Friday, April 17 | By Cate Martel
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Iran says Strait of Hormuz is back open Oil prices dramatically fall, stock market jumps Trump celebrates but keeps U.S. blockade in place RFK Jr. grilled on Capitol Hill for second straight day Nutella’s first new flavor in 60 years hits shelves
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The Strait of Hormuz is back open for business: |
➤ WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISRAEL-LEBANON CEASEFIRE: |
The two countries agreed to a 10-day pause in fighting. Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire had been an obstacle for peace talks, making this a major development.
Related read from The New York Times: ‘Lebanon’s Cease-Fire Buys Time, Not a Way Out’: “The country’s leaders secured a truce through risky talks with Israel, but the government now finds itself caught between competing pressures.”
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➤ TIDBIT WITH THE FLUCTUATING GAS PRICES: |
🎵It means no artificial dyes for the rest of your days. 🎵
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is back for his second day of grilling on Capitol Hill. 💻 Watch today’s hearing
A lot has changed in the past few months: His “Make America Healthy Again” movement had much more power last year. Now, the White House has its eye on the midterms and is trying to back off the more controversial, unpopular MAHA components, like his changes to vaccine policy.
^ That dynamic was on display on Thursday: Kennedy avoided talking about vaccines in his opening statement. But Democrats weren’t going to let him off the hook. Several Democrats confronted him over his vaccine policies. More takeaways from RFK Jr.’s Thursday hearing
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Why do something simply when you can do it dramatically and with ✨flair✨?: |
The Senate just passed a 10-day extension to the U.S.’s spy powers, sending it to President Trump’s desk before the Monday expiration.
What went down overnight: After two days of meetings and delays, the House voted on a deal to extend spy powers for five years. But when it went to a vote, 12 House Republicans voted with Democrats to sink the deal. Once Republican rebels dramatically tanked the five-year extension, the House moved to vote on a 10-day extension before Monday’s deadline.
Why did those House Republicans oppose the deal?: There were several reasons. “Republican opposition to the amendment came not only from right-wing members who pushed for more substantial reforms and who had spent hours negotiating the package with leadership, but also from some House Intelligence Committee members who had pushed for a straight reauthorization of the program.”
💡 Why this matters: This is one of the most notable times that Republicans bucked President Trump’s wishes on a major vote. Read more
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➤ SOME TENSION BETWEEN SPEAKER JOHNSON AND SENATE REPUBLICANS: |
“Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) decision not to put a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the House floor for a vote as they fear the White House could soon run out of money to pay federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown,” reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.
What does this tension look like?: “GOP senators have been careful not to publicly criticize Johnson and House conservatives who are holding up the Senate-passed Homeland Security funding bill so as not to further inflame the situation. But they are warning that the White House will soon be running out of flexibility to keep paying Homeland Security workers — including employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and other critical agencies — if Congress doesn’t act soon.”
Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘Senate GOP losing patience with Speaker Johnson as DHS faces crisis’
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The sentence for hacking the Supreme Court’s electronic filing system: |
“A Tennessee man who pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking into the Supreme Court’s electronic filing system was sentenced on Friday to one year of probation,” reports The Hill’s Ella Lee.
Back story: “Nicholas Moore, 25, admitted he hacked the high court more than two dozen times, in addition to hacking accounts at AmeriCorps and the Veterans Administration Health System. He boasted about his access on social media, using the handle @ihackedthegovernment. He faced up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor count of fraud activity in connection with computers. But the Justice Department sought only probation, a recommendation on the lower end of federal sentencing guidelines for Moore.”
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➤ PLUS — A WIN FOR OIL COMPANIES TODAY:
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The Supreme Court ruled in one case today. It sided 8-0 with oil companies in their bid to move state-court lawsuits on Louisiana’s coast to federal court. Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case.
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The Wall Street Journal: How a 233-Year-Old Wall Street Institution Went All In on Crypto: NYSE has placed its bets that digital assets are part of its future
The Atlantic: Trump Voters Are Over It: A shocking number of the president’s supporters have turned against him.
Politico: Will Trump Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell? Her Lawyer Thinks So.
The Hill: Mamdani’s city-run grocery plan draws pushback from local bodegas, supermarkets
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The House is out. The Senate met this morning. President Trump was in Las Vegas this morning and is flying to Arizona this afternoon. (All times EDT)
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5 p.m.: Trump speaks at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix. 💻 Livestream
This evening: Trump returns to the White House.
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🦐 A reason to celebrate: Today is National Crawfish Day!
🥜 As if I needed another reason to love Nutella: Nutella released its first new flavor in 60 years: Nutella Peanut. If you’re having deja vu, the brand announced this a year ago but finally launched it now. Read Food & Wine’s review on Nutella Peanut
📹 What do you think of webcams to see restaurant lines?: A new website called “Damn Lines” uses camera feeds outside of popular restaurants so patrons can see the lines before they visit. Read more: ‘Can Webcams Help Solve New York’s Restaurant Line Problem?’
🎂 Ever wanted to speed-eat the cake from Matilda?: Well, this comes pretty close. Carnegie Diner will host a 24-layer chocolate cake eating contest in Vienna, Va., on April 26. Read more
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📺 Miss the previous issue of this newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video.
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