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U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 68.

• Reports cite Pakistani mediators and other sources as saying the U.S. and Iran are working toward agreement on a one-page memorandum that would formally end the Middle East war and provide for future discussions on unblocking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, easing U.S. sanctions on Iran, and curbing Iran's nuclear program. Referring to the potential deal this morning, U.S. President Donald Trump said that bombing of Iran would resume at a "higher level and intensity than it was before" if an agreement is not finalized. [more]
• Amidst ongoing negotiations to end the Middle East war and following U.S. President Donald Trump's suspension of efforts to guide ships through the strategic waterway, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said today of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz that, "With the end of the aggressors' threats and in the shadow of new procedures, the possibility of safe and sustainable passage through the Strait will be provided." [more]
• In a social media post yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump, citing "great progress" toward a peace deal with Iran and "on the request of Pakistan and other Countries," said the U.S. operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which began just a day earlier, was being suspended. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had both indicated earlier in the day that re-opening the Strait was the main U.S. priority in the ongoing conflict with Iran. [more]
• After meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a "comprehensive ceasefire" in the Middle East war and said that a "resumption of hostilities is not acceptable." [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,530 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Disregarding Ukraine's unilateral temporary cease-fire that was to begin at midnight, Russian forces fired dozens of drones at targets across Ukraine overnight. Russian defense officials claim that Ukraine, too, did not abide by the cease-fire, saying their air defenses shot down more than 50 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions through dawn today. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | According to Labor Department data released yesterday, U.S. employers hired 5.6 million workers in March, while total separations, including both quits and layoffs, totaled 5.4 million for the month. [full report] [more]

COLORADO | In a lawsuit filed yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department seeks to strike down an assault weapons ban that the city of Denver, Colorado, has had in place since 1989. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that Denver's ban on assault weapons "directly violates the right to bear arms," while city officials said they would "not roll back a common-sense policy that has kept weapons of war off of these city streets for 37 years." [more]

U.S. FUEL PRICES | Auto club AAA reports that the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. rose to $4.53 today – a more than 50% increase from the nationwide average prior to the U.S.-Israel-Iran war. [AAA price tracker] [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Amidst similar actions in multiple states and following last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision weakening Voting Rights Act-mandated minority protections in congressional districting, Republican lawmakers in South Carolina announced plans yesterday to seek legislative approval for re-districting that would redraw a district long-held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. [more]

GEORGIA | Amidst ongoing claims by President Donald Trump of voter fraud in the county in the 2020 elections, the Justice Department is reported to be seeking, via a grand jury subpoena, the names and personal contact information of every person who worked in the elections in Georgia's Fulton County, including of county employees, volunteers, and temporary poll workers. County officials say they have filed a motion to block the subpoena. [more]

WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM | As part of a GOP bill released Monday to fund immigration enforcement agencies, Senate Republicans are seeking to add $1 billion in funding for White House security upgrades related to President Donald Trump's planned ballroom on the executive mansion grounds. According to the proposed legislation, the funds would be used for above- and below-ground enhancements to the ballroom project but would not be used for non-security elements. [more]

U.S. VAPING | Reversing the agency's policies of recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its first authorization yesterday of fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers. The FDA said the flavored vaping devices, from Los Angeles-based Glas Inc., are only intended for adults interested in quitting or cutting back on cigarettes, but opponents of the move say the fruit flavors could lead to unwanted adoption by underage users. [more]

U.S. DRUG WAR | The U.S. military's Southern Command says three people were killed yesterday in its latest strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Reports note that at least 191 people have been killed in U.S. strikes on boats since last September as part of measures to stop "narcoterrorism." [more]

HANTAVIRUS | World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that his organization is closely monitoring the health of passengers and crew aboard a luxury cruise ship on which at least five people are believed to have been infected with hantavirus, noting that, "At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low." Reports cite health officials in both South Africa and Switzerland as saying the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is known to be transmissible from human to human, has been identified in people who had previously traveled aboard the ship. [more]

FRANCE | The French Armed Forces ministry said in a statement today that its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group is moving into the Red ​Sea and Gulf of Aden as ​part of efforts by France and Britain ⁠to prepare for a future mission ​to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait ​of Hormuz. [more]

GERMANY | Federal prosecutors say more than 600 police officers took part in about 50 raids in 12 German states today targeting people suspected of involvement in far-right criminal youth gangs, including the "Jung & Stark," or Young and Strong, and "Deutsche Jugend Voran," which means Forward German Youth. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | Five major publishing companies, including Hachette and Macmillan, have filed a class-action lawsuits against Meta, accusing the tech giant of unlawfully using copyrighted material from pirate websites to train the company's artificial intelligence models. Meta has argued that the practice constituted "fair use" of copyrighted materials and said it intends to fight the lawsuit aggressively. [more]

ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS | "The Lost Boys" and "Schmigadoon!" each earned a pack-leading 12 nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards yesterday, followed by "Ragtime" with 11 and "Death of a Salesman" with nine. [full nominations list] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1935, the Works Progress Administration, which employed millions of Americans to work on public works projects during the Great Depression, began operating under an executive order signed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  [more history]