Including a new era of drinks at McDonald's, Southwest Airline's America250 livery and a new TI-84 graphing calculator.

Plus, a recap of popular earnings from the week.

NEW YORK, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Statement from United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby
   "While American's public comments make it clear that a merger like this is off the table for the foreseeable future, I do think it's worth taking the time to describe in some more detail what this could have looked like."
2. McDonald's USA Enters a New Era of Drinks with First-Ever Lineup of Refreshers and Crafted Sodas
   Beginning May 6, McDonald's is launching six new specialty drinks – bringing bright, bold flavors and a whole new reason to visit the Golden Arches. The starting lineup includes three new Refreshers and three crafted sodas coming to restaurants nationwide.
3. Lilly to acquire Ajax Therapeutics to advance outcomes for patients with myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera
   Ajax's lead asset, AJ1-11095, is an investigational, once-daily oral, first-in-class Type II JAK2 inhibitor currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial, AJX-101, in patients with myelofibrosis who have previously been treated with a Type I JAK2 inhibitor.
4. Southwest Airlines Announces Partnership with America250 and Unveils Independence One in Celebration of Giving People the Freedom to Fly for 55 Years
   Independence One will join two additional Southwest® America-themed planes—Freedom One, which has been in the fleet since 2021, and Liberty One, a second newly-introduced aircraft painted in an American flag theme.
5. Overview Energy and Meta Announce First-of-Its-Kind Agreement to Bring Space Solar Energy to Data Centers
   The agreement gives Meta early access to capacity from Overview's space solar energy system of up to 1GW. The system collects solar energy in space and beams it to existing solar facilities on the ground, where it is converted into electricity, allowing these assets to maximize utilization and produce power around-the-clock.
6. Red Bull Reveals the New Red Bull® Summer Edition: Sudachi Lime
   At the heart of this flavor profile is a burst of citrus notes: zesty lime, tangy sudachi (a Japanese citrus fruit), and the subtle hint of pomelo – creating a symphony of vibrant tastes.
7. Avoca Raises $125M+ at $1B Valuation to Power America's Services Economy With AI
   Avoca is powering 24/7 call handling, scheduling, custom marketing campaigns, and customer follow-ups, while giving service businesses the AI tools that match the quality of work they deliver.
8. Nestlé USA Breaks into Condiment Category with Minor's Kitchen™, Bringing 75 Years of Chef-Crafted Sauces to Home Kitchens
   The chef-crafted sauces delivers restaurant-quality flavor, innovation, and elevated culinary experiences to everyday meals at home. The lineup includes four flavor-forward varieties: Lemon Garlic Aioli, Creamy Korean BBQ, Spicy Chili Truffle and American Smokehouse.
9. Introducing IBM Bob: AI Development Partner that Takes Enterprises from AI-Assisted Coding to Production-Ready Software
   Bob doesn't just help developers write code fast. It works across the full software development lifecycle (SDLC), from planning and coding to testing, deployment, and modernization, with the governance and security controls enterprises need.
10. High Noon Tees Up Its First Limited Flavor Drop: Meet High Noon Transfusion Vodka Seltzer
    Made with real vodka and real juice, the drop delivers a refreshing blend of grape, lime, and ginger in their traditional Vodka Seltzer format. High Noon Transfusion will be available nationwide beginning April 29, in limited quantities.
11. Match Group Invests $100 Million in Fast-Growing Platform Sniffies for GBTQ Men
    Match Group announced a $100 million investment in Sniffies, a cruising map and fast-growing platform serving non-heterosexual men. The investment represents a significant minority ownership stake and includes the option to acquire the remaining equity in the future.
12. Texas Instruments launches the TI-84 Evo Graphing Calculator -- the most advanced TI-84 ever built
    Purpose-built for today's math classrooms, the TI-84 Evo delivers hardware upgrades, improved math features, and a distraction-free learning experience — grounded in TI's 35-year commitment to education.

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Can't-Miss Earnings

Earnings ramped up this week and several must-read financial reports crossed the wire, including the quarterly results for Meta, Microsoft, Wingstop and Domino's.

Catch up on all the latest trending topics.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

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