This Week in the World Affairs Brief
TRUMP FIGHTING ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT
When Trump requested all the national networks give him 20 minutes for a special broadcast to the nation everyone was expecting a major announcement about the Iran war and most were hoping Trump would announce a quick end to the war. After all, he had recently claimed he was going to end the war in “2 or 3 weeks.” But not only was no peace deal announced, there was no specific news to support the hope that Trump was winding things down. The entire speech was a litany of boastful statements about how the US is "winning bigger than ever before," bragging about how much of Iran’s military has been destroyed and how most of their leaders have been killed. Trump even made the impossible claim that all the “gold star” families of the 13 US military who have died in this conflict have pleaded with Trump to “finish the job.” All of this indicates that this speech was primarily an attempt to confront the growing public dissatisfaction with this war, while pressuring Iran to give in to his demands. To receive a free one-time copy of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left.
Also:
- Trump’s Ego Knows No Bounds
- Supreme Court Rules Against Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi followed up Trump’s announcement with a statement on behalf of the Supreme National Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressing gratitude to the Pakistani officials for their work to reach a cease-fire.
“If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” the statement said. “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”
Araghchi said the decision was in response to a 15-point peace proposal from Pakistan and Trump’s comments on Iran’s 10-point proposal.
If civilians can be trusted to carry firearms, military personnel certainly can. As Hegseth noted, “Uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards.”
Why would a soldier risk such severe penalties? Because those penalties do not deter attackers. Someone planning to murder fellow soldiers will not stop because of gun laws.
Sources described Ghost Murmur as able to detect something as faint as a human heartbeat's magnetic signal at long distances in complex environments using AI to filter through the noise.
President Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe hinted at the new super-surveillance tool at a White House press conference on Monday afternoon. This was Ghost Murmur's first operational field use, or at least the first publicly known one.
Angry crowds stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Iraq's southern Basra governorate on Tuesday after rockets which came from the direction of Kuwait killed three people, according to police sources cited by Reuters and Al Arabiya.
“We won’t merely accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, said in remarks to the Associated Press.
“We only accept an end to the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again.”
Axios cites "glimmer" of progress on negotiations.
In a call with FOX's Bret Baier, Trump says 8 PM deadline today "could change if negotiations move forward, but sticking to deadline for now."
Kharg Island heavily bombed in preparation for potential US Marine/Special Forces ground seizure. Reports of 'human chains' at bridges, power plants, in Iran forming.
Israel has begun attacking Iran's railway infrastructure, telling civilians to not take trains, cancelations across country. IRGC still defiant - announces new retaliatory attacks on petrochemical plants in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Iran's 10-point counter to the US 15-point ceasefire shows signs of willingness to compromise ('reparations' from US dropped as a demand). Vance says war will end "very shortly". Russia, China veto UNSC Hormuz resolution.
The real cost could be much, much higher given that at this point dozens of ultra-expensive aircraft and radars have been knocked out by Iran's ongoing retaliation, and as the US has begun high risk incursions into the region and into Iranian territory itself.
Axios in a report days ago highlighted that "The U.S. is dedicating significant amounts of firepower to the Middle East as it wrestles with Iran. Some of it — billions of dollars' worth, in fact — will not be returning."
The U.S. military encountered terrain-related problems during the weekend recovery efforts in Iran, Trump said. Wet, sandy conditions made it too difficult for the large planes—which carried rescue personnel and equipment—to take off from the ground, he said.
“We had a contingency plan, which was unbelievable, where lighter, faster aircraft came in, and they took them out. We blew up the old planes,” Trump said.
The British American political commentator and entrepreneur is running on what he calls “commonsense ideas,” such as cutting gas taxes, in a state in which the average price for a gallon of gas is nearly $2 more than the national average. He is also calling for cutting electric bills in half, and making homes more affordable by exempting the first $100,000 of home value from taxes.
“I’m grateful for the president’s support. Together, we can turn things around and make California truly Golden Again,” Hilton said.
Equipped with a laser pointer for improved accuracy, the device – also called a Gauss gun – uses electromagnetic coils to accelerate metal projectiles at high speeds, miniaturizing technology previously limited to larger military systems.
Trump threatens "Iran can be taken out in one night... maybe tomorrow"; Warns 'every bridge and power plant' will be destroyed
WSJ reports US military is making preparations for potential strikes on energy targets in Iran
A Sunday night Axios report on a US-proposed 45-day ceasefire has by Monday morning been rejected by Iran, which later on Monday issued a 10-point letter via Pakistan.
Israel strikes large petrochemical plant at South Pars, which is responsible for half of the country’s petrochemical production.
Second downed pilot recovered after US Special Forces raid and firefight inside Iran.
Fire Breaks Out At Kuwait Oil Ministry Complex After Iran Drone Strike
President Trump reminds Iran of deal timeline, threatens "all hell will reign down" if time runs out.
Pfizer and German vax maker BioNTech had sought to research an updated version of the vaccine in adults ages 50 to 64, but were unable to generate the data needed due to the low enrollment in the trials, Reuters reported.
The Colorado law, passed in 2019, forbids therapists from any practice or treatment “that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” or “eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions toward individuals of the same sex.”
Kaley Chiles, a licensed therapist, challenged the law in 2022, saying it violated her First Amendment free speech rights. After losing in lower courts, the Supreme Court ruled in her favor in an 8–1 decision that may impact similar laws in 26 other states.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency, citing an IRGC statement, said the aircraft was an F-35 and published images it said showed parts of the wreckage. The outlet added that the pilot’s fate remains unknown and claimed U.S. forces were seen conducting a search operation in the area using Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Trump declares 'core strategic objectives met', threatens 2-3 more weeks of bombing, no mention of ceasefire
Trump to declare Iran war is winding down and others need to resolve Hormuz
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released an open letter to the American people, questioning whether Washington is truly putting “America First” or merely acting as a “proxy for Israel” willing to fight “to the last American soldier.”... Oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy was struck by an Iranian cruise missile in Qatari waters Wednesday.
IRGC has newly vowed to keep attacking with "full intensity and power" - suggesting this is far from over, as ceasefire talks remain theater lacking in much substance. Ayatollah praises Hezbollah in written statement.
The Feeding Our Future fraud is the largest pandemic-relief theft in American history - $250 million stolen, mostly by Somali immigrants who fabricated meal counts and pocketed federal child nutrition funds.
The prosecutions have dragged on for years.
Now that sentences are finally coming down, a troubling pattern is emerging: the punishments don’t seem to fit the crime.
The president signed the new law after Congress stalled while debating the SAVE America Act.
The surge of additional Warthogs, as many as 18, on top of the roughly dozen A-10s already operating in the region, has already been used to sink Iranian boats in the Hormuz chokepoint and strike Iran-backed militias in Iraq, according to the NYT, citing DoW officials. The expanded fleet suggests a broader aviation campaign in and around Hormuz and could even play a critical role in supporting a potential seizure of Kharg Island, Iran's main oil hub in the northern Persian Gulf.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs invalidated the Trump administration’s decision to end the immigration parole status of migrants who entered the country under the Biden-era CBP Home policy.
Between 2013 and 2025, these nine vessels delivered 20.3 million barrels of Iranian crude to Chinese ports, the report said, citing data from Kpler. The vessels also carried 37.9 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and 11.1 million barrels of Russian crude to Chinese ports.
The case was brought by a therapist who alleged that Colorado’s ban violated her right to free expression.
He said that all communication concerning diplomacy and the war is routed through the Foreign Ministry and overseen by the National Security Council. They have neither responded to reported US proposals nor submitted their own, stressing that no decision on talks has been made. Instead of a ceasefire, Iran is calling for a full regional end to the war, along with guarantees against future attacks and compensation for damages.
However, in a motion filed Friday, Robinson's attorneys disclosed that they had received an ATF summary report with an unexpected finding. "Regarding the firearm evidence, the defense has been provided with an ATF summary report which indicates that the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson," the motion reads. The defense added, “Although the State has not indicated an intent to produce this report at the preliminary hearing, the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence.”
he said bluntly: "I am sure Russia wants long war. They have benefits: The US is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine.
Further he highlighted that "Sanctions are partially lifted" on Russian energy and so "I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing."
The overnight Wall Street Journal report that President Trump told aides he is willing to wind down the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted (and appeared to confirm this narrative in a social media post this morning) comes just as the national average gasoline price hit the politically sensitive $4-a-gallon threshold, underscoring the delicate balancing act the administration is facing in managing battlefield objectives and domestic fuel costs.
While both sides suffer great losses in this protracted conflict, America’s biggest geopolitical rival – China – seems to be gaining palpable economic and strategic benefits from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Challenges to Petrodollar and Yuan’s Rise against U.S. Dollar
Foreigners are responsible for half of gang rapes, 65% of sexual violence in German trains and train stations, and 40% of violent incidents in the school system
The UK has heavily relied on jet fuel transiting the Hormuz chokepoint for several years after phasing out Russian supplies. Analysts warn that airlines may begin to feel the supply crunch in late April if disruptions in Hormuz persist.
As of Monday, northwest European jet fuel prices were roughly double prewar levels. In Asia, Singapore kerosene is trading at more than $200 a barrel, more than double the level at the start of the year.
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