April 7, 2026
Threats, Ultimatums, and Negotiations
Good morning, everyone!
If you missed it, be sure to check out the latest edition of Last Week in History:
Today, we will look at President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran, developments in Cuba, and a series of historical snapshots.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-In a press conference at the White House yesterday, President Donald Trump warned that Iran would face destruction if it did not agree to a ceasefire deal, saying, “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.”
In recent days, Trump has escalated threats against Tehran, saying he would order attacks on the country’s physical and energy infrastructure.
Separately, Trump called a proposed 45-day ceasefire deal “a significant step” but “not good enough.”
View the full press conference here:
Prior to the press conference, Trump said at the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll that he preferred taking Iran’s oil, adding: “Unfortunately the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil, it would bring plenty of money. I’d also take care of the people of Iran much better than they’ve been taken care of.”
View those remarks here:
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $4.11 yesterday amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said yesterday that she will introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth next week.
In a statement, the Arizona lawmaker said her move was for “repeatedly violating his oath of office and his duty to the Constitution” related to his conduct during the war against Iran.
-Two months into her term, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger’s approval rating stands at 47%, with 46% of voters disapproving, according to a new Washington Post/Schar School poll.
Last November, Spanberger secured a landslide victory over her Republican opponent, with Democrats increasing their majority in the state House of Delegates.
In recent weeks, Spanberger has campaigned heavily for a ballot measure that would allow for the redrawing of the state’s congressional map to advantage Democrats, with public polling showing voters split on the question.
That vote is slated for April 21.
-NASA’s Artemis II mission circled the Moon yesterday.
-Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin will hold state and local elections today.
View a full list here.
-On this day in 2012, Mike Wallace died at the age of 93.
For decades, Wallace served as a leading correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes, pioneering an era of “television newsmagazines.”
In 2022, the Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in a 53 to 47 vote.
Other Links:
U.S. launched “air armada” to rescue F-15 crew in Iran - Axios
Trump Administration Pulls Out of Civil Rights Settlements Backing Trans Students - The New York Times
Key Fed official sees possible rate hike amid higher gas prices, inflation concerns - AP
US Truck Rates at Highest Since 2022 Add to Inflation Pressures - Bloomberg
Howard Lutnick will testify to Congress about Jeffrey Epstein next month - Politico
Africa
-Lawmakers in Cameroon approved a constitutional measure that reintroduces the role of vice president, who could complete the term of 93-year-old President Paul Biya in the event of his death or incapacity.
Shortly after the measure’s passage, Biya appointed his son, Franck Emmanuel Biya, to the post.
Biya, who has ruled the African country since 1982, was just elected to an eighth term last year. That term will expire in 2032.
Public discussion of Biya’s health is prohibited.
-Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s military leader, said in a recent address that citizens of the West African country must “forget” democracy, arguing it had failed to protect civilians from insurgent violence.
In 2022, Traoré led a coup that toppled the government of interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself led a coup earlier that year.
West Africa has been rocked by a wave of military overthrows since 2020 as the region grapples with insurgent terrorist groups.
-On this day in 1961, Vice President Lyndon Johnson arrived back in Washington, D.C., following a trip to Senegal to participate in ceremonies marking the country’s first year since gaining independence.
President John F. Kennedy greeted Johnson on the South Lawn of the White House upon his arrival by helicopter.
In 1994, violence erupted in Rwanda, foreshadowing what would become one of the worst genocides since World War II.
Other Links:
Senegal limits foreign trips for officials as the fallout from Iran war deepens - AP
DR Congo strikes deal to accept US deportees - Semafor
Burkina Faso: Govt. denies report alleging more than 1,800 killed since junta took power - Africa News
Nigerian military and officials say at least 26 killed in 3 weekend attacks on civilians and police - AP
Seven Eritrean players fail to return home after international match - BBC
Americas and the Caribbean
-Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers traveled to Cuba over the weekend to meet with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana.
In recent months, President Trump has ramped up economic pressure on the Caribbean island nation, saying that Washington could initiate a “friendly takeover” over the country.
Washington’s near-total oil blockade has brought the island to a halt, causing widespread blackouts and two island-wide electric grid collapses.
The two lawmakers, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, issued a joint statement addressing the visit, calling the Trump administration’s policy toward the island an “economic bombing.”
View the full statement here.
In a post to his social media, Díaz-Canel said he “denounced the criminal damage caused by the #blockade” upon receiving the lawmakers.
-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio scorned a series of China’s retaliatory moves against Panama after a Panamanian court invalidated a Chinese port operator's contract.
Rubio said Beijing’s response, which has included detaining Panama-flagged ships, “undermine the rule of law” and that Washington “stands firmly” with the Latin American country.
Last year, relations between Washington and Panama City were ruptured after Trump threatened to seize the Panama Canal.
-Trump’s conservative allies across Latin America have struggled to defeat Washington’s war against Iran, according to Semafor.
-On this day in 2008, President George W. Bush signed a letter requiring Congress to vote on a free trade agreement with Colombia.
However, the pact was not ratified until October 2011.
The agreement eliminated tariffs on over 80% of U.S. industrial and consumer goods immediately, with most others phased out over 10 years. Today, the pact remains a cornerstone for the two countries’ bilateral trade relationship.
Other Links:
Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez remains acting president after her initial 90-day appointment expired - AP
Power-starved Cuba deepens reliance on Chinese solar tech - Financial Times
Keiko Fujimori leads Peru’s presidential polls a week before election - Reuters
Milei meets Kast after failed arrest of Chilean ex-guerrilla - Buenos Aires Times
Good Friday across Latin America brings faith into the streets - AP
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Min Aung Hlaing was elected president by lawmakers in the country’s military-dominated parliament over the weekend. He will be inaugurated on Friday.
In 2021, Min Aung Hlaing led a coup ousting the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the Southeast Asian nation has been mired in civil war, with disparate rebel groups warring against the government.
In December and January, the junta facilitated a phased election widely regarded as a sham by international observers, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won the vote.
-Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for the development of a new energy system as the ongoing war in the Middle East rocks global oil markets.
-On this day in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower coined the “domino theory” during a news conference at the White House, warning that if one country in Southeast Asia fell to communism, surrounding nations would inevitably follow.
The theory would become conventional wisdom among policymakers in Washington during the height of America’s involvement in Vietnam.
Other Links:
Taiwan opposition leader to visit China as Beijing ramps up ‘reunification’ push - Reuters
France condemns China’s execution of a French citizen held on death row for 15 years - ABC
North Korea welcomes Seoul regret over drones as ‘wise’ - DW
Underwater Mortgages Force China’s Banks to Get More Creative - Bloomberg
Death toll from extreme weather in Afghanistan increases to 110 - AP
Europe
-Ukraine’s army chief said yesterday that Kyiv has regained control of territory in the southeastern and eastern parts of the front since late January as Russia continues its spring offensive.
-A senior Russian military commander died in a plane crash last week in Crimea.
-Vice President JD Vance arrived in Hungary yesterday as the Trump administration seeks to boost Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s election prospects ahead of Sunday’s vote.
Orbán’s ruling Fidesz has consistently trailed the center-right opposition Tisza party in public opinion polls in the run up to the vote.
Orbán, a close ally of President Trump, has been in power since 2010 and has sought to rein in the country’s judiciary while battling with the European Union.
-Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’ ruling Socialist Party has gained in new polling amid his opposition to the war in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, support for the country’s far-right Vox party has stalled.
-On this day in 1950, President Harry Truman received National Security Council Paper Number 68, a report calling for the containment of Soviet expansion.
View the document here.
Other Links:
EU warns Trump against ‘illegal’ bombing of Iran’s power stations - Politico
Trump Raises Greenland Dispute as He Assails NATO Over Iran War - Bloomberg
China and Europe launch rare joint space mission - Financial Times
Serbia looks for pipeline plot culprit as Vance’s Hungary visit nears - Euronews
Kanye West’s right to enter UK under review after festival outcry - BBC
Middle East
-Global oil prices continued their upward trajectory yesterday as the war in the Middle East has kept the strategic Strait of Hormuz shuttered.
Since the United States and Israel launched a joint operation against Iran on February 28, Tehran has targeted oil vessels crossing the waterway, causing oil prices to soar. Before the war, the waterway served as a conduit for about 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption.
Last week, the Iranian parliament passed a measure seeking to formalize Tehran’s control over the Strait, imposing a toll on ships seeking to traverse the waters.
-An Israeli air strike in the besieged Gaza Strip killed at least 10 people yesterday as the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas continues to teeter.
-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly urging President Trump to not agree to a ceasefire deal with Iran.
-Israeli forces have ramped up attacks on Lebanon in recent days.
-On this day in 1997, President Bill Clinton hosted Netanyahu in the Oval Office for talks on the Middle East peace process.
Over the course of his presidency, Clinton grew frustrated with his dealings with the Israeli leader, reportedly asking aides after a 1996 meeting, “Who's the f***ing superpower here?”
Other Links:
Iran’s 10-Point Proposal Demands an End to Attacks and Sanctions - The New York Times
Hormuz closure divides the fortunes of Middle Eastern oil states - Reuters
Four killed in Israel’s Haifa after Iranian missile strike - Reuters
Netanyahu says he spoke with Trump, congratulated him on rescuing downed pilot - The Hill
Trump, Netanyahu greater threats to world peace than Mojtaba Khamenei, Spaniards believe - poll - The Jerusalem Post
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Interesting reading.
Please link your recommendation to linked-In and Blue-sky. What I wrote in the re-stack note and on Linked-ln.
"A lot going on these days. For example, two House members have visited Cuba to survey the effects of current sanctions on everyday Cubans. While those Representatives are to the left of me politically, their compassion and integrity ring out.
"I am not sure I have ever been more startled than when I first arrived in Baghdad in mid-2004 and found so many people living in dire poverty. It is not the régime — the target of these policies — that suffers. Everyday people, like you and me, do . . . terribly."