Listen to this issue.

0:00

/6:31

1×

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 56.

• Amidst the ongoing U.S.-Iran cease-fire, officials in Kuwait say two sites along their country's northern land border with Iraq were struck by explosive drones launched from Iran this morning. [more]
• Following yesterday's second round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington, DC, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the parties agreed to a three-week extension of their current cease-fire. Reports note that the conflict largely centers on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, which has opposed the talks. [more]
• Reports cite an internal U.S. Department of Defense memo as indicating the Trump administration and the Pentagon are considering potential measures to punish members of NATO seen as failing to support the U.S. war against Iran. Among the measures reported to be under consideration are a suspension of Spain from NATO – a move for which, reports note, there is no actual mechanism in the trans-Atlantic alliance’s treaty. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | One person was killed, and five others were wounded, yesterday in an exchange of gunfire that took place between two groups at a food court inside the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Authorities say the shooting emerged from a confrontation between the groups and was not a random attack. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | The Justice Department arrested a U.S. special forces soldier yesterday in connection with the alleged use of classified information to win more than $400,000 on an online prediction betting market. According to federal prosecutors, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 39, was involved in the planning and execution of the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and placed bets regarding the timing of Maduro's ouster on the prediction market site Polymarket. [more]

OKLAHOMA | Emergency response officials say about 40 homes were damaged or destroyed, and multiple roads and highways had to be closed, when a confirmed tornado moved through parts of Enid, Oklahoma yesterday. Local authorities say there have been no reports of fatalities associated with the tornado. [more]

EPSTEIN INVESTIGATIONS | The U.S. Justice Department's inspector general's office announced yesterday that it has launched a review of the Department's compliance with a law mandating the full release of documents and files related to investigations into late financier and convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said yesterday that only one of President Donald Trump's so-called "gold card" immigration visas, which provide accelerated legal immigration into the U.S., has been approved since the program launched in December 2025. [more]

U.S. DRUG PRICING | As part of ongoing efforts to reduce prescription drug prices in the U.S., President Donald Trump announced an agreement yesterday with drugmaker Regeneron to lower the cost of all the company's current and future drugs for the Medicaid program. According to a White House fact sheet, the company has also agreed to fund $27 billion in research, development, and manufacturing in the U.S. by 2029. [more]

U.S. AIRLINE INDUSTRY | President Donald Trump suggested yesterday that he is considering a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines amidst the carrier's bankruptcy proceedings. Trump said he would "love to be able to save an airline," and that he would look to "sell it for a profit" in the event of a government takeover of the company. [more]

GLOBAL ENERGY AND CLIMATE | Representatives of about 50 countries are expected to attend a summit that begins today in Colombia’s Caribbean city of Santa Marta to discuss a "just, orderly, and equitable" transition away from fossil fuels, which organizers say are the main driver of global warming. The First International Conference on the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels runs through April 29. [more]

RUSSIA | Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of Russia's Communist Party – the country's second  largest in parliament after President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party – warned in a parliamentary speech this week that Russia's faltering economy risks sparking a 1917-style revolution and that the government needs to take urgent financial, economic, and other corrective measures to prevent such an occurrence. [more]

SOMALIA | Somali officials say at least 17 migrants traveling between Algeria and Spain died this week when their boat capsized along the water route commonly used by migrants to reach Europe from North Africa. [more]

KOREA | South Korean prosecutors today requested a 30-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over allegations that he ordered drone flights be carried out over the North Korean capital Pyongyang in 2024 to deliberately escalate tensions and help justify his short-lived imposition of martial law, which eventually led to his removal from office. [more]

DENMARK | A month after national elections, talks on forming a new Danish government are ongoing, with care-taker Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen leading coalition talks aimed at securing a parliamentary majority among parliament's 12 political parties. [more]

TECH INDUSTRY | Facebook parent company Meta said yesterday that it plans to lay off about 10% of its workforce – some 8,000 workers – as part of the company's increased focus on artificial intelligence infrastructure and use. Also yesterday, tech giant Microsoft announced that it plans to offer voluntary buyouts to about 7% of its U.S. workers – some 8,750 people. [more on Meta] [more on Microsoft]

FOOTBALL | The Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in last night's 2026 NFL draft. Mendoza's selection was followed by Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey going to the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. [full draft board] [more]

WORLD CUP | Amnesty International, along with dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups, issued a World Cup travel advisory yesterday, warning visitors of "rising authoritarianism and increasing violence” and a "deteriorating human rights situation in the United States" ahead of this summer's FIFA men's World Cup soccer tournament. The advisory was condemned by various U.S. tourism officials, including the U.S. Travel Association, which said that while there are legitimate concerns about U.S. entry policies, they are being blown out of proportion. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1800, the Library of Congress was established as U.S. President John Adams signed a measure appropriating $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress." From its initial collection of 740 books and three maps, the Library of Congress has grown to become one of the largest libraries in the world, containing approximately 173 million items. [more history]