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Today: April 20, 2026
Today: April 20, 2026

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Asia|MidEast|Political|World

China's Xi, in call with Saudi crown prince, calls for Strait of Hormuz to remain open

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for normal passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz to be maintained, in a phone call on Monday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held as Beijing steps up efforts to help end the Iran war.China is concerned over renewed instability around the strategic waterway, as a U.S.-Iran ceasefire came under fresh strain after the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship and Tehran signaled it would not join new peace talks for now.China is the main buyer of Iranian crude. Iran has largely closed the strait to ships other than its own since the United
China's Xi, in call with Saudi crown prince, calls for Strait of Hormuz to remain open
Business|Economy|Finance|Stock Markets|US

TopBuild shares jump after $17 billion QXO deal

Shares of U.S. building products distributor and installer TopBuild jumped nearly 20% in premarket trading on Monday, a day after the company agreed to be acquired by construction supplies distributor QXO in a $17 billion deal amid industry-wide consolidation. Unanimously approved by both boards, the acquisition will make QXO the second-largest publicly traded building products distributor in North America, with more than $18 billion in combined annual revenue. QXO shares were flat in premarket trading. • Dealmaking in the U.S. building products industry is on the uptick as companies see
TopBuild shares jump after $17 billion QXO deal
Business|Economy|Europe|Finance|Political|Stock Markets|US|World

The Kremlin, on the U.S. waiver, says you cannot ignore Russia's oil volumes

The Kremlin, when asked on Monday about a U.S. sanctions waiver on some Russia's oil exports, said that Russia was a responsible and important player on global energy markets and that it was hard not to take Russia's export volumes into account.The Donald Trump administration on Friday renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on.Russia is the world's third-largest oil producer and the second-biggest crude exporter."Russia remains a responsible and ve
The Kremlin, on the U.S. waiver, says you cannot ignore Russia's oil volumes

US News

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Election|Political|US|World

Pinwheels and the ‘lobster district’: How Virginia Democrats drew up a US House map to all but lock out Republicans

Virginia Democrats hope the new congressional map they’re asking voters to approve Tuesday will flip four Republican House districts, delivering 10 of 11 seats in a state former Vice President Kamala Harris won with just 52% of the vote in 2024.Here’s how they drew it up.The plan dramatically reworks entire sections of the state, slicing up deep blue districts in the Washington, DC, suburbs and around Richmond, and creates a new district running along the Blue Ridge Mountains that connects liberal cities.Virginia’s current map, which was drawn by a pair of court-appointed redistricting e
Pinwheels and the ‘lobster district’: How Virginia Democrats drew up a US House map to all but lock out Republicans
Crime|Election|US|World

Michigan attorney general rejects Trump administration ballot request amid broader push to challenge elections

Michigan’s attorney general is rejecting an effort by the US Justice Department to obtain ballots and other voting materials from the Detroit area, a target of the Trump administration’s efforts to probe elections in states that the president falsely claims he won in 2020.Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, sent a letter to the clerk who oversees elections in Wayne County, Michigan’s most populous, on Tuesday, requesting she turn over all ballots, ballot receipts and ballot envelopes from the 2024 election within two weeks.Michigan Attorney General D
Crime|Health|US|World

Louisiana gunman killed 8 children, including 7 of his own, police say, in deadliest mass shooting since 2024

A man fatally shot eight children, seven of them his own, across three Shreveport, Louisiana, homes early Sunday, according to police. It marks the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since January 2024.The children killed were three boys and five girls ranging in age from 3 to 11, the Caddo Parish Coroner’s office told CNN. They included seven siblings and a cousin, the coroner’s office said. Police said earlier the ages ranged from 1 to 14.The coroner identified the victims as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion
Louisiana gunman killed 8 children, including 7 of his own, police say, in deadliest mass shooting since 2024
Crime|Education|Entertainment|US

3 students, 2 others shot along nightlife district near the University of Iowa, authorities say

A shooting during a fight in a nightlife district near the University of Iowa campus wounded five people early Sunday, including three students, police and university officials said. Multiple victims were transported to hospitals for gunshot wounds, according to Iowa City police. One person was in critical condition while four others were stable, police said. No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning, according to a campus alert. Police released photos of groups of people that were identified as persons of interest. Officers were r

World News

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Business|Economy|Finance|World

The tariff refund process is finally kicking off

Tariff refunds are finally happening. Well, sort of.Exactly two months after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s most sweeping tariffs, American importers, who are owed $166 billion in refunds plus interest, can begin applying for reimbursement Monday through a new US Customs and Border Protection portal.CBP estimates that refunds will be issued within 60 to 90 days after approval, but it could take longer depending on whether additional reviews of entries are merited.The program, called the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE), “is designed to co
The tariff refund process is finally kicking off
Business|Crime|Health|World

What we know about the killing of 8 children in Louisiana, the deadliest US mass shooting since 2024

Eight children, ranging in age from just 3 to 11 years old, were killed early Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, in a shocking act of violence that marks the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in more than two years.A father, identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, fatally shot his seven children and a cousin, and critically wounded two women, including his wife, in a rampage across at least two locations before sunrise.After the shooting, which authorities described as “domestic in nature,” the gunman fled the area in a carjacked vehicle and was pursued by police, later being shot
Business|Economy|Finance|Stock Markets|World

Oil jumps, stocks ease as US-Iran ceasefire hangs in the balance

Oil prices jumped and global equities pulled back on Monday as markets grew increasingly concerned that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran might not hold, while tensions over the Strait of Hormuz escalated. Brent crude futures rose about 5% to $94.92 a barrel. MSCI's world share index was last down around 0.26%, with Europe's cross-regional STOXX 600 down 1.1%, after Asia's equity markets shrugged off risks to advance. S&P 500 futures were 0.54% lower.Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might falter after the U.S. said it had seized an Irani
Oil jumps, stocks ease as US-Iran ceasefire hangs in the balance
Economy|Environment|Political|World

The Latest: US Navy seizure of Iranian ship casts doubt on fresh talks in Pakistan

The U.S. Navy's forcible seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship threw doubt on an announcement from President Donald Trump that U.S. negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. Trump's announcement Sunday had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Monday said Tehran did not have plans yet to attend any talks with the United States. Trump said the U.S. seized the cargo ship that tried to circumvent a naval

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Arts|Business|Entertainment|Political|Sports|World

Trump wants a sculpture garden for America’s 250th birthday. Sources say it’s unlikely even one statue will be ready.

Trump wants a sculpture garden for America’s 250th birthday. Sources say it’s unlikely even one statue will be ready.
Economy|World

The Latest: Iran threatens to respond after US Navy seizes an Iranian-flagged cargo ship

President Donald Trump says the U.S. seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz

Europe|Political|World

The center-left coalition of former President Radev will win Bulgaria's election, exit poll suggests

An exit poll in Bulgaria suggests the center-left Progressive Bulgaria coalition led by ex-President Rumen Radev will win the country's parliamentary election

Africa|Arts|Economy|Environment|Political|World

Pope urges Angola to heal divisions at events drawing 130,000

Pope urges Angola to heal divisions at events drawing 130,000
Economy|Political|World

US Navy seizes an Iranian-flagged ship near Strait of Hormuz and Tehran vows swift response

The U.S. says it has attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz that tried to get around its blockade of Iranian ports

Arts|Business|Political|Science|Technology|Travel

White House garden tours offer an inside look at Trump’s transformations

White House garden tours offer an inside look at Trump’s transformations

Business|Economy|Finance

Businesses can claim refunds starting Monday for Trump tariffs declared unconstitutional

Businesses can claim refunds starting Monday for Trump tariffs declared unconstitutional
Crime|Europe|Political|World

Ukraine launches terror investigation after a gunman killed 7 and took hostages in Kyiv supermarket

Ukraine launches terror investigation after a gunman killed 7 and took hostages in Kyiv supermarket

Economy|Health|Political

How a must-win Michigan Senate race turned messy for Democrats

How a must-win Michigan Senate race turned messy for Democrats

Business|Crime|Economy|Education|Finance|Political|Travel|World

Pope Leo downplays feud with Trump, says 'not in my interest' to debate him

Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with U.S.

Lifestyle

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Arts|Entertainment|Europe|Lifestyle|Travel

‘The Godfather’ descended on a tiny Sicilian village, and it’s never been the same

‘The Godfather’ descended on a tiny Sicilian village, and it’s never been the same
Arts|Education|Entertainment|Lifestyle|World

Book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs, with 'Sold' topping the list

Book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs, with 'Sold' topping the list
Arts|Business|Entertainment|Food|Lifestyle|Science

Women take the lead in whiskey as more female drinkers and distillers change the industry

Women take the lead in whiskey as more female drinkers and distillers change the industry
Arts|Crime|Election|Environment|Finance|Food|Lifestyle|Opinion|Political|Sports|Technology|Travel|World

With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington

With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington