NATIONAL NEWS

The Latest: Trump pulls back on threats as US, Israel and Iran reach a 2-week ceasefire deal

Apr 7, 2026, 9:33 PM | Updated: Apr 8, 2026, 1:10 pm

Iranian pro-government demonstrators burn the U.S. and Israeli flags during a gathering after annou...

Iranian pro-government demonstrators burn the U.S. and Israeli flags during a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran, the United States and Israel said they reached a deal for a two-week ceasefire war, with Tehran saying it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan, but he later called the plan fraudulent without elaborating.

Trump’s threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran hit a new extreme hours before the ceasefire when he warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that it doesn’t include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where more than 1,500 people have been killed.

Here is the latest:

Trump says moment could mark a new ‘Golden Age’ for Mideast

Trump in a social media post declared the ceasefire agreement a “big day for World Peace” and that the U.S. “will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“There will be lots of positive action!” Trump predicted in his post.

“Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will.”

Trump’s message on his Truth Social website signals Washington’s concern about Iran maintaining its chokehold over the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which 20% of all oil and natural gas passes in peace time.

Sirens go off in Bahrain

Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens Wednesday morning, hours after the U.S. and Iran say they reached a two-week ceasefire in the war for negotiations.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced the warning.

It wasn’t immediately clear from the ceasefire when it would begin.

Iran has fired missiles on the Gulf Arab states and Israel after the announcement.

National News

Associated Press

New Orleans port sues to get control of tanker that crashed into cruise ship on Mississippi River

Just hours after a tanker in New Orleans lost its steering and slammed into a docked river cruise boat, the city’s port sued to make sure federal investigators can seize the vessel that is owned by a subsidiary of a Chinese company. All 197 passengers and crew on the American Heritage cruise ship survived Friday […]

1 hour ago

The control tower is seen at Washington Dulles International Airport after the Federal Aviation Adm...

Associated Press

Why a problem on the ground can affect flights thousands of miles away among other issues

Regional U.S. air traffic control centers communicate using a complex network that’s “one of the largest telecommunications systems in the country,” and disruptions like those seen on Friday with an hourslong, nationwide grounding of flights can reverberate widely, according to an aviation expert. Michael McCormick, a former airspace manager with the Federal Aviation Administration, said […]

1 hour ago

Aircraft are seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in At...

Associated Press

US sports scramble back to normal after FAA ground stop upends team travel

Major sporting events slowly returned to normal Saturday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide for several hours a day earlier, disrupting travel plans for professional and college teams across the country. Most college football teams playing Saturday travel the day before kickoff, and a number of games were delayed by hours to […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Bomb found near ethanol plant in central Illinois forces evacuations as authorities investigate

A bomb was found near an ethanol plant in central Illinois, sparking evacuations of those who live near the industrial site as law enforcement officials investigate, authorities said Saturday. The bomb was found Friday afternoon at the BioUrja Renewables facility in Peoria. While officials say the device has since been “rendered safe,” as of Saturday […]

6 hours ago

Ashley Sarracino, center, helps her nieces get dressed before participating in traditional dances i...

Associated Press

Deb Haaland breaks political barriers as Native women in her home community face hurdles

PARAJE, N.M. (AP) — On the morning of a Laguna Pueblo village’s annual Feast Day, Ashley Sarracino knelt in her family home holding clothespins between her teeth. She straightened her niece’s black cotton manta, a traditional one-shouldered dress, and tied a sash around her waist. On these days, Sarracino is a caretaker, dressing relatives for […]

7 hours ago

An injured child is treated at the Al-Aqsa Hospital, following an Israeli military strike in easter...

Associated Press

Israeli drone strike kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza, and other Mideast news

An Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said. Meanwhile, Iranian state TV reported that three oil tankers struck Iranian naval mines and caught fire around the Strait of Hormuz in the latest attack on shipping moving through the Persian Gulf. Here are the latest developments from the […]

7 hours ago

The Latest: Trump pulls back on threats as US, Israel and Iran reach a 2-week ceasefire deal