POLITICS & POLICY

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint that carries roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, is no longer fully closed but remains heavily restricted as a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect Tuesday, allowing selective "safe passage" for approved vessels while thousands of ships sit idle nearby.

TEHRAN, Iran — Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA), Iran's primary gateway for international travel, stayed mostly shuttered for routine commercial flights on Wednesday, with only a handful of pre-authorized or military-linked operations reported as the country navigated the fragile two-week ceasefire framework announced by President Donald Trump and Iranian officials.

NEW YORK — U.S. stock futures soared early Wednesday while oil prices plunged after President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, contingent on Tehran allowing the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a sharp relief rally across global markets and easing fears of prolonged energy disruptions from the five-week conflict.

NEW YORK — World oil prices tumbled sharply Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a framework ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran, easing fears of prolonged disruption to crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz and sending Brent crude futures plunging more than 13% in early trading.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's main gateway to the world, remained largely closed to normal commercial operations Wednesday amid ongoing regional security concerns tied to the conflict with Iran, with only highly restricted flights by Israeli carriers permitted under strict military and civilian safety limits.

ATLANTA — Republican Clay Fuller, a Trump-endorsed former district attorney, defeated Democrat Shawn Harris on Tuesday in a special runoff election to fill the northwest Georgia congressional seat left vacant by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, maintaining Republican control of the deeply conservative district.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has not launched the threatened large-scale bombing campaign against Iran as of Wednesday, April 8, 2026, instead announcing a conditional two-week suspension of U.S. strikes late Tuesday night, just hours before his self-imposed deadline to strike Iranian power plants and bridges.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric to unprecedented levels this week with profanity-laced threats to obliterate Iranian power plants and bridges, warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight" unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, before announcing a conditional two-week ceasefire Tuesday that appears to have de-escalated immediate crisis risks.

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Tuesday, declaring that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" unless Tehran meets his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a broader deal ending the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on dozens of military targets on Iran's strategic Kharg Island early Tuesday, a senior U.S. official confirmed, escalating pressure on Tehran just hours before President Donald Trump's deadline for a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the five-week-old conflict.

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Tuesday, declaring that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if Tehran fails to agree to a deal reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the five-week-old U.S.-Iran conflict.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, weighed in Tuesday with a terse "Yeah" on a provocative post claiming that "all leftwing politics today boils down to preventing young men from taking back their civilization," instantly amplifying a culture-war debate that has raged across social media and political circles for years.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump turned a lighthearted moment into viral comedy Monday when he told children at the White House Easter Egg Roll that they could sell his freshly signed autographs for $25,000 each on eBay, drawing laughs as he contrasted his personal touch with former President Joe Biden's alleged use of an autopen.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump escalated threats against Iran on Monday, warning of a potential "four-hour bombing blitz" targeting the country's bridges and power plants if Tehran fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday night deadline, even as Iran rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire and demanded a permanent end to the conflict.

SYDNEY — Australia's most decorated living soldier, Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, was arrested Tuesday at Sydney Airport and is expected to face five counts of the war crime of murder over the alleged unlawful killings of Afghan civilians and detainees between 2009 and 2012, the Australian Federal Police announced.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport (KWI) stayed largely closed to regular commercial passenger traffic Monday as authorities continued safety assessments and repairs following a series of Iranian-linked drone attacks that damaged radar systems, fuel storage facilities and infrastructure since late February 2026.

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.