POLITICS & POLICY

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk on Monday endorsed a viral video showing what supporters called a liberal "slowly waking up" to the realities of U.S. border policy, replying with a simple "💯" emoji to a clip that has amassed millions of views on his social media platform X in just hours.

TEHRAN, Iran — Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, head of intelligence for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed early Monday in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, Iranian state media and the IRGC announced, marking another major blow to the paramilitary force amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday threw his support behind conservative commentator Steve Hilton in the 2026 California gubernatorial race, praising him as a "truly fine man" who can reverse the state's decline under Democratic leadership.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's public statements in the first months of 2026 have blended triumphant declarations about America's resurgence with characteristically blunt assessments of foreign policy challenges, economic wins and cultural battles, producing a series of memorable lines that have dominated headlines, social media and political discourse.

The Democratic Party drew sharp criticism over the weekend after an official Easter social media post evoked "better times at the White House" with an image of former President Barack Obama but made no mention of former President Joe Biden, sparking accusations of a deliberate snub and reigniting internal party tensions less than two years after Biden left office.

President Donald Trump's Truth Social account has become a defining platform for his unfiltered communication style, delivering some of the most intense, provocative and widely discussed messages in modern presidential history since its launch in 2022.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump posted an expletive-laden message on Truth Social on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, directing strong language at Iranian leaders while threatening military strikes on the country's power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

WASHINGTON — The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas normally flow, remains largely closed or severely restricted as of Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, more than a month after Iran imposed a de facto blockade in response to U.S.-Israeli military strikes.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to Iran on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, declaring that Tuesday would bring unprecedented attacks on the country's power plants and bridges unless Tehran opens the Strait of Hormuz.

LONDON — King Charles III marked a quiet Easter Sunday on April 5, 2026, attending the traditional Matins service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor with Queen Camilla and senior royals, but Buckingham Palace confirmed he will not deliver a formal Easter message this year, drawing some criticism after recent Ramadan greetings.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito became ill during a Federalist Society event in Philadelphia on March 20 and was taken to a hospital for treatment of dehydration before returning home the same night, the high court confirmed Friday in response to previously unreported details of the episode.

Bahrain — Bahrain International Airport stayed closed to all commercial flight operations on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, as the kingdom's airspace remained fully shut down under orders from the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs for safety reasons tied to ongoing regional conflict.

President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that the U.S. military successfully rescued a highly respected colonel and crew member officer who had been trapped behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, describing the operation as one of the most daring search-and-rescue missions in American history.

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Elon Musk threw his weight behind El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Sunday, replying "Exactly" to a viral video clip in which Bukele questioned why some activists seem more concerned with the human rights of killers than with the rights of women who don't want to be raped or children who want to play safely in parks.

The U.S. military pressed ahead Saturday with a high-stakes search-and-rescue operation for a missing American airman after Iran shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet on Friday, while Iranian state media urged citizens in rugged southwestern provinces to hunt for the "enemy pilot" and hand him over alive in exchange for a "precious prize."

Major corporations and financial firms continued shifting operations and talent out of New York City in early 2026, with low-tax states like Florida and Texas emerging as prime destinations amid concerns over taxes, regulations and quality of life.

More than five weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led military campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28, 2026, a range of advanced weapons has shaped the conflict's deadly course. U.S. and allied forces have unleashed precision strikes on Iranian military targets, while Iran has responded with ballistic missiles, drones and air defenses that claimed at least one American aircraft.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, marking the first confirmed loss of an American manned combat aircraft since the outbreak of direct hostilities between the United States and Iran in late February 2026, U.S. officials and multiple news outlets reported.

Paula White Cain, President Donald Trump's longtime spiritual adviser and head of the White House Faith Office, has called on Christians to honor God by tithing the first 10% of their gross income to her ministry, which directs part of the funds toward humanitarian and reconstruction projects in Israel.

Iranian air defenses shot down a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet over central Iran on Friday, U.S. officials confirmed, as Tehran released images of wreckage that appeared to match the twin-engine strike fighter and escalated claims of capturing the crew.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the U.S. Army's top uniformed officer to step down and retire immediately, the Pentagon announced Thursday, in a surprise leadership shake-up as American forces continue airstrikes and other operations against Iran in a conflict now in its fifth week.

LONDON — Britain convened a virtual summit Thursday with about 40 countries to explore ways of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital Persian Gulf chokepoint effectively shut down by Iran during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war, as global oil prices climbed on fears of prolonged disruption to nearly one-fifth of the world's seaborne crude and liquefied natural gas supplies.

President Donald Trump made several notable remarks about Australia throughout 2026, ranging from praise for bilateral trade and defense deals to pointed criticism over Canberra's level of support during the U.S.-led military operation against Iran.

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night from the White House, offering his first prime-time update on the ongoing U.S. military operation against Iran and declaring that core strategic objectives are "nearing completion" while pledging continued "extremely hard" strikes over the next two to three weeks.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport stayed shuttered to commercial passenger flights Wednesday as authorities battled a major fire at fuel storage tanks following the latest in a series of Iranian-linked drone attacks that have crippled the Gulf nation's key aviation hub.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The strategically vital Strait of Hormuz stayed largely closed to normal commercial traffic Tuesday as the month-long Iran conflict continued, with only a handful of vessels transiting daily under tight Iranian oversight while the U.S. and allies debated military options to restore freedom of navigation and global oil flows.

JERUSALEM — Israel's parliament, the Knesset, approved a contentious law on Monday night making death by hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly terrorist attacks, a move championed by far-right ministers that critics condemned as discriminatory and a violation of international norms.

Usha Vance, the Second Lady of the United States and wife of Vice President JD Vance, has emerged as one of the most accomplished and low-profile figures in the current administration. Born Usha Bala Chilukuri to Indian immigrant parents, she has built an elite legal career while raising a growing family and supporting her husband's rise from author to vice president.

CANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday that Australia will temporarily halve its fuel excise tax for three months, cutting the cost of petrol and diesel by about 26.3 cents per liter as global crude oil prices surged above $116 a barrel amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.