gio, this didn't come as a huge surprise. Tim Cook's departure had been [2:17] rumored for a while. John Ternus, the incoming CEO, had been discussed as maybe a potential successor [2:24] for Tim Cook. I think what the big surprise was was why it is happening now. Even still, this changeover [2:29] is set to happen over the next few months. So there are a couple months here over the summer [2:34] for Apple to cross all the T's, dot all the I's. Tim Cook says that leading Apple was one of the [2:40] privileges of his life, really something that he looked to as kind of one huge accomplishment of [2:46] his own. And when you look at how much Apple has changed under his tenure, going from a $350 billion [2:51] company to a more than $4 trillion one, I think that is certainly something to look at as something [2:57] that, you know, has an arrow in his quiver. Mike, a lot of people are asking, who is John Ternus? [3:04] Yeah, John Ternus is Apple's head of hardware right now. He joined the company in 2001, [3:10] worked on a lot of their high-profile projects, including MacBook Pros, certain versions of the [3:16] iPad, and these, Gio, the AirPods, which are often credited as some of the devices that Apple works on [3:23] that kind of lock people into the Apple ecosystem. If you have an iPhone, you have a Mac, and you're in the [3:28] market for some new earbuds, generally speaking, you're going to buy the Apple version of that. [3:32] And John Ternus very much in charge of that. He also is one of the leading voices behind Apple's [3:38] transition from Intel chips over to their own internally-developed processors. This is kind of, [3:43] you know, sounds like a very technical thing, but it's actually quite important because it gave Apple [3:48] a lot of control over exactly how they build computers. It was a Tim Cook project, and the guy who [3:55] announced it in 2020 was John Ternus. So he's very much allying himself with the sort of Tim Cook [4:01] ethos, and I think you can expect that in the future from him. [4:04] You had me at AirPods. A lot of people are big fans of that. All right, so how's the market reacting? [4:10] Yeah, so Apple stock down a few percentage points today. We saw this after the transition from Steve [4:15] Jobs to Tim Cook 15 years ago, Apple stock taking a bit of a hit, but it's also worth kind of widening out [4:22] looking at the larger tech space on Wall Street. Geo, tech stocks kind of roiled today by uncertainty [4:27] related to the war in Iran. And generally speaking, investors do not like uncertainty. And there is [4:33] an element of uncertainty here, even though, as we said, Geo, John Ternus kind of taking over Apple [4:39] had been telegraphed, it seems, for a little while now. So nothing dramatic, but it does signal that [4:45] investors are looking at this as maybe a reason to be a little bit more confident in how Apple is [4:51] approaching the future. You know, not necessarily, you know, a huge sell-off for Apple. [4:56] All right, Mike Dobusky, make sure to charge those AirPods. Thank you so much. [4:59] All right, let's get to Ian Pannell right now. He's reporting from Tel Aviv, and he's following [5:02] the latest on the war with Iran, of course, with that ceasefire expiring soon. All right, Ian, [5:07] so a lot of people are searching, and they want to know what's the latest on these peace talks. [5:11] Yeah, I think all those folks who are searching and everyone who lives in this region [5:17] wants to know the answer. At the moment, there are no peace talks. It was supposed to happen on Monday. [5:22] Then it was supposed to happen today or tomorrow. And so far, there's no indication that it's [5:29] definitely going to take place. The Iranians are saying that they don't want to take part in these [5:33] talks because of that U.S. naval blockade. And you remember that intercept of the Iranian flag [5:39] vessel where it was fired upon and then boarded by U.S. Marines. Iran's foreign minister posting [5:45] online saying this was essentially an act of war and a violation of the ceasefire. And so they're not [5:51] ready to attend. But they're also playing hardball. I think many people imagined after the bombing, [5:56] after all the destruction, the death of the supreme leader, that Iran would be on its knees and ready [6:01] to capitulate. And in some senses, the opposite is the case. I think it feels invigorated. Certainly, [6:08] the hardliners within the regime, they are in the ascendancy. The new supreme leader, the son of the [6:14] old one, is as hardline, if not more so than his father. And the IRGC, this military wing of the [6:21] regime, now in the ascendancy. Do we know, Ian, what happens when the ceasefire ends? [6:26] Yeah. Again, I think it's a question certainly everybody living here is asking right now. I think [6:33] people have embraced, have enjoyed a period of relative calm, not just since the Iranian ceasefire, [6:38] but also since the one in Lebanon. I think Israel is getting ready for the resumption of hostilities. [6:44] President Trump has said he will start bombing again. But we have to wait and see. Nothing [6:51] actually necessarily gets triggered the second the clock ticks on that ceasefire deadline. But I [6:58] think the chances, the prospects of a return to hostilities is looking increasing. A lot of people [7:05] are searching for J.D. Vance today. Has he left for Pakistan yet? Yeah. And of course, that's crucial, [7:11] right? There was a question, was J.D. Vance, the vice president, going to go to Islamabad [7:16] or not. The president confirming that he would do. We were told that he was going to get on a plane [7:21] at the start of the week, and then it was supposed to be today. His plane apparently was ready. He was [7:25] going to travel with special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. [7:30] But no, they have not got on that plane. They have not taken off. And of course, [7:34] it's hardly a quick journey to get to all the way to Islamabad in Pakistan. We understand that there's a [7:40] meeting taking place in the White House. And there are clearly discussions underway about how to proceed [7:46] because, as I say, Iran at the moment is saying that it won't go as long as that blockade is in [7:51] place. People have been searching for weeks now about the Strait of Wormuz. Do we know who's in [7:56] control right now? That's what they're asking. Yeah, there's a stretch of waterway no one had heard of [8:03] a few weeks ago or very few people. Absolutely critical waterway. Remember, 20 percent of the world's [8:09] oil passes through there normally. And it's really effectively being ground to a standstill [8:16] since the war started. There has been a little trickle of traffic. But the answer to the question [8:21] is there are basically two answers. One is there's a U.S. naval blockade a bit further south from the [8:28] Strait of Wormuz in the Gulf of Oman. And they are controlling what ships can go into Iranian ports [8:34] and leave from Iranian ports. But Iran says that it is in control of the actual Strait of Hormuz. [8:41] And we know there are a couple of Indian flag vessels that were attacked there. Again, [8:44] the president keeps talking about Iran's navy being destroyed. Well, Iran still has the so-called [8:49] fast boat capability. And they use those to launch attacks. Plus, there are mines in the area. [8:55] All right, Ian Pannell there in Tel Aviv. Thank you for all of your reporting. Very, [8:59] very important stuff. Thank you, Ian. All right, let's go to the Supreme Court now. Growing [9:02] questions over whether certain justices are going to retire. Our Alex Preche has set the camera up [9:07] right there in front of the Supreme Court building. All right, Alex, so we have a lot [9:11] of questions here about Justice Alito. And people are asking this, is Justice Alito retiring in 2026? [9:16] What's the deal? Well, listen, Gio, Justice Alito is 76 years old. And a lot of the speculation [9:22] about retirement was really kind of sparked by a hospitalization he had for health scare of an [9:28] undisclosed origin earlier this year. But sources close to the justice tell us that he intends to [9:34] stay on the court at least through 2027. And also, Gio, probably more telling is that he has also begun [9:41] the process of hiring clerks for next term. Now, Justice Alito is probably best known for that 2022 [9:48] opinion overturning Roe versus Wade. He is an integral part of the court's 6-3 conservative majority. [9:55] What about Justice Thomas? Yeah, that's also interesting because Justice Thomas is actually [9:59] older. He's 77 years old. But also sources close to the justice tell us that he still [10:05] really enjoys the work and is expected to remain on the bench. I think also something else is playing [10:10] out. He is just a few years away from becoming the longest serving Supreme Court justice of all time. [10:16] I think that's also something that's front of mind for Justice Thomas. But right now, [10:21] there is no indication that either Alito or Justice Thomas plan to step down anytime soon. [10:27] Well, let's talk a little bit about the makeup of the court because Trump has appointed, what, [10:30] three judges? Yeah, that's right. And really, I mean, you talk about the legacy for the first term [10:37] of Trump's presidency. This is it, right? He got a chance to appoint three justices, Neil Gorsuch, [10:44] Brett Kavanaugh, and lastly, most recently, Justice Amy Coney Barrett. You compare that to [10:50] President Biden, who only got one justice. That's Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She's the first [10:56] black woman on the court. But, you know, when you talk about a 6-3 conservative majority, [11:01] President Trump is responsible for half of that, right? So it's certainly been a really, [11:06] really big pillar for his first administration. All right, Alex Bechet right there in front of SCOTUS. [11:11] Thank you so much, Alex. Appreciate you, my man. We're going to run through all these top searches, [11:15] but we have more on your timeline, of course. So let's get back to Maya. So Maya, [11:19] what else is trending? Gio, it's a surreal turn for the media landscape. The satirical outlet, [11:25] The Onion, launched a new bid to take over Alex Jones's InfoWars. And our killer, [11:29] Kira Phillips, just spoke to the CEO this afternoon. Take a listen. [11:33] Our ultimate goal is to buy this outright. And when we do, all that money will go to families. [11:40] Like I said, at present, they've gotten zero dollars. A lot of lawyers have made a lot of money [11:44] over the last eight years. It's been eight years and three days since these families have filed this [11:50] lawsuit, but they still not received any compensatory damages. We would like to get that to them at some [11:55] point. Under a proposal submitted to a Texas judge yesterday, The Onion would license the InfoWars [12:02] domain and brand for $81,000 a month, with plans to relaunch it as a parody platform by the end of April. [12:08] This move is backed by the Sandy Hook families, who are still seeking to collect on the $1.4 billion [12:13] defamation judgment against Jones. But Jones says he's going to fight the licensing proposal and that [12:18] he's not going anywhere. All right. That's really interesting because The Onion shows up everywhere [12:23] for us. All right, Maya, thank you so much. Coming up here, one search always leads to another. We've got [12:27] a trending topic, but that's just the surface. You know that. And I bet you've got questions about [12:32] prediction markets. It's in the spiral and it's up next. All right. Welcome back to Search. [12:44] Today's top searches are only part of the story. A simple scroll can sometimes take you down that [12:49] deep rabbit hole. It's time now for the spiral. Okay, let's take a look here because you guys are [12:59] asking questions right now about prediction markets. So we've got Polymarket and Kalshi. So [13:05] we're following your clicks, your curiosity, and it looks like you guys want to know more about their [13:08] rise in popularity and what to know about any risks and regulations associated with those markets. [13:14] So let's break it down. We've got Mike Muse up first, and then we've got Virginia Tech [13:18] Professor David Bieri. Thank you both for being here with us. All right, so let's start with [13:22] breaking down these prediction markets and what they are. Google Tech Policy Fellow and SiriusXM [13:28] radio host, our friend Mike Muse, is in our New York newsroom here covering all of this. Good to see [13:32] you, Mike. So what are prediction markets? Hey, good to see you, Gio. Yeah, it's great to see you. [13:37] Yeah, tell us, what are the prediction markets and why are they blowing up in popularity? [13:41] They're getting really popular right now. It's very much a social [13:46] holly nation dynamic that is really amplifying curiosity into prediction markets. Essentially, [13:53] the difference between a predictive market and a gambling site is that predictive marketing is all [13:57] about information and you are placing wages on the information that is being sourced. Another great [14:04] way to think about it is the difference between gambling and prediction markets is that in gambling, [14:09] you are betting on the odds of an outcome and with a prediction market you are defining the odds of an [14:16] outcome and what that means is they are created by social contracts and so it's a yes or no dynamic, [14:22] like will said event happen yes or no and then that's when it gets interesting, Gio, because in the [14:28] yes or no, you get to understand the statistics and the probability of that event happening and why this [14:34] is so important is because that usually is coming from insiders who have a possible understanding or [14:40] a knowledge base of that outcome actually happening and so it essentially is taking inside information [14:45] from those who have an invested interest in the outcome of the bet. Yeah, and I definitely do not [14:50] have that knowledge right now. So there are a lot of markets here regarding politics. So how are these [14:55] markets created and listed? Yeah, so when you create a market, it's considered to be a contract, [15:02] right? And so there are ways into which the different markets will create their own contract [15:07] based upon what they see is bubbling in society and social discourse and conversation and then there [15:13] are opportunities for people who are very much well positioned in the marketplace. They can create [15:18] their own contracts and then in that moment that's when the contracts are listed based upon what the [15:23] outcome you want the outcome to be and so that's how they get listed. Why this is such a controversial [15:28] topic within politics is because of our defense contractors, federal contractors, do they have [15:35] insight knowledge into the outcome of what could happen in the market? Mike, help me understand this [15:42] because what's the difference between prediction markets and betting because they feel so similar? [15:48] They feel very similar. Gambling is when you, it's for entertainment and it's for profit, right? It's a [15:54] win or lose. But when it comes to prediction market, you are hedging your bet. The example that I like to use, [16:00] if you have a sports bar, for example, you know, if the Giants are going to lose the playoffs, [16:05] then the Giants, you're going to lose money in your sports bar. You can lose up to $5,000 in the [16:09] sports bar. So what you would do is you'll go and you hedge your investment of your sports bar. [16:13] As a result of hedging your bets and investment of a sports bar, you'll go to prediction market, [16:18] you'll issue up, you'll see the contracts available. So if the Giants lose, then you only come out about [16:23] $4,000. And so you're hedging your bets. And so you're hedging your losses. In gambling, it's either [16:29] you're going to win the 5,000 or you're going to lose the 5,000, but you won't have any middle ground. [16:33] In predictive market, you can get that middle ground, which has come out about $4,000. [16:37] All right. We got like 10 seconds, but I want to ask you, what are your radio listeners and your [16:41] guests saying about this? They are loving predictive markets. They find it to be extremely fascinating. [16:49] There's a curiosity. Not a lot of individuals are engaging with it, but a lot of individuals [16:54] want to start engaging and learning how to be engaging with it and what are the entry points to [16:59] it. All right. Mike Muse, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Let's go ahead and bring in David [17:03] Bieri now. He's a public policy professor and researcher over at Virginia Tech who talks about [17:07] the risks and this push to regulate prediction markets. David, it's good to see you here. So there's [17:13] a lot of searches right now about this. People want to know if prediction markets are actually legal. [17:18] Hi, Gio. Great to be on the show. And the short answer is yes, of course. They're regulated. [17:24] Caltech is currently regulated by the CFTC and so is Polymarkets US. So it's legal. [17:30] All right. So yes, it is legal. Okay. So why are there calls to regulate these prediction markets? [17:36] There are really two reasons because there are certain risks that the current regulatory system [17:42] does not necessarily cover. We've heard one aspect is this inside the trading. Should people who have [17:50] the capability of influencing an outcome, contractors were mentioned, other scenarios could be imagined, [17:58] players in a game, members of a policy board be allowed to participate. That's one thing. The other [18:07] thing is, of course, consumer protection. What happens if I bet all, you know, take out the second [18:12] mortgage, bet everything on something, make money, but then they get paid. Caltech refuses to pay me. [18:19] What happens then? Okay. Interesting. So what would regulation even look like? [18:24] Well, currently this is the big debate and I don't want to bore users or your viewers too much with this [18:31] sort of, it almost seems like a medieval discussion. Is it betting? Is it a financial instrument? [18:36] It's sort of a, you know, how many angels can you fit at the end of a pin? But it's quite relevant [18:43] because of the way our regulatory system is structured. And it's a very old structure, [18:47] at least a hundred years old since the New Deal. We really haven't reformed everything [18:51] very much. So when Caltech tried to figure out who's our best federal regulator, they chose the CFTC. [18:58] And people might recall that we had the same discussion with the SEC and the CFTC over Bitcoin. [19:04] What is it? Is it money? Is it a contract? Now we're saying, okay, this type of binary bets [19:12] is a designated contract. And so therefore we're regulating it under the CFTC. [19:19] What about insider trading? How is this different? [19:23] It's different in the sense that we have a very strict notion of what insider trading in the equities [19:30] market means. And again, I don't mean to invoke legalese in history. It essentially means a violation [19:35] of fiduciary duty vis-a-vis the owners of a particular company. It is not illegal to trade on [19:42] information that is non-public and you happen to come by somehow. What is illegal is, of course, [19:50] if you're a government official and you have strategic knowledge that could influence the outcome. [19:56] And that's the big concern. So this whole discussion about insider trading, unfortunately, [20:01] in the public domain is not as nuanced as I wish it to be. But again, the concerns are real. If you [20:09] can begin to make money on outcomes that you yourself influence or a foreign agent, a hostile agent can [20:18] influence, then of course, we have a problem because then the truth will be bent. [20:23] All right, David Bieri, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it. [20:27] All right, still ahead here. It might be at the top of your feed, but what's the vibe? [20:30] We've got your top pop culture and entertainment searches with Roxy Diaz, including a new magazine [20:34] cover of Bad Girl Riri and Baby Rocky. Vibe Check is next. All right, let's check our vibes right now [20:53] with the Vibe Check, a look at what's buzzing in entertainment and pop culture. Roxy Diaz joins me [20:58] now for more on what's trending on your feeds. What's going on, Rox? [21:02] Gio, this first one, it's just too cute for words. All right, nine-time Grammy winner and fashion and [21:08] beauty mogul Rihanna has graced another magazine cover, but this time it's her daughter who's [21:14] stealing the spotlight on the new cover of W Magazine. Rihanna showed up and showed out with [21:20] Baby Rocky Irish on her hip, wearing a couture Dior diaper. All right, inside the article, artists and [21:27] friends of Rihanna's like Mariah Carey, SZA, and of course, life partner A$AP Rocky share stories [21:33] about the mommy mogul. And early reviews for the latest biopic on icon Michael Jackson are in [21:40] following the premiere of Michael. Michael Jackson's own nephew, Jafar Jackson, is being called a star [21:46] for playing his uncle, the king of pop. One critic for USA Today praising Jafar's performance saying, [21:52] quote, his liquid dance moves and Michael Jackson's soft-spoken cadence are studied to perfection. [21:59] It was a star-studded event with the cast, family, friends, and fans showing up in honor of MJ during [22:04] the LA premiere. Now Michael will hit theaters April 24th. And talk about a full circle moment, [22:10] Jennifer Hudson has returned to American Idol more than two decades after she competed on the show, [22:16] but this time she's back as a mentor and guest judge. The now EGOT winner said returning to the show was [22:23] quote, a dream come true. She even said that seeing the American Idol sign made her feel like a contestant [22:30] all over again. Can you imagine? And Disney night on American Idol got even cuter because two contestants [22:37] revealed that they're dating. Season 24 finalist Ray Boyd came on stage and surprised current contestant [22:44] Brooks Rosser after his performance of Miley Cyrus' song, The Climb from the 2009 Hannah Montana movie. [22:51] Such a magical moment last night on stage. And Miranda Priestley is back. And you know what? [22:56] The Lincoln Center in New York has yet to recover. The world premiere of Devil Wears Prada 2 brought [23:03] together the iconic core for Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci 20 years later. [23:11] Now Hathaway and Street both showed up in all red on the red carpet. And listen, I was living for [23:17] all of the luxurious fashion energy. Emily Blunt went in full romance mode in a dreamy blush [23:23] tulle Schiaparelli gown. Now the box office pro is projecting Devil Wears Prada 2 to open somewhere [23:29] between 80 and 95 million in its first weekend. And for context, the original Devil Wears Prada [23:35] opened at just 27.5 million back in 2006. So Gio, mark your calendars. The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits [23:44] theaters May 1st. That's all. That's all. Oh, that's cute. That's cute. Yeah, I mean, everybody [23:50] who's seen it says it's so good. So I can't wait to see it. I can't wait to see it either. All right, [23:55] Rox, thank you so much. Still thinking about that Dior diaper. We need that, I think. All right, [23:59] I'm Gio Benitez. This is Searched on ABC News Live, where your questions meet real answers. We're going to [24:03] leave you with what's trending right now on abcnews.com. All the headlines right there. You see [24:07] that QR code. You can catch up with that. And we will see you back here manana.