US military says it will blockade Iranian ports after ceasefire talks ended without agreement
ISLAMABAD (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would swiftly begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the strategic Strait of Hormuz, after U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement.
U.S. Central Command announced the blockade would involve all Iranian ports, beginning on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT, or 5:30 p.m. in Iran, to be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations.”
However, CENTCOM said it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait. Its announcement was a step down from the president’s earlier threat to blockade the entire strait, and allows traffic to flow in the crucial waterway as long as it avoids Iranian ports.
Trump wants to weaken Iran’s key leverage in the war after demanding that it reopen the strait to global traffic on the waterway that was responsible for 20% of global oil shipping before fighting began.
That traffic has been limited even in the days since the ceasefire. Marine trackers say over 40 commercial ships have crossed since the start of the ceasefire.
Oil prices rise after the US says it would block Iranian ports starting Monday
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose in early market trading Sunday after the U.S. said it would blockade Iranian ports beginning Monday.
The price of U.S. crude oil rose 8% to $104.24 a barrel and Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 7% to $102.29.
Brent crude has swung dramatically during the Iran war, rising from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times. On Friday, ahead of the peace talks, Brent for June delivery fell 0.8% to $95.20 per barrel.
Iran has been effectively controlling the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil shipping.
U.S. Central Command said the blockade would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations” entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán is ejected after 16 years in a European electoral earthquake
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favor of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions.
It was a stunning blow for Orbán — a close ally of both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — who quickly conceded defeat after what he called a ″painful″ election result. U.S. Vice President JD Vance had made a visit to Hungary just days earlier, meant to help push Orbán over the finish line.
Election victor Péter Magyar, a former Orbán loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary's relationships with the European Union and NATO — ties that frayed under Orbán. European leaders quickly congratulated Magyar.
His victory was expected to transform political dynamics within the EU, where Orbán had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, prompting concerns he sought to break it up from the inside.
It will also reverberate among far-right movements around the world, which have viewed Orbán as a beacon for how nationalist populism can be used to wage culture wars and leverage state power to undermine opponents.
Rory McIlroy goes back-to-back at the Masters to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy joined more elite company Sunday at the Masters when he pulled away with a pair of birdies around Amen Corner and, as usual, saved a little drama for the end before taking his place in Augusta National history as only the fourth back-to-back champion.
In a final round where three players had a two-shot lead, McIlroy seized control for good with a bold shot over Rae’s Creek to 7 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th. Then he blistered a 350-yard drive on the par-5 13th that set up another birdie to move three shots ahead.
There were a few dicey moments, including a shot over the par-3 16th green that required him to use the slope to get in close for par, having to get up-and-down for par on the 17th and a wild drive on the 18th that wound up closer to the 10th fairway.
He tapped in for bogey and a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler.
A year ago, his playoff victory over Justin Rose made McIlroy only the sixth player with the career Grand Slam. With another green jacket, McIlroy joined Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat winners of the Masters.
Swalwell suspends campaign for California governor after being accused of sexual assault
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell has suspended his campaign for California governor after he was accused of sexual assault.
Swalwell continues to deny the allegations. He said in a social media post Sunday he’s suspending his campaign but will fight what he called “serious, false allegations that have been made.”
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported on the woman’s allegations, which The Associated Press has not verified.
The woman told the Chronicle, which didn’t name her, that Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice, including while she worked for him, while she was too intoxicated to consent.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
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NASA already has next Artemis flight in its sights following astronauts' triumphant moon flyby
HOUSTON (AP) — Never-before-glimpsed views of the moon’s far side. Check. Total solar eclipse gracing the lunar scene. Check. New distance record for humanity. Check.
With NASA’s lunar comeback a galactic-sized smash thanks to Artemis II, the world is wondering: What’s next? And how do you top that?
“To people all around the world who look up and dream about what is possible, the long wait is over,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said as he introduced Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen at Saturday’s jubilant homecoming celebration.
Now that the first lunar travelers in more than a half-century are safely back in Houston with their families, NASA has Artemis III in its sights.
“The next mission’s right around the corner,” entry flight director Rick Henfling observed following the crew’s Pacific splashdown on Friday.
Analysis: Trump declares victory, no matter what, and the Iran war is the latest example
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the January 2004 pilot of “The Apprentice," Donald Trump said something he would never admit today.
“It wasn’t always so easy,” he intones via voice-over, noting that by the late 1980s, “I was seriously in trouble" and "billions of dollars in debt.”
It is one of the few times Trump has ever publicly acknowledged failure. Even then, he was reading a script meant to promote against-the-odds credentials for viewers, previewing the combative charisma that propelled his political career a decade later.
“I fought back,” Trump said. “And I won. Big league.”
Trump never loses. At least in his telling.
Failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan raise questions about fragile ceasefire
JERUSALEM (AP) — Ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what happens when a current two-week truce expires on April 22.
As the talks wrapped up in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, both sides blamed each other for the failure.
There was no word on whether negotiations will resume, and President Donald Trump made new threats against Iran.
The setback does not necessarily mean the war will resume. But it showed how entrenched the sides remain after an inconclusive 40-day war that inflicted heavy damage on Iran, reverberated across the region and shook the global economy.
Negotiators will now return to their capitals and reconsider their next moves.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating Putin’s Easter ceasefire
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire Sunday, as Orthodox Christians gathered to celebrate the holiday despite Moscow's 4-year-long war against its neighbor.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. on Saturday until the end of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to abide by the ceasefire, but warned there would be a swift military response to any violations.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in a statement Sunday that it had recorded 2,299 ceasefire violations by 7 a.m., including assaults, shelling and small drone launches. It said that the use of long-range drones, missiles or guided bombs had not been reported.
A Ukrainian military officer told The Associated Press on Saturday that Russian forces had continued to attack their positions.
Russia’s Defense Ministry also said Sunday it had recorded 1,971 ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces, including drone strikes. The head of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday that rescuers uncovered the bodies of two civilians who were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Saturday afternoon.
What to know about Trump's tax breaks for tips and overtime when filing state tax returns
As the tax-filing deadline nears, millions of Americans are expected to claim new federal income tax breaks for tips and overtime wages available for the first time under a wide-ranging tax law enacted by President Donald Trump.
But many people won’t get those same deductions when they fill out their state income tax forms. That is because it is up to each state to decide whether to match federal tax changes, and many have decided not to do so.
In states that don’t conform to the federal tax changes, workers who receive a federal tax deduction for tips or overtime still will owe state taxes on those earnings.
The tax-filing deadline is Wednesday for the federal government and most states. Here is what to know about state income tax rates and deductions:
In most states, individuals must fill out two separate tax forms. First, the federal income tax form. Then a state income tax form. The order matters, because most states use figures from the federal tax form as the starting point for their state tax calculations.

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