Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Editorial Note: The DHS Daily Briefing is a collection of news articles related to Department’s mission. The inclusion of particular stories is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse the political viewpoints or affiliations included in news coverage.

NBC News [4/18/2026 1:41 PM, Laura Strickler, 42967K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement released delayed reports Friday detailing the deaths of four detainees earlier this year after the agency failed to meet a 90-day deadline required by Congress. The newly released reports detail the deaths of Victor Manuel Diaz, Heber Sanchez Dominguez, Parady La and Luis Nunez Caceres. Diaz and Dominguez had previously been labeled by ICE as presumed suicides, and the reports provide additional details about the circumstances of their deaths, though final determinations remain under investigation. Earlier this week, ICE reported another death in custody, bringing the total this year to 17. Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt, a 27-year-old Cuban national, was found unresponsive in his cell at a federal detention center in Miami. He was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts, and the agency said his death is considered a "presumed suicide," with the official cause still under investigation. The reports, which cover deaths in January, were published days after NBC News reported that ICE had not released them within the time frame mandated by federal law, raising questions about transparency as deaths in custody increase. Reuters [4/18/2026 12:54 PM, Ted Hesson, 38315K] reports at least 17 immigrants have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from January 2026 through early April, according to ICE. That follows 31 deaths last year, a two-decade high. [Editorial note: consult list at source link]

Washington Times [4/18/2026 12:07 PM, Stephen Dinan, 1323K] reports a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration appeared to have illegally threatened Facebook and Apple into censoring anti-ICE groups’ social media, and he said he’ll order the government to cut it out. Government officials said the Facebook group “ICE Sightings — Chicagoland” and the smartphone app “Eyes Up” were being used to “dox,” or reveal personal information about, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi both bragged about getting offending posts removed from the Facebook group and getting Eyes Up booted from Apple’s approved offerings. Judge Jorge Alonso, an Obama nominee, said the government’s pressure on the tech firms went too far, particularly when they suggested there would be consequences for the companies if they didn’t play ball.

Washington Post [4/19/2026 6:00 AM, Lauren Kaori Gurley, 24826K] reports in Tennessee, a bill championed by White House adviser Stephen Miller would allow public schools to deny enrollment to undocumented children. In Idaho, employers would have been forced to use the government E-Verify system to stop undocumented immigrants from getting jobs. In Utah, undocumented immigrants would have been denied public assistance for vaccines or food for pregnant mothers. But businesses and Christian groups helped block each of those proposals from becoming law. “Business leaders across various industries are nervous about the many immigration-focused bills being proposed or that have recently passed at the state level, which negatively impact the workforce,” said Jennie Murray, president of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy organization that represents Fortune 500 companies. In fact, of the roughly 200 bills targeting legal and undocumented immigrants in state legislatures this year, fewer than two dozen have made it into law so far, according to a Washington Post analysis of data from the American Immigration Council. More than 80 of the measures have died, multiple were vetoed, and dozens more have made little progress this spring legislative season, although several state legislatures are still in session. Many of the bills share common goals and similar texts, and they reflect the immigration enforcement priorities of the Trump administration. But much of the most aggressive legislation has stalled after failing to gain traction, even in red states such as Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Idaho. “Still crazy that Idaho legislators are killing every single bill we got on illegal immigration,” Republican Idaho state Sen. Brian Lenney wrote on X on March 17. In Utah, Republican state Rep. Cheryl Acton called a bill that would have denied public services to undocumented immigrants a “violation, really, of the Sermon on the Mount.” The measure never got a sponsor in the state Senate, after being introduced by Republican state Rep. Trevor Lee, who told The Post that the White House was “very supportive” of the bill. When asked if the White House pressured him to introduce the bill, Lee demurred.

FOX News [4/18/2026 12:02 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the FBI and other agencies will review cases involving top U.S. scientists who have died or gone missing. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [4/18/2026 1:47 PM, Staff, 34146K] reports a suspected drug trafficker considered one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Mexico, authorities said on Saturday. The suspect, identified as János Balla and also known as Dániel Takács, was captured in the southern state of Quintana Roo, according to Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. Balla is wanted in Hungary over drug trafficking accusations and is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, García said on X. State and federal authorities in a joint statement said Balla was located thanks to information shared by Hungarian security agencies, as well as intelligence and investigative work. They said he was turned over to Mexico’s immigration agency “to determine his immigration status and continue his controlled deportation process to Europe.” It was not immediately clear if Balla has legal representation.

NewsMax [4/18/2026 2:43 PM, Jim Thomas, 3760K] reports as of April 18, 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, less than a month into the job, is facing criticism from congressional Democrats and from immigration restrictionists in President Donald Trump’s base as he tries to reshape a department under scrutiny after the removal of his predecessor, Kristi Noem, and amid a prolonged funding lapse that has idled parts of its workforce. Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, confirmed on March 23 in a 54-45 vote and was sworn in the next day, has moved quickly to undo pieces of Noem’s management apparatus. He reversed a policy that required the secretary to personally sign off on contracts above $100,000, brought back a deputy who had clashed with Noem, and dismissed a Noem appointee accused of incompetence, Politico reported. DHS said it is also revamping its communications to "humanize" the department and put Mullin on television and social media more often. In a statement, DHS said Mullin "has already hit the ground running on President Trump’s mission to secure our borders, deport illegal alien criminals, and protect the homeland.". Backers cite the contracting reversal as evidence that the department is stabilizing.

The Hill [4/18/2026 1:37 PM, Ryan Mancini, 18170K] reports a new poll shows that more than half of Americans say they think President Trump’s immigration agenda is “too aggressive.” Politico’s poll released on Saturday found that 51 percent of Americans hold this view, with 26 percent saying they think his immigration agenda is “about right” and 11 percent saying it’s “not aggressive enough.” The first result is a 2-point increase from answers given to the same question in January. The number of those who said it was “about right” dropped 4 percentage points, while the percentage of those who said it’s “not aggressive enough” remained the same. A quarter of Trump voters told Politico that they think his immigration policies are “too aggressive,” an increase from the 21 percent who said the same in January. There was also an increase among voters for former Vice President Kamala Harris, from 77 percent in January to 80 percent as of April. Most self-identified MAGA voters told Politico they think Trump’s deportations are “about right” and “not aggressive enough,” at 54 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Only 15 percent said the deportations are “too aggressive.”

Washington Post [4/19/2026 6:30 AM, Danielle Pletka, 24826K] reports the military killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a January 2020 airstrike but for years let his kin live in the United States. It made no sense. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resolved that issue on April 3 by detaining Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and Sarinasadat Hosseiny, the niece and grandniece of the late Iranian commander. The operation was part of the Trump administration’s effort to target for exclusion and deportation visa holders “from high-risk countries of concern.” The underlying questions: How did they get in, and how did they stay? Afshar arrived on a tourist visa in 2015 and soon applied for asylum, citing fear of persecution. She received it in 2019, got a green card in 2021 and reportedly returned to Iran at least four times thereafter. Like the recently deported Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of Iran’s slain national security chief, Afshar continued to support the mullahs while residing in the U.S. On her Instagram account — encrusted with jewels and often in attire that would run afoul of the Islamic Republic’s morality police — she has echoed anti-American propaganda and denounced “homeland sellers,” expat Iranians supporting the regime’s overthrow. The government’s audit of green card and business visa holders from 39 “high-risk” countries uncovered both women. A week later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued the effort with Seyed Eissa Hashemi and his family. Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar — one of Iran’s vice presidents between 2013 and 2021 and, per the State Department, “the infamous spokeswoman for the Islamist militants who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.” Hashemi and company entered the U.S. on student visas and received permanent resident status in 2016 in the now-suspended green card lottery. These nepo children living in what the regime calls the “Great Satan” are the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the waves, and invisible to most, are terrorists’ kids, dictators’ extended families, and kleptocrats’ scions enjoying the rights and privileges of the U.S.

Daily Signal [4/18/2021 8:30 AM, Jarrett Stepman, 549K]reports New York is so committed to nullifying immigration law that it refuses to relinquish an alleged arsonist accused of killing four people in New York City. That was reported by the New York Post and Fox News on Thursday. According to those reports, Roman Ceron Amatitla—who is a Mexican national illegally living in the U.S.—is accused of a heinous crime but could end up being released. The accusations against Amatitla are enraging. According to the New York Post, he’s been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson in connection to a fire at a building in Flushing on March 16. The New York Post reported, he “stayed in the immediate area to watch people burn and jump from the windows.” One of the victims was 3 years old. Amatitla should have never been here, but now that he allegedly killed four Americans and hurt seven others you would think that New York, despite its status as a sanctuary state, would quietly relinquish him to federal authorities. Nope. The Department of Homeland Security put out a statement about the situation, saying that on April 14, DHS requested that the New York City Department of Corrections not release Amatitla. But NYCDOC refused to cooperate in any way with federal authorities. “This monster set fire to a building and watched as innocent people, including a three-year-old, burned to death. New York City sanctuary politicians REFUSE to cooperate with [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and are committing to RELEASING this MURDERER onto New York streets,” DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote. “New York’s sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. We are calling on Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani to commit to honoring this detainer and turning him over.” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order preventing local authorities from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul has also decided to further hamstring local police departments from cooperating with ICE. So much for her being a “moderate.” Even for New York, the refusal to work with ICE in this case is remarkable.

Washington Examiner [4/19/2026 6:00 AM, Mia Cathell, 1147K] reports an illegal immigrant was arrested this week for allegedly attempting to rape a woman in Arlington, Virginia, a sanctuary jurisdiction, after the county’s George Soros-backed chief prosecutor dropped charges in several past cases against the serial offender. Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti is now facing questions from critics over why the suspect, a Guatemalan national with a lengthy criminal history, was able to return repeatedly to the streets of Arlington, a northern Virginia suburb near Washington, D.C. Arlington County officials, however, told the Washington Examiner that the dropped charges, stretching back to 2020, were complicated by procedural hurdles, victim considerations, and other behind-the-scenes developments in the prosecutorial process.

USA Today [4/18/2026 12:37 PM, Eduardo Cuevas, 70643K] reports Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest. On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car. Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said. Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police. State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor. The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a "substantial likelihood" Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him. On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.

Washington Examiner [4/19/2026 5:00 AM, Kaelan Deese, 1147K] reports the Minnesota prosecutor who charged a federal immigration agent with felony assault received more than $286,000 in backing from far-left political groups and dark-money nonprofits, according to campaign finance filings reviewed by the Washington Examiner, raising scrutiny as tensions escalate between federal authorities and local officials. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. is facing two counts of second-degree assault after allegedly pointing a firearm at occupants of a vehicle during a February highway incident in the Minneapolis area. State campaign finance records show Moriarty’s 2022 campaign was heavily supported by progressive-aligned organizations, despite running as a nonpartisan candidate. The number of donations taken from far-left groups may even exceed $500,000, according to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which monitors donations flowing to “Soros prosecutors” across the country. Liberal megadonor George Soros’s philanthropy, Open Society Foundation, gave generous grants to the progressive groups that funded Morarity’s campaign. While the Washington Examiner was not able to corroborate the full amount cited by LELDF, public records from the activist group TakeAction Minnesota reported spending about $231,000 to support Moriarty’s 2022 campaign through independent expenditures, funded entirely by in-kind contributions from its affiliated 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which is not required to disclose its donors. Additional backing came from Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit network tied to the ISAIAH organization. Its political arm reported roughly $26,000 in spending supporting Moriarty, while a separate affiliated fund reported another $29,000 in support, totaling around $286,000 from those three entities alone. The spending included digital advertising, canvassing operations, and campaign staffing, according to filings submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.

Univision [4/18/2026 7:41 PM, Ana M. Islas, 4937K] reports a man waits in the arrivals area of the airport in Villahermosa, Tabasco, in southern Mexico. He is dressed in black, wearing a hat and boots. The screens announce that a flight from a U.S. airline from Mexico City has just landed. The doors open and a white woman with long, braided blonde hair steps out; a single glance is enough to draw the man dressed in black to her. Then tears replace words, and a hug replaces immigration paperwork. Although they have been married for 18 years, this is the first time they have been together since the beginning of 2026. Her name is Maria, she is of American origin, and he, Alberto, is of Mexican origin. In February, he was deported to Mexico. María Vázquez lives in Lebanon, Tennessee. She arrived hot and tired at the Villahermosa airport in Tabasco to reunite with her husband, who is back in Mexico after nearly two decades in the United States. It took María almost nine hours to fly to Tabasco: she had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia, and then in Mexico City before arriving in this southern Mexican city, near the border with Central America, but she was happy to finally see Alberto. “You need to get to know them, not judge them without knowing them, live with them, be close to them; they are good people.” María Vázquez, wife of a deported Mexican.

San Francisco Chronicle [4/18/2026 8:12 PM, St. John Barned-Smith, 3833K] reports relatives of a 36-year-old man shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers this month accused the agency of shuttling him through a slew of jails over a four-day period, actions they said endangered his health and prevented him from speaking to an attorney. Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, a 36-year-old citizen of Mexico and El Salvador, was arrested April 7 during a traffic stop near Modesto. According to the criminal complaint filed after his arrest, four ICE and Border Patrol agents pulled Hernandez over and told him to exit his car. Hernandez refused to get out of his car, according to the complaint, prompting one of the agents to break his window while two others drew their sidearms. In the seconds that followed, according to the complaint, Hernandez drove forward about a foot and hit one of the officers, then backed up, striking one of the agents’ vehicles, and then put the car back into gear and drove away, forcing one agent to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Officers fired multiple shots during the encounter, striking Hernandez “several times,” according to an April 14 news release from the Department of Justice. As Hernandez drove away, his vehicle jumped the median and traveled about 500 feet, crashing into another vehicle and guardrail, before ultimately stopping, the DOJ said. First responders later took him to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, where he underwent several surgeries. He was later taken into custody by the FBI and charged with assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In the aftermath of the shooting, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons released a statement saying Hernandez was a gang member from El Salvador wanted for questioning in a homicide, but Hernandez’s lawyer said the Salvadoran had been acquitted of the crime in 2019 and never had gang ties. Hernandez’s attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, told the Chronicle that his client fled only after being shot. “He fled in a panic because he was being fired on,” Kolasinski said April 9 in an interview. “He was not trying to hurt anybody — he was trying to get away because he’d already been shot at. He was just scared that he was going to die.” Hernandez’s relatives said that just days after he underwent four surgeries for his injuries, authorities removed him from the hospital. Advocates for Hernandez said that between April 13 and 17, federal authorities sent him bouncing on a 700-mile journey through jails in Sacramento, Stanislaus, Yuba and Nevada counties, as well as holding him at Taft State Prison near Bakersfield. Officials from the FBI’s Sacramento field office were not immediately available for comment Saturday. In a written statement, Kolasinski accused federal agencies of “failing to communicate” and preventing Hernandez from access to legal counsel. “This raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability,” he said. “Carlos should still be in the hospital. There is no guarantee he is recovering. His well-being must be the priority.” At a court hearing in Sacramento on April 14, Hernandez appeared “visibly incapacitated, confined to a wheelchair (and) unable to speak clearly,” according to a statement from Faith in the Valley, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant rights. “This is not normal. This is not humane. This is not justice,” said Nora Zaragoza-Yáñez, program manager for the Valley Watch Network, which monitors and verifies ICE activity. “Carlos should be in a hospital recovering — not being moved between facilities and denied access to care and counsel.”

Los Angeles Time [4/19/2026 6:00 AM, Sonja Sharp, 14672K] reports Judge Troy Nunley was fed up. Federal immigration officials had once again flouted his authority by keeping a man locked up in a California City detention center after Nunley ordered him released. When he was finally set free, the man was booted onto the street with no passport, driver’s license or other personal effects. The judge’s demand that the items be returned were met with silence. And so on Tuesday, Nunley, the chief judge of the Eastern District of California, slapped Department of Justice attorney Jonathan Yu with an official sanction and a $250 fine. In a scathing order, Nunley laid out why he was compelled to take such a rare step. The fine may have been less than some traffic tickets, but it’s nearly unheard for a judge to formally admonish a government lawyer. By Yu’s own admission, he was drowning in work. In his order, Nunley recounted the attorney’s claim he’d been assigned more than 300 nearly identical cases in the last three months, all of immigrants in detention who argued they were being held without cause. Court filings show many California cases involve longtime U.S. residents unexpectedly hauled off to jail after routine check-ins with immigration officials. One was an Afghan who’d helped the American war effort. Another a Cambodian grandmother of eight who fled Pol Pot’s killing fields as a girl nearly 50 years ago.

AP [4/18/2026 7:55 AM, Staff] reports the son of an 85-year-old French widow who married an American military veteran but was later detained for overstaying her visa says she now needs rest after the ordeal. Speaking to reporters Friday after Marie-Thérèse Ross returned to France, Hervé Goix, said the family’s “absolute priority” is to protect her. Ross returned to France after a harrowing 16 days spent in federal immigration custody, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Friday. Without elaborating, Barrot said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods were “not in line” with French standards and “not acceptable to us.” Ross entered the U.S. last June after marrying a retired U.S. soldier who had been stationed in her home country in the 1960s, court records show. But after her husband died of natural causes in January, a dispute arose over his estate. Ross’ stepson — a U.S. federal employee — allegedly intervened to have her taken into immigration custody, an Alabama judge found. Federal immigration agents detained Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She was then held at a detention facility in Louisiana as French officials expressed concern about her well-being. Goix, who told The Associated Press that she had been in the process of applying for a green card when she was taken into custody, added during the press conference that “the essential thing is that she is truly safe, that she regains her comfort, that she is surrounded by her children and grandchildren.” Ross was taken into custody in her nightgown and was unable to bring her phone, passport and other identification with her, records show.

DailySignal [4/18/2026 11:00 AM, Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, 474K] reports people connected to the Iranian regime should know that anyone supporting terrorism will have their visa revoked, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott told The Daily Signal. The State Department has revoked the green cards of family members of Masoumeh Ebtekar, called "Screaming Mary." Ebtekar worked as the English-speaking spokeswoman for Iranian militants that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Ebtekar’s son, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, and his wife and son were taken into custody in Los Angeles and face deportation. The three entered the U.S. with visas in 2014, under the Obama administration. The State Department also revoked the lawful permanent residence status of the niece and grandniece of deceased Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani, killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020. His niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and her daughter were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Pigott said the United States has "no obligation" to house people who support terrorism and pose a threat to national security. So far, the State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas, most of them for people who directly violated the law, Pigott said.

NPR [4/18/2026 7:42 AM, Anusha Mathur, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports new data shows last year was one of the most volatile years ever for naturalizations, as immigration policy changes and scrutiny affected people’s desire to make the final leap to become an American.

New York Post [4/18/2026 3:14 PM, Shane Galvin, 40934K] reports nearly 10% of US births in 2023 came from illegal immigrant mothers, according to newly published research. Pew Research Center revealed that 320,000 of the 3.6 million babies born in the US that year were anchor babies who would not qualify for birthright citizenship if President Trump’s executive order is upheld by the Supreme Court. "Under the current erroneous birthright citizenship interpretation, these children automatically become citizens and unlock food stamps, welfare, specialized schooling for English education, and eventually college aid," Brandy Perez Carbaugh of the Heritage Foundation told The Post. Of those 320,000, the center said 245,000 were born to parents who were illegal immigrants. Another 15,000 babies were born to mothers who had temporary legal status, while the fathers were not citizens or lawful permanent residents. The remaining 60,000 were born to illegal alien mothers while the child’s father was a citizen or lawful permanent resident.

Univision [4/18/2026 4:58 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports the Trump administration ‘s deportation policy threatens the families of approximately four million households in the United States with mixed immigration status. These families, composed of U.S. citizens and undocumented immigrants, are called mixed-status families; Maria and Luis’s family is one of them. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Univision [4/18/2026 5:14 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports the Trump administration confirmed this week that it is planning to issue an executive order that would require U.S. financial institutions to collect information on the immigration status and citizenship of their customers, including immigrants, which would mean new requirements for people without U.S. citizenship to access banking services. Currently, federal regulatory standards —primarily through the USA Patriot Act of 2001, and the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970— stipulate that banks must verify the identity and personal data of their customers, which they do through the policy called "Know Your Customer". To open a bank account, customers must provide their full name, date of birth, physical address, and an identification number. This can be a Social Security number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Chase Bank explains on its website that "many people" who migrate to the US "sometimes believe they don’t qualify to open a bank account in this country. Fortunately, that’s not true." According to this financial institution, "many institutions offer bank accounts in the US for non-residents. However, some additional procedures may need to be completed." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NPR [4/19/2026 6:30 AM, Alina Selyukh, 34837K] reports after weeks of waiting to hear how — or whether — the U.S. government might refund the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, Monday is the day it finally begins. Imagine tens of thousands of business owners with their fingers hovering over laptops, ready to enter America’s hottest new queue: the U.S. tariff refund portal. U.S. Customs is launching just the first phase of payouts, so not all the goods imported under the illegal tariffs will immediately qualify. And the latest federal guidance says that after refund requests are approved, it could take 60 to 90 days to return the money to the importer. Still, this marks a turning point for U.S. importers, who’ve waited for clarity for exactly two months since the U.S. Supreme Court declared most of President Trump’s tariffs unconstitutional. The high court did not opine on the process of refunds, and government officials at first suggested the process could prove unwieldy. "Small businesses organized, spoke out, and won a major victory," said Main Street Alliance, which advocates for U.S. small businesses, in a statement. "Now, the federal government must follow through with a refund process that truly works for Main Street." U.S. Customs has estimated that it owes a total of $166 billion in tariff refunds, and the agency’s legal filings suggest that the initial phase would tackle the majority of affected imports. On Tuesday, a Customs official told a judge that the vast majority of eligible importers signed up for electronic payments, as the agency is requiring, and that group is owed about $127 billion. Will consumers see any of that money land in their pockets? Probably not, economics and legal experts say.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/18/2026 1:13 PM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1257K] reports the people of Tecate, Mexico, had heard the Trump administration would be continuing construction on the border fence in the area. But the blasts that have echoed through the small border town in recent weeks were not what residents had expected. Heavy machinery and explosions have rumbled up the U.S. side of Kuchamaa Mountain, a place sacred to the Kumeyaay people on both sides of the border. "It feels like they’re hurting a part of us," said Luis Rafael Cota, who lives in the Juntas de Nejí y Anexos Kumeyaay community in Tecate and has witnessed the blasts, "a part of our culture." Kuchamaa Mountain, also known as Tecate Peak, or Cerro Cuchumá in Spanish, sits between two towns with the same name — Tecate in California and Tecate in Baja California. In 1992, Kuchamaa Mountain was the first sacred mountain to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, as an "important religious site to the Kumeyaay Indians of San Diego County and Baja California," the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said at the time. The mountain is a sacred place for rites and rituals, as well as a place of healing. It is also known as a holy site where Kumeyaay shamans gained knowledge and power, as documented in federal records. "It’s like a church to us," said Norma Alicia Meza, a Kumeyaay leader from Juntas de Nejí y Anexos. "That’s where we hold our ceremonies.".

The Hill [4/18/2026 8:35 AM, Raquel Martin, 18170K] reports recent record wait times at airports across the country amid the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown are reigniting calls from Washington to privatize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting administrator of TSA, made the case before Congress this week, arguing workers and travelers deserve reliability. “Until recently, TSA employees had missed nearly one billion in paychecks this fiscal year,” she said during a hearing. “In contrast, SPP screeners have not yet missed a paycheck.” SPP screeners are private contractors now used at nearly two dozen airports since 2004. The president’s fiscal 2027 budget request asked lawmakers to expand the program, mandating roughly 250 small airports in rule. The transition, according to the White House, would save taxpayers more than $50 million. That’s a 0.4 percent reduction in TSA’s overall more than $11 billion budget. Some lawmakers appear open to the idea, though others are more skeptical. The American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing most TSA workers, argues privatization would undermine security, pointing to failures before 9/11. AFGE says that’s when workers were paid as low as $6 an hour and employee turnover exceeded over 100 percent a year at most large airports.

CBS New York [4/18/2026 7:46 PM, Patrick Damp, 51110K] Video: HERE reports United Airlines flight from Chicago to New York City diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday afternoon over a "possible security issue," authorities said, and passengers were forced to evacuate the plane using emergency slides. United Flight 2092 diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport and landed safely around 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday after the crew reported "a possible security issue," the Federal Aviation Administration said. In a post on X, FBI Pittsburgh said it was aware of "a reported threat," but provided no details on the nature of the situation. The flight, a Boeing 737, departed from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and was traveling to LaGuardia Airport. It had 159 passengers and six crew on board. United said in a statement to CBS News that passengers "evacuated the aircraft via slides," describing the diversion as due to a "potential security concern." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [4/18/2026 10:31 PM, Daniel Farr, 40934K] reports a 35-year-old Australian man has pleaded not guilty to a federal charge after prosecutors say he violently confronted a Transportation Security Administration officer inside Los Angeles International Airport. Thomas Jesse Bingham, of Melbourne, entered his plea Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles, facing a charge of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury. If convicted, he could spend up to eight years behind bars. A tentative trial date is set for May 12. The incident unfolded March 15, when Bingham was preparing to travel to Las Vegas. According to the US Department of Justice, he became convinced a TSA officer had taken his backpack and passport. Authorities say Bingham approached the uniformed officer while he was in a restroom and then followed him out, where the confrontation escalated. Prosecutors allege Bingham grabbed the officer’s uniform, ripped off his identification lanyard, pulled his hair, and shoved him into a glass wall during the altercation. The agent later reported pain in his hand and back and sought medical evaluation. Airport police initially arrested Bingham, and officials later located his missing carry-on bag and passport at a restaurant in Terminal 7 that he had visited earlier. He was released from custody but was taken into custody again at LAX before boarding a flight to the United Kingdom.

FOX News [4/18/2026 2:08 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna joins Kayleigh McEnany to discuss the House’s push to expel Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for allegedly misusing $5 million in FEMA funds for a lavish lifestyle. Luna also reacts to former President Donald Trump’s support for attaching a voter ID bill to FISA and his hints at releasing ‘interesting’ UFO documents soon. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

USA Today [4/18/2026 4:35 PM, Eduardo Cuevas, 70643K] reports American territories are recovering after a category 5 super typhoon hit Western Pacific islands before peak storm season. Typhoon Sinlaku hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands beginning April 11 after rapidly developing into a category 5 storm. Territorial and federal officials have issued emergency declarations. The storm left power outages, flooded homes and roofs ripped from homes in its wake. So far, no deaths have been reported. The powerful storm, which had winds reach at least 175 mph, hit before most typhoons form between May and October, though NASA said the season is yearlong in the Western Pacific. "We’re actively recovering to get our people back into their business and to their lives again," Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said in an April 16 video address. On April 17, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared a public health emergency. HHS personnel are assisting alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency for public health and medical support as needed. The health agency is also looking to identify Medicare beneficiaries who use electricity-dependent medical equipment, such as dialysis and oxygen, in order to help at-risk populations affected by the typhoon. "HHS stands with the people of Guam and (the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands) as they confront the health impacts of Typhoon Sinlaku," Kennedy said in an April 18 statement. "We are coordinating closely with territorial and federal partners, deploying teams to assess needs, and delivering medical and public health support as conditions allow." President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Guam followed by the Northern Mariana Islands, allowing FEMA to coordinate disaster relief.

ABC News [4/18/2026 2:53 PM, Kyle Reiman and Nadine El-Bawab, 34146K] reports the severe weather threat is expected to ramp down this weekend after one more day of possible severe storms. There is a slight risk for severe storms in Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western New York. This includes Buffalo, New York; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; and Charleston, West Virginia. Damaging winds and some large hail will be the main threat, but a tornado and some isolated flash flooding cannot be ruled out. Remnant showers and storms moved along a cold front sweeping the Ohio Valley Saturday morning before rejuvenating later in the afternoon. The level of severity of these storms will be determined by how the atmosphere recovers after preceding rain moving through Saturday morning, but enough energy could build up by late Saturday afternoon for some severe storms to develop over the area. Otherwise, it may just end up being added rain with possibly some rumbles of thunder. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [4/18/2026 10:03 AM, Kerry Breen, Andrew Kozak, 51110K] reports communities across the Midwest are starting the cleanup process after multiple tornadoes touched down and severe weather struck areas from the Great Lakes to Texas. Another round of severe thunderstorms is forecast across parts of the Southern Plains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes on Saturday afternoon and into the night, according to the National Weather Service. Twenty-eight million people are under the threat of severe weather Saturday. The largest threats are from damaging winds. Storms may also cause isolated hail and flash flooding, and a tornado is possible. The storms will reach the East Coast overnight. Over 70,000 customers in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions are without power as of Saturday morning, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. Most of the outages are in Illinois and Missouri. At least one tornado touched down in Rochester, Minnesota, about 90 miles south of Minneapolis, on Friday. In Lena, Illinois, another tornado knocked out power and caused extensive damage on Friday afternoon. Downed trees and wires made the village impossible to enter, according to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office. A tornado in suburban Kansas City destroyed homes and knocked out power, but again did not cause any deaths or serious injuries. Damage was reported throughout Oklahoma, according to the state’s Department of Emergency Management.

Breitbart [4/18/2026 11:46 AM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports people in the Midwest received urgent tornado warnings late Friday amid severe storms that downed trees and damaged homes and power lines. The central United States has experienced several days of storms this week. One tornado hit Hillsboro, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, bringing winds of up to 140 miles per hour, the New York Times reported Saturday, noting there was also flash flooding in Milwaukee on Wednesday. The storms affected over 50 million people. Cities and towns in Missouri, Illinois, and Minnesota confirmed structural damage, according to Fox Weather.

NBC News [4/18/2026 6:46 PM, Sam Brock, 42967K] Video: HERE reports more than three dozen tornadoes have been reported in seven states, causing major destruction as severe weather continues to batter the Midwest.

AP [4/18/2026 5:56 PM, Freida Frisaro, 35287K] reports a trail of damaged homes and buildings dotted a wide swath of the U.S. on Saturday after a burst of destructive winds and reported tornadoes tore off roofs, uprooted trees and rendered rural roads impassable with debris. No deaths were reported following Friday’s storms, which barreled through the Upper Midwest and delivered the latest round of severe weather to batter the region. Officials braced residents for a long recovery in some rural communities. “We are extremely fortunate that this storm did not result in loss of life or serious injury,” Stephenson County Sheriff Steve Stovall said of the storm that hit Lena, Illinois. Officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota echoed those sentiments.

CBS News [4/18/2026 11:08 AM, Staff, 51110K] reports drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, weather data shows. Meteorologists said it’s a bad sign for the upcoming wildfire season, food prices and western water issues. More than 61% of the Lower 48 states is in moderate to exceptional drought - including 97% of the Southeast and two-thirds of the West, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It’s the highest levels for this time of year since the drought monitor began in 2000. Because of record heat, much of the West has had exceptionally low levels of snow in the first few months of the year, which is usually how the region stores water for the summer. The region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah are contending with record-low snowpack, federal records show. Low snowpack can make wildfire-prone land even more vulnerable. A different drought — connected to the jet stream keeping storms further north — has put the South from Texas all the way to the East Coast into a separate drought that just happens to coincide with what’s going on in the West, said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center.

CBS Chicago [4/18/2026 1:50 PM, Elyssa Kaufman, 51110K] reports many areas across Illinois are dealing with flooding threats after storms Friday night brought heavy rainfall. Flooding is causing road closures through the suburbs. Lake County officials are warning of flooding impacts along the Des Plaines River and Fox River after a reported nearly two inches of rainfall across the area. The rainfall overnight added to the flooding caused by rain this past week. Flooding was reported along the Des Plaines River, including south of Townline Road and in the Gurnee area.

New York Times [4/18/2026 6:27 PM, Mark Walker, 148038K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard said on Saturday that it was continuing its search for six crew members of a 145-foot cargo vessel that was found overturned northwest of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific after a typhoon struck. The ship’s crew first reported engine failure on Wednesday afternoon when the vessel, the Mariana, was about 140 miles northwest of Saipan. Crew members remained in contact with the authorities for several hours before transmissions stopped that evening, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The vessel is a U.S.-registered dry cargo vessel, according to the Coast Guard. A super typhoon, Sinlaku, slammed the Northern Marianas, a U.S. territory northeast of Guam, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the islands, complicating the rescue effort. A plane dispatched on Thursday turned back because of poor weather, with strong winds from the super typhoon limiting visibility and flight operations, according to the Coast Guard. By Saturday morning, conditions had improved enough to resume the search. U.S. Coast Guard aircrews, a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon crew, and a Japan Coast Guard aircrew are slated to fly in support of continued search efforts. A Coast Guard crew found the ship overturned about 34 miles northeast of Pagan Island, the northernmost habitable island of the Northern Marianas, roughly 100 miles from its last reported position. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Reported similarly:
AP [4/18/2026 5:33 PM, Staff, 35287K]

New York Times [4/19/2026 3:00 AM, Emily Anthes, 148038K] Dr. David Eisenman: I’ve been doing research for 25 years on public health and the health impacts of disasters. That includes mass violence. A public health approach has been successful in reducing other forms of violence, like child sexual abuse and domestic violence. We thought we could apply that to this form of violence that we’re seeing so much in our country, which is mass violence, targeted violence, things like school shootings. We had a study funded by the Department of Homeland Security. The premise was that in targeted violence, mass violence, about half the time the perpetrator “leaks” their plans and intentions. Family members or close friends know about it in advance, but often they don’t know how to stop it. Or when they do try to stop it, they turn to a system that really can’t respond adequately. International prevention programs provide avenues for these “intimate bystanders” to get help for this person and prevent an attack. But these programs are not widely available in the U.S. So we were going to learn from intimate bystander reporting programs in other countries. What was successful about them? What were the challenges and the obstacles? What needed to be in place for them to work? We would bring back some common lessons and work with professionals that were setting up these intimate bystander reporting programs across the United States. We were also bringing those lessons back for the Department of Homeland Security itself, which was invested in this work. Targeted violence, whether it’s school shootings or lone wolf terrorist attacks, shares common factors, with similar opportunities for prevention. And so we, professionals in this field, felt that a lot of terrorism could be understood as a form of the targeted violence that would otherwise be taken out on a school or a Walmart — but which, in this particular event, might be taken out on a group of people identified by their religion. One morning last March I saw an email with a stop work order from the Department of Homeland Security. We had to stop the project right then and there. We had to lay off staff immediately. The papers we were writing, we had to stop. And the plans for further research just stopped. And that was it, end of project. We never got our results out to the world. This was a very exciting field that we thought was going to make a difference in the United States in reducing violence, in a time where we’re seeing increases in targeted violence. And we’ve lost that.

CBS Chicago [4/18/2026 2:59 PM, Elyssa Kaufman, 51110K] reports Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in connection to a deadly mass shooting in West Garfield Park. Three people were killed and one other was wounded in a shooting on Friday afternoon. Police said, around 4:45 p.m., the four victims were near the sidewalk in the 4000 block of West Maypole Avenue, when a vehicle pulled up, and at least two people got out and started shooting. The shooting happened outside a barbershop and convenience store on the corner of Pulaski Road and Maypole Avenue.

Breitbart [4/18/2026 3:22 PM, Randy Clark, 2238K] reports after being convicted of possessing with the intent to distribute more than two million lethal doses of fentanyl, 51-year-old Jimenez James Love of Harlingen, Texas, was sentenced to serve the rest of his life in federal prison. Authorities believe Love transported the narcotics and conducted other illicit activities on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel. Love’s sentencing, announced on Friday by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, culminates an investigation that began more than four years ago. According to court documents, Love was arrested in June 2021 after a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrol Trooper stopped a black Nissan vehicle driven by Love in San Patricio County. The trooper had been informed by a Texas DPS special agent that the vehicle may be involved in a narcotics smuggling venture. According to the documents, Love provided consent to search the black Nissan he was driving, where troopers ultimately discovered several vacuum-sealed bundles in the car’s fuel tank. In all, 25 bundles were discovered concealed inside the black Nissan vehicle that were found to contain fentanyl and methamphetamine. According to the United States Attorney’s office, the packages were weighed and determined to contain 11 kilograms of methamphetamine and 5.32 kilograms of fentanyl.

ABC News [4/19/2026 5:50 AM, Jessica Gorman, 34146K] reports police were investigating a shooting in which "multiple victims" were injured near the University of Iowa early on Sunday, the campus and law enforcement said. "At this time, multiple victims have been taken to area hospitals to be treated for wounds suffered in the shooting," the Iowa City Police Department said in a statement. "No information on their conditions is available at this time." Police said in a statement that officers responded to a report of a "large fight" on the 100 block of East College Street at 1:46 a.m., adding that, "Arriving officers heard gunfire." Gunshots were reported near College and Clinton streets in Iowa City, the campus said in an alert. "First responders on scene. Confirmed victims," the university said in an update posted at 2:03 a.m. "Please continue to avoid the area." No arrests have been made, police said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [4/19/2026 6:00 AM, Hailey Bullis, 1147K] reports Conservative privacy hawks delivered a blunt verdict to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after weeks of wrangling over an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: no deal. The back-to-back losses suffered by Johnson on the floor early Friday morning were months in the making, as GOP divisions against an extension of a government spy tool without reforms boiled over into a full-blown revolt that forced leadership to pass a 10-day extension to buy more negotiating time. espite Johnson repeatedly expressing to reporters this week that a deal was “close” and that only minor reforms needed to be hashed out to finalize an agreement with GOP hardliners, the speaker still huddled in negotiations with holdouts and members of leadership late Wednesday evening as they tried to garner support for a framework agreement that would extend the surveillance authority for five years with warrant langauge and harsher penalties for abuses of the program.

CBS News [4/18/2026 4:02 PM, Sarah N. Lynch, 51110K] reports Joseph DiGenova, a conservative attorney who previously represented President Trump’s campaign when it challenged the results of the 2020 election, is being tapped by the U.S. Justice Department to lead an ongoing criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, a Justice Department official said on Saturday. DiGenova, who will oversee the probe from the Southern District of Florida, is joining the team just days after Maria Medetis Long was removed from the case, CBS News previously reported. He will serve as counselor to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the official added. A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Medetis Long was taken off the case after expressing concerns about the strength of the evidence. A Justice Department spokesperson on Friday said changing up personnel on cases was "healthy and normal" without elaborating on the reasons for the change.

AP [4/18/2026 6:41 PM, Darlene Superville, 2238K] reports a federal appeals court is allowing President Donald Trump to continue building a $400 million ballroom at the White House, ruling a day after a lower court judge continued to block above-ground construction on the site of the former East Wing. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit late Friday put on temporary hold the order by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon halting part of the project. The panel scheduled a hearing for June 5 to review the case. In his ruling Thursday, Leon continued to block above-ground construction of the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition while allowing only below-ground work to continue on a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the site. Trump tore down the East Wing last fall to build the massive ballroom in that space. The National Trust for Historic Preservation later sued to block construction, arguing that Trump had overstepped his authority by moving forward with the project without first getting approval from key federal agencies and Congress. Leon ruled in favor of the nonprofit group at the end of March, but put his decision on hold for a brief period while allowing the underground work to continue. The administration appealed. Trump has said the ballroom is a long-overdue addition to the White House complex and argues that he has the right to build it because the cost will be covered by donations from wealthy individuals and corporations, though taxpayer dollars will pay for the security aspects.

NBC News [4/18/2026 5:59 PM, Kyla Guilfoil and Gary Grumbach, 42967K] reports a federal appeals court on Friday allowed construction to continue on President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom until June, just a day after a federal judge halted progress. The three-judge panel on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., wrote in an order Friday that construction can continue both on the aboveground, 90,000-square-foot ballroom and the underground military bunker that Trump has included in the $400 million project to replace the East Wing. The order scheduled oral arguments over the legality of the ballroom construction for June 5. The court’s move pauses U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s Thursday order that blocked any aboveground ballroom construction from going into effect. The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. Leon argued Thursday that Trump was attempting to work around his earlier order that halted the project’s construction until the White House received approval from Congress, but with an exception for “actions strictly necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds.” In response to that order, the Trump administration argued that that exception accounted for the entire project, including the aboveground ballroom, as it was necessary for the White House’s safety and security. Leon disagreed Thursday, writing that the defendants’ argument was “neither a reasonable nor a correct reading of my Order!” The federal judge added that national security “is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity.” The president sharply criticized Leon’s ruling in multiple Truth Social posts on Thursday, writing in one that Leon is a “Trump Hating Judge” who “should be ashamed of himself!” In another post Thursday, Trump wrote that the ballroom is “deeply important to our National Security,” adding that the ruling “means that no future President, living in the White House without this Ballroom, can ever be Safe and Secure at Events, Future Inaugurations, or Global Summits.” The legal roadblocks against Trump’s ballroom plans come as the president has also sought approval for other significant construction plans around Washington, D.C. The president’s plans for a triumphal arch gained initial approval Thursday from a federal arts panel handpicked by Trump, clearing the way for the White House to make progress on the proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in honor of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.

Reuters [4/18/2026 9:01 PM, Trevor Hunnicutt, Muhammad Al Gebaly and Saad Sayeed, 38315K] reports shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was at a standstill on Sunday after Iran reasserted control over the strategic waterway that is key to global energy supply, days before a fragile ceasefire with the United States was set to expire. Iran’s top negotiator said recent talks with the U.S. had made progress, while President Donald ‌Trump cited "very good conversations" with Tehran. But neither side offered any specifics and Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said the two sides remained far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, the two main sticking points. On Saturday, Iran, which had earlier announced it would allow shipping to pass through Hormuz, reversed course, accusing Washington of violating a ceasefire agreement by maintaining its own blockade of Iranian ports. After two Indian-registered ships reported being attacked on Saturday while trying to pass through the strait, shipping data showed traffic through the narrow waterway had come to a stop early on Sunday. One China-owned tanker and an Indian-owned gas carrier were seen transiting eastbound early on Sunday morning. But they appear to have been turned back and no other vessels entered or left the Gulf after midnight GMT, according to MarineTraffic vessel-tracking data. Now in its eighth week, the war has created the ⁠most severe shock to global energy supplies in history, sending oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments. Meanwhile uncertainty surrounded Pakistani-brokered efforts to end the conflict, which has killed thousands since it began on February 28 with a wave of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran and which has spread to Lebanon. Talks in Islamabad - the first direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in decades - ended with no agreement last week but preparations appeared to be underway for a resumption, ahead of the expected end to the ceasefire on Wednesday. Rolls of barbed wire could be seen near the Serena Hotel where last week’s talks were held. The hotel told guests on Sunday they would need to leave due to a government event, a hotel representative said, adding that no reservations were being taken until further notice. In central Islamabad, there was a heavy police and army presence but the security protocols did not appear to be at the same level as they were before the first round, when Vice President JD Vance led the U.S. delegation.

FOX News [4/18/2026 10:25 PM, Staff, 37576K] Energy Secretary Chris Wright discusses the ongoing U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and its impact on global energy markets on ‘My View.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [4/19/2026 2:18 AM, Staff, 34146K] reports North Korea test-launched "multiple" ballistic missiles early on Sunday morning, according to South Korea, which said the missiles were fired toward the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launches began at about 6:10 a.m. local time near Sinpo, a port city on North Korea’s eastern coast, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry. The U.S. and Japan confirmed the launches, saying they were fired toward the East Sea, which is also known as the Sea of Japan. "Detailed specifications are currently under close analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities," officials in Seoul said in a statement. "Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s military activities under a firm combined defense posture and maintains an overwhelming capability and readiness to respond to any provocation." South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew about 140 km, or roughly 90 miles, Japan’s NHK reported. Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, reported that, because Sinpo is thought to be home to a North Korean submarine base, South Korean military authorities were examining whether the launches may have included submarine-launched ballistic missiles in addition to land-based launches. The launches followed a visit to South Korea by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, during which the agency had again called for North Korea to engage in diplomacy and to align with U.N. Security Council resolutions. "As the world’s attention is focused on developments in the Middle East, we must not forget tensions and divisions elsewhere, including here on the Korean Peninsula," Rafael Grossi, the IAEA chief, said during a tour of the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea. The South Korean Defense Ministry echoed that sentiment on Sunday, calling Pyongyang’s test-launches a "clear violation" of U.N. resolutions. "North Korea must immediately cease its repeated missile provocations that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and actively participate in our government’s efforts to establish peace," the ministry said. North Korea’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. said late last year that the IAEA, the intergovernmental body for nuclear cooperation, has no "legal right and moral justification" to interfere with what North Korea said it considered an "internal affair."

Reported similarly:
New York Post [4/19/2026 1:18 AM, Staff, 40934K]

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