TRACK MIDDLE EAST

“Gonzalez's resignation announcement came hours after California Democratic representative Eric Swalwell also announced his own plan to resign. Swalwell is facing allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from at least four women. Gonzales had already dropped his bid for reelection after being forced into a primary runoff and the launch of a congressional ethics investigation into his behavior.”

“Israel says that it will have full control of the Lebanese town of Bin Shabeel, quote, within days. The town has become the center of intense fighting. It's part of land that Israel says it's seizing from Lebanon to create what it calls a buffer zone so Hezbollah can't fire rockets into Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Israel Katz both joined invading troops inside Lebanon over the weekend.”

“The US housing market remains in a slump. According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes fell 3.6% last month. For homes that did sell in March, the average sales price was just under $409,000. Freddie Mac says mortgage rates, which briefly dipped below 6% this spring, are now averaging 6.37%.”

“Luther Vandross and Phil Collins have been eligible for the Rock Hall for twenty years and Sade for almost as long. They're all in the class of 2026 along with British post punk legends Joy Division and their spin off group New Order. Two more British acts, Iron Maiden and Billy Idol, made the cut this year after being active since the nineteen seventies.”

“Baseball's new automatic ball strike system could be making games a little longer so far this season with the time of a nine inning game creeping upward to two hours and forty two minutes through this weekend. That's up four minutes from last season, and that's all after the league successfully brought down the length of length of games in 2023 by introducing a pitch timer and other rules.”

“In a post on x Sunday, Swalwell said he was suspending a campaign that has been imploding since multiple women alleged that the San Francisco Bay Area Democrat had sexually forced himself on them. Swalwell had been gaining momentum in the race, winning key endorsements and leading other Democrats in pre election polls.”

“President Trump says the US Navy will block the Strait Of Hormuz from all ships, and the US military says that starts tomorrow. This after peace talks between The US and Iran and Pakistan yesterday failed to produce a deal.”

“For nearly a week, slow moving convoys of tractors and trucks have blocked major highways and roads across the country, including some of the busiest streets in Ireland's capital, Dublin. Protestors are demanding more support from the government as fuel prices continue to rise because of The US and Israel's war against Iran.”

“Rory McIlroy is donning a green jacket once again after winning the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, his second in a row. He held off challenges from several players in the final round, including Scottie Scheffler. McElroy now has won six majors.”

“First, Northwest blooms were teased open by a mild winter and warm spring temperatures. Then, whack, freezing temps hit, killing the blooms before they get pollinated. Matthew Whiting is a professor who specializes in cherry trees at Washington State University Research Station in Prosser.”

“Congressman Eric Swalwell says he is suspending his campaign for California governor as he faces allegations of sexual assault, which he says are false. He had already decided not to run for reelection to the house. President Trump says The US will blockade the Strait Of Hormuz.”

“Iran is believed to have placed mines in the strait, and a US official who's not authorized to speak publicly told NPR's Tom Bowman that minesweepers will also be used as part of the blockade. There are a lot of unknowns. You know, will any ships try to break a US blockade? And and if so, how will the US military respond? And what will Iran do?”

“Israeli and Lebanese diplomats are now preparing to hold their first direct meeting between government officials in decades on Tuesday. Israel and Lebanon's ambassadors to The US are set to meet in Washington to discuss a ceasefire. But at a Hezbollah rally in downtown Beirut, Saturday, supporters filled the streets for blocks, waving flags and chanting against negotiations.”

“Magdia's victory was hard won in an electoral system that over the past sixteen years, Orban had stacked in his favor from gerrymandering to controlling the media. As Brussels now looks forward to working with a more pro European Hungarian leader, Moscow and the current White House administration have lost in Orban, a key ally in Europe.”

“It's not impossible that while we, have seen a slight dip over the last week that we certainly could see gas prices reaccelerating, and it's not impossible that new records, with prices eventually rising above $5 a gallon remain possible.”

“In a post on x Sunday, Swalwell said he was suspending a campaign that has been imploding since multiple women alleged that the San Francisco Bay Area Democrat had sexually forced himself on them. Swalwell had been gaining momentum in the race, winning key endorsements and leading other Democrats in pre election polls.”

“President Trump says the US Navy will block the Strait Of Hormuz from all ships, and the US military says that starts tomorrow. This after peace talks between The US and Iran and Pakistan yesterday failed to produce a deal.”

“For nearly a week, slow moving convoys of tractors and trucks have blocked major highways and roads across the country, including some of the busiest streets in Ireland's capital, Dublin. Protestors are demanding more support from the government as fuel prices continue to rise because of The US and Israel's war against Iran.”

“Rory McIlroy is donning a green jacket once again after winning the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, his second in a row. He held off challenges from several players in the final round, including Scottie Scheffler. McElroy now has won six majors.”

“First, Northwest blooms were teased open by a mild winter and warm spring temperatures. Then, whack, freezing temps hit, killing the blooms before they get pollinated. Matthew Whiting is a professor who specializes in cherry trees at Washington State University Research Station in Prosser.”

“Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's authorized negotiations with Lebanon aimed at disarming Iranian backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the countries. The nations have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948. Meanwhile, president Trump posted on social media that Iran is doing a very poor job of allowing oil through the Strait Of Hormuz.”

“At issue is whether a crime was committed to justify a judge signing off on the warrants. Riverside County sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, obtained them to investigate an alleged vote count discrepancy in a statewide election last year. In that election, Californians voted to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats.”

“Eligible men between the ages of 18 and 25 will automatically be registered into the US military draft pool starting in December. That's a change from the current requirement to self register. The military has not held a draft since 1973 during the Vietnam War.”

“The AP reported at least 50 new Polymarket accounts placed substantial bets on a US Iran ceasefire hours before president Trump made the announcement. It isn't the first time such well timed bets have occurred. Donald Trump junior has a sizable stake in Polymarket.”

“Formed in the later years of The USSR, Memorial has often been at odds with the Kremlin, not only documenting the darker chapters of the Soviet past, but also abuses in Vladimir Putin's Russia. For that work, Memorial was among human rights groups awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023. Now Russia's highest court has effectively criminalized any and all of Memorial's activities.”

“The pilot was quickly recovered, but his weapons officer or colonel spent again two days evading Iranian militia and Revolutionary Guard forces. He was eventually plucked from a crevasse in a mountain some 7,000 feet high. I'm told by a US official, he's in stable condition, though no detail on his wounds.”

“Meanwhile, in a profanity-filled post on social media, President Trump threatened Iran again today over opening the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli attacks have killed at least 39 people across Lebanon today. And Piers-Lauren Freire reports, one of the biggest attacks targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has offices.”

“Residents posted this video to social media showing people covered in gray dust, ferrying the wounded out of a collapsed building on slings made of blankets. Israel often issues evacuation orders, but this attack in Beirut's coastal area of Jenach came without warning. Hitting a dense residential area near a public hospital, health officials say a four-year-old girl was among those killed.”

“Russia attacks Ukrainian cities with hundreds of Shaheds a day, and Ukraine's military has learned how to intercept them. Zelensky is offering to trade this anti-drone expertise for systems that shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, CAVE.”

“The Screenwriters Union and Hollywood Studios have reached a tentative four-year agreement after weeks of negotiation. Details of the agreement between the Writers Guild of America West and the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers hasn't been released. But the Union was asking for better health care plans and protections against artificial intelligence.”