FOLLOW MIDDLE EAST

“Gonzalez's resignation announcement came hours after California Democratic representative Eric Swalwell also announced his own plan to resign. Swalwell is facing allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from at least four women. Gonzales had already dropped his bid for reelection after being forced into a primary runoff and the launch of a congressional ethics investigation into his behavior.”

“Israel says that it will have full control of the Lebanese town of Bin Shabeel, quote, within days. The town has become the center of intense fighting. It's part of land that Israel says it's seizing from Lebanon to create what it calls a buffer zone so Hezbollah can't fire rockets into Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Israel Katz both joined invading troops inside Lebanon over the weekend.”

“The US housing market remains in a slump. According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes fell 3.6% last month. For homes that did sell in March, the average sales price was just under $409,000. Freddie Mac says mortgage rates, which briefly dipped below 6% this spring, are now averaging 6.37%.”

“Luther Vandross and Phil Collins have been eligible for the Rock Hall for twenty years and Sade for almost as long. They're all in the class of 2026 along with British post punk legends Joy Division and their spin off group New Order. Two more British acts, Iron Maiden and Billy Idol, made the cut this year after being active since the nineteen seventies.”

“Baseball's new automatic ball strike system could be making games a little longer so far this season with the time of a nine inning game creeping upward to two hours and forty two minutes through this weekend. That's up four minutes from last season, and that's all after the league successfully brought down the length of length of games in 2023 by introducing a pitch timer and other rules.”

“Vance described this in a thirty second clip released by the White House as, quote, bad news and said it was worse news for Iran than The United States. He said Iran was unwilling to accept his side's terms without providing specifics beyond the fact that The US had made certain red lines clear. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Ismail Bakai, said in a post on X that the main subjects of talks were the Strait Of Hormuz, nuclear issues, sanctions, reparations, and an end to the war against Iran and the region.”

“The passage of the guided missile destroyers marks the first transit of American warships since the start of the war six weeks ago. According to US Central Command, the USS Frank e Peterson and USS Michael Murphy are part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of mines previously laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. US officials say additional forces, including underwater drones, will join the effort in the coming days.”

“The individual was armed with a large knife described as a machete and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer. The individual refused to comply with at least 20 orders to drop the knife. Officers also attempted to deescalate and offer assistance saying, we are going to get you help. Police eventually shot the man who later died at a city hospital.”

“Strongman Viktor Orban has been that country's prime minister for sixteen years, but he's facing a stiff challenge from Petar Magyar. Majar's center right party is leading by double digits in most polls. Many observers, though, say the final result will likely be much closer than the polls indicate. Voters will be heading to the polls in Hungary on Sunday as they vote for a new parliament.”

“When round three began, Rory McIlroy appeared to be in great position. He was ahead by six strokes, the largest lead to start the third round in Masters history. When the day was over, McIlroy was still on top, but he is now tied for the lead with American Cameron Young. McIlroy struggled throughout the day. He was one over par for the round. Meanwhile, Young, who began the day eight strokes behind, had a round of seven under.”

“The pilot was quickly recovered, but his weapons officer or colonel spent again two days evading Iranian militia and Revolutionary Guard forces. He was eventually plucked from a crevasse in a mountain some 7,000 feet high. I'm told by a US official, he's in stable condition, though no detail on his wounds.”

“Meanwhile, in a profanity-filled post on social media, President Trump threatened Iran again today over opening the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli attacks have killed at least 39 people across Lebanon today. And Piers-Lauren Freire reports, one of the biggest attacks targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has offices.”

“Residents posted this video to social media showing people covered in gray dust, ferrying the wounded out of a collapsed building on slings made of blankets. Israel often issues evacuation orders, but this attack in Beirut's coastal area of Jenach came without warning. Hitting a dense residential area near a public hospital, health officials say a four-year-old girl was among those killed.”

“Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with hundreds of Shaheds a day, and Ukraine's military has learned how to intercept them. Zelensky is offering to trade this anti-drone expertise for systems that shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, CAVE.”

“The Screenwriters Union and Hollywood Studios have reached a tentative four-year agreement after weeks of negotiation. Details of the agreement between the Writers Guild of America West and the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers hasn't been released. But the Union was asking for better health care plans and protections against artificial intelligence.”

“Trump said the Iranians were closing in on him, but the US forces found him first. They picked him up, flew him out of Iran. Trump says he's safe and sound, though we don't know exactly where he is or the extent of his injuries. Still a lot of details we don't know. The New York Times is reporting that two US planes landed to pick up the injured colonel and the other troops, but were not able to fly out.”

“I'm here in central Tel Aviv, where hundreds of Israelis came to protest against the war in Iran and Lebanon. They held signs with the faces of Lebanese children killed by the Israeli military, and they went into an underground shelter during a missile attack. Protester Shiri Katz said she believes this war is going nowhere, and despite wanting freedom for Iran, she feels it will not be achieved through this conflict.”

“Almost 80% of Iran's 90 million population use the internet for commercial or social purposes. But now they find themselves digitally cut off from the rest of the world after the government imposed a blackout soon after the start of the hostilities. The Global Internet Monitor, NetBlock, says the shutdown has exceeded all other comparable incidents in severity.”

“At the Vatican, thousands of Christian faithful are filling St. Peter's Square on this Easter Sunday. Pope Leo delivered the traditional Easter blessing in Latin, asking that God's grace and peace remain with the faithful. The American Pope also addressed the crowd in English, saying 'Happy Easter! May you bring the joy of Jesus, who is risen and present in our midst, to all you meet.'”

“UConn center, Terrace Reed Jr. capped the Huskies' scoring in the 71-62 victory with key free throws in the game's final seconds. This season, Reed has shot a below average 59% from the line, but was determined to change that. Reed said he looked at his coach with 30 seconds left and asked to catch the ball and be fouled because he trusted the work he put in to knock the shots down.”