April 9, 2026
Graphs and Ceasefire Status
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Today, we will look at a series of U.S. political developments and the status of the ceasefire agreement in the Middle East.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-President Donald Trump hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office yesterday amid Trump’s renewed threats to withdraw Washington from the Western military alliance.
Trump has frequently criticized the bloc’s leaders for not more enthusiastically backing Washington in its battle against Iran.
According to press reports, Trump expressed his frustration to Rutte in their private meeting, but stopped short of a major break from the 32-member organization.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is exploring ways to punish NATO countries it believes were insufficient in their support for Washington’s war effort while rewarding ones in his good graces.
In 2023, Congress passed a law that prohibits an American president from unilaterally withdrawing from the alliance without congressional approval.
-Global oil prices continued declining yesterday after the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, the average U.S. gas price stood at $4.16, according to AAA.
-House Democrats plan to ask for unanimous consent to pass a War Powers Resolution today. The measure would restrict Trump’s ability to authorize further attacks against Iran.
Since lawmakers are on recess, the House will be in a pro forma session. If no member objects to the request, it will be adopted—an unlikely outcome.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate will vote on the measure next week.
-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared victory during a press conference at the Pentagon yesterday, one day after the ceasefire was agreed to.
Saying Washington achieved a “decisive military victory,” he added that U.S. forces would be “hanging around” in the region in the event of a return to hostilities.
View the press conference here:
-Trump’s 2027 budget proposal includes a large increase in defense spending along with cuts to the State Department, Health and Human Services, and others.
Last year, the U.S. spent $921 billion on defense, more than the next eight countries combined.
White House budget director Russell Vought will testify before the Senate Budget Committee next week to discuss the proposal.
-Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not appear before the House Oversight Committee next week, according to the Justice Department.
The panel issued a subpoena to Bondi last month requiring her testimony as part of its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement, the Department said Bondi would not appear before the committee because “she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General.”
-Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced yesterday that he was starting a podcast series.
-According to the Cook Political Report, House Republicans would need to win 76% of the races it lists as “Toss Ups” to keep their razor-thin majority in this year’s midterm elections.
-Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said that Democrats should move to impeach two Supreme Court justices if they retake control of the Senate this year.
-The replica Oval Office that will be displayed at the Obama Presidential Center is nearly complete.
-Anthropic said it has built an artificial intelligence model that is too powerful to release to the public.
Separately, Meta Platforms announced a new AI model yesterday, the first major new language model released in more than a year.
-The United States recorded its hottest-ever March on record this year, according to a new report published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
-On this day in 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the American Civil War.
In 1959, NASA introduced America’s first astronauts to the press.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first pitch to open the baseball season for the Washington Senators at the newly inaugurated D.C. Stadium.
In 2009, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were photographed speaking at a picnic table on the South Lawn of the White House.
Other Links:
‘We lose the midterms’: Republicans worry Iran might have already cost them Congress - Politico
Steve Bannon wins Supreme Court order likely to lead to dismissal of contempt of Congress conviction - AP
Trump asks NY court to toss remnants of fraud case against him - Politico
Trump administration cannot nix legal status of 5,000 Ethiopians, US judge rules - Reuters
Mississippi lawmakers send bill that criminalizes abortion-inducing medication to governor - AP
Africa
-The World Bank projects Nigeria’s economy to grow this year but warns of rising inflation due to the war in the Middle East.
The West African country, which boasts the continent’s largest population, currently ranks as Africa’s fourth-largest economy, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria.
In recent years, the government has sought to rein in a generational cost-of-living crisis.
Nigeria gained independence from British rule in October 1960. Today, the country boasts a population of 232 million.
-The World Bank cut its 2026 economic growth estimate for sub-Saharan Africa by 0.3%, citing the war in the Middle East.
-Russia is upping its diplomatic presence in Africa with four new embassies.
-On this day in 2010, former President Jimmy Carter arrived in Sudan as his Carter Center prepared to observe the country’s first multi-party elections in more than two decades.
In 2019, President Trump hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the White House, who he once called his “favorite dictator.”
Other Links:
Attacks on 2 villages in northern Nigeria leave at least 20 people dead, residents say - AP
Zambia-Lobito rail link to cost up to $5 billion - Semafor
Gambia appoints British barrister to prosecute gruesome Jammeh-era crimes - BBC
CAF president Motsepe calls for unity after AFCON final fracas - Reuters
Rwanda tries to protect farmland in Africa’s most densely populated nation - AP
Americas and the Caribbean
-U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said this week that the Trump administration would strive to resolve outstanding issues with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) before a July 1 deadline, but that Washington may need to take steps to exit the pact.
In his first term, President Trump approved the agreement to replace the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The pact requires the three countries to agree every six years on its continuance.
Greer, speaking to Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute, said that Trump remains dissatisfied with the agreement, citing a surge in auto imports from Mexico and steel and aluminum imports from both countries.
-Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that his government would introduce a bill to Congress aimed at reducing working hours.
Separately, he said yesterday that he favors a ban on online betting markets.
Currently, the lucrative industry generates an estimated $4 billion in revenue in the South American country, representing one of the largest markets in the world.
In an interview, Lula said he favored a ban because the industry has served as a “massive tragedy” for millions of Brazilians.
The 80-year-old leader is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term this October.
-Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that he would submit an economic emergency decree and a new tax reform bill to Congress in a bid to balance the budget.
-On this day in 2015, President Obama visited Jamaica, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the island nation since 1982.
After a private meeting, Obama and Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller delivered remarks to reporters.
View it here:
Other Links:
Mexico’s president weighs fracking to curb reliance on U.S. natural gas - Los Angeles Times
Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez remains acting president after her initial 90-day appointment expired - AP
US Mulls Lifting Venezuela Central Bank Sanctions to Aid Economy - Bloomberg
Ecuador’s President Turns to Trump to Fulfill His Platform of Law and Order - Bloomberg
Argentine MPs To Debate Watered-down Glaciers Protection - Barron’s
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-The White House confirmed yesterday that China played a role in pressuring Iran to agree to a ceasefire agreement with the United States.
-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, were videoed at the helm of a military tank.
The display comes as South Korea’s spy agency assesses that Kim has positioned the 13-year-old as his successor.
Kim, believed to be 42 years old, took power following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011, who had taken power after his own father died in 1994. Altogether, the Kim family has ruled the Northeast Asian nation with an iron fist since 1948.
-North Korea fired several ballistic missiles on Wednesday, rejecting South Korean hopes of a thawing in tensions.
-Bangladesh is seeking to ramp up its fuel imports from India, a sign of easing tensions between the neighboring countries.
-On this day in 1942, U.S. Major General Edward King Jr. surrendered at Bataan, Philippines, to the Japanese, against the orders of General Douglas MacArthur, with his 78,000 soldiers under his command.
The move represented the largest-ever U.S. surrender.
Other Links:
South Korea stocks lead gains in Asia as oil prices plunge after U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal - CNBC
China says Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to explore a ‘comprehensive solution’ to conflict - NBC
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Unite to Combat Model Copying in China - Bloomberg
China’s Xi urges demand‑driven growth in services sector - Reuters
Russia summons Japanese ambassador over Ukraine drone deal - Kyiv Independent
Europe
-On a visit to Hungary, Vice President JD Vance accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of seeking to sway Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections by leveraging its energy supplies.
View his full remarks here:
Specifically, Hungary has accused Ukraine of prohibiting flows of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
The accusation came as Vance was in the Central European nation in a bid to boost Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s election chances ahead of the Sunday 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.
-Protesters across Ireland brought the country to a halt for a second day yesterday as they called for further government assistance to lower the soaring cost of fuel.
-France received two of its citizens who had been jailed in Iran for years.
-On this day in 1963, the U.S. Congress conferred honorary U.S. citizenship on Sir Winston Churchill.
Other Links:
Russia says it welcomes Iran ceasefire, hopes US will now resume Ukraine talks - Reuters
Russia Boosts Oil Income to Highest Since Early in Ukraine War - Bloomberg
Hungary’s Tisza party seen winning two-thirds majority in parliament, Median projection shows - Reuters
EU to ‘convey concerns’ to US about Vance’s Hungary intervention - The Guardian
Donald Trump Jr. criticizes the European Union during a trip to Bosnia - AP
Middle East
-President Trump said yesterday that he was considering a “joint venture” with Iran to collect tolls from oil ships seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran is reportedly demanding ships pay the cryptocurrency equivalent of $1 per barrel of oil on board.
Prior to the recent war in the region, the strategic waterway served as a conduit for roughly 20% of the world’s oil.
-In his first public address since a halt to hostilities with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country was “prepared to return to fighting at any moment necessary.”
View his remarks here:
-Israel’s continued strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon is testing the fragile ceasefire in the region.
-Over the course of the 40-day conflict in the Middle East, over 3,600 people were killed and millions more displaced.
13 U.S. service members died.
-In a statement following the ceasefire, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said, “The enemy, in its unjust, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said that Tehran would approach negotiations with the United States with caution.
-Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted President Zelenskyy in Damascus this week, marking the first visit by Zelenskyy to the Middle Eastern country since the toppling of the pro-Russian regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
During their bilateral talks, the two leaders agreed to establish economic and security ties.
-On this day in 2003, U.S.-led forces captured Baghdad, exactly 21 days after Washington’s invasion of Iraq.
On the same day, U.S. Marines assisted in pulling down a 20-foot statue of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square. The iconic moment marked a shift in the U.S. campaign in the war.
Other Links:
Trump lashes out at Pacific allies for not assisting in Iran fight - AP
Iranians gather in Tehran following ceasefire announcement - BBC
Gulf States Fear an Emboldened Iran after Trump’s Cease-Fire - The Wall Street Journal
S Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain report attacks after Iran-US truce - Al Jazeera
Kuwait reports ‘severe’ damage to key energy facilities after Iranian drone attack - The Times of Israel
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow to close out the week.
Threats don't work! When will people learn?