Early Edition: April 23, 2026

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR – CEASEFIRE 

Iran yesterday fired on three outbound ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them, calling it retaliation for the U.S. naval blockade and for the U.S. firing on the Touska, an Iranian ship, that did not stop when hailed by a vessel enforcing the blockade. The seized ships were the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas and the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, both container ships. The crew members were “safe and accounted for,” and there were no reports of injuries, according to Technomar Shipping, a Greek company. David McHugh reports for AP News.

President Trump told reporters yesterday that he was “not in a rush” to end the conflict, adding that he wanted a “good deal.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Washington was “waiting to hear back from the Iranian regime,” which she says “cannot send a unified message yet which is why the president decided to extend the ceasefire.” When asked whether Iran’s seizure of two ships yesterday had violated the ceasefire, Leavitt said, “No, because these were not U.S. ships. These were not Israeli ships.” BBC News reports; Lynsey Chutel, Leo Sands, and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times. 

IRAN WAR – LEBANON OPERATIONS

Israeli strikes yesterday killed one journalist and wounded another in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said the Israeli military targeted the journalists in the town of Tayri, where they took shelter in a nearby house after an airstrike struck a vehicle in front of the car they were traveling in. About 90 minutes later, a second strike hit the house they were in. The Lebanese Red Cross said its teams came under fire while trying to evacuate the journalists from the house, forcing them to withdraw. The Israeli military denied in a statement that it had prevented rescuers from reaching the injured journalists. Ashley Ahn reports for the New York Times.

The Israeli military has been demolishing homes in southern Lebanon that it says were used by Hezbollah, even after a recent ceasefire. Lebanese officials, residents, and U.N. peacekeepers have warned that entire villages are being flattened, potentially leaving displaced people with nowhere to return if the truce continues. Lebanese officials plan to raise the issue of widespread demolitions on Thursday when they hold ceasefire talks with their Israeli counterparts in Washington. Abby Sewell reports for AP News. 

IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Trump said yesterday that Iran had agreed not to execute eight women protesters in a sign of respect for him, while officials in Tehran denied the execution had been planned and accused Trump of lying. “Trump’s empty-handedness in the battlefield has pushed him towards fabricating achievements from false news,” the Iranian ‌judiciary’s ⁠news agency, Mizan, said. Reuters reports.  

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that he backed the idea of providing economic support to the United Arab Emirates in the form of a currency swap. Speaking at a Senate hearing, Bessent said that the UAE, along with several other countries in the Persian Gulf and Asia, had inquired about a possible swap. He said providing a swap would benefit the United States by stabilizing foreign exchange markets and protecting U.S. assets around the world. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times. 

The U.S. military has introduced Ukrainian counter-drone technology in recent weeks at the U.S. Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to five sources. Ukrainian military officials arrived at the base to train U.S. soldiers with Sky Map to detect incoming drones, including Iranian Shahed drones. David Jeans reports for Reuters. 

The Pentagon told the House Armed Services Committee in a classified briefing on Tuesday that it could take six months to fully clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines deployed by the Iranian military, three sources said. Lawmakers were told that Iran may have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait. Dan Lamothe, Noah Robertson, and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post. 

For a fifth time since the war in Iran began, Senate Republicans voted yesterday to block a resolution to enforce Congress’s war powers. The 1973 War Powers Resolution law allows the president to wage war without congressional approval for 60 days; that window would expire on May 1. Lynsey Chutel, Leo Sands, Chris Cameron, and Max Bearak report for the New York Times. 

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israeli airstrikes killed five Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, health officials said. Medics and civil defense officials said the five people were targeted near a mosque in Beit Lahiya. Reuters reports. 

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

EU officials yesterday gave preliminary approval to a loan of roughly €90 billion ($105 billion) for Ukraine, after Hungary dropped its opposition. The package is expected to get formal approval on Thursday, according to an official from Cyprus. David L. Stern reports for the Washington Post. 

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

China yesterday issued a video showing an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth and first using nuclear power. Separately, China’s natural resources ministry reaffirmed its plan to expand and militarize its claimed islands in the South China Sea through a People’s Daily article. Ryan Woo and Xiuhao Chen report for Reuters. 

Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court yesterday found that the ICC has jurisdiction over former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, dismissing a bid to throw out his trial over his alleged pivotal role in the murder of thousands of people. The Philippines formally withdrew its ICC membership in 2018, and Duterte’s defense argued that this meant the court had no jurisdiction. The court ruled that the fact that a preliminary examination had already started before the Philippines withdrew its membership was enough to trigger ongoing jurisdiction. Reuters reports.  

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

The U.K. National Cyber Security Center said yesterday that around 100 countries now have access to commercial spyware that can break into computers and phones to steal sensitive information. Zack Whittaker reports for TechCrunch. 

OpenAI held an event on Tuesday in Washington for approximately 50 cyber defense practitioners across the federal government to demo the capabilities of its new GPT-5.4-Cyber model. The model is part of a dual-release strategy offering a safer public version and a more powerful restricted one for cybersecurity defenders, amid parallel efforts by Anthropic on its Mythos system. Sam Sabin reports for Axios.  

Department of Homeland Security researchers showed House lawmakers yesterday how “jailbroken” AI models – those with safety guardrails removed – can be prompted to generate dangerous instructions, including plans for bomb-making, terror attacks, and cyberattacks. While secured models refuse such requests, the compromised versions quickly provide detailed, harmful guidance. Dana Nickel reports for POLITICO. 

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

The White House has developed a document assessing NATO members, which includes an overview of each member’s contributions to the alliance and places them into tiers, according to three European diplomats and a U.S. defense official. One diplomat called it “a naughty and nice paper.” Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary report for POLITICO. 

The Trump administration is exploring lifting sanctions on Eritrea to reset ties amid Iran’s threats to Red Sea maritime corridors, according to administration officials. The plan to reset ties with Eritrea predated the U.S. war in Iran and remains under review. Robbie Gramer and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal. 

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

“A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,” Trump said yesterday on social media after a vote to redraw Virginia’s congressional map went in favor of the Democrats. At the same time, a Virginia judge blocked certification of the new map amid legal challenges, while Democrats move to appeal the ruling. Nandita Bose and Diana Novak Jones report for Reuters. 

The FBI began investigating a New York Times reporter last month after she wrote about FBI Director Kash Patel using bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend with government security and transportation, according to a source. Some Justice Department officials said the inquiry was a retaliation for the news article and determined there was no legal basis to proceed with the investigation, the source added. The FBI told the Times this week that “while investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed the lines of stalking,” the FBI is not pursuing the case. Michael S. Schmidt reports for the New York Times.  

House Oversight Committee members are divided over whether Trump should pardon Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation in the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation, Chair James Comer (R-KY) said in an interview yesterday. Comer himself said he was not in favor, adding, “Honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in the whole investigation is Maxwell.” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said the committee Democrats unanimously opposed a pardon for Maxwell. Hailey Fuchs reports for POLITICO. 

Senators voted 50-48 this morning to adopt a budget plan for legislation that could fund ICE, Border Patrol, and other agencies for the remainder of Trump’s term. The GOP-backed plan sets up a roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement package advanced without Democratic support. Jordain Carney and Jennifer Scholtes report for POLITICO. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS 

Navy Secretary John Phelan will depart the Trump administration, “effective immediately,” the Pentagon announced yesterday, without providing a reason for this unexpected departure. Five officials said that Phelan was forced out after repeated clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and deputy secretary Seve Feinberg over his management of shipbuilding and other issues. One official said Phelan was asked to step down. Konstantin Toropin and Ben Finley report for AP News; Dan Lamothe, Tara Copp, and Noah Roberston report for the Washington Post. 

Trump’s pick to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Sean Plankey, is withdrawing from consideration. “After thirteen months since my initial nomination, it has become clear the Senate will not confirm me,” Plankey said in a letter to the White House yesterday. John Sakellariadis and Dana Nickel report for POLITICO.  

The acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, has canceled the publication of a study that found the Covid vaccine reduced emergency visits due to Covid by 50% and hospitalizations by 55% last winter, according to a Health Department spokesperson and a summary of the study reviewed by the New York Times. Bhattacharya said the methodology gave an inaccurate picture of effectiveness.  Former CDC officials and scientists said the methods used were long-established and routinely applied to assess vaccine performance. Apoorva Mandavilli reports. 

The Trump administration has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit from former Trump adviser Carter Page over FBI and Justice Department surveillance during the investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

The Justice Department yesterday asked a federal judge to pause the DOJ’s appeal of a March ruling that temporarily blocked the government from designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security. According to a court filing, the DOJ said it should be frozen until the D.C. Circuit rules on related questions in a parallel case. Brendan Bordelon reports for POLITICO. 

A federal appeals court yesterday issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the enforcement of a California law requiring law enforcement officers to wear identification, saying the state lacks authority to impose such rules on federal agents. Lindsey Holden reports for POLITICO. 

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.

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