Quote:Iran completely rejected President Trump’s 15-point peace plan on Wednesday — and put forth its own maximalist demands to end the war.

After the president claimed that Iran agreed to major components of his peace plan, including giving up their nuclear weapon ambition, Tehran told mediators that Trump’s plan was unacceptable, according to state media.

Iranian lawmakers have instead presented their own deal that would see the Islamic republic rule over the Strait of Hormuz and ensure its safety, along with that of its terror proxies abroad.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has consolidated power within the remains of Tehran’s regime, vowed to keep the war going until the US closed all American bases in the Gulf and provided reparations for its attacks on Iran.

Along with a full American withdrawal, Iran’s leader insisted they should have full control over the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping route that has cut off access to 20% of the world’s oil supply.

The change would allow Iran to collect fees from the ships that travel through the passage, similar to what Egypt does with the Suez Canal.

The new source of revenue for Iran would be compounded with an end to all sanctions on the Islamic republic, according to Tehran’s demands.

Iran also demands a permanent end to the war, as well as Israel’s fight with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.

While the regime made no mention of its nuclear program in the demands, it said Iran should be allowed to keep its missile program with no negotiations to limit it.

The demands fly in the face of Trump’s 15-point peace plan, with a US official calling it “ridiculous” and “unrealistic,” according to the WSJ.

Iran’s demands directly clash with several of Trump’s proposals, the bulk of which were made public by Israel’s Channel 12.

Quote:Iran said Wednesday it had fired cruise missiles in the direction of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, hours after Tehran’s military dismissed any talk of an agreement to end the war with the US.

The semiofficial Fars News Agency, which has close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed that the missile attack had “forc[ed] the American naval fleet to change position.”

There was no immediate response from US Central Command (CENTCOM), which has taken to social media in the past to refute Iranian claims to have struck the Lincoln and other US assets.

The carrier has been based in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury, which will mark the conclusion of its fourth week Friday.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters that Iran had “shot 100 missiles at one of our aircraft carriers, one of the biggest ships in the world, actually.

“Out of 101 missiles, every single one of them was knocked down.”

The missile launches followed a top spokesman for Iran’s military vowing that Tehran will “never come to terms” with Washington after the US transmitted a 15-point peace plan via Pakistani intermediaries.

“Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you. Not now, not ever,” Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said in a video shared by Fars.

“The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure,” he added. “The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don’t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end.”

The 15 US demands on Iran include, according to the Wall Street Journal, dismantling nuclear facilities and capabilities as well as forgoing the pursuit of atomic weapons; handing over all enriched uranium to international authorities; limiting its missile program to self-defense uses; keeping the Strait of Hormuz open; and cutting off funding for terrorist proxies.

Quote:Iran is reportedly planning to charge ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as its blockade of the waterway has pushed oil above $100 a barrel in a historic global energy supply disruption.

Tehran officials are drafting legislation that would slap tolls on tankers passing through the strait in an attempt to solidify Iranian control over the vital maritime route, which transports 20% of the world’s oil supply, an Iranian lawmaker told Fars, a state-backed news agency.

A draft has been prepared and lawmakers are hoping to finish a proposed bill by next week so it is ready to present to parliament, according to the report.

Investors are hoping that the US-Israeli war with Iran will be short-lived so oil prices can normalize – though analysts have warned that attacks on Middle East energy infrastructure and halts on production from some oil fields could keep prices elevated even if the war ends soon.

President Trump announced during a Cabinet meeting Thursday that Iran has let 10 oil tankers move through the strait this week as a “present” to the US.
But oil futures were sharply up Thursday – with Brent crude soaring more than 5% to roughly $108 a barrel – and stocks moved lower after mixed messaging on peace talks from the US and Iran.

Trump said Thursday that the US has “very substantial talks going on with respect to Iran,” after tweeting earlier in the day that Tehran’s negotiators “better get serious soon, before it is too late.”

Iranian leaders have reportedly rejected a 15-point peace plan from the Trump administration, and they have repeatedly denied having discussions with US officials.

The peace plan was delivered via Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said during the Thursday Cabinet meeting.

He added that the US has had “multiple reach-outs from the region and others who want to play a role in ending this conflict peacefully.”

Quote:Iran hit Israel with seven missiles, including some equipped with cluster bombs, early Thursday — leaving at least nine people injured in the latest strike to make it through the Jewish state’s air defenses.

Seven salvos of ballistic missiles were detected over Israel and the West Bank Thursday morning, with the second rocket hitting the central city of Kafr Qasim and wounding five people, The Times of Israel reported.

Wild video of the impact shows people and animals fleeing the streets seconds before the bomb hits a parked vehicle, sending the car flying in a violent flip that litters shrapnel and debris everywhere.

Similar images emerged elsewhere in the city, where a bomb landed right in front of a parked vehicle, damaging the car as it sent concrete soaring into the sky.

Another bomb landed in Ganei Tikva, destroying several cars and causing a large fire that covered the road in black smoke.

Two people were wounded in Tel Aviv after a ballistic missile carrying cluster munitions dropped bomblets over a wide area, with images showing a destroyed storefront in the city.

Cluster bomblets were also reported hitting a shopping center in Haifa and elsewhere in northern Israel, where the shrapnel from the explosion left a person injured, officials said.

The bombs additionally hit two homes in the illegal West Bank settlements, with the residents spared after taking shelter in their safe rooms, according to the Samaria Regional Council.

Iran has fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state since the start of the war, with the Israel Defense Forces maintaining that its interception rate is still 92% for attacks on populated areas and key infrastructure.

Despite the interceptions, at least eight missiles have hit highly populated areas during the war, causing extensive damage and killing at least 15 people and leaving hundreds more wounded.

Quote:Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Thursday that they are ready to stand with Iran against the US and Israel, threatening to open a new front along the Red Sea that serves as a key global trade route.

The Iran-backed terror group said that it would be ready to enter the fight at a moment’s notice following Tehran’s warning that the war could spread to the Bab al-Mandab Strait if the US launches a ground invasion.

“We stand fully militarily ready with all options,” a Houthi leader told Reuters, suggesting the rebel group was in direct coordination with Iran.
“Until now Iran is doing well and is defeating the enemy every day and the battle is going in its direction. If anything contrary to this happens then we can assess,” he added.

The Houthis involvement in the war directly threatens the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a 20-mile wide passage located southwest of Yemen, where the rebel group is based.

The Houthis have previously waged war along the passage that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as a show of solidarity during the Israel-Hamas war.

The rebel attacks sowed chaos and disruptions at the key trade route between Europe and and Asia where $1 trillion worth of goods pass through every year.
Any attacks along the strait would further risk shipments coming out of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of oil, which has been redirecting its barrels through the Red Sea following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran issued a direct threat to take the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Wednesday if the US were to escalate the war by invading the Kharg Island.

Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting a war against Russia for years, said Kyiv has evidence that Moscow is supplying Iran with intelligence support.

"Report by Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Oleh Ivashchenko. First, we have irrefutable evidence that the Russians continue to provide intelligence to the Iranian regime. Russia is using its own signals intelligence and electronic intelligence capabilities, as well as part of the data obtained through cooperation with partners in the Middle East," part of a post on Zelenskyy's X account notes.

"There is growing evidence that the Russians continue to provide the Iranian regime with intelligence support," Zelenskyy noted in part of another post. "By helping the Iranian regime stay afloat and strike more accurately, Russia is effectively prolonging the war. There must be a response."
The U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran over three weeks ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated in a Monday Truth Social post that the U.S. is engaging in talks with Iran.

In the all-caps post on Monday morning, the president said in the last two days the U.S. and Iran had engaged in discussions about resolving the conflict. He said the talks would continue during the week and that he had ordered the War Department to postpone attacks against energy infrastructure in Iran for five days.

Iran's Foreign Ministry denied that it is engaging in discussions with America, according to state media, indicating there was "no dialogue" with Tehran and D.C., The Wall Street Journal has reported.

"Yes, there are initiatives from regional countries to reduce tensions, and our response to all of them is clear: we are not the party that started this war, and all these requests should be referred to Washington," the ministry indicated, according to state broadcaster IRIB, the Journal reported.

Quote:President Trump on Thursday vehemently denied reports he is “desperate” to end the war against Iran, insisting he has unfinished business as he extends the timeframe for talks.

“I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care,” he said in his cabinet meeting.

Peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran are ongoing, with intermediary countries acting as messengers as the war enters its fourth week.

With the talks “going very well,” Trump extended his original five-day deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by another five days to Monday, April 6th, to give negotiators more time. The previous deadline was Friday.

“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” the president announced in a post on Truth Social.

Trump was visibly annoyed by a Wall Street Journal article that reported he wants a speedy end to the conflict, blasting it as “fake news.”

He said if he were desperate, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would be the first to know because he would order US military out of the region.

“I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal. I’m not. If I was desperate, he’d be the first to know. Pete, let’s get the hell out of there,” Trump said.

But, the president pointed out, what he really wants to do is to finish the job.

“We have other targets we want to hit before we leave,” he noted.

The president was chatty during Thursday’s cabinet meeting, giving real-time updates on the situation with Iran, blasting NATO for its lack of loyalty, and pointing to work he’s done domestically to make America safer.

He also revealed the answer to a mystery that has plagued Washington the past two days — what was that gift he received from Iran.

It was 10 “big boats” of oil in a show of goodwill from Tehran.

Quote:The US and Israel have removed Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf from their hit list after mediators said that peace talks would be dead without them, according to multiple reports.

Ghalibaf and Araghchi were in Israel’s crosshairs when mediators from Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt warned the US that their deaths would likely sink any hopes of a diplomatic end to the war.

“The Israelis had their coordinates and wanted to take them out, we told the US if they are also eliminated then there is no one else to talk to, hence the U.S. asked the Israelis to back off,” a Pakistani source told Reuters.

Ghalibaf and Araghchi are expected to enjoy only 10 days of reprieve as the US pushes for a peace deal, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

The IDF has declined to comment on whether the Iranians officials have been temporarily removed as targets.

Ghalibaf remains one of the most powerful leaders of the Iranian regime following the deaths of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his long-time rival Ali Larijani, with the parliament speaker believed to be the top official speaking with the Trump administration.

Both Ghalibaf and Araghchi have repeatedly denied being in direct talks with Washington, with Iran recently bashing Trump’s 15-point peace proposal.

Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt are currently working to set up a meeting between Iranian and US negotiators in Islamabad.

Despite the alleged halt on attacks against Ghalibaf and Araghchi, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin vowed that the Jewish state will continue hunting Iran’s top leaders following the strike that killed  IRGC Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri overnight.

Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump ended two days of guessing Thursday by saying that Iran had gifted him 10 “big boats” of oil in a show of goodwill.

“They said, ‘To show you the fact that we’re real and solid and we’re there, we’re going to let you have eight boats of oil — eight boats, eight big boats of oil.’ … and I didn’t think much about it,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting.

“And then I watched the news, and they said … ‘There are eight boats that are going right up the middle of the Hormuz Strait, eight big tankers are going loaded up with oil right through,'” he went on.

“And I said, ‘Well, I guess they were right, and they were real, and I think they were Pakistani-flagged.’

“And I said, ‘Well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people.’ And actually, they then apologized for something they said,” the president continued. “And they said, ‘We’re going to send two more boats,’ and it ended up being 10 boats.”

Trump set off a frenzy of speculation Tuesday when he told reporters that he had received “a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money” from Iran, which officials refused to identify, citing the sensitivity of ongoing peace talks.

After his big reveal Thursday, the president jokingly told special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was seated nearby: “I hope I haven’t screwed up your negotiations.”

Pakistan is serving as a mediator in the four-week-old conflict and Trump used the anecdote to bolster his claim that Iran is privately “begging” for peace after 27 days of heavy bombardment — despite public statements from Tehran to the contrary.

“We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission. And we’re way ahead of schedule,” Trump claimed separately.

“The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to s–t.”

US officials transmitted a 15-point peace proposal to Iran earlier this week, which included demands that the theocracy shut down its nuclear program.

Quote:U.S. Senator John Fetterman condemned what he described as calls for the deaths of U.S. service members after video circulated online showing a speaker at a Philadelphia protest praising militant groups hostile to the United States and cheering American military casualties. The Pennsylvania Democrat wrote on X:

“Here in Philadelphia. Truly appalling. These a******* chanting for the death of our service members. Where’s the Dem outrage and condemnation?”

The comments came after a video shared on X showed a speaker saying that every attack on a U.S. military base and every American soldier killed should be celebrated, while praising Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups described as “resistance forces.”

While demonstrations against U.S. military action are a longstanding feature of American political life, explicit praise for attacks on U.S. troops remains a red line for many lawmakers across the political spectrum. Fetterman, who has a history of siding more with Republicans on issues of defense and security, is no exception.

The post he responded to was shared by the X account End Wokeness, which circulated video footage filmed by Philadelphia‑based activist Frankie Scales. The video showed a masked speaker at a Philadelphia protest praising militant groups opposed to Israel and the United States. In the clip, the speaker said:

“Until we have done everything in our power to bring the United States to its knees, let us not lose sight of the enemy. For every U.S. military base that crumbles, and for every U S. soldier who returns home in the casket, we cheer. Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansar Allah, all of the resistance forces we celebrate, these popular voices on the ground, spend every waking moment in direct confrontation with Zionism, and they rely on a strong Iranian state to maintain their fighting capacity.”

The video circulated widely on social media, drawing condemnation from conservative commentators, whose criticism echoed Fetterman’s remarks.

Quote:A brother and sister have been indicted after authorities say one of them planted a potentially deadly explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Florida — then fled to China, while their mother is now in ICE custody after allegedly telling investigators her son confessed to the plot.

The FBI said Alen Zheng, who is believed to have planted the device, is currently in China. He is facing charges of attempted damage to government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device and possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

FBI Tampa also arrested his sister, Ann Mary Zheng, who is charged with accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence, facing up to 30 years in prison.

She is accused of hiding or damaging a 2010 Mercedes-Benz to prevent its use in legal proceedings, court documents show.

Prosecutors allege that on March 11, the day after the bomb was planted, the siblings attempted to cover their tracks by selling the vehicle to car dealer CarMax. Despite being vacuumed and cleaned, investigators later discovered trace explosive residue inside the vehicle.

The indictments were unsealed Thursday morning, and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Greg Kehoe detailed the timeline of the shocking incident during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

On March 10, Alen Zheng allegedly planted an improvised explosive device (IED) in a secluded location outside the base's visitor center.

Minutes later, officials claim he placed a cryptic 911 call stating a bomb had been planted, but refused to provide the exact location.

The device, which officials noted was potentially "very deadly," failed to detonate.

On March 16, an Air Force airman discovered the device outside the MacDill visitor center, six days after it was planted.

To preserve evidence, the device was secured and flown via a borrowed Pasco County Sheriff's Office helicopter to an FBI explosives lab in Huntsville, Alabama, according to authorities.

"Anytime somebody puts an IED together — and I spent a lot of time in Iraq and I saw a lot of IEDs — there always is a level of professionalism," Kehoe said Thursday. "And quite a bit of professionalism when they end up being deadly. … [The explosive] certainly could have caused significant damage to people that were in the range."

Investigators quickly traced the 911 call's digital footprint to a burner phone Zheng purchased at Best Buy, corroborating the purchase with store security footage, officials said.

A subsequent search of his home uncovered IED components consistent with the bomb found at the base.

The siblings fled to the People's Republic of China on March 12, just two days after the incident, according to authorities. Ann Mary was apprehended after returning to the U.S. via a Detroit airport on March 17.

Quote:The Pentagon is reportedly considering a plan to send an additional 10,000 troops to the Middle East amid the war with Iran.

The potential deployment would likely include infantry and armored vehicles and would be on top of the 5,000 Marines and sailors and roughly 2,000 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division who have already been dispatched to the region, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“All announcements regarding troop deployments will come from the Department of War,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the outlet. “
As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal.”

The reinforcements would provide President Trump with an even wider range of military operations, including potentially putting troops on the ground, as his administration pushes for a peace deal with Iran.

It’s unclear exactly where the 10,000 troops would be deployed, but they would likely be “within striking distance of Iran and Kharg Island,” according to the Journal.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. The Pentagon declined to comment.

The Trump administration has discussed using ground forces on Iranian shores to secure the Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island, Reuters reported last week.

The possibility of using US troops to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium has also been discussed, according to the outlet.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned Wednesday that Trump is “prepared to unleash hell” on Iran if it won’t “come to a deal.”

“President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell,” Leavitt told reporters. “Iran should not miscalculate again. Their last miscalculation cost them their senior leadership, their navy, their air force and their air defense system.”

The Iranian regime has thus far responded with hostility – at least publicly – to a 15-point peace plan presented by the US through Pakistan.

Quote:Israel is now focused on “dismantling Hezbollah” as part of its wider campaign against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, declaring that the military effort remains “in full swing” despite reports to the contrary.

Speaking by videoconference to ministry directors and northern local authority heads, Netanyahu said Israel had removed most of Hezbollah’s rocket threat and neutralized the group’s planned ground invasion force, creating a “security buffer” beyond the Lebanese border.

Israel intends to expand that zone to further distance anti-tank missile threats from northern communities, he said, pledging additional funding for rebuilding and support in the Galilee.

The IDF has “fundamentally changed” the situation in the region, the prime minister said. “Israel is stronger than ever, and Iran is weaker than ever.”

Quote:Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that the country’s military had eliminated Admiral Alireza Tangsiri of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), identifying him as the top official blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued his own statement, apparently confirming Katz’s claim and suggesting that the targeting and elimination of the IRGC terrorist was the product of “cooperation between us and our ally, the United States.”

Tangsiri was the head of the IRGC’s naval units and had repeatedly threatened a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passageway for commercial shipping. Iran’s threats against random commercial vessels in the strait have enabled a dramatic increase in the global price of petroleum products, particularly endangering supplies in east Asia. The governments of South Korea and China, in particular, have loudly objected to any disruption in commercial traffic in the Strait and discouraged actions that interfere with regular economic activity in their countries.

The IRGC admiral is the latest among dozens of senior Iranian military and civilian officials killed since President Donald Trump announced “Operation Epic Fury,” a military engagement to disable Iran’s ability to fund and execute terrorist activity around the world. On the first day of the operation, February 28, Trump announced the elimination of the country’s longtime “supreme leader,” Ali Khamenei, leaving Iran without clear leadership. Iranian officials announced that they had chosen Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the next supreme leader, but the younger Khamenei has not made any public appearance or live public statements, fueling speculation that he is either severely wounded or otherwise incapacitated.

“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated,” Israeli Defense Minister Katz announced on Thursday, describing his death as the result of a “precise” operation that also included actions against other senior IRGC leaders. The IRGC is the most powerful arm of the Iranian military and a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

“The IDF will hunt you down and eliminate you one by one,” Katz warned the Iranian regime leadership. “We will continue to operate in Iran with full force to achieve the objectives of the war.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu separately repeated on Friday that Israeli forces had eliminated Tangsiri, explaining, “this individual has a great deal of blood on his hands, and he was also responsible for leading the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.” He described the strike as “yet another example of the cooperation between us and our ally, the United States, in pursuit of our shared war objectives.”

The Iranian government has not, at press time, confirmed Tangsiri’s elimination. The admiral was a regular official cited in state media for much of the past year, however, particularly on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz. As recently as Wednesday, shortly before Katz announced his purported death, Tangsiri issued belligerent comments announcing that the IRGC had blocked the passage of a container ship and that it would continue to prevent the normal transit of commerce through the maritime byway.

“Any vessel’s passage through this waterway requires full coordination with Iran’s maritime sovereignty,” Tangsiri said on Wednesday, according to Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency. Tangsiri similarly announced on March 11 that any ship attempting to travel through the Strait of Hormuz must have Iranian permission to do so.

Tangsiri was also the official chosen to announce on March 18 that Iran would be targeting civilian oil facilities “linked to the U.S.” in the Middle East, demanding that “citizens and workers” avoid these locations. The announcement arrived weeks after Iran launched a massive missile and drone campaign in response to “Operation Epic Fury” primarily targeting neighboring Arab Muslim states. Iran has bombed more than a dozen countries since February 28, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Several strikes have targeted fossil fuel facilities, including Qatar’s most valuable liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, raising global alarm regarding production of these fuels.

The Iranian naval chief had begun threatening ships in the Strait of Hormuz before “Operation Epic Fury” began. On February 17, Tangsiri told state media that the IRGC had imposed “full 24-hour intelligence dominance” in the strait – meaning that Iran was spying on every vessel transiting the body of water.

Quote:Uganda’s military chief tweeted on Wednesday that his country is willing to go to war on Israel’s side.

“We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!” wrote Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Force and the son of the country’s President Yoweri Museveni.

The tweet went viral, generating more than 1.3 million engagements on the social media platform as of Thursday morning.

Elaborating on his stance the following day, Kainerugaba tweeted, “We stand with Israel because we are Christians. Saved by the Holy Son of God … Jesus Christ the only One who can forgive sins. The Bible says ‘Blessed are you Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword.’ (Deuteronomy 33:29).”

In a separate tweet, he said, “Israel stood with us when we were nobodys in the 1980s and 1990s. Why wouldn’t we defend her now that our GDP is $100 billion? One of the largest in Africa.”

Last month, Kainerugaba revealed that his country was planning to erect a statue of IDF Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed in action in Uganda during a counter-terrorism operation that rescued more than 100 hostages on July 4, 1976.

The statue is expected to be erected at Entebbe Airport, where Yonatan Netanyahu fell in battle, according to Kainerugaba.

On Thursday morning, the general posted a “sneak peek” image of the statue “soon” to be unveiled.

Quote:British police arrested two men on Wednesday in connection with an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, which authorities are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

The Metropolitan Police said the two men, aged 45 and 47, were arrested in London on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and both men have been taken to a police station in the city for questioning.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the arrests marked “an important breakthrough in the investigation.”
But she noted that surveillance camera footage of the incident suggests three people were involved.

Police have not declared the incident to be a terror attack, but are investigating a claim of responsibility by a group with potential links to Iran.

The blaze early on Monday morning in Golders Green, a London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, consumed four ambulances belonging to the volunteer organization Hatzola Northwest. Oxygen cylinders on the vehicles exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block.

Also shattered was the community’s shaky sense of security, already strained by wars in the Middle East and what many say is soaring hatred of Jews.

The UK has accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil targeting opposition media outlets and the Jewish community.

Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service says more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots were disrupted in the year to October.

Police are probing a claim of responsibility posted on social media by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which translates as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.

Quote:Iranians on temporarily visas will be restricted from re-entering Australia under controversial new powers.

The Albanese government will from Thursday restrict anyone with a visitor visa (subclass 600) linked to an Iranian passport and who is outside of Australia from re-entering the country, more than four weeks after the United States’ and Israel’s surprise attack on Iran.

Visa-holders are typically allowed to remain in Australia for up to 12 months, usually for tourism, business, or to visit family.

However, under the new rules, which will remain in effect for six months, only spouses, de facto partners, or a dependent child of an Australia citizen or permanent visa holder, or a parent of a child under 18 already in Australia, will be allowed entry.

The government claims the changes will bolster the integrity of Australia’s migration system and in the national interest.

It warned the war against Iran increased the risk temporary visa holders may be unlikely or unable to depart Australia when their visa expired, and that the new measures would afford government time to assess cases, while still allowing “flexibility in limited cases”.

“There are many visitor visas which were issued before the conflict in Iran which may not have been issued if they were applied for now,” Home Affairs Minister Tony burke said.

“Decisions about permanent stays in Australia should be deliberate decisions of the government, not a random consequence of who had booked a holiday.

“The Australian government is closely monitoring global developments and will adjust settings as required to ensure Australia’s migration system remains orderly, fair and sustainable.”

Under the changes, a person issued an active Permitted Travel Certificate – including people who may have already departed for Australia – or holding another time of visa may be allowed entry.

Quote:U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters in an interview published Thursday.

"The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," Zelenskyy said, describing a proposal he warned could undermine both Ukraine’s defenses and broader European security.

But a U.S. official, speaking on background, told Fox News Digital the claim is false.

Zelenskyy's comments point to growing pressure from President Donald Trump to reach a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year following Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Zelenskyy suggested the administration’s approach is influenced in part by competing global crises, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

"The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump," Zelenskyy said. "President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side."

Talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine have taken place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva in 2026, but key issues remain unresolved, including how Ukraine’s future security would be guaranteed and who would fund its long-term defense.

Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines, weakening Kyiv’s position and potentially enabling future aggression.

"I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees," he said.

Quote:Ukrainian troops are now combat-testing exoskeletons that can fit into a suitcase and help them run up to 12 mph on the battlefield.

The 7th Air Assault Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine revealed its soldiers have already started training with the performance technology — which helps with movement — on the front lines in Pokrovsk as its war with Russia rages on.

The military released footage of the soldiers donning the wearable tech machinery to help them heave and load shells into a howitzer artillery weapon.
Wearing the exoskeletons tech will dramatically reduce the physical work of hauling ammunition by roughly 30%, the military claimed.

“Every day, gunners endure a lot of physical work. They carry 15-30 shells of 50kg (110 lbs) each every day,” Colonel Vitaly Serduk, the chief of missile troops and artillery management, said.

Preliminary testing had already found troops using the technology were less tired, could load artillery more speedily and could “retain airability for a longer time.”

The exoskeletons being trialed by the Ukrainian military are apparently equipped with artificial intelligence that adapts to whatever load the soldier is carrying at the time.

They fold down to fit the size of a suitcase.

The 7th Air Assault Corp boasted that the tech was the first of its kind to be tested on Ukrainian troops.

“The implementation of such means is a continuation of the philosophy of the techno-paratrooper component of our corps. We facilitate human overreach with technological solutions,” Serduk said.

Quote:Kyiv is doing a little spring cleaning.

Despite a brutal winter and record-breaking Russian drone assaults, Ukraine now has a leg up in the war as it managed to fend off Moscow’s latest “meat assaults,” mowing down more than 6,000 Kremlin troops in just four days thanks to their military innovations.

Ukraine’s technological advancements were made clear last Thursday when a unit of 500 Russian infantrymen, equipped with dozens of armored vehicles, were blown away near the village of Shandryholove, the defending Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps said in a statement.

Without even deploying any soldiers to the frontlines, Ukraine took out the advancing unit with mines, mortars, artillery fire and unmanned aircraft, with First Person View drones deployed to hunt down the retreating survivors, Kyiv said.

The battle, confirmed by the Kyiv Post and the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank, signaled just one of Russia’s latest struggles to try and take the Donetsk fortress belt, which has successfully staved off Moscow’s invasion for years.

Ukraine’s ability to fight back the Russian offensive has been attributed to its rapid, war-time innovations, with its drone and anti-drone technology evolving to be among the best in the world.

“Their level of innovation is out of this world,” Space Force Lieutenant General Steven Whitney told Congress on Tuesday.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, touted that more than 6,000 Russian fighters were killed between March 17 and 20.

“The enemy tried to break through the defensive formations of our troops in several strategic directions at once. Fierce battles unfolded along the entire line of combat engagement,” Syrskyis said in a statement.

“Despite the enormous pressure and the involvement of significant reserves, the Russian command was unable to fulfill the assigned tasks,” he added.

“In total, the enemy conducted 619 assault actions during these four days.”

Quote:Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and retired Air Force brigadier general, publicly criticized President Donald Trump’s approach to Russia and Ukraine late Wednesday, warning that U.S. efforts to end the war must not come at the cost of rewarding Russian aggression.

Why It Matters

The comments underscore divisions within the Republican Party over Ukraine as the Trump administration presses for a negotiated end to the war. With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying the U.S. is tying future security guarantees to Kyiv giving up territory in eastern Ukraine, Bacon’s remarks highlight concerns that a rapid peace deal could weaken U.S. credibility and embolden Moscow.

Ukraine has relied heavily on Western military and diplomatic support since Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022, and any shift in U.S. policy could reshape the balance of the conflict.

What To Know

Moscow has long insisted that full control of Donbas is a core war aim, with President Vladimir Putin demanding that Ukraine withdraw from the remaining parts of the strategically important region still under Kyiv’s control. Russia claimed to annex the region after its 2022 invasion, moves that the West has rejected as illegal under international law.

Zelensky said Wednesday that the U.S. will provide security guarantees for Ukraine only if Kyiv gives up the country's eastern Donbas region to Russia.

"The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” he told Reuters.

A U.S. official denied Zelensky's claims on Thursday, telling Newsweek that the U.S. has not tied security guarantees for Ukraine post-war to Kyiv giving up the Donbas region.

Bacon posted on X late Wednesday: “President Trump wants to appease President Putin. Most Americans reject it. We reject Putin.”

The post came just hours after Bacon reposted a message from Meaghan Mobbs, a national security commentator and former Trump administration official, who warned against territorial concessions in pursuit of peace.

“This is not just terrible for Ukraine, it is bad for America,” Mobbs wrote. “History shows that trading land for promises of peace has a long record of making conflicts worse, not better.”

Mobbs linked to the Reuters interview in which Zelensky warned that such a move would leave Ukraine vulnerable to renewed Russian attacks and undermine Europe’s security.

The Ukrainian president also suggested that Washington was placing greater pressure on Kyiv than on Moscow as it seeks to bring the war to a swift conclusion, noting that the Trump administration is juggling multiple global crises, including conflict in the Middle East.

Bacon, who is not seeking reelection, has been one of the most outspoken Republican critics of Trump’s stance on Ukraine. In a 2025 appearance on CBS’ 60 Minutes, he warned that Trump appeared to be echoing Kremlin talking points by suggesting Ukraine bore responsibility for the war or by downplaying the need for Western security guarantees.

Quote:President Donald Trump said his Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he wants to keep the National Guard in the nation's capital after deeming the deployment a great success that has kept the city clean and mostly crime-free.

"They love doing it," Trump said of the Guard troops, saying they view the deployments "like training," then said: "I never want to take them out of D.C. I mean, maybe someone later on will do it, but I never want to."

Newsweek reached out to the White House by email on Thursday for comment. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said it had no comment.

Why It Matters

Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June last year following violent protests, then to Washington in August after alleging the city had fallen into "lawlessness."

Thousands of Guard members were assigned to patrol duties, infrastructure protection and city “beautification,” with Trump repeatedly describing the mission as a success and arguing that it drastically reduced crime and disorder in the city.

Tensions flared after the fatal shooting of West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, which prompted Trump to extend the mission, saying the shooting justified the continued and strengthened presence of the Guard.

By early 2026, the Guard presence had been prolonged through the end of the year, despite legal challenges and opposition from D.C. officials.

What To Know

Trump during his Cabinet meeting extolled on the other deployments around the country, including those in Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, which saw drops in crime rates during the National Guard deployments, saying that he could deploy the Guard to other cities.

"You have a safe city," Trump said as he then listed similar successes in other cities where the Guard was deployed, including Memphis and New Orleans, adding: "We could do that for Chicago, we could do that for New York, we could do it for L.A."

"They open the doors for people, they carry bags, they pick up paper when they see paper on the ground," Trump said. "I looked at D.C. last night...I drove through and I said, 'take me this way, take me that way'—the city is clean, the fences are down, you don't have homeless all over your parks. I mean, we had parks, you didn't have room for anything else other than homeless. It's all clean and nice, and it'll be even more beautiful a year from now."

Leadership in cities with Guard deployments have at times disputed Trump's statements, such as when Memphis Mayor Paul Young said Trump's claim that the city supported the deployment was an "overstatement," and he disagreed on how effectively the deployment would "drive down crime."

Bowser initially resisted the D.C. deployment, calling it "un-American" to have "American soldiers and airmen policing American citizens on American soil," but by September had ordered local law enforcement in the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement.

Quote:President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an emergency order directing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration employees as Congress struggles to resolve a budget impasse that has snarled airports and left workers without pay.

Trump announced the decision in a Truth Social post, saying the move was aimed at quickly ending what he described as “chaos at the airports.”

“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” the president wrote.

Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by email on Thursday for comment.

Why It Matters

DHS has remained under a funding freeze that emerged from a prolonged political standoff in Congress, driven primarily by Democratic opposition to continued funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without reforms. Senate Democrats refused to pass DHS appropriations unless the budget was rewritten to address concerns over immigration enforcement practices, particularly after federal agents fatally shot U.S. citizens during enforcement operations earlier in 2026.

As the funding lapse dragged on, growing operational disruptions have plagued DHS agencies, especially at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). TSA officers—classified as essential workers—were required to continue reporting to work without pay, and by mid‑March, thousands missed their first full paycheck.

Negotiations to end the funding freeze have repeatedly stalled as the Senate failed multiple times to advance DHS funding bills due to the lack of bipartisan agreement. Democrats continued to insist on ICE reforms as a condition for restoring funding, while Republicans and the White House pushed for reopening DHS without those restrictions.

What To Know

Trump used his post to once again criticize and blame the Democrats for the funding shortfall, accusing the party of being "on the side of criminal illegal aliens, and not the American people."

"They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again," Trump wrote, adding, "Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!"

The president concluded in his post, "I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer."

Trump made no clarification on the timeline for these payments, or whether they will include payment for the missed paychecks, or where the funding will come from.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a Republican, earlier this week accused Trump of refusing to back a plan to pay TSA agents and end the partial shutdown, saying that the president had ordered "no deals with the Democrats" after Kennedy and Texas Senator Ted Cruz put together a plan to accept Democrat proposals on DHS funding, excluding ICE.

Quote:A blaze near Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday afternoon prompted heightened concern around one of the nation’s busiest travel hubs.

Officials said the brush fire, which broke out at 635 Delancy St., Newark, New Jersey, was still burning as of mid‑afternoon, a Newark Fire Department spokesperson told Newsweek. While airport operations were not immediately disrupted, the proximity of the flames to the airfield raised alarms, especially in light of recent security scares at the airport. Photos and video footage captured thick plumes of smoke rising near the airport, and authorities continued monitoring conditions as crews worked to prevent the fire from spreading.

A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesperson told Newsweek the fire did not occur on Port Authority property.

"Fire near Newark EWR airport just 15 minutes ago," one social media account posted on X with a video of the thick, black smoke seen from the airport.

"Radar picking up the brush fire in Newark," WABC-TV chief meteorologist Lee Goldberg posted on X.

"@EWRairport @CoryBooker @united I am currently in Terminal C. Is there any word what is happening?" one social media user asked with a video of the smoke.

Brush Fire Spotted Near Newark International Airport

There have been numerous reports of a brush fire reported near the airport. The blaze was not on airport property, but people at the airport and flyers landing there spotted the smoke. Firefighters are still responding, the Newark Fire Department spokesperson told Newsweek, and an update will be shared when available.

"Pretty big fire in sight while landing at #Newark #EWR," one social media user shared with images from the flight.

What Are TSA Wait Times Right Now at Newark International Airport?

The reports of a fire near the airport arrive amid a partial government shutdown that has left tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without pay, triggering staffing shortages that have snarled airport security nationwide as spring travel ramps up. As call-outs and resignations mount, some airports have closed screening lanes or consolidated checkpoints, leading to hourslong waits for passengers, missed flights and mounting pressure on airlines.

As of around 3:41 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, TSA wait times at Newark Liberty International Airport were only around 30 minutes, according to a website that tracks wait times around the country.

Quote:The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating after a close call Tuesday night between a United Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.

United Airlines flight 589 was on its final approach to John Wayne Airport when a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter crossed in front of its flight path at about 8:40 p.m., according to the FAA.

A United Airlines spokesperson told Fox News that the Boeing 737-800's pilots were advised by air traffic control to "watch for a military helicopter flying near the airport."

"They saw the helicopter and also received a traffic alert, which they responded to by leveling the aircraft," the spokesperson said. "The United flight then landed safely."

"Leveling" an aircraft refers to slowing or stopping descent and holding a constant altitude to increase vertical separation.

The airline confirmed 162 passengers and six crew members were on board the plane and did not report any injuries.

Air traffic control audio obtained by the New York Post indicated the United flight got close enough to the Black Hawk to set off an anti-collision warning, or "resolution advisory," from its traffic avoidance system.

The alert suggests a potential crash was only seconds away.

"United 589, just want to clarify here, did you get, uh … just a traffic call reference to the helicopter or did they restrict your altitude or anything," the controller reportedly asked the United flight.

"We had a resolution advisory for United 589, RA," a pilot replied.

"We’re gonna be addressing that because that was not good," the controller said.

The U.S. Army did not immediately respond to additional inquiries about the incident from Fox News Digital.

Quote:In her last act as secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem helped strike a new deal that would allow the Trump administration to deport immigrants from other countries to Costa Rica, the Central American nation confirmed Thursday.

Noem, now in her new role as Shield of the Americas envoy with the U.S. State Department, signed the deal permitting the so-called third-country removal of illegal immigrants who are unable to return to their home country.

Costa Rican Public Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero said in a video message Thursday that the country was "prepared to see the flow of people." The agreement gives Costa Rica the power to accept or reject proposed transfers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Noem visited Costa Rica on Monday, as she moved to the envoy position following President Donald Trump's firing of her from DHS last month.

What Does the New Deal With Costa Rica Mean?

The new deal allows the United States to send some immigrants awaiting deportation to Costa Rica when their home countries will not accept them or have poor diplomatic relations with the U.S., making repatriation difficult.

According to the Costa Rican government, the agreement is non-binding and allows the U.S. to send non-Costa Rican deportees to the country at its discretion.

Immigrants will then be processed under Costa Rica's immigration laws under a special status. Officials said efforts will be made not to return immigrants to their home country should they face persecution.

“We are very proud to have partners like President (Rodrigo Chaves) and Costa Rica, who are working to ensure that people who are in our country illegally have the opportunity to return to their countries of origin,” Noem said on Monday.

What Are Third-Country Agreements?

Countries including Russia, China, Venezuela, and Afghanistan are just some of those the U.S. has been unable to repatriate immigrants to, meaning they are often stuck in ICE detention.

Over the past 14 months, the Trump administration has struck multiple deals with countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America, at times in exchange for other benefits. Some agreements have seen legal challenges over conditions that the roughly 300 immigrants deported under the program have faced.

Last year, Costa Rica received around 200 immigrants from the U.S., and it was criticized for the conditions they faced. Officials have promised better conditions for new arrivals. The United Nations' International Organization for Migration will work with the local government on housing deportees, although it was not made clear where they would be held.

“This will ensure they remain in the best possible conditions while in Costa Rica and guarantee their safe return to their countries of origin,” Zamora said.

Quote:A Honduran national who has been deported four times has been charged with murder after a man was shoved onto subway tracks in New York City and died from his injuries days later.

Richard Williams, an 83-year-old Manhattan resident, died days after the March 8 incident, police said. Police arrested 34-year-old Brooklyn resident Bairon Hernandez two days later.

Why It Matters

Authorities announced that Hernandez's charges had been upgraded on Thursday, following Williams' death. Hernandez was initially facing attempted murder, assault and other charges, but those charges have been upgraded to murder, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said.

Hernandez is a Honduran national who has been deported four times since he first entered the United States illegally in 2008, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He entered the country illegally a fifth time at an unknown date and location, the agency said.

Hernandez's criminal history includes 15 prior charges of simple assault, domestic violence, obstruction of police, possession of a weapon, drug possession and aggravated assault, DHS said.

What To Know

Police said Williams was standing on the Lexington Avenue-63 Street subway platform when a man he did not know shoved him from behind, causing him to fall onto the tracks.

The suspect also pushed a 30-year-old man onto the tracks before fleeing on foot. Both victims were taken to the hospital to receive treatment for their injuries.

Hernandez was arrested after authorities asked for the public’s help in identifying the attacker, who was captured on video after the incident.

Quote:A mystery missile was reportedly launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, according to local reports.

Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for comment via email.

What We Know About Cape Canaveral Missile Launch

The launch was reported by Florida Today and The Orlando Sentinel.

The Sentinel reported that the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security issued navigational warnings earlier in the week, similar to those issued for earlier hypersonic missile tests launched from Cape Canaveral. But there had been no public announcement of the launch, and more details remained slim Thursday afternoon.

The most recent of those launches was in April 2025, the Sentinel reported.

Photographer Jerry Pike wrote on X that the Department of Defense conducted “what appeared to be another successful test of the Dark Eagle Long Range Hypersonic Weapon from Cape Canaveral this afternoon.”

However, the Pentagon had not confirmed the type of missile launched.

What Is 'Dark Eagle' Missile?

In April 2025, the military test-launched the “Dark Eagle” long-range hypersonic missile, also known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).

The Dark Eagle is a ground-launched missile attached with a maneuverable hypersonic glide body as its warhead, the Congressional Research Service said in its report on Thursday. The missile has a reported range of 1,725 miles with a top speed of over 3,800 miles per hour, Newsweek previously reported.

A Congressional Research Service report on the missile reads, “The LRHW system provides the Army a strategic attack weapon system to defeat Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities, suppress adversary long-range fires, and engage other high payoff/time critical targets. The Army is working closely with the Navy in the development of the LRHW. LRHW is comprised of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB), and the Navy 34.5-inch booster.”

Quote:Former special counsel Jack Smith sought more than two years’ worth of phone records for now-FBI Director Kash Patel while Smith was investigating President Donald Trump, according to a tranche of documents released Tuesday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Two subpoenas showed Smith’s team asked Verizon for Patel’s phone records dating from October 2020 through February 2023. Patel first announced the subpoenas' existence in February, calling them "outrageous and deeply alarming" at the time.

Patel worked in the first Trump administration from 2019 through January 2021, before becoming an outspoken pro-Trump firebrand as a private citizen, meaning the subpoenas stretched back into his time as a government official.

The subpoenas were accompanied by one-year, court-authorized gag orders, meaning Verizon was ordered by the court not to alert Patel of their existence. It is common for prosecutors to subpoena phone records, also known as toll records, as part of investigations. The records would not include contents of messages but would show with whom Patel communicated and when.

Grassley released the documents ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining Arctic Frost, the FBI investigation that led to Smith prosecuting Trump over the 2020 election. Patel was also a known witness in a separate FBI probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents, and it is unclear which of the investigations the subpoenas pertained to.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, voiced at the start of the hearing what many Republicans have said about the Biden DOJ’s efforts to investigate Trump, noting how the expansive probes targeted hundreds of Republican individuals and entities.

"If Watergate taught us anything, it is that even a single abuse of power carried out by a handful of individuals can shake the foundations of our republic," Cruz said. "But what we confront today, the Biden administration's Arctic Frost scheme is not a single act. It is a modern Watergate, trading a break-in at one office for a digital sweep into approximately 100,000 private communications. More than a dozen senators and thousands of individuals lives."

Smith, who became special counsel in November 2022 and resigned when Trump took office, has since appeared before Congress for public and closed-door testimony and repeatedly defended his work as by-the-book and apolitical.

Quote:Senate Democrats blocked an amendment to Trump-backed voter ID legislation that would have done something they publicly support and require photo identification to vote in federal elections.

Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have shown interest in photo voter ID, which has grown in popularity among voters across the country.

"Democrats support voter ID," Schumer said on a press call earlier this month. "In fact, we included it, and it is included, in our Freedom to Vote legislation several years ago."

Several others have also come out in support of a voter ID bill in recent weeks.

When asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins whether he would support a clean voter ID bill, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said, "Yes."

"And New Jersey has voter ID laws," Booker said. "I’ve got to show my driver’s license."

Still, Democrats blocked an amendment to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act from Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, meant to put them on record for that position.

Schumer said ahead of the vote that "Republicans are once again wasting time on voter suppression."

"Let's let's be very clear what this amendment is," Schumer said. "It's a wolf in sheep's clothing, and it's a giant cover-up to what their bill really does, which is dramatic voter suppression, kicking 20 million or more people off the rolls without their knowledge or consent."

Senate Republicans argued that if Democrats truly support voter ID, they should back the amendment.

"That is one on which the Democrats have said — Sen. Schumer himself — that ‘we are not opposed to photo ID,’" Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. "Well, let’s test that proposition. Let’s actually have a vote on it and see where the Democrats are."

Republicans have been engaged in a floor push on the SAVE America Act for the past 10 days, debating the legislation in a bid to shift the narrative from the GOP being unable to advance the bill out of the Senate to Democrats being the ones blocking it.

Senate Democrats have argued that while they support identification to vote, the SAVE America Act goes far beyond that requirement. Schumer and others have likened the broader bill to Jim Crow-era segregationist laws in the Deep South, saying it would disenfranchise voters, particularly minority communities and low-income Americans.

However, requiring identification is already the practice in 36 states. Of those, 23 require photo ID, while 13 accept another form of identification, such as a bank statement. Nine of those states have Democratic senators.

According to a widely cited Pew Research poll from last year, 71% of Democratic voters support showing government-issued photo ID to vote.

"I know there are a lot of issues in the SAVE America Act, but this particular one focused on photo ID as something that can be easily implemented, which is already being implemented around the country," Husted said of his amendment.

Quote:A veteran law enforcement expert is raising serious questions about the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie after her daughter revealed alarming new details about the night she vanished.

The concerns follow an emotional, three-part interview, "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s first since her mother disappeared, in which she described signs of a possible struggle, early fears of kidnapping and her belief that ransom notes sent to the family were real.

Randy Sutton, a retired Las Vegas police lieutenant who has been on the ground in Tucson since the early days of the investigation, told Fox News Digital those details and how they were handled early on could have had a significant impact on the trajectory of the case.

Guthrie says doors were propped open

Guthrie described a troubling scene inside her mother’s home, pointing to multiple factors she believes indicate foul play.

She said doors were open, including one that had been "propped open," there was blood on the front doorstep and the home’s Ring camera had been yanked off.

Sutton said the "propped open" door is a critical detail.

"That’s an interesting piece of evidence that we had not heard before," he said, noting there has been no public indication of forced entry.

He emphasized that investigators are dealing with multiple areas within the home, including entry points, the bedroom and locations where blood was found, making it a complex case.

At the same time, Sutton pushed back on speculation that the scene itself may have been staged.

"The question is, was the scene staged? … I don’t believe there’s anything that points to the scene being staged," he said.

Quote:WASHINGTON — King Charles III will travel to the US for a state visit late next month, a source familiar with the plans tells The Post.

While details are still being finalized, the British monarch’s itinerary includes a state dinner at the White House as well as a day trip to New York City.
Charles will visit the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Mahattan on his travel to the Big Apple, according to sources, with other stops possible.

The king is also expected to address a joint meeting of Congress, according to Punchbowl News, as part of the three-day trip, which that was first reported by Page Six.

In preparation for the royal occasion, House Republican leadership announced Monday the chamber will be in session the week of April 27 — altering the initial schedule.

Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made the last state visit by a member of the British Royal Family to the US in 2007, during which she marked the 400th anniversary of the settling of Jamestown, Va. and attended the Kentucky Derby.

The late queen also paid a state visit during celebrations of America’s bicentennial in 1976, while King Charles will visit ahead of the 250th birthday of the United States.

President Trump traveled to the UK in September 2025, taking Charles up on his offer of an unprecedented second state visit.

The commander in chief was previously received by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2019.

Trump is a longtime admirer of the royal family and described the current king last week to reporters as a “great guy” who would be “coming in very soon.”

However, the president has been fiercely critical of the British government headed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer over its reluctance to join the American and Israeli war against Iran, leading at least one prominent politician to suggest the royal visit should be postponed.

“If it was to go ahead, it would go ahead against a backdrop of a war, and that, I think, is quite difficult,” Labour Member of Parliament Emily Thornberry told BBC Radio 4 last week, “and the last thing that we want to do is to have Their Majesties embarrassed.”

Quote:BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s pro-Russian government has launched criminal charges against a prominent investigative journalist whom it accuses of conducting spying activities in coordination with a foreign country, a minister said on Thursday.

The journalist, Szabolcs Panyi, focuses on national security and intelligence reporting and has published extensive reports detailing Russian influence operations in Hungary as well as the relationship between Moscow and Hungary’s foreign minister.

Panyi denies the allegations, and an outlet he writes for has accused Hungary’s government of “resorting to authoritarian tactics” to discredit the journalist and his findings.

In a secret recording made without Panyi’s knowledge and released in an edited format in Hungary’s government-tied media this week, Panyi can be heard speaking to a source about confirming a phone number used by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó as part of an investigation into Szijjártó’s communications with his Russian counterpart.

The Washington Post, citing several current and former European security officials, reported on the weekend that Szijjártó regularly conferred with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during breaks in EU council meetings to provide him with “direct reports on what was discussed” and possible solutions
Szijjártó has dismissed the report while acknowledging that he confers with Lavrov before and after EU foreign minister meetings about their agenda and decisions.

In a news conference on Thursday, Gergely Gulyás, the chief of staff to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said Hungary’s justice minister had filed charges against Panyi on suspicion of espionage. Gulyás said Panyi had “spied against his own country in cooperation with a foreign state,” and that his role as a journalist was a “cover activity.”

Gulyás added it was “legally debatable” whether the journalist’s activities amounted to treason.

Quote:Workers were taken aback after discovering a 1,300-year-old fragment from a Viking ship during a drainage excavation project in the Netherlands.

The employees had been replacing a sewer system in Wijk bij Duurstede when they discovered a wooden beam protruding from the pavement, Jam Press reported.

While it initially appeared to be an ordinary piece of timber, volunteer and amateur archaeologist Danny van Basten recognized the significance of the artifact and flagged the find to experts.

Specialists from maritime foundation Stichting Beheer Vikingschip and Museum Dorestad arrived to inspect the piece, which measured 10 feet in length and sported cut notches, shaping marks and other worked surfaces indicative of shipbuilding methods.

The features suggested it could be part of a ship’s frame, according to shipbuilder Kees Sterrenburg.

Based on its orientation and nearby pottery shards, experts deduced that the beam dated back to the Carolingian period (circa 700 to 800 A.D.) — a watershed epoch defined by fledgling medieval trade routes and the expansion of Northern European power, Arkeonews.net reported.

During this period, Frankish king Charlemagne and his successors exerted their influence over Western and Central Europe, notably conquering Gaul, Germany and Italy.

The era also saw rivers like the Rhine serve as important arteries for commerce with Dorestad — the ancient hub on which Wijk bij Duurstede sits — becoming a riverine trading mecca that linked ancient France with Scandinavian and North Sea trade routes.

According to researchers, the beam could also be linked to the uptick in Viking activity, as during that time, Norse sea raiders traded with and sometimes raided Carolingian communities.

Another possibility is that the framework could be part of a cog ship — a medieval trading vessel — which suggested it could have been from much later, circa 1,300 A.D.

To nail down the timber’s provenance, the beam will need to be cleaned and its rings analyzed so they can gauge its exact age, per municipal archaeologist and investigation leader Anne de Hoop.

Quote:Wild video shows a raging bull knocking out a Peruvian festival goer with a brutal flying headbutt.

The bull was one of many racing through the streets of the San José fair’s annual “Running of the Bulls” event Monday inspired by the traditional stampedes in Pamplona, Spain.

As other onlookers managed to get out of its way, the bull suddenly took flight — slamming headfirst into Cesar del Rio Ganoza, who was knocked out cold, Peruvian broadcaster Latina Noticias reported.

As other onlookers screamed in horror, several men ran out into the street to aid him and carry him to safety out of shot, video shared on X showed.

Luckily, Ganoza, who is thought to be in his 50s, appeared to escape without serious injury, later sharing a picture of his bandaged face and nose as he recovered in a hospital.

Fellow reveler Gianluca Monterosso Encomenderos, 25, was injured during the stampede and needed 20 stitches in his arm.

Bullfighting and bull runs remain popular in Peru – despite animal rights campaigns to ban the sport.

Quote:This puts the “white” in “Great White.”

Move over “Cocaine Bear.” Brazilian scientists have discovered traces of nose candy, caffeine and painkillers in sharks swimming in waters around the Bahamas.

These “blow-fish” aren’t getting hooked on purpose — it’s the fallout from an uptick in marine pollutants, per an a-jaw-calyptic study published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

“Pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs are increasingly recognized as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in marine environments, particularly in areas undergoing rapid urbanization and tourism-driven development,” the researchers wrote while describing the troubling shark-otics trend.

To see whether these marine marauders were under the influence, the team had reportedly analyzed blood samples from 85 specimens around Eleuthera, one of the Bahamas’ most remote islands. The subjects were drug-tested for both legal and illegal substances.

Of the samples, a shocking 28 sharks spanning three species tested positive for drugs, the most common of which was caffeine. This was followed by acetaminophen and diclofenac, the active ingredients in the popular painkillers Tylenol and Voltaren.

Meanwhile, two of the animals tested positive for cocaine, which researchers attributed to them chomping on drug packets that fell into the water.

“They bite things to investigate and end up exposed,” study author Natascha Wosnick of the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil, told Science News.

This reportedly marked the first time cocaine had been detected in sharks in the Bahamas — trace amounts had previously been found in sharks in Brazil — and the first instance of the critters testing positive for caffeine anywhere on Earth.

Researchers noted that the drug-addled predators had been taken from popular tourist and dive spots, suggesting that they’d been exposed to wastewater from boats and urban developments, which may have been polluted with the aforementioned substances.