President Trump doubled down on his criticism of Pope Leo XIV, calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible" on foreign policy over the pontiff's anti-war stance on Iran. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops rebuked Trump's remarks and called for an apology, which the president refused. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni also clashed with Trump after she called his comments about the Pope "unacceptable," prompting Trump to fire back that she is "failing us" on Iran.
Four consequential races in Georgia, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Virginia are shaping control of the House ahead of November's midterms. Trump-backed Clay Fuller won the Georgia-14 special election to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene's old seat, padding the GOP's razor-thin majority. In Wisconsin, liberal Judge Chris Taylor won, expanding the left's Supreme Court majority to 5-2, while Virginia voters face a Democrat-pushed redistricting referendum that could shift the state's House map dramatically.
The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index plunged to a record low in early April as Americans grapple with inflation fears tied to the Iran war and surging energy costs. Economists warn the economic fallout from the conflict could linger even if a ceasefire holds, with household inflation expectations surging sharply.
Former Vice President Mike Pence's Advancing American Freedom group rolled out a 90-page messaging playbook touting tax cuts, energy expansion, and spending reductions from Trump's landmark legislation. Republicans concede they've struggled to sell the bill's benefits to voters, even as Democrats hammer kitchen-table issues like healthcare and affordability ahead of November.
President Trump announced that Israeli and Lebanese leaders spoke Thursday — the first such direct engagement in over three decades — with a Hezbollah ceasefire expected within days. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Australia and Malaysia warned the conflict is threatening global energy supplies.
Iran warned it may walk away from the two-week ceasefire agreement over demands that any deal include the dismantling of Hezbollah. Tehran's 10-point proposal demands the U.S. end all sanctions, withdraw forces from the Middle East, release frozen assets, and accept Iran's right to enrich uranium. Trump called the proposal a "workable basis" for talks, but inclusion of Hezbollah remains a dealbreaker for Tehran.
NATO convened without U.S. participation as Trump continued to slam allies for refusing to support Operation Epic Fury in Iran. Spain shut its airspace to U.S. bombers and denied base access; France blocked Israeli aircraft from using its airspace. European leaders are now confronting the real possibility of a full U.S. withdrawal from the alliance.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund is reportedly preparing to cut financial support for LIV Golf, potentially ending the breakaway tour. PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan cited the Iran war as forcing "priority repositioning." LIV CEO Scott O'Neil sent a staff memo insisting the 2026 season will continue "at full throttle," but Fox News Digital sources say Saudi funding will stop after this season.
NASA's Artemis II crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — splashed down April 10 off the coast of San Diego after a nearly 10-day mission. The crew flew 252,756 miles from Earth during their lunar flyby on April 6, breaking the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. NASA called it the "opening act" for America's return to the Moon.
Researchers have developed a new wireless technology that replaces radio waves with light to transmit data, potentially delivering dramatically faster internet speeds while slashing energy consumption — a major development for data-hungry applications and next-generation connectivity.
A new study published this week confirms that Nanotyrannus, long dismissed as a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, was actually a distinct predator roughly half the size of a full-grown T. rex. Researchers analyzed a tiny throat bone from the original fossil and found growth patterns showing the animal had reached maturity. Two large meat-eating dinosaurs living side by side rewrites our understanding of late Cretaceous ecosystems.
