Trump Extends Strike Pause on Iran Energy Sites as Mediators Dispute Tehran's Role

Ukraine Signs Defense Deal With Saudi Arabia as Gulf Eyes Drone Threat

Senate Votes To Fund Most of DHS, Leaving ICE and Border Patrol Out

Immigration Rates Fell in Every U.S. Metro Area, Census Data Shows

The Rise of America's Ultra-Rich

Trump Extends Strike Pause on Iran Energy Sites as Mediators Dispute Tehran's Role

President Trump said Thursday evening that he extended a pause on U.S. military strikes against Iranian energy sites by 10 days at the request of Iranian officials who sought additional time for peace negotiations. Trump said Iran initially asked for a seven-day extension, and he offered 10 after Tehran allowed passage of 10 Pakistani-flagged oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, up from an initial offer of eight. However, peace talk mediators contradicted Trump's account, saying Iran has not requested a pause on strikes against its energy infrastructure and has yet to deliver a final response to a 15-point plan to end the war. The conflicting accounts raise questions about the status of diplomatic communications and which Iranian interlocutors, if any, are driving the negotiation timeline.

Wall Street Journal

Ukraine Signs Defense Deal With Saudi Arabia as Gulf Eyes Drone Threat

Ukraine and Saudi Arabia signed a defense-cooperation agreement during a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky to the kingdom, where Ukrainian military experts have been working for over a week. Gulf nations have increasingly turned to Ukraine for its experience repelling large-scale drone attacks modeled on Iranian Shaheds, expertise that has taken on new urgency as Iranian drones and missiles have struck oil and gas facilities across the Middle East. Ukraine's national oil and gas company, Naftogaz, has spent millions on air defenses including electronic jamming systems, interceptor drones, and concrete barriers to shield critical equipment, with plans to bury pumping stations in underground bunkers. Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretsky said the proliferation of drones among both militaries and nonstate actors points to a future in which oil and gas companies worldwide invest in anti-drone systems. Zelensky said the cooperation would be mutually beneficial, with Ukraine ready to share its expertise while noting Saudi capabilities of interest to Kyiv.

Wall Street Journal / NYT

Senate Votes To Fund Most of DHS, Leaving ICE and Border Patrol Out

The Senate voted early Friday by voice vote to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, raising the prospect of ending the longest partial government shutdown on record, which began in mid-February. The measure funds the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Coast Guard, but excludes Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. Democrats have insisted that any DHS funding deal include changes to ICE tactics. Republicans had already directed tens of billions of dollars to ICE and border operations through Trump's tax package last year, money that will cushion those programs against any cuts stemming from the current dispute. The shutdown has forced TSA employees to work without pay, prompting hundreds to quit or stop showing up and causing hourslong security lines at airports nationwide. President Trump said Thursday he would sign an emergency order to pay TSA agents who have gone without compensation. The package now moves to the House, which was scheduled to convene Friday morning.

NYT / Wall Street Journal

Immigration Rates Fell in Every U.S. Metro Area, Census Data Shows

Every metro area in the United States experienced lower immigration rates during the year leading up to July 2025 compared with the previous year, according to new Census Bureau estimates released Thursday. The Laredo metro area on the Texas border saw immigration fall to a virtual standstill, while El Centro, a historic desert gateway into California, lost more people to other countries than it gained. Major metro areas saw steep declines as well, with net immigration in the Denver area falling by nearly three-quarters and in the Chicago area by close to two-thirds. In roughly 75 percent of all U.S. counties, overall population growth — including immigration, domestic migration, births, and deaths — either slowed or turned negative, with only 25 percent of counties growing faster.

NYT

The Rise of America's Ultra-Rich

Public attention often focuses on billionaires, but a far larger and faster-growing class sits just below that threshold. Public attention tends to focus on billionaires, but a less-discussed tier of wealth has been quietly booming: the number of Americans worth tens of millions and hundreds of millions of dollars has surged in recent decades, driven by a rising stock market, lucrative private investments, and swelling valuations for small and midsize businesses. There are now roughly 430,000 U.S. households worth $30 million or more, with about 74,000 worth $100 million or more, according to an analysis of Federal Reserve data by Princeton economics professor Owen Zidar. The wealth of the top 0.1 percent of households has grown more than 13-fold over the past 50 years after adjusting for inflation, according to the Realtime Inequality tracker developed by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman. This growing class has become a major economic force, driving demand for luxury hotel rooms, private jet travel, and other high-end goods and services. Meanwhile, average inflation-adjusted wealth for the bottom 50 percent of households turned negative starting in the mid-1990s and only recovered after the pandemic brought stimulus checks and rising home values. Many of the ultrarich live outside the highest-cost areas and own businesses like car dealerships rather than tech or finance companies.

Wall Street Journal

March 27 1984: Hot Pockets trademarked

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Sources

1. Wall Street Journal (strike pause) / Wall Street Journal (mediators)
2. Wall Street Journal / New York Times
3. New York Times / Wall Street Journal
4. New York Times
5. Wall Street Journal