AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT

Iran’s Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped, came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that ships would use routes designated by the Islamic Republic in coordination with Iranian authorities, suggesting Iran planned to retain some level of control over the channel. It was not clear if vessels would have to pay tolls.

A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran’s approval.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.

Oil prices drop 9% and Wall Street rallies to a record after Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices dropped back to where they were in the early days of the Iran war, and U.S. stocks raced to another record Friday after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial tankers carrying crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

The S&P 500 leaped 1.2% to an all-time high and closed out a third straight week of big gains, its longest streak since Halloween. A freer flow of oil could take pressure off prices not only for gasoline but also for groceries and all kinds of other products that get moved by vehicles. It could even ultimately help people pay less on credit-card interest and mortgage bills.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged as many as 1,100 points before paring its gain to 868, or 1.8%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%.

The U.S. stock market has jumped more than 12% since hitting a bottom in late March on hopes the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy despite their war. Friday’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which may only be temporary, is the clearest signal yet for optimism, and President Donald Trump said late Thursday that the war “should be ending pretty soon.”

The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude plunged immediately after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted on X that passage for all commercial vessels through the strait “is declared completely open” as a ceasefire appears to be holding in Lebanon. He said it would stay open for the remaining period of the ceasefire, and the price for U.S. oil dropped 9.4% to settle at $82.59 per barrel.

The truce in Lebanon is key to ending the wider Iran war, but challenges remain

BEIRUT (AP) — A truce took hold Friday between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, providing relief on both sides of the border and an opening for Iran and the United States to reach a deal to end the wider war.

The ceasefire appears to have led Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing the global energy crisis. But major obstacles remain, as Hezbollah has not formally agreed to the truce and wants Israel to withdraw. Israel says it is “not finished” dismantling the Iran-backed militant group and has announced plans to occupy a swath of southern Lebanon.

The 10-day truce appeared to be mostly holding on its first day, as thousands of Lebanese returned to their homes in the south. Hezbollah had launched missiles into Israel in early March, two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran. Israel had responded with heavy bombardment and a ground invasion.

Here’s a look at the ceasefire deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Thursday, describing it as a deal between Israel and Lebanon, whose government had been largely sidelined in the war. Israel has long accused Lebanon of failing to disarm Hezbollah in line with previous agreements and the government's own plan.

Senate extends surveillance powers until April 30 after chaotic votes in House

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a short-term renewal until April 30 of a controversial surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies, following a chaotic, post-midnight scramble in the House to keep the authority from expiring in a matter of days.

The measure cleared the Senate by voice vote Friday, without a formal roll call — the same way it was approved hours earlier in the House — as Congress raced to meet a Monday deadline and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune gave a nod to the political difficulty ahead as they assess options when the temporary extension expires at the end of the month. “We’ll be preparing accordingly,” the South Dakota Republican said.

It’s all setting up another showdown, in a matter of weeks, as Congress dives into the surveillance tool that pits Americans’ privacy rights against what U.S. officials have long said is a uniquely effective program for the security of the country.

The stopgap came after House Republican leaders hurriedly unveiled an ambitious five-year extension late Thursday with revisions to appease skeptics of the surveillance program — a sharp pivot from the clean 18-month renewal Trump and GOP leaders had pushed all week. But both those Republican bills collapsed, failing to advance, forcing leaders to pivot.

Pope urges Africa's youth to resist dual temptations of migration and corruption in Cameroon

DOUALA, Cameroon (AP) — Pope Leo XIV urged Cameroon’s young people on Friday to resist the temptation to migrate and instead work for the common good at home, as he called for morally upright citizens to combat corruption plaguing many African countries.

Leo highlighted two of the big problems facing the continent during a Mass and a meeting with students and faculty at the Catholic University of Central Africa: the corruption that keeps countries in poverty and the brain drain of their brightest children who leave rather than fight the corruption at home.

They’re themes Leo has highlighted during his visit to Cameroon, a mineral-rich Central African nation which has been ruled since 1982 by 93-year-old President Paul Biya, who last year secured an eighth consecutive term with a disputed election.

Friday marked the half-way point in Leo’s 11-day tour of four African nations. He leaves Saturday for Angola, another country blessed with oil and other natural resources, but where a third of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day.

“Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption,” Leo told the university students and their teachers in the capital Yaounde.

White House chief of staff meets with Anthropic CEO over its new AI technology

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Friday sounded out Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about the artificial intelligence company's new Mythos model, which has attracted attention from the federal government for how it could transform national security and the economy.

A White House official, who requested anonymity to discuss the meeting ahead of time, said the administration is engaging with advanced AI labs about their models and the security of software. The official stressed that any new technology that might be used by the federal government would require a technical period for evaluation.

The White House said afterward that the meeting was productive and constructive, as opportunities for collaboration were discussed as well as the goal of balancing innovation and safety.

Anthropic said in a statement that Amodei's meeting included senior administration officials and explored how the San Francisco-based company and the “U.S. government can work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race, and AI safety.” The company said it was “looking forward to continuing these discussions.”

The meeting came after tensions had run hot between the Trump administration and the safety-conscious Anthropic, which has sought to put guardrails on the development of AI to minimize any potential risks and maximize its economic and national security benefits for the U.S.

The Supreme Court hands a win to oil and gas companies fighting environmental lawsuits in Louisiana

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court handed a win Friday to oil and gas companies fighting lawsuits over coastal land loss and environmental degradation in Louisiana.

The unanimous procedural decision gives the companies a new day in federal court after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay upward of $740 million to clean up damage to the state’s coastline, one of multiple similar lawsuits.

Backed by the Trump administration, the companies said the work in Louisiana started as an effort to quickly increase the supply of aviation gasoline for the U.S. government during World War II and so should be heard in federal court.

The justices agreed. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the 8-0 court, noted Congress has long allowed lawsuits against the government and its contractors to be heard in federal court. This suit, he wrote, is clearly related to Chevron’s wartime efforts to bolster the U.S. aviation fuel supply. Federal courts are seen as a friendlier venue for the companies.

Louisiana’s coastal parishes have lost more than 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) of land over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has also identified oil and gas infrastructure as a significant cause. The state could lose an additional 3,000 square miles (7,770 square kilometers) in the coming decades, its coastal protection agency has warned.

Patients and dental community mourn Dr. Cerina Fairfax, killed by Virginia's ex-lieutenant governor

Patients and colleagues are remembering Dr. Cerina Fairfax as a devoted mother, a caring dentist and the rock at the center of her family, after police say she was killed by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.

Police found both dead in their home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale, Virginia, early Thursday. They believe Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife and then killed himself. They were going through a divorce and Justin Fairfax had been ordered by a judge to move out of the house by the end of the month.

Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a thriving family dentistry practice in the nearby city of Fairfax. A profile page on its website described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs and “spend time with her wonderful family.”

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

Defense team in Charlie Kirk murder case says courtroom cameras are unfairly tilting case

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Defense witnesses in the prosecution of the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk said Friday that conjecture in the media over his guilt and depictions of him as a “monster” are making it impossible for Tyler Robinson to get a fair trial.

The pretrial testimony came as Robinson’s attorneys pressed a Utah judge to ban cameras from his case. They said live broadcasts of the proceedings are tainting potential jurors, by feeding into speculative stories based on Robinson's courtroom demeanor and alleged confessions.

Media organizations, prosecutors and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, want the court to allow cameras. They argue transparency is the best way to guard against the misinformation and conspiracy theories that concern Robinson’s defense team.

Robinson’s parents sat behind him for Friday's hearing in a half-full courtroom. His father lowered his head and stared down at his hands while the defense played a Fox News clip in which a commentator identified as a former FBI agent opined that Robinson was a sociopath.

“It's turning outside the courtroom into like a reality TV show,” said defense witness Bryan Edelman, a social psychologist with a California-based trial consulting business. “I think it creates pressure on everybody to have cameras in here, from the jury to everyone involved."

What to know about singer D4vd's arrest in 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's killing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seven months after a 14-year-old girl’s body was found in D4vd’s towed SUV, the alt-pop singer has been arrested on suspicion of killing her, authorities said.

Detectives arrested the 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Burke, on Thursday on suspicion of murder in the investigation of the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Los Angeles police said. Authorities had not publicly named Burke as a suspect previously. Investigators are expected to present a case to prosecutors on Monday, police said. Burke’s lawyers have declared his innocence.

Here are a few things to know about the case:

Burke was arrested at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, police said, at a home near the Chateau Marmont, the legendary Hollywood hotel that has been home to decades of industry scandal and lore. It is about two miles from the upscale Hollywood Hills street where Burke's Tesla and Rivas Hernandez's body were found.

He was booked into a jail in South Los Angeles with no bail several hours later.