Trump Extends Iran Cease-Fire as Ships Attacked in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Missile Stockpiles Sharply Depleted After Iran Operations

Two Americans Killed in Mexico Crash Were CIA Officers

House Republicans Probe String of Deaths Among U.S. Scientists

Trade School Boom Leaves Students With Unexpected Debt

Trump Extends Iran Cease-Fire as Ships Attacked in Strait of Hormuz

President Trump said Tuesday the United States will extend its cease-fire with Iran and continue the blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran presents a unified proposal, citing what he called a seriously fractured Iranian government and a request from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. Trump did not set an end date for the extension, which supersedes a previous two-week cease-fire due to expire Wednesday evening. Vice President JD Vance paused a planned trip to Pakistan to negotiate directly with Iranian officials in Islamabad. Hours after the announcement, two ships came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz: an Iranian gunboat fired on a containership northeast of Oman, and a second vessel reported being fired upon off the Iranian coast. Sharif thanked Trump for the extension and said Pakistan would continue efforts toward a negotiated settlement. The incidents demonstrate that while the aerial war between the U.S. and Iran is on pause, the fight for control of the strategic waterway continues.

WSJ

U.S. Missile Stockpiles Sharply Depleted After Iran Operations

The U.S. military has significantly depleted its stockpile of key missiles during the seven-week war with Iran, creating what experts and Pentagon officials describe as a near-term risk of running out of ammunition in a future conflict. According to a new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. has expended at least 45 percent of its Precision Strike Missiles, roughly half of its THAAD ballistic missile interceptors, and nearly 50 percent of its Patriot air defense interceptors. Three sources familiar with classified Pentagon stockpile assessments told CNN the CSIS figures closely align with internal data. The Pentagon signed contracts earlier this year to expand missile production, but replacement timelines run three to five years even with increased capacity. Officials said remaining inventories are sufficient to continue operations against Iran if the cease-fire collapses, but no longer adequate to confront a near-peer adversary like China. Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and CSIS report co-author, said the expenditures have created a window of increased vulnerability in the western Pacific that could take years to close.

CNN

Two Americans Killed in Mexico Crash Were CIA Officers

Two U.S. embassy officials who died in a car accident Sunday in northern Mexico worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as part of a significantly expanded role in Western Hemisphere counternarcotics operations, according to two people familiar with the matter. The crash in the state of Chihuahua also killed two Mexican officials and prompted Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to say she would investigate whether the operation violated national security laws. The four were returning from meetings with Mexican counterparts following an operation to dismantle a clandestine drug lab in a remote area, which Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui Moreno described as perhaps one of the largest ever discovered. Mexican officials said the vehicle skidded off the road, fell into a ravine and exploded. Jáuregui said the Americans did not directly participate in the raid itself. The CIA declined to comment, but under Director John Ratcliffe the agency has taken a larger and more aggressive role in counternarcotics, one of the Trump administration's stated priorities.

Washington Post

House Republicans Probe String of Deaths Among U.S. Scientists

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and Subcommittee Chairman Eric Burlison of Missouri sent letters Monday to the FBI, Department of Energy, NASA and Department of War seeking briefings on at least 10 individuals tied to U.S. nuclear and aerospace programs who have died or disappeared in recent years. The lawmakers cited what they described as unconfirmed public reporting about a possible sinister connection between the cases. An FBI spokesperson confirmed the bureau is leading an effort to identify any links and is coordinating with the named agencies and state and local law enforcement. Reports compiled by Fox News list 11 scientists and researchers since 2022: Carl Grillmair was shot outside his home in February 2026, with Freddy Snyder charged in his murder; Nuno Loureiro died in December 2025 from injuries linked to a mass shooting at Brown University; and Amy Eskridge, a Huntsville researcher, died in 2022 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Other cases remain unresolved, including the death of Novartis chemical biology director Jason Thomas, whose body was found in a Massachusetts lake months after he was last seen, and the disappearances of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland and four others between 2023 and 2026. The committee is seeking to determine whether the cases collectively pose a national security concern.

Fox News

Trade School Boom Leaves Students With Unexpected Debt

Growing numbers of young Americans are pursuing blue-collar careers like plumbing and electrical work amid rising skepticism about the value of a four-year college degree, but many are encountering tuition bills that rival traditional higher education. Free and low-cost training routes such as community college programs and union apprenticeships have filled up as demand surges, pushing more students toward private trade schools. Tuition at those programs can reach tens of thousands of dollars: a nine-month cosmetology program in New Jersey costs $17,000, while a 14-month aircraft maintenance program in Florida runs $40,000, according to a college affordability list maintained by the Education Department. The trend has been amplified on social media, where videos championing the trades have spawned hashtags such as #nodebtneeded. The reality for some students entering those fields is debt loads they had hoped to avoid.

WSJ

APRIL 22, 1889: OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH BEGINS

At noon, an estimated 50,000 “Boomers” raced into formerly Indian Territory to claim 1.9 million acres the U.S. government had opened to white settlement. The chaotic rush, marred by fraud from early-arriving “Sooners,” marked a key moment in the transfer of Native-held lands into white ownership. They were called “Sooners” because they slipped into the territory sooner than the legal start time to grab prime claims—a nickname later embraced by the University of Oklahoma for its athletic teams and identity.

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Sources

1. WSJ — Trump cease-fire extension / WSJ — Strait of Hormuz live coverage
2. CNN — U.S. military missile stockpile / CSIS — Last rounds: status of key munitions
3. Washington Post — CIA Mexico accident
4. Fox News — String of scientist deaths / Fox News — Lawmakers demand answers
5. WSJ — Trade school debt