News - Friday, April 17, 2026

The case was headed toward a familiar ending. Two parents stood in a Hamilton County courtroom, their dispute hardened by months of frustration and fear. The mother had filed motion after motion, trying to regain access to her child while navigating a legal system without an attorney. She also was battling a substance-use disorder. The father, meanwhile, had drawn firm lines. He wanted structure, accountability and assurance that his child would be safe.

“The report of my death was an exaggeration.” The line, attributed to Mark Twain, has long outlived its original context and come to refer to things written off too soon. In Chattanooga, it might now apply to a nonprofit many in the community had stopped thinking about.

Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga will host its Hope for the Homeless benefit dinner to support programs that help prevent and end family homelessness. Proceeds fund housing assistance, shelter, stabilization programs and other services for families with children.

This installment of Food FAQ heads to Wardlaw’s Lucky Eye-Q in LaFayette, Georgia, for what many claim is the region’s best barbecue. Spoiler alert: I agree.

Did you say LaFayette, Georgia? I thought this was a local food column.

“Local” is a fluid concept when it comes to food. The greater the buzz around a restaurant and the better the quality of its offerings, the less its distance from Chattanooga matters. By that measure, Lucky Eye-Q feels as local as Taco Mamacita and Main Street Meats, despite being a 45-minute drive from downtown.

April is Fair Housing Month – a fitting time to highlight something every buyer, renter, seller and homeowner deserves: a fair shot.

Buying or renting a home is one of the biggest decisions a person makes, and it should be shaped by budget, needs and lifestyle, not by discrimination. This article is based on a fair housing brochure from the National Association of Realtors, and it’s meant to help our community understand what fair housing protections look like in everyday situations.

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition has released results from its 2026 point-in-time count, reporting a decrease in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness across Southeast Tennessee.

Conducted on the night of Jan. 28, the annual count identified 939 people experiencing homelessness across the region’s 11-county Continuum of Care. That total represents a 14% decrease compared to 2025 figures.

Erlanger Health has named Dr. Jason Cox chief medical officer of Erlanger East.

Cox brings more than 20 years of experience in hospital medicine leadership to the role. He previously served as medical director of the Erlanger Hospitalist Group, where he led a team of more than 50 physicians and advanced practice providers across two locations.

ArtsBuild and its Community Arts Partners concludes a week of performances, exhibits, workshops and networking events highlighting the impact of arts and culture across Chattanooga and Hamilton County. The celebration includes more than 35 events from organizations such as the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Chattanooga Theatre Centre and the Hunter Museum of American Art, along with advocacy events and community engagement opportunities. April 17-19. Full schedule

While older generations worry about having enough money for retirement, many Gen Z workers aren’t even starting to save. Research in 2025 by Edward Jones and Morning Consult shows that nearly half haven’t begun setting money aside for their golden years, and only 22% are contributing to a workplace retirement plan.

An associate professor at UTC has been awarded a $227,172 contract from the city of Chattanooga to study how urban development is affecting Friar Branch Creek and its surrounding watershed.

Azad Hossain, an environmental geoscientist in the university’s Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, will lead the project through September 2029. The research will examine how land use changes impact water quality, sediment transport and the physical structure of the creek.

Perhaps the best analogy to describe the 2025-26 season for the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team is a five-alarm fire. What started as a few embers grew into a raging blaze that had everyone running for the exits.

In the end, the only person left standing to sort through the wreckage is head coach Kim Caldwell.

There’s a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment that comes along with buying a new or used vehicle. Less appealing is the drop in value as your vehicle gets older. 

Depreciation is typically unavoidable, but certain vehicles tend to hold their value better than others once they enter the used car market. The reasons can vary, but it mostly comes down to how desirable the vehicle is.

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday doubled down as U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism showed no sign of letting up, insisting that the message "the world needs to hear today" is one of peace and dialogue.

Leo spoke to journalists aboard the papal plane en route to Cameroon as he continued his Africa visit. He made no mention of Trump's latest social media post or the suggestion by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, that he should "be careful" when speaking about theology.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was ousted by an opposition campaign with an anti-corruption message, Democrats want to try the same playbook against President Donald Trump before the midterm elections.

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has found that concert giant Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had a harmful monopoly over big concert venues, dealing the company a loss in a lawsuit over claims brought by dozens of U.S. states.

A Manhattan federal jury deliberated for four days before reaching its decision Wednesday in the closely watched case, which gave fans the equivalent of a backstage pass to a business that dominates live entertainment in the U.S. and beyond.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has delivered a sustained attack on her conservative colleagues' use of emergency orders to benefit the Trump administration, calling the orders "scratch-paper musings" that can "seem oblivious and thus ring hollow."

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's Tax Day on Wednesday, the deadline for most Americans to file taxes, and the Trump administration says millions of people have already used new breaks such as no tax on tips and overtime, exemptions for interest on certain car loans, deductions for some seniors, and Trump Accounts for children's savings.

LONDON (AP) — The BBC said Wednesday that it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs to save 10% of its annual budget — 500 million pounds ($677 million) — over the next two years.

The layoffs announced during a call with staff are the biggest in more than a decade at the U.K. national broadcaster.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The interactive gaming platform Roblox will implement increased protections for young users and pay more than $12 million to the state of Nevada in what state Attorney General Aaron Ford on Wednesday called a first-of-its-kind agreement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — If the U.S. and Iran aren't able to soon come to a deal to end the war or extend the ceasefire that expires next week, the Trump administration is setting the stage to shift its war campaign toward a more economic-focused effort aimed at choking Tehran into submission rather than relying on bombs alone.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The U.S. Navy is imposing a sea blockade against Iran — the latest escalation in the war that has seen the flow of key energy supplies choked off at the Strait of Hormuz.

The blockade that started Monday "has been fully implemented," according to a statement Wednesday from Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the U.S. Central Command. "U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea," he said. The blockade could put serious pressure on the Iranian economy.

NEW YORK (AP) — The market volatility of the last three months, caused partly by the war in Iran, has been a boon to Wall Street, as another set of banks reported strong profits helped by wild swings in markets and companies looking to make deals while the economy remains resilient.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market hit a record Wednesday after adding to its two-week rally built on hopes the war with Iran won't create a worst-case scenario for the global economy. Whether Wall Street is correct to have so much hope for peace and whether stocks should be the highest they've ever been remains to be seen.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is redesigning the packaging of its Great Value products to help customers instantly spot whether a bag of spicy chips is gluten-free or how much protein is packed into a serving of chicken nuggets.

Encompassing 10,000 different products, Great Value is Walmart's biggest store brand and one of the largest food and consumer packaged goods labels in the U.S. The revamp announced Wednesday comes as shoppers have increasingly treated private-label foods not as a stepdown from national brands, but more as an equivalent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday rejected the latest Democratic attempt to halt President Donald Trump's war in Iran, turning aside a resolution that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An effort to ramp up U.S. weapons production and build more ships, planes and drones will require a massive upfront investment, President Donald Trump's budget director told a House committee Wednesday.

The testimony from Russell Vought jump-starts the White House's push to increase defense spending to nearly $1.5 trillion in the next budget year, up from nearly $1 trillion this year, while cutting health research, heating assistance and scores of other domestic programs by about 10% overall. Such cuts do not cover mandatory spending, which includes such programs as Social Security and Medicare.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Resignations came quickly this week from two congressmen accused of sexual misconduct toward staff members. Yet for many of the women of Capitol Hill, the moment of accountability was years in the making — and far from enough.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the range of the past few years even as the war in Iran continues to threaten the global economy.

The number of Americans applying for jobless aid for the week ending April 11 fell by 11,000 to 207,000 from the previous week's 218,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's less than the 217,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting but within the range of the past several years.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California attorney who aided President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results has lost his license to practice in the state.

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered John Eastman disbarred and his name stricken from the state roll of attorneys. It caps a yearslong effort by the state bar to strip Eastman of his law license after he developed a legal strategy to have then-Vice President Mike Pence interfere with the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory.

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — It's never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle — and that's not an easy ask.

For a host of reasons, Hatzenbuhler and other ranchers across the country are reluctant to grow the national herd — now its smallest in more than 75 years — and until they do so, demand will outweigh supply, and beef prices will likely remain high.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, broke the U.S. record Wednesday for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment, a nearly 10-month span that saw it take part in both the military raid in Venezuela and the Iran war.

HONG KONG (AP) — China's economy accelerated in the first quarter of this year, expanding 5% from a year earlier as it largely shrugged off impacts from the Iran war so far, according to data released Thursday.

The January-March data released by the government, covering a period during which the Iran war began, was better than what economists expected and was up from the 4.5% growth seen in the October-December quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than three dozen Democrats supported an effort by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to block arms sales to Israel, signaling a growing discontent in the party with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the wars in Gaza and Iran.

NEW YORK (AP) — A looming jet fuel shortage in Europe and Asia sparked by the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz could further upend world travel within weeks if oil doesn't start flowing again soon — meaning higher airfares and flight cancellations as the summer travel season approaches.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market ticked to another record high Thursday as Wall Street waits for more clues about what will happen in the Iran war before making its next big move.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, a day after topping its prior all-time high set in January, for its 11th gain in 12 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 115 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge who halted construction of President Donald Trump's $400 million White House ballroom clarified on Thursday that the administration can proceed with below-ground construction of a bunker and other "national security facilities" at the site.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans spent more than anyone else in free agency, restocking the roster for new coach Robert Saleh.

A franchise mired in four straight losing seasons requires more help.

Now they have the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft along with four of nine total selections in the first 101 slots to do just that.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices dropped more than 10% Friday, and U.S. stocks raced toward another record after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial tankers carrying oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

The S&P 500 leaped 1.3% as Wall Street rallied to the finish of a third straight week of big gains, its longest streak since Halloween. A freer flow of oil would take pressure off prices not only for gasoline but also for groceries and all kinds of other products that get moved by vehicles. It could even ultimately help people pay less on credit-card interest or mortgage bills.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court handed a win Friday to oil and gas companies fighting lawsuits over coastal land loss and environmental degradation in Louisiana.

The unanimous procedural decision gives the companies a new day in federal court after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay upward of $740 million to clean up damage to the state's coastline, one of multiple similar lawsuits.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Troy Terry scored on a power play with 2:54 left, and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 on Thursday night helping them clinch the third seed in the Pacific Division for the postseason.

The Ducks came into the regular-season finale third in the Pacific with five different scenarios still possible to lock down the final playoff matchups This win, combined with Edmonton beating visiting Vancouver, means Anaheim starts the first round Monday at Edmonton.

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's foreign minister said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels, as a 10-day truce in Lebanon appeared to hold.

The truce offered a pause in fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and could clear one major obstacle to a deal between Iran and the United States and Israel to end weeks of devastating war. But it remained unclear whether whether the militant group would recognize a deal it did not play a role in negotiating and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An NCAA committee on Thursday recommended that Football Bowl Subdivision teams play a 12-game schedule over 14 weeks beginning in 2027 with the season starting on the Thursday of what is now designated Week Zero and ending the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the United States was preparing a daring mission to rescue an airman whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran, there was money to be made.

Users on Polymarket, the world's largest prediction market, could place bets on when the airman would be rescued. When Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., shared a screenshot of the activity on social media, an April 3 rescue was trading at 15% compared with 63% who were betting on April 4.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a short-term renewal until April 30 of a controversial surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies, following a chaotic, post-midnight scramble in the House to keep the authority from expiring.

The measure cleared the Senate by voice vote, without a formal roll call, as Congress raced to meet a Monday deadline and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The stopgap came after House Republican leaders unveiled a revised five-year extension late Thursday — a sharp pivot from the clean 18-month renewal Trump and GOP leaders had pushed all week. But the Republican bills collapsed, failing to advance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee to run the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, is likely to face tough questions about his vast financial holdings at a hearing next week by the Senate Banking Committee.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the panel, told reporters she had met with Warsh Thursday and urged him to disclose more information about his assets than was included in financial disclosure forms released earlier this week. Warsh, a former top official at the Fed and a wealthy investor, listed financial assets worth well more than $100 million. The figures are given in ranges so a precise value wasn't disclosed.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Travelers on an East Tennessee interstate were forced to brake for workers — and drones, perhaps even a queen — when a truck carrying about 1 million bees crashed Friday.

The swarm shut down an exit of Interstate 40 in Knoxville, said Mark Nagi, Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesperson. There were no injuries, he said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices dropped back to where they were in the early days of the Iran war, and U.S. stocks raced to another record Friday after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial tankers carrying crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jack Endries saw everything the recruiting "experts" missed in Fernando Mendoza almost immediately in 2022.

The former California tight end watched his roommate work in the film room and on the field to become a dependable leader, a model quarterback and an unmitigated winner. No, even Endries couldn't predict Mendoza would become a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, a national champion or the presumptive No. 1 pick in this week's NFL draft once he traded Berkeley for Bloomington, Indiana.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Google's investment in Indonesia's ride-hailing company GoTo wasn't in anyway connected to the country's Education Ministry's decision to procure Chromebooks for schools during COVID-19 pandemic, former Google executives testified in court on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear from Catholic preschools that say it's unconstitutional to exclude them from a state-funded program because they won't admit kids from LGBTQ+ families.

In the latest religious rights case for the conservative-majority court, the justices will hear from Colorado's St. Mary Catholic Parish and the Archdiocese of Denver, which are supported by the Republican Trump administration.

PARIS (AP) — Elon Musk has been summoned to Paris on Monday, where investigators are looking into allegations of misconduct related to the social media platform X, including the spread of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content.

The world's richest man and Linda Yaccarino — the former CEO of X — have been summoned for "voluntary interviews," while other employees of the platform are scheduled to be heard as witnesses throughout this week, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, weather data shows. Meteorologists said it's a bad sign for the upcoming wildfire season, food prices and western water issues.

More than 61% of the Lower 48 states is in moderate to exceptional drought — including 97% of the Southeast and two-thirds of the West — according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It's the highest levels for this time of year since the drought monitor began in 2000.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surging interest in the purported benefits of psychedelic drugs has given rise to books, documentaries and conferences dedicated to the mind-altering substances. Now add one more business to the list: psychedelic retreats.

Hundreds of outfits across the world are offering multiday trips where attendees pay for drug-assisted experiences claiming to promote psychological healing, personal growth and other benefits.

Bryan Vander Dussen spent years as a dairy farmer before shifting to selling farm-raised beef. In the past year, he and his wife have been making another transition: Cooking up recipes in their kitchen that turn organ fat from his animals into tallow balm that buyers are eager to slather on their skin.

NEW YORK (AP) — Book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs, according to the American Library Association. And efforts to have titles removed have never been more coordinated or politicized.

The ALA on Monday issued its annual list of the books most challenged at the country's libraries, part of the association's State of America's Libraries Report. Patricia McCormick's "Sold," a 2006 novel about sex trafficking in India, topped the list for 2025. Others targeted include Stephen Chbosky's high school novel "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," Maia Kobabe's graphic memoir "Gender Queer" and Sarah J. Maas' romantasy favorite "Empire of Storms."

As the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran squeezes global oil supplies, travelers have valid reasons to worry about the cost and availability of flights as they plan their late spring and summer trips.

The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that European countries could run low on jet fuel within weeks, forcing the continent's airlines and carriers that fly to Europe to significantly reduce flights. Many airlines have already raised checked bag fees or added fuel surcharges as the global price of jet fuel increased from about $99 per barrel at the end of February to as high as $209 a barrel at the beginning of April.

BOSTON (AP) — The historic midnight ride of Paul Revere is set to be reenacted Monday but with some modern-day tweaks: It will be run in the middle of the day, and the horse and rider will get a police escort.

Revere's ride took place on April 18, 1775, when the silversmith and express rider was dispatched to Lexington to warn Revolutionary leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them. He then headed to Concord to warn about raids on military stockpiles.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The cherry blossoms draw more than a million visitors to Washington's Tidal Basin annually. This year was no different, except some strolling the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial were dressed in camouflage -- and armed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people Sunday.

The Trump administration's campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 181 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran's joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires.

NEW YORK (AP) — A refund system for businesses that paid tariffs which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump imposed without the constitutional authority to do so is scheduled to launch Monday.

Importers and their brokers will be able to begin claiming refunds through an online portal beginning at 8 a.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency administering the system.

SHOREHAM, Vt. (AP) — Meghan Ireland always loved chemistry, but as a college freshman studying chemical engineering, she didn't know she could channel her passion for science into the art of making whiskey.

It took stumbling across an article about a female chemical engineer who became a master whiskey distiller for something to click: Ireland's fellow students could go into plastics and pharmaceuticals, she was going into whiskey.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video address released Sunday that Canada's strong economic ties to the United States were once a strength but are now a weakness that must be corrected.

FBI Director Kash Patel hit The Atlantic magazine with a $250 million defamation lawsuit on Monday, claiming an article that talked about mismanagement at the agency and his alleged excessive drinking was false and a "malicious hit piece." The Atlantic said it stood by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the "meritless lawsuit."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has subpoenaed several witnesses to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington as part of its investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, three people familiar with the matter said Monday.

The subpoenas were issued in recent days and represent an effort by the Justice Department to press forward with the investigation even as a Florida-based career prosecutor who'd been helping lead the inquiry left the case after expressing doubts about the legal viability of a potential criminal prosecution.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump offered mixed messages Monday about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict while also expressing confidence that further negotiations with Tehran will soon take place in Pakistan.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Fernando Mendoza and Diego Pavia pulled off an unprecedented double at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December. It marked the first time in the award's history that two Latino players were finalists.

Even more notable: Mendoza, of Indiana, joined Jim Plunkett and Bryce Young as just the third Latino to win the trophy while Pavia, from Vanderbilt, was the runner-up.

NEW YORK (AP) — Opening statements began Tuesday in Harvey Weinstein's New York rape retrial, offering a new jury its first look at a bellwether #MeToo case that remains unresolved nearly eight years after the former movie tycoon's arrest.

"This case will come down to power, to control and to manipulation," Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Candace White told jurors, as DA Alvin Bragg watched from the audience.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Southern Poverty Law Center says it's the subject of a criminal investigation by the Justice Department and faces possible charges over its past use of paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups.

The civil rights group made the announcement on Tuesday, saying President Donald Trump's administration appears to be preparing legal action against it or some of its employees.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — In the space of a couple of weeks this spring, Pittsburgh media has lived through a near-death experience and a resurrection.

Owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week announced the newspaper's sale to a nonprofit foundation that said it was committed to keeping it open. A news outlet that predates the U.S. Constitution was due to close on May 3, which would have made the Steel City the nation's largest community without a city-based paper.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces have boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as it puts into place a global warning to track down vessels tied to Tehran.

U.S. forces "conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction" and boarded the M/T Tifani "without incident," the Pentagon said on social media.

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Buoyed by the election of a new leader in Hungary, Europe's top diplomats are meeting in Luxembourg to forge plans of action on multiple crises from the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian hybrid attacks, and economic instability as the war in Iran drives up energy prices worldwide.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two regional officials said Tuesday that the United States and Iran have signaled they will hold a new round of ceasefire talks in Islamabad as a fragile two-week truce was due to expire.

Neither the U.S. nor Iran has publicly confirmed the timing of the talks, with Iranian state television denying any official was already in Pakistan's capital.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee to chair the Federal Reserve said Tuesday that he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed his calls for the central bank to do so.

"The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, and nor would I agree to it if he had," Kevin Warsh said under questioning by the Senate Banking Committee. "I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve."

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers accelerated their spending in March from February, but they spent a good chunk of their money at the gas pump.

A spike in gas prices due to the Iran war, now in its eighth week, resulted in a hefty 1.7% gain in retail sales in March after a revised 0.7% increase in February, according to the Commerce Department's report on Tuesday. The figure marked the fastest one-month increase in retail sales in more than three years.

BOSTON (AP) — Don't overfish. Don't trawl the seabed. Keep aquaculture healthy for the fish as well as the ocean.

Some aspects of sustainable seafood are obvious and well-trod, even if the how-to intricacies likely are lost on most consumers.

LONDON (AP) — Apple's next CEO John Ternus is a company veteran who rose through the iPhone maker's hardware engineering ranks but until now has maintained a low profile.

Ternus will take over as chief executive in September for Tim Cook, who turned Apple into a $4 trillion, tech colossus during his 15-year reign after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida is facing a critical moment in her political career Tuesday as members of the House Ethics Committee weigh what punishment to recommend after they found she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including breaking campaign finance laws.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump's Cabinet, the White House said Monday, after multiple allegations of abusing her position's power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Tuesday scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change in its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry amid worries over Chinese and North Korean aggression.

The approval by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet of the new guideline clears a final set of hurdles for many arms sales, including of Japanese-developed warships, combat drones and other weapons.

President Donald Trump and many of his leading Christian supporters and top Republicans are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a "return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, is vaulting into the midterms with a $15 million investment targeting Republicans in battleground districts after a series of setbacks in recent years.

Millions of people around the world will pause Wednesday, at least for a moment, to mark Earth Day. It's an annual event founded by people who hoped to stir activism to clean up and preserve a planet that is now home to some 8 billion humans and assorted trillions of other organisms.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military will no longer require all American troops to get the flu vaccine, citing "medical autonomy" and religious freedom.

"The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational," Hegseth said in a video posted on social media.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military officials on Tuesday called for spending tens of billions of dollars in the next budget year on drones, air defense systems and fighter jets that have been a key part of fighting the Iran war.

As part of President Donald Trump's push to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion in the 2027 budget, the Pentagon wants to triple spending on drones and related technology to more than $74 billion and invest over $30 billion into more critical munitions, including missile interceptors, whose stockpiles have become critically low during the Iran war.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Last-minute ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran looked uncertain Tuesday as a two-week truce was set to expire and both countries warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, expected to lead U.S. negotiators if talks continue, called off a trip to Pakistan, a U.S. official said. And Iran said it hadn't decided whether to participate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee to chair the Federal Reserve said Tuesday that he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed his calls for the central bank to do so.

"The president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, period," Kevin Warsh, a former top Fed official, said under questioning by the Senate Banking Committee. "Nor would I ever agree to do so if he had. ... I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve."

NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell are fueling the University of Texas at Austin's medical research ambitions with a $750 million gift that promises to improve patient care through artificial intelligence and increase health care options for the booming state capital.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned Tuesday moments before a hearing was to begin to consider what punishment to recommend after a House ethics panel found she had committed numerous campaign finance and reporting violations.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states, Dr. Mehmet Oz said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are moving this week to try and reopen the Department of Homeland Security and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.

The first votes could come as soon as Tuesday as GOP leaders attempt a new workaround to unlock the funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Democrats have blocked money for those agencies since mid-February, demanding policy changes after the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed wary of limiting the power of federal regulators on Tuesday in a case over multimillion-dollar penalties levied against telecommunications giants Verizon and AT&T.

The cellular companies appealed to the justices after the Federal Communications Commission found they sold customers' location data without proper safeguards. The FCC slapped the companies with hefty penalties totaling over $100 million.