CMR is the leading provider of funding and management support for small to medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs 

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

The California government may struggle to provide basic housing for the homeless, but it appears willing to fund gender-transition procedures with taxpayer dollars, including illegal aliens, according to a new report.

A Wednesday report from City Journal found that San Francisco homeless shelters, with the assistance of state and local governments, are facilitating transgender surgeries for males who identify as female.

One such shelter, St. Vincent de Paul’s MSC-South, entered into a $66 million contract with the city to house homeless individuals, including illegal aliens.

A pair of Honduran nationals living at the shelter, Lyca and Alondra, reportedly identify as transgender, and both said they receive Medi-Cal, California’s taxpayer-funded Medicaid program.

According to City Journal, the taxpayer-funded program covers transgender procedures, or “gender-affirming care,” and provides “full-scope” coverage to illegal aliens.

Lyca, who reportedly showed signs of a sex change, said he is receiving cross-sex hormone therapy.

Meanwhile, Alondra, who appeared more masculine in physique, said he entered the U.S. illegally after claiming asylum. A translator told City Journal that Alondra declined a housing offer due to affordability concerns, though the government offered to pay one month’s rent.

Another shelter, the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center, reportedly houses a transgender-identifying individual named Jacqueline.

Originally from Mexico, Jacqueline told City Journal that illegal aliens reside at the shelter and said he received breast implants through Medi-Cal.

Jacqueline claimed to be a permanent resident but acknowledged that the program also covers procedures for illegal aliens.

“Even though you’re undocumented, you can get them,” he stated, as quoted by City Journal. “You have to have a process, the hormones … go through therapy.”

Asked whether he had received so-called “bottom surgery,” Jacqueline replied, “I’m waiting for that one.”

Headline USA reached out to MSC-South for clarification, including whether such procedures are facilitated by the shelter, but a front-desk receptionist said no one was available to comment.

When pressed further, he added, “We’re busy right now, boss man.”

Attempts to contact the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center were unsuccessful, as its main line appeared disconnected. Five Keys Housing, the shelter’s parent company, was closed when Headline USA called.

A Newsom spokesperson stood by the state’s taxpayer-funded program, saying, “Undocumented Californians don’t get special treatment. Everyone on Medi-Cal gets the same access to care. If you want to call California woke for not letting politicians interfere with doctors – or not wanting people to die in the streets – then go ahead.”

BREAKING: Gavin Newsom’s office has confirmed that California is giving free sex-change surgeries to homeless illegal aliens.

They’re doubling down—and, inexplicably, suggesting that without state-funded breast implants and artificial vaginas, migrants will “die in the streets.” pic.twitter.com/1bMt2rbSKE

— Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@christopherrufo) April 16, 2026

The City Journal report comes as California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration faces mounting scrutiny over potential exploitation of taxpayer-funded programs, from hospice fraud to the expansion of taxpayer-funded gender procedures for illegal aliens.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

While the scientific establishment has spent decades chasing invisible particles that never quite show up, a leading cosmologist has dropped a theory that turns everything on its head: dark matter isn’t some exotic new particle. It could be ancient black holes that survived from an entirely different universe.

This idea, laid out by Professor Enrique Gaztanaga of the University of Portsmouth, doesn’t just tackle one cosmic puzzle. It offers a clean fix for the Big Bang’s thorniest problems and lines up with fresh observations that have astronomers scrambling.

Gaztanaga argues the elusive substance that makes up roughly 27 per cent of the universe’s mass may actually be “relic” black holes formed in a previous collapsing phase of the cosmos.

What is dark matter? Elusive substance could be made of black holes from a different UNIVERSE, scientist claims https://t.co/GdjXzdJ1Ee

— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) April 15, 2026

“The idea is that dark matter may not be a new particle, but instead a population of black holes formed in a previous collapsing phase and bounce of the Universe,” Professor Gaztanaga says.

He rejects the standard singularity model where everything explodes from an infinitely dense point that breaks physics. Instead, he proposes a “bouncing” universe.

“The Big Bang corresponds to a bounce from a previous collapsing phase, rather than the absolute beginning of everything,” the Professor Gaztanaga further noted, adding “So it is the start of the expansion we observe, but not necessarily the beginning of time itself.”

In this picture, black holes from the collapsing galaxies of that earlier universe survived the bounce and now drift through our cosmos, exerting gravity without emitting light.

We may have been wrong about wormholes.

Recent research challenges the popular notion that wormholes—hypothetical tunnels through spacetime enabling interstellar travel—are directly linked to the original Einstein-Rosen bridge. In 1935, Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen… pic.twitter.com/ipm9RlXl54

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 16, 2026

“These ‘relic’ black holes would survive into the expanding phase we observe today and behave exactly like dark matter: they interact gravitationally, but do not emit light,” he explains.

The theory also neatly accounts for the James Webb Space Telescope’s baffling discovery of bright red dots—rapidly growing black holes—mere hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang. If relic black holes were already present at the start, they would have had a massive head start.

A study of the fascinating galaxy system nicknamed "The Stingray" suggests that mysterious little red dots could be a phase in the evolution of galaxies powered by actively feeding black holes, rather than a distinct class of objects. https://t.co/FfKPDQVxl7

— Live Science (@LiveScience) April 9, 2026

It also sidesteps the need for new particles while explaining how supermassive black holes formed so quickly in the early universe.

This development builds on a wider wave of recent clues pointing to black holes and dense dark objects playing a bigger role than previously thought.

Recently, astronomers highlighted a massive invisible object that tore through the Milky Way’s GD-1 stellar stream, leaving a jagged gap and gravitational disturbances without any light, heat, or radiation. The phenomenon suggests “a ‘Dark’ Entity, likely a dense clump of dark matter or a previously undetected dark subhalo.”

BREAKING?: Astronomers have identified a massive, invisible object that recently tore through the Milky Way’s GD-1 stellar stream, leaving a jagged gap and creating significant gravitational disturbances without emitting light, heat, or radiation.

The Phenomenon suggests a… pic.twitter.com/cp2FQIrhTj

— Night Sky Today (@NightSkyToday) April 8, 2026

This phenomenon has been witnessed before.

Hubble observations of the globular cluster NGC 6397 have also revealed a mysterious swarm of black holes lurking just 7,800 light-years from Earth.

NEWS?: A mysterious swarm of black holes has been found lurking just 7,800 light-years away from Earth. pic.twitter.com/R8rH9m1ouF

— For all Curious (@fascinatingonX) April 10, 2026

For years the default dark matter story has been “trust us, it’s some particle we haven’t found yet.” Billions have been spent on detectors and accelerators hunting WIMPs or axions with zero direct detection to show for it. Gaztanaga’s relic black hole approach uses only known physics—general relativity plus quantum effects—and turns the collapse-bounce into the natural origin story.

Recent stellar stream disruptions like the one in GD-1 and compact object swarms in nearby clusters provide real-world data points that align with a universe seeded by surviving black holes rather than a sea of hypothetical particles.

The European Space Agency’s own description of dark matter captures the frustration: “Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates. That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.”

Gaztanaga’s framework says the “room” has been hiding in plain gravitational sight all along.

Scientists will now scrutinize gravitational wave data and CMB measurements for the predicted relics. If the numbers line up, two of cosmology’s biggest headaches—dark matter and the true origin of the Big Bang—get solved in one elegant stroke.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Fraudsters used special devices to skim card information from electronic devices used to read food stamp cards in northern and central Texas, the U.S. Secret Service’s Dallas Field Office reported April 15.

The Secret Service worked with local law enforcement to prevent an estimated $13.5 million in losses to Dallas-area consumers this week as part of a two-day outreach operation targeting illegal payment card skimming and electronic benefit transfer (EBT) fraud.

“EBT fraud is a serious threat impacting families nationwide,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office Christina Foley. “Our investigative teams are committed to dismantling these skimmer operations and holding perpetrators accountable.”

Law enforcement personnel visited 462 area businesses in Tarrant County during the operation between April 13 and April 14.

Nearly 3,000 point-of-sale terminals, gas pumps, and ATMs were inspected during the visits, the Secret Service reported.

Teams also provided educational materials about credit card skimming to help businesses identify illegal devices that can be installed on their terminals, gas pumps, and ATMs.

The FBI estimates skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year. Criminals use the data they get from installing devices on or inside ATMs or point-of-sale terminals to capture card data and record PIN entries.

Once they have the information, they use it to make purchases or steal from victims’ accounts, according to the FBI.

SNAP benefits can also be skimmed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency suggests people avoid using simple PINs and keeping the information private by not sharing it and changing the PIN often. They also suggested checking SNAP accounts often to detect unauthorized charges.

“The individuals behind these schemes are relentless, but so are we,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Peck of the Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division. “Through coordinated efforts and innovative investigative methods, we are disrupting their operations and ensuring that those who exploit vulnerable families are brought to justice.”

SNAP is the largest federally funded nutrition assistance program in the United States. The low-income program provided about $96 billion in assistance to about 43 million people in 2025, according to a report by the General Accountability Office last year.

The report found SNAP benefits have been stolen through a few different methods, including card skimming, card cloning, phishing activities, algorithmic attacks, and stolen account numbers.

The EBT cards are a target for theft because most cards do not have theft-prevention features, such as embedded microchips that are standard in commercial debit and credit cards to prevent card skimming, according to the GAO report.

“Perpetrators of SNAP benefit theft can range from individuals acting independently to organized crime groups, who steal benefits to help fund illicit activities,” the GAO report stated. “Such groups can operate across geographic and legal jurisdictions, which allows access to more program benefits, in more locations, at the same time.”

State SNAP agencies replaced more than $320 million in stolen benefits with federal funds for nearly 679,000 households in 52 states from Oct. 1, 2022, through Dec. 20, 2024, according to the report.

Authored by Benjamin Weingarten via RealClearPolitics,

In the wee hours of Sunday, March 1, a Senegalese immigrant clad in a sweatshirt bearing the words “Property of Allah” opened fire outside an Austin, Texas beer garden, killing three and leaving 14 others wounded.

On March 12, at Old Dominion University, a former Virginia National Guard member from Sierra Leone – released early from an 11-year prison sentence for attempting to provide material support to the ISIL – yelled “Allahu Akbar” before shooting and killing a beloved college professor and wounding two other people.

That same day, a Lebanese immigrant plowed a pickup truck filled with fireworks and gasoline into a large synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. After exchanging gunfire with security staff, he killed himself. His brother, it turned out, was a recently eliminated Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. 

Amidst the emerging threat environment of the Iran war, these and other attacks on U.S. soil have reignited questions about the U.S. immigration system’s vetting and screening standards. Republican leaders are increasingly asking how, for example, foreign nationals like the Afghan evacuee who shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. – killing one of them – or the Egyptian national overstaying his tourism visa who firebombed pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado last year were able to come here and commit such acts. They are also asking how close relatives of top Iranian officials, including avowed supporters of that country’s regime, have been allowed to live and work in the United States. 

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he had terminated the legal status of the niece of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by the U.S. in a targeted attack in 2020, and her daughter. Rubio described the niece on X as “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the ‘Great Satan.’ ”

While the Trump administration has effectively closed the southern border, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has concluded that “prior screening and vetting measures” of people who cross the border legally “were wholly inadequate,” creating “significant national security and public safety risks [that] compromise the integrity of the immigration system.”

Administration critics argue that fears of foreign-born terrorism are vastly overblown. Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute told RealClearInvestigations that the annual chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil by a foreign-born attacker is “about one in 165 million per year. All politically motivated violence is a tiny threat,” he said. “Exaggerating the threat does not bring us closer to delivering justice to the victims of every violent or property crime who deserve it.”

RCI’s review of congressional testimony and research, and interviews with immigration and national security experts, uncovered long-standing flaws in the system – some of which were exacerbated by the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies. Challenges run the gamut from incomplete information about applicants to inconsistent enforcement of the law. Even if relatively few immigrants commit deadly attacks, the vetting system has routinely permitted people with obscure backgrounds and hostile views to visit and live in the U.S. 

Robust Design

America’s immigration system is complex and multilayered, involving a range of departments and agencies that provide different levels of scrutiny depending on which of the dozens of categories would-be entrants fall into, from tourists to asylum seekers. As with most laws and rules, different administrations vet applicants with varying levels of vigor depending on whether they want to encourage or discourage immigration.

Three agencies lead the vetting process. The State Department issues visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reviews petitions for immigrants seeking benefits such as citizenship or permanent residency, refugee and asylum claims, and other protections; Customs and Border Protection provides defense at the point at which aliens attempt to enter the country. Across these processes, sometimes with redundancy, authorities conduct biographic and biometric screenings, run name checks across U.S. security databases to search for red flags such as criminal histories or inclusion on terror watchlists, and interview would-be visitors.

As designed, the immigration system requires nearly all noncitizens seeking to enter the U.S. to obtain a visa. Nonimmigrant visas cover temporary trips for business or tourism, whereas immigrant visas cover permanent stays that may be family-, employment-, or education-based.

Those seeking long-term stays are subject to more rigorous scrutiny. While undergoing detailed background checks, they are generally required to file petitions, secure sponsors, and meet incremental thresholds and standards necessary, for example, to unite with family or work full-time. In 2024, the U.S. issued about 600,000 visas for long-term stay. 

The vast majority of visas are issued to tourists and other temporary visitors – nearly 11 million in 2024. They are generally subject to less scrutiny.

In theory, those millions of temporary visitors will leave before their visas expire. In practice, a reported 40% of illegal aliens currently in the U.S. – amounting to millions of people – are visa overstayers, illustrating one of the myriad security-related issues plaguing the U.S. Homeland Security system. 

“The vetting system is robust,” former senior INS official and immigration judge Andrew Arthur told RCI. But, he added, it “is only as good as the intelligence that the USG possesses and the access that the individual consular officer or OFO [CBP Office of Field Operations] officer has to that intelligence.”

To that end, our “biggest vulnerability,” in the words of the Heritage Foundation’s Simon Hankinson, is that officers often lack access to derogatory information held by foreign countries.

As Hankinson, a longtime former foreign service officer, recently detailed, this problem pervades even the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, where the citizens of several dozen generally safe and friendly countries – including most EU countries and Japan – may visit America visa-free for up to 90 days. Those waivers come in exchange for security cooperation, including sharing their citizens’ criminal records. 

Cracks in the System

Critics note that only a few U.S. counterparts automatically check their visiting citizens’ criminal records. The U.S. otherwise must request that home countries run queries. Meanwhile, America lacks information-sharing agreements with many countries altogether.

These problems only grow when other nations lack reliable data, or where their authoritative documents may be easily fabricated – one of the justifications for Trump’s travel bans disproportionately hitting the Middle East and Africa.

“I worked in India, I worked in Ghana, [where] right outside the consulate, there were stores selling fake degrees, fake passports. I mean, they didn’t even hide it,” Hankinson said.

Incomplete data or suspect documents aside, authorities have also highlighted that U.S. databases may not always talk to each other. A June 2024 DHS Inspector General report indicated that “DHS’ biometric system…could not access all data from Federal partners to ensure complete screening and vetting of noncitizens seeking admission into the United States” due to “ongoing technical limitations.” The inspector general also found that border patrol officers lacked the hardware necessary to perform biometric screenings of people arriving by car or truck. 

Federal authorities have also not always vigorously enforced their own security protocols. A September 2025 DHS IG report detailed that from March 2020 to March 2024, the State Department issued 12 million nonimmigrant visas without conducting in-person interviews or collecting fingerprints. CBP officers encountering foreign nationals at points of entry were unaware that the State had not fully screened some of them. 

Subpar vetting was common regarding the tens of thousands of Afghans admitted to the U.S. in the wake of the Biden administration’s pullout from the country in 2021. In a January 2026 hearing, DHS Deputy Inspector General for Audits, Craig Adelman, submitted written testimony indicating that under Operation Allies Welcome, in several instances “DHS could not demonstrate that it accurately knew who individuals were, where they were located, whether parole conditions were being met, or whether individuals had unresolved risk indicators.” CBP sometimes lacked “access to critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect” them. 

Adelman’s testimony came following the National Guardsman shooting by evacuee Rahmanullah Lakanwal, and the prosecution of Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi, another evacuee who would plead guilty to plotting a mass-casualty attack on behalf of ISIS around Election Day 2024.

More broadly, the Government Accountability Office has found that the humanitarian parole processes have generally lacked sufficient anti-fraud measures, making it hard to ensure those fleeing warzones or failed states pose no threat to the U.S. homeland.

These findings also come on top of the millions who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration – and related immigrant overstays and backlogs creating security risks all their own. Hundreds of thousands of asylum claimants, for example, have been insufficiently screened historically during prolonged adjudication periods, DHS’ watchdog has found.

Hankinson is adamant that “we have not been enforcing our own rules with anything like the tenacity that we should have been. We’ve been really giving the benefit of the doubt to the alien in every circumstance.”

Ironically, the president’s opponents also agree that the immigration system is broken. But instead of tweaking the current system, many Democrats and their allies have floated the idea of abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Good Questions, ‘Bad Odor’

Another potential issue that recent security incidents have raised is whether authorities are properly vetting and screening for indicators associated with the actual threats faced.

Federal law, drafted in the shadow of World War II and during the Cold War, generally deemed inadmissible immigrant members or affiliates of totalitarian political parties. Laws later expanded to encompass terrorists and their supporters.

But records may not exist of terrorist activities or support among those hailing from failed states. Despite this potential vulnerability, those with whom RCI spoke indicated that immigration officers do not tailor questions to unearth whether visitors harbor a terrorist worldview that could suggest future trouble or merit further scrutiny.

Authorities are “looking for Communists and Nazis,” Hankinson told RCI, not “Islamic fanatics…people who believe in Sharia law, who want to cut the hands off criminals, or have women dressed in burkas.” 

Dan Cadman, a retired INS/ICE official now at the Center for Immigration Studies, told RCI that “the vetting procedures have not captured Islamist/ adversarial/ subversive ideologies among family members and close associates.” Were such affiliations known, for example, in the case of the would-be Michigan synagogue attacker Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, whose brother was a Hezbollah commander, immigration authorities likely would have subjected him to heightened scrutiny – and perhaps denied him entry. 

Cadman attributes the lack of ideological bar to the “bad odor” to which such tests are held, and the fact that they lead to “thorny questions” about when religiously-based views “cross into the arena of politics” and constitutional rights. Progressive groups and others panned the blanket travel restrictions Trump pursued during his first administration sought to impose on myriad Muslim-majority countries as “Muslim bans.”

Nevertheless, some analysts have proposed bans of those affiliated with Islamist groups analogous to those of totalitarian political parties already on the books to satisfy such concerns. Several members of Congress appear receptive to this idea as well. Legislation is currently pending before the House and Senate to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to render “advocates for the imposition of Sharia law” inadmissible, and remove Sharia adherents accordingly.

Even if such questions could survive First Amendment challenges, some observers doubt they would provide useful answers. David Bier of the Cato Institute told RCI, “There is no evidence that asking people general questions like whether they support terrorism or Sharia law would be an effective way to prevent attacks in the United States.”

Arthur, Cadman’s colleague at the Center for Immigration Studies, added that “identifying those who hold hostile beliefs is a difficult endeavor, and one that even the best adjudication and screening system will struggle to achieve.”

Whether a change in standards or their implementation might have prevented the recent attacks on U.S. soil by immigrants who became naturalized citizens remains unclear. Arthur says these incidents show “a decline in assimilation on the part of the naturalized citizen and in integration on the part of the United States” – a transcendent problem all its own.

Crackdown and Pushback

The Trump administration has sought to significantly enhance vetting standards, mitigate risks, and more vigorously enforce the law.

The president kicked off his second term with an executive order directing national security authorities to ensure that all aliens are “vet[ted] and screen[ed] to the maximum degree possible,” including for those threatening national security and bearing “hostile attitudes” toward America, its people, and institutions. 

In June, the president fully or partially restricted and limited the entry of nationals from 19 countries it deemed to pose security risks, some Muslim-majority, via executive order – a broad measure to mitigate screening and vetting risks. 

Democrats assailed these efforts as “bigoted” and “Islamophobic.” 

“This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” Democratic Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal has said. “Banning a whole group of people because you disagree with the structure or function of their government not only lays blame in the wrong place, it creates a dangerous precedent.”

Later that year, in August, USCIS updated its policy guidance to ensure that when immigration officers are evaluating immigration benefit requests, aliens’ support or espousal of the views of terrorist groups, including anti-Americanism, and Jew-hatred, ought to weigh heavily against applicants. 

Last December, USCIS paused all pending asylum and benefit applications from the 19 “high-risk countries” identified in the June executive order while conducting a “re-review of approved benefit requests” for all aliens from those countries entering the U.S. on or after the first day of the Biden administration. The administration also extended travel restrictions to 20 additional countries.

Among other initiatives, the second Trump administration is also “re-vetting” previously admitted aliens, and engaging in “continuous vetting” of all U.S. visa holders – some 55 million at the time it announced the policy – for violations that could lead to their deportation.

It has reportedly revoked 100,000 visas – a 150% increase versus 2024.

DHS says that ICE has arrested more than 43,000 potential national security risks, including 1,416 known or suspected terrorists, some 1,392 of which have been removed. It did so in announcing the recent arrest of Salah Salem Sarsour, a Jordanian national who the U.S. asserts was convicted decades ago in Israel of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the homes of Israeli military personnel and illegally attempting to possess weapons. DHS claims Sarsour is “suspected of funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms” to enter the country, after which he became a green card holder back in 1998. The arrest of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee president generated strong pushback from the ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, with the former suggesting Sarsour may have been targeted for being “outspoken in his support for Palestinian rights” in violation of the First Amendment – a microcosm of the debates simmering over the president’s immigration policies.

Last month, the U.S. Intelligence Community assessed that “increased border security, stricter screening and vetting, and improved international information sharing” have led jihadist groups to focus “more on virtually recruiting U.S.-based aspirants to encourage and enable potential attacks.”

With the Trump administration already planning to significantly ramp up denaturalization efforts in response to revelations of fraud perpetrated by immigrants, this assessment and recent attacks from the naturalized population may only further fuel such efforts.

Summary

• Trump says "probably, maybe" Iran talks resume this weekend, "not sure" about ceasefire extension. Iranian report (unconfirmed) says Bab al-Mandab could be forced close tomorrow.

• Trump unveils 10-day Lebanon ceasefire, but which Hezbollah has not signed on for, amid heavy IDF attacks on south. BBG reports on potential 6-month timeframe for comprehensive Iran deal, oil spikes.

• Iran seeks to boost rial through toll payment scheme; vessels pay Hormuz passage through Iranian banks.

• US Navy: vessels seeking entry into Hormuz Strait now fair game for boarding, search, and outright seizure - including for suspicion of 'contraband'.

• Hegseth: US forces are ready to restart combat if Iran doesn’t agree to a deal & strait blockade to continue for as long as it takes. Already 14 ships have been turned around.

*  *  *

Trump Still Signals Ambiguity on Peace/Ceasefire Potential

President Trump appeared to confirm ceasefire talks with Iran are still very up in the air, saying that he also doesn't see the need to extend the current two-week ceasefire - "not sure," he said - also amid the going US naval blockade of Iranian-China oil exports, or other sanctioned vessels. With no extension, the ceasefire will expire on April 22.

"If there's no deal fighting resumes," Trump affirmed in fielding reporters' questions. Importantly, talks and timeline are still a big maybe:

President Trump told reporters the next in-person talks negotiating a deal for Iran will "probably, maybe" happen this weekend. He didn't say where, and other U.S. officials haven't confirmed any details.

He took the opportunity in the same remarks to slam the Pope. "If the pope looked at the 42,000 people that were killed over the last two or three months, as a protester, with no weapons, no nothing," he claimed, using the same unsourced numbers he's lately been throwing around.  "I mean, you take a look at that, so I can disagree with the pope. I have a right to disagree. I have a right to disagree with the pope."

Unverified alarming reports of next targeted waterway:

Iran's Axios: Bab al Mandab might close soon... https://t.co/2lLUEUQ0Bz

— berggeit (@_berggeit_) April 16, 2026

The president added, "The pope can say what he wants. And I want him to say what he wants. But I can disagree. I think that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. If they do, the whole world would be in jeopardy, the Middle East would blow up and the whole world would be in jeopardy."

"This is the real world, it's a nasty world," he said. "But as far as the pope and saying what he wants, he can do that." 

Also, Iran agrees to hand over its enriched uranium(?)... there's nothing from Iran saying this:

"They've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust," Trump told reporters at the White House, using his name for the enriched uranium stockpile that the United States says could be used to build nuclear weapons. "There's a very good chance we're going to make a deal."

And on the newly declared Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, which does not include Hezbollah, Trump told reporters: "I responded to this call and agreed to a timeout, or rather a temporary ceasefire, of 10 days to try to advance the agreement that we began discussing with the ambassadors' meeting in Washington." He added: "For these peace talks, we have two fundamental demands: one, the disarmament of Hezbollah. Two, a sustainable peace agreement, peace from strength."

??An hour before the ceasefire, Hezbollah rockets impact Nahariya pic.twitter.com/s83rPjOUfp

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) April 16, 2026

Gulf, European officials See Needing 6 Months for Iran deal: BBG, Oil Spikes

A big headline out of Bloomberg has sent oil prices higher:

Some Gulf Arab and European leaders believe that a US-Iran peace deal will take about six months to be agreed and that the warring sides should extend their ceasefire to cover that timeframe, according to officials from the regions familiar with the matter.

The leaders want the vital Strait of Hormuz opened immediately to restore energy flows and are warning in private that a global food crisis may develop if that doesn’t happen by next month, said the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing private talks.

But important caveats remain: who are these "some" Gulf and "European leaders" - the latter who have remained far to the sidelines during this crisis, but who are yes still suffering the effects of the ultra-risky Operation Epic Fury Iran war gambit by Trump. Spike in crude...

Trump: Truce in Lebanon

President Trump has announced an apparent Lebanon breakthrough, announcing on Truth Social that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. This just after on Thursday Israel launched at least 50 airstrikes in a matter of two hours on South Lebanon, according to national media. Israel says late Thursday its forces have no plans to withdraw ground troops from Southern Lebanon. Operations there look to continue, but presumably the ceasefire means Beirut might not be hit in the interim. 

This week, Rubio oversaw historic peace talks between Lebanese officials and the Israeli government; however, which did not include Hezbollah. Both Tehran and Hezbollah have insisted that the Lebanon conflict should be resolved through the Pakistan mediated US-Iran process. The Lebanese government has little actual sway over Hezbollah, the country's single most well-armed and influential paramilitary organization, which has more missiles and arms than even the national army. This means it remains a big unknown whether this 10-day truce will hold. Trump's Truth Social message, which claims he solved "9 wars across the world" and a "lasting peace":

Defiant Iran Reasserts Toll System: Paid Through Iranian Banks

An Iranian parliament official has been cited in newswires as saying the country's planned Strait of Hormuz toll for ships seeking to pass is to be paid through Iranian banks. Previously it was said to be through cryptocurrency, and could be as a high as $2 million Oil rose higher, given this is another indicator this game of chicken in the narrow waterway could soon lead to fresh hostilities, despite the 2-week ceasefire still being in place, soon to expire.

As for negotiations, there's optimism another round of US-Iran talks will occur, with both sides having agreed in principle, but Iran's government informed Pakistan that the US must back off its maximal demands.

Reuters: U.S. and Iranian negotiators have scaled back ambitions for a comprehensive peace deal and are instead seeking a temporary memorandum to prevent a return ?to conflict, two Iranian sources told Reuters.

Below is a machine translation from the Persian of the fresh parliament statement via state-linked ISNA:

• The plan to consolidate Iran's sovereignty in the Strait of Hormuz is being framed as a way to strengthen the rial.
• Iran is seeking a regulatory role in the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world’s most sensitive chokepoints -positioning it as oversight, not disruption or blackmail.
• Under the plan, foreign ships would settle accounts through offices in Iran or via the Iranian banking system, a move aimed at boosting the rial.
• Estimated current revenue from managing and regulating maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz: $10-15 billion.

Boarding, Search, & Outright Seizure

Ships seeking to enter the Hormuz Strait already sanctioned by the US just got a lot more vulnerable: under Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports, they're now fair game for boarding, search, and outright seizure, per US Naval Forces Central Command.

"In addition to enforcing the blockade, all Iranian vessels, vessels with active OFAC sanctions, and vessels suspected of carrying contraband, are subject to belligerent right to visit and search," the notice said, referring to the Office of Foreign Assets Control. "These vessels, regardless of location, are subject to visit, board, search, and seizure."

The definition of "contraband" is broad and expansive. It spans weapons, ammunition, combat aircraft, and military electronics, WSJ has described. "Petroleum products and lubricants are conditional contraband due to their essential role in military operations and their contribution to Iran’s war-sustaining economy," the advisory also said. "Contraband is defined as goods that are destined for an enemy and that may be susceptible to use in armed conflict."

Up until now, the blockade - initially rolled out Monday - was limited to ships moving in and out of Iranian ports, but the definition who can be targeted just widened. Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday that in the first 48 hours, not a single ship made it past the blockade.

Hormuz Blockade: 'As Long As It Takes'

The US will maintain a naval blockade of Iran for as long as it takes, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has stated in a press briefing Thursday. He and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine say that US forces are ready to resume major combat operations at a moment's notice, which suggests the initial two-week ceasefire could get extended, as was widely reported the day prior. But this also suggests that Washington likely has no appetite for resuming major aerial operations directly against Iran anytime soon.

General Caine:

At each point, the United States Navy will transmit a warning—a young sailor, normally on the bridge of one of those destroyers. A junior officer picks up that mic and transmits, and I quote:

"Do not attempt to breach the blockade.

Vessels will be boarded for… pic.twitter.com/VT6LvPBUnT

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 16, 2026

On the question of resumption of major combat operations, Hegseth warned: "To Iran, choose wisely. I pray you choose a deal which is within your grasp for the betterment of your people and the betterment of the world." He followed with, "In the meantime, the War Department is locked and loaded." Additional main highlights to the Hegseth/Caine update and presser:

• Iran likes to say it controls Strait of Hormuz but it has no navy
• Energy industry not destroyed 'yet', US blockade shutting down exports
• For as long as it takes, we will maintain blockade
• Launching operation 'economic fury'
• Iran is digging out bombed out launchers
• I hope you choose a deal which is within your grasp

But again, the chief takeaway is that the Pentagon and Trump administration are making clear that US forces are ready to restart combat if Iran doesn't agree to a deal. On that front, US officials say future talks are likely to be held again in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. Prior reports have indicated both sides have "agreed in principle" to engage in another round of talks.

Iran's PressTV touting ability to inflict global economic pain...

International Monetary Fund’s chief economist says that growth is expected to slow this year amid repercussions from the war against Iran and disruptions to global oil and gas trade.

Follow Press TV on Telegram: https://t.co/LWoNSpkc2J pic.twitter.com/ZAty9htTov

— Press TV ?? (@PressTV) April 15, 2026

Pentagon: 13 Ships Turned Around

Since the blockade went live, US forces have already turned around 13 ships, according to Gen. Caine in the same briefing. He underscored how far this reach extends, saying operations will take place "inside Iran's territorial seas and in international waters."

Officially, the Pentagon claims the blockade is limited - targeting Iran’s ports and coastal areas while sparing vessels simply passing through the Strait of Hormuz. In practice, however, the net is touted as much wider, as US forces "will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran," including so-called "dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil," Caine added.

He confirmed that more than 10,000 service members are now involved in the blockade, but with more US servicemembers en route to the region.

Lebanon Still Bombed Heavily by Israel amid US Ceasefire Efforts

Israeli jets pounded Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon Thursday, unleashing one of the heaviest barrages there since the war began and sending black smoke billowing over the region. Strikes hit near the industrial zone and a supermarket on Nabih Berri Avenue, with nearby suburbs also taking damage, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Iran has signaled urgency on de-escalation, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf calling ceasefire in Lebanon "as important as a ceasefire in Iran." He described, "In the Islamabad negotiations and afterwards, we have been seriously pursuing efforts to compel the adversaries to establish a permanent ceasefire in all areas of conflict." Pakistan's army chief is in Tehran mediating between Washington and Tehran.

?#BREAKING Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a conversation with US Secretary of State Marco: "I am not willing to talk to Netanyahu"

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) April 16, 2026

Lebanon's leadership is in th emeantime framing any truce as a gateway to talks, despite Hezbollah having rejected direct talks with Israel. The ceasefire it is "demanding with Israel" would be a "natural entry point for direct negotiations," President Aoun said, adding: "Lebanon is keen to halt the escalation… so that the targeting of the innocents ceases, and the destruction of homes" stops.

Destruction of Al-Qasimia Bridge in Southern Lebanon

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— Lebanon 24 (@Lebanon24) April 16, 2026

He stressed negotiations "are to be undertaken by the Lebanese authorities alone," and said "the withdrawal of Israeli forces… is an essential step," alongside redeploying the army "up to the international borders" to "end any manifestation of armed presence."

And yet Israeli strikes are now hitting infrastructure. A key bridge over the Litani River near Qasmiyeh - linking Tyre and Sidon - was reportedly destroyed, though Israel said it only "struck adjacent to it." The broader campaign is cutting off southern Lebanon, targeting chiefly Hezbollah positions, Israeli officials have claimed.