“Donald Trump has broken his silence on a key question [sic] surrounding the US-Iran ceasefire deal. The US president addressed reports about the agreement’s scope in a new interview, and his answer has already drawn sharp reactions from multiple world leaders. US President Donald Trump told PBS News that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Iran. Trump cited Hezbollah as the reason for Lebanon’s exclusion, adding that the situation ‘will get taken care of.’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Lebanon’s exclusion from the deal, according to Axios. Trump also described Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon as ‘a separate skirmish,’ PBS NewsHour’s Liz Landers reported on X.” [editor’s note: There’s no “question.” Lebanon was part of the deal as announced. The main purpose of the Israeli strikes in Lebanon is probably precisely to get the larger war going again – TLK] (04/09/26)
“Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not comply with a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next week for questioning on her handling of the Epstein files. Bondi, who was ousted from her post earlier this month, previously told reporters she will ‘follow the law’ in responding to a subpoena from the panel. ‘The Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer attorney general and was subpoenaed in her capacity as attorney general,’ a committee spokesperson said. The panel will reach out to Bondi’s personal attorney ‘to discuss next steps,’ the spokesperson added.” (04/08/26)
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has attracted another opposition Conservative lawmaker to the Liberal party, further assuring that he will soon have a majority government. Ontario Member of Parliament Marilyn Gladu alluded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to Canada’s sovereignty and economy for her decision to defect to Carney’s governing Liberals. Trump has talked about making Canada the 51st state and has applied punishing tariffs on certain key sectors. ‘The past year has been like no other Canada has ever faced,’ Gladu said in a statement Wednesday. ‘I’ve heard from constituents that you want serious leadership and a real plan to build a stronger and more independent Canadian economy.’ Gladu is the fifth Member of Parliament to defect to Carney and the fourth Conservative.” (04/08/26)
“Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Moscow had summoned the Japanese ambassador in protest over an investment made by a Japanese startup in Ukrainian interceptor drone technology.
The Japanese company, Terra Drone, said in March it had invested an undisclosed sum in Ukrainian interceptor-drone producer Amazing Drones, which produces technology designed for rapid deployment on the battlefield. … The Kremlin has described Russia’s relations with Japan as having been ‘reduced to zero’ over what it casts as Tokyo’s ‘unfriendly stance’ towards Moscow.” (04/08/26)
“Texas hemp industry leaders and advocacy groups have sued the state to block new regulations that eliminate natural smokeable hemp products and increase licensing fees. The Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and several Texas-based dispensaries and manufacturers filed for a temporary restraining order in state district court in Travis County against the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Tuesday. They argue that the agencies have overstepped their constitutional authority by rewriting the statutory definitions of hemp established by lawmakers in 2019. … ‘An administrative agency may not substitute its own policy judgment for the outcome produced by the constitutional lawmaking process,’ the lawsuit states.” (04/08/26)
“Bill Gates is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee in the coming weeks, as the committee continues its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Gates will sit for a transcribed interview June 10, according to a person familiar with the matter granted anonymity to discuss the committee’s deliberations. His interview comes after the committee issued a March 3 letter requesting his testimony. A spokesperson for Gates said the Microsoft founder ‘welcomes’ the chance to appear before the committee.” (04/08/26)
“If you own an older Kindle e-reader, including models with physical keyboards or physical page-turn buttons that you’ve been reluctant to give up, Amazon has bad news for you. The company sent a message to owners of those devices today, informing them that starting on May 20 they would no longer be able to buy or download books from the Kindle Store. The change (as reported by Good E-Reader and elsewhere) affects all Kindles introduced and sold in 2012 or earlier, going all the way back to the original Kindle from 2007. Users will still be able to read books that have already been downloaded to those devices, but they won’t be able to download more, and if they reset those Kindles to their factory defaults, the devices won’t be able to sign back in to an Amazon account.” (04/08/26)
“A federal judge in Vermont ruled that Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova’s visa was unlawfully canceled after she was detained at an airport over biological samples she was carrying, handing her a key legal victory in a case that has raised questions about the limits of government power at the border. … Petrova, a Russian-born researcher at Harvard University’s Kirschner Lab, has argued for more than a year that the cancellation was unlawful. She was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport last February after returning from Paris. Her visa was canceled; she was later placed into immigration proceedings and detention. This disrupted her groundbreaking work on advanced imaging technology that has the potential to transform cancer diagnostics, according to fellow researchers.” (04/08/26)
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers shot and injured a man during an attempted stop in California on Tuesday, according to federal authorities. The officers fired shots at Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez during a targeted traffic stop on Interstate 5 in the city of Patterson. His attorney said he is now hospitalized and ‘fighting for his life.’ Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons alleged the driver ‘weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over’ — an accusation disputed by Mendoza Hernandez’s attorney, Patrick Kolasinski.” (04/08/26)
“The Rolling Stones are reportedly set to release their final album this month. According to The Sun, the legendary rockers — comprised of Mick Jagger (82), Keith Richards (82) and Ronnie Wood (78)— are on the cusp of making their return with their 25th and final record and their first new music since 2023’s Hackney Diamonds. On April Fools Day, the band shared posters under their name The Cockroaches, which invited fans to scan a QR code. … It has since been reported that the band will release a new single entitled Mr Charm this Saturday (11th April), with some reports suggesting an album called Foreign Tongues would follow.” (04/08/26)
