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The Short List

Thu Apr 30 2026

Phaedra Trethan | National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi! I'm Phaedra Trethan, still riding an adrenaline rush after the Flyers beat the Penguins last night in overtime. 🏒 🎉

In Thursday's news:

•	The Trump administration is making 401(k)-type accounts accessible to more people. 💰
•	Gas prices are surging again as President Trump signals an extended Iran blockade. ⛽️
•	Are GLP-1 drugs fueling a return to the "skinny culture" of the '90s? 🤨

But first: Hat tip to my editor, Joel Shannon, for sharing this gallery of hilarious wildlife photos. 📸 🤣

Help with your nest egg 🪺 💰

If your employer doesn't offer a 401(k) retirement plan, it can be hard to save for the future. But the Trump administration, building off a Biden administration initiative, may broaden access to retirement savings plans for Americans without an employer-sponsored 401(k). A new website, TrumpIRA.gov, will allow workers to enroll in a private-sector retirement plan and coincides with the launch of Saver's Match, a 2022 Biden administration effort to deliver up to $1,000 annually in matching retirement contributions for lower-income workers.

•	Divorce can have a serious effect on your finances – even in retirement. What to know. 💵
•	A veteran was bagging groceries when a chance encounter made it possible for him to finally retire. Now he's helping other vets in their golden years. 🫡

Pain at the pump; little movement in Strait

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth took more questions from lawmakers Thursday over the Iran war – and its cost in human lives and American money. The war is militarily at a stalemate, but its impact is spreading, particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Gas prices in the U.S. surged again this week as President Trump indicated he’s prepared to keep blockading Iranian ports to pressure the regime. The latest.

•	What experts are saying about whether gas prices might come back to Earth this year. ⛽️
•	Watch: Oil prices increase on Trump's comments on blockade. 📺
•	Gas isn't the only thing that's more expensive. Will consumers see any relief with tariff refunds? 🧐

$4.99 gas prices for regular fuel at the Marathon gas station in East Lansing, Michigan, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Nick King, Lansing State Journal/ USA TODAY Network

Real quick

•	Congress ended the longest-ever shutdown, voting to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
•	President Trump nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor, to be U.S. surgeon general. 🩺
•	A California man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump will remain in custody, his lawyers said.
•	A New Orleans sheriff has been indicted in connection with a 2025 jailbreak by 10 inmates.

Is thinking thin back in?

Ah, the '90s: When supermodels ruled the runway, low-rise pants hugged our hips, everyone smoked cigarettes, grunge was a music genre and an aesthetic, and looking scrawny and gaunt was considered attractive. But like that thong peeking out of jeans and the stench of cloves stuck in clothes, not every trend should see a revival. There's concern that GLP-1s, the popular weight loss drugs, might be fueling a revival of "skinny culture," with people becoming increasingly convinced that thinness, even if it's unhealthy, equates with attractiveness.

Celebrating America in a divided community

As Americans gear up to celebrate our 250th birthday, they're also wrestling with the fact that we're as deeply divided as we've ever been on fundamental questions like the nature of freedom, equality and what it means to be an American. Residents of North Carolina's 1st Congressional District – the state's only remaining swing district – are grappling with their ideological differences, but still seem ready to celebrate what unites us as well.

George Washington visits and speaks with visitors to The Bradford Denton House and home of Colonel John Bradford as participants attend a living history festival in Halifax, N.C., marking the anniversary of the Halifax Resolves, the first official call in 1776 by a colony for independence from Britain. The event comes as communities across the country prepare for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

A break from the news

•	Two Norwegians found a trove of Viking-vintage coins that date to the 980s and 1040s. 🪙
•	A massive Union Pacific locomotive is churning its way East to commemorate America's 250th birthday. Will it stop in your city? 🚂
•	Paging Opus: These penguins woo their mates with colorful pebbles. It's as adorable as it sounds. 🐧

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. She'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and who you're rooting for in the NHL playoffs. Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.