Judge bars certification of Virginia redistricting results; state AG promises appeal

2026-04-22 6:45 PM ET / CNN

By Fredreka Schouten

Signs are seen outside Fairfax Government Center during the Virginia redistricting referendum, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

A congressional map approved by Virginia voters that aims to help Democrats net four US House seats in November’s midterms faces another legal hurdle just one day after its passage.

A judge in rural southern Virginia on Wednesday ordered that the results of Tuesday’s vote not be certified on several grounds, including that state lawmakers did not follow their own rules in passing the redistricting referendum. Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley also called the ballot language put to voters “flagrantly misleading.”

Hurley barred state election officials from modifying election districts or proceeding with the new maps.

The fate of Virginia’s referendum was already before the state Supreme Court, which stayed a previous ruling by Hurley in the run-up to the referendum and allowed Tuesday’s vote to proceed before deciding the merits of that case. The case before the state Supreme Court is still pending.

State Attorney General Jay Jones said his office intends to immediately appeal Hurley’s Wednesday ruling.

Virginians for Fair Elections, which helped lead the campaign to back the referendum, said in a statement that voters “understood exactly what was on the ballot, and they chose YES.”

“Republicans lost,” the group said. “Now they’re trying to overturn the will of the voters in court and trying to relitigate an election they couldn’t win.”

Virginians narrowly approved the new map giving Democrats an advantage in 10 of the state’s 11 US House seats, a significant win for the party in a redistricting battle that has raged around the country since last summer.

The significance of Trump’s bluffs on Iran

2026-04-22T20:46:50.480Z / CNN

Analysis by

Aaron Blake

Updated 1 hr 48 min ago
Updated Apr 22, 2026, 6:21 PM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 22, 2026, 4:46 PM ET

The Middle East Donald Trump

President Donald Trump walks toward Marine One as he departs the White House, on April 16.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/File

On the fifth day of the Iran war, March 4, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had a defiant message for America’s enemies.

“The terrorists made a bet that President Trump would be like many of his predecessors — that he would just talk, and he would refuse to enforce his clear red lines,” she began. “But that has proven to be a catastrophic error in judgment.”

“President Trump does not bluff,” Leavitt added.

That was already a suspect message, given Trump’s demonstrated history of empty threats and blown deadlines on the Russia-Ukraine war.

But the last five weeks, perhaps more than any other period in Trump’s two terms as president, have revealed him for the bluffer that he is — and on one of the largest and most significant scales imaginable.

On five separate occasions, the president has set deadlines for Iran to come to his terms or face his wrath.

And each time, he’s delayed that deadline despite little or no public evidence that Iran met the terms as he laid them out.

The idea that Trump has “TACO”-ed has become a punchline for his critics. But it’s not that funny. As the Trump who once pilloried Barack Obama for failing to enforce his Syria red line would tell you, having your bluff called comes with a real cost — both for American credibility and projections of strength.

We can all quibble about just how much any one of these delayed deadlines is actually a bluff; much hinges on just how serious Tehran has been about cutting a deal. It’s also worth noting that Trump has shown he’s willing to hit Iran hard, because he already has — by starting the war after appearing to prefer a diplomatic outcome.

But there is one entity that knows exactly how badly Trump has bluffed: Iran.

Let’s recap the threats, the deadlines and how Trump explained them away.

1. Date: March 21

Deadline set: March 23

Trump said Iran had to “FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS.” Otherwise, the United States would start striking its power plants.

2. Date: March 23

New deadline set: March 28

With about 12 hours to go, Trump announced a five-day delay. But rather than Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as he had demanded, he instead cited “VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS” between the two sides.

There were two problems with that. One is that Iranian officials denied there were any negotiations at that point. And two was that Trump seemingly had 12 more hours to agitate for his actual demand. Instead, he announced the delay shortly before the financial markets opened up, soothing investors.

Trump said the new March 28 deadline was “SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”

3. Date: March 26

New deadline set: April 6

Trump said he was adding eight more days to the deadline, citing an “Iranian Government request” for more time and talks that were “going very well.”

But a top Iranian official said there had only been an “exchange of messages,” not true negotiations. And the US ally in the war, Israel, suggested Iran wasn’t actually serious about negotiating.

Trump claimed at the time that Iranian officials were “afraid to say” how anxious they were to cut a deal for fear of being killed. But nearly a month later, there remains little evidence Iranian officials have ever offered major concessions.

In the days that followed, Trump set out the terms for the April 6 deadline.

The demand was that “a deal” be “reached” and the Strait of Hormuz be “immediately ‘Open for Business.’” If that didn’t happen, he would blow up all of Iran’s electric power plants, oil wells and Kharg Island — as well as possibly all of the country’s desalination plants. (It’s quite possible the things Trump was threatening here would be war crimes.)

He later added that he would “consider” a ceasefire if the Strait of Hormuz were “open, free, and clear.”

Trump re-upped the deadline on April 4, saying Iran had “48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.”

4. Date: April 6

New deadline: April 7

Despite Iran not cutting a deal or opening up the strait, Trump gave it another day. He did so by citing Easter, even though it’s a holiday he would seemingly have been aware of when he set the deadline.

“I thought it was inappropriate the day after Easter,” he said. “I want to be a nice person.”

He said that if the Iranians didn’t meet the demands, “they’re going to have no bridges, they’re going to have no power plants.”

5. Date: April 7

New deadline: April 21

Trump announced a two-week ceasefire. But again, he didn’t say Iran had met his demands of cutting a deal or opening the strait. Instead, he again cited supposed progress in negotiations and a temporary agreement.

But key aspects of the ceasefire deal were quickly in dispute — including whether Israel had agreed to stop striking Hezbollah in Lebanon, what 10-point proposal was the basis for negotiations, and whether Iran could retain control of the strait.

Trump also said the ceasefire was “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” That doesn’t appear as though it ever happened, but Trump continued with the ceasefire anyway.

6. Date: April 21

New deadline: Unspecified

Trump announced he would give Iran an unspecified extension to come up with a proposal for peace. But again, Tehran hadn’t cut a deal or opened the strait, as he demanded. And he didn’t even cite supposed progress this time.

Instead, Trump cited “the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured.”

But then he undercut his own reasoning in the next clause by saying the leadership being fractured was “not unexpectedly so.” If this was predictable, then why the previous hard deadline?

Sources have told CNN that Trump intends the new extended deadline to be limited, but the White House said later Wednesday that he’s set no “firm deadline.”

“People say I want to get it over because of the midterms, not true,” Trump told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Wednesday, saying there was “no time frame” for ending the war.

And in extending the ceasefire, the president said it would continue not just until an Iranian proposal can be submitted, but also until “discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”

That all sounds a lot more open-ended.

There’s an argument to be made that extending the ceasefire is good for the world, in that it doesn’t plunge the Middle East deeper into war.

But you could certainly forgive Iran for concluding, at this point, that Trump simply doesn’t want to follow through on his threats. After all, he’s made extensions despite little or no public evidence that Tehran has met his red-line terms.

And there’s a certain someone who once wagered that this kind of bluffing damaged the negotiating posture of the United States.

After Obama declined to enforce his “red line” of taking military action against Syria if it used chemical weapons, Trump spent years hanging it around his and Hillary Clinton’s necks.

“When he didn’t cross that line after making the threat, I think that set us back a long ways,” Trump reflected in 2017, “not only in Syria, but in many other parts of the world, because it was a blank threat.

“I think it was something that was not one of our better days as a country.”

In his 2016 Republican National Convention speech, Trump called Obama’s red line a “humiliation” because “the whole world knew it meant absolutely nothing.”

Iran agrees not to execute eight women tied to anti-regime protests after Trump’s public appeal

April 22, 2026 5:09pm EDT / Fox News

Bita Hemmati, reportedly the first woman sentenced to death for protest involvement, was among the eight named

By Bonny Chu, Fox News

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran will no longer execute eight women linked to anti-regime protests after he urged their release a day earlier.

“Very good news! I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Four of the women will reportedly be released immediately, while the remaining four will serve one-month prison sentences.

The president thanked Iran for halting the executions, saying, “I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request.”

FREED IRANIAN PRISONER SAYS ‘IN TRUMP, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC HAS MET ITS MATCH’

President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 2026.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump previously said on social media Tuesday that releasing the women could work in Iran’s favor during negotiations scheduled later that day, when he ultimately announced an extension of a two-week ceasefire.

“To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” Trump said Tuesday, responding to an activist’s post on X that included photos of eight unidentified women.

“I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!”

Iran’s judiciary, however, quickly responded to Trump’s claims, denying that the women ever faced execution, according to Middle East-focused media outlet New Arab.

“Trump was misled once again by fake news,” the judiciary’s official Mizan Online website said. “The women who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.”

IRAN TO EXECUTE FIRST FEMALE PROTESTER TIED TO ANTI-REGIME UNREST

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC/AP)

According to human rights groups, Iran reportedly last week scheduled the execution of a female protester linked to the January uprising, marking Tehran’s first publicly reported death penalty case involving a woman.

She was identified as Bita Hemmati and is among the eight women Trump said will no longer face capital punishment.

Hemmati was originally sentenced in a collective case alongside her husband and neighbors, the National Council of Resistance of Iran said.

On Jan. 8 and Jan. 9, the group allegedly threw objects such as concrete blocks and incendiary materials from rooftops, injured security forces and engaged in anti-regime “propaganda” in an effort to undermine security, according to federal authorities.

Demonstrators ignite a fire in the middle of the street during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC/AP)

One Iranian journalist reported the identities of the other women in a post on X, claiming the defendants are as young as 16 years old.

One victim in particular, identified as Mahboubeh Shabani, 33, was accused of providing assistance to demonstrators injured during January’s uprising, according to the Norway-based Hengaw rights group.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The women’s rulings are among the latest in a series of punishments issued amid a broader government crackdown on dissent.

Rights groups say thousands of protesters may have been killed since demonstrations erupted earlier this year.

Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.

Two year closure was his idea, says Trump’s new Kennedy Center leader, defending dramatic move

2026-04-22T21:01:12.470Z / CNN

By Sunlen Serfaty

PUBLISHED Apr 22, 2026, 5:01 PM ET

Matt Floca, the new head of the Kennedy Center, shows some of the damage that will need to be fixed during the institution’s two year closure, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Sunlen Serfaty/CNN

President Donald Trump’s newly appointed head of the Kennedy Center offered a full-throated defense of the decision to close the renowned arts institution for renovations for two years, telling reporters on Wednesday that it was his idea.

“The president asked: ‘how do you make these projects the best, how do you make them, you know really excellent and deliver them efficiently?’,” Matt Floca said after leading press on a tour through the bowels of the building. The walkthrough was to highlight damage and upgrades he says are necessary to keeping the nation’s premiere arts and cultural center in good order.

“My recommendation was you close the building and you do everything over a definite period of time, two year,” Floca said.

However, Kennedy Center officials acknowledged that even after the two years, patrons may not see much of a difference in the physical look of the building when it reopens.

The only visible changes of note that patrons will see are landscape pavers, fountains and possible changes to the interior color palette, officials said,describing the approach as one meant to elevate the look and feel of the building, while keeping the main layout unchanged.

The renovations themselves are not, as Trump has previously said, so dramatic as to be leaving the building’s steel “fully exposed.”

During construction,scaffolds will be visible, but “you’re not going to be able to stand in Georgetown and look over the river and see through the building. That’s not what’s going to happen,” one Kennedy Center official said.

The disclosures come as controversy has swirled around the future of the Kennedy Center during Trump’s second administration.

The arts institution is one of many parts of Washington, DC, the president has sought to put his stamp upon, with his handpicked board of trustees voting to rename it the “Trump Kennedy Center” and promising to revamp its look, programming and place in the United States’ cultural landscape.

Over the last year, the changes have prompted high-profile withdrawals from artists, declining ticket sales and lawsuits.

Touring the building

In February, Trump announced that the center would close for two years beginning in July to undergo an expansive renovation.

But while officials acknowledged that sales are down across the performing arts – and the Kennedy Center is no different – they insisted that the decision to close “is completely founded in the needs of this building and not the mission or not the programming or not being able to achieve that mission.”

Kennedy Center officials are conducting tours with various groups, including donors and members of Congress, showing the boiler room, behind the stages, through the parking garages, and to see the HVAC system, to provide evidence of the need for the renovations.

Some damage shown on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Sunlen Serfaty/CNN

Officials showed conditions of a building with evidence of water intrusion at many places – at parking deck ceilings and floors, steel beams that had been corroded and rusted over, discolored pavers, and fireproofing that was falling apart.

An expansive “river pump room” – where the center gets it’s cooling capacity from, with a big pipe dipping into and draining water from the Potomac River – had equipment that was first installed in 1971 and has not been functioning for 30 years.

The room and method for getting water are among the things that need to be completely overhauled, officials said. There are discussions underway to stop using the Potomac River as a cooling source, and potentially use sewage water – a somewhat more natural system.

Many of the aesthetic decisions have yet to be made such as any changes to the design and the color of the carpets in the Hall of States.

At this time there are no plans to change anything related to former President John F. Kennedy in the building, including the iconic statue and bust, officials said, adding that they know of no planned changes to the presidential box, either.

The Reach, an extension adjacent to the Kennedy Center, will remain partially opened during the planned closure.

But during the closure staffing will be bare bones, Kennedy Center officials acknowledged. Only a small staff will remain to work on the plans, development, finance, and programming. The Kennedy Center has already seen multiple rounds of layoffs since Trump took office last year.

Officials acknowledged this is an area Trump has taken a keen personal interest in. “He is in the details. I don’t know if there’s any way that other put that,” one official said.

The project is expected to cost $257 million. Federal funding will go to the renovations and maintenance, while private donors are being asked to help fund additional projects like the lounge upgrades and patron experience.

The man for the job

Matt Floca, the new head of the Kennedy Center, shows some of the damage that will need to be fixed during the institution’s two year closure, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Sunlen Serfaty/CNN

Floca, who was previously the arts center’s vice president of facilities operations, was only named as head of the institution in March, after Trump replaced his predecessor, Ric Grenell, amid a deluge of negative headlines about the Kennedy Center.

Insiders previously told CNN that Floca and Trump had developed a close relationship over their shared interest in construction, and that the young facilities manager had impressed the president with his knowledge of the building’s needs during a tour of the Kennedy Center several months ago.

Floca said that he intends to stay for the duration of the project and show his worth.

“I want to prove that I can do this job better than anyone in the country,” he said.

Suicide among young Americans declines in first years of 988 hotline

2026-04-22 23:32 UTC / Reuters

By Steve Gorman

April 22, 2026 11:32 PM UTC Updated 29 mins ago

A cyclist rides past a suicide prevention sign on a protective fence on the walkway of the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey in New York, U.S., January 12, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Service linked with fewer people than expected taking own lives
• Use of hotline more than doubles since 988 replaced 10-digit number
• Findings support idea that simplified hotline access save lives

April 22 (Reuters) – Thousands fewer young Americans than expected took their own lives during the first two-and-a-half years ​following the launch of a national “988” suicide-prevention hotline in the U.S., according to a Harvard-based study published on Wednesday.

Researchers ‌also found that reductions in expected suicide deaths among adolescents and young adults were greatest in the 10 states with the highest traffic in 988 calls during the study period, which ran from July 2022 through December 2024.

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The findings support the premise, advocated by mental health professionals, that simplifying access to the suicide hotline ​by providing a national three-digit 988 shortcut to call or text the service – replacing the earlier 10-digit toll-free number – saves lives.

The ​results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Overall contacts with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ⁠more than doubled in the first three years since the 988 shortcut went live in 2022, along with $1.5 billion in investments to expand ​crisis-center workforce and capacity across the country. Adolescents and young adults accounted for a disproportionately higher share of hotline usage, JAMA-cited data shows.

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SUICIDE PROJECTIONS ​LOWER THAN ACTUAL TALLIES

The latest study analyzed quarterly suicide deaths recorded among individuals aged 15 to 34 in the National Vital Statistics System for 1999-2022, and used that data to model what suicide mortality would likely have been from July 2022 through December 2024 absent the 988 service.

Those projections were then compared with actual ​suicide mortality figures for the study period.

Researchers found that 35,529 Americans aged 15-34 took their own lives during that 2-1/2-year period, down 4,732, ​or 11%, from the projected total, a reduction that authors of the study called “significant.”

Suicide mortality among people aged 65 and older also dropped, but less sharply, ‌by ⁠4.5%, the study found.

Researchers also pointed to data warning that sustained access to suicide and crisis services depends on “continued investment,” and that existing funding levels will likely fall short of meeting demand in nearly half of all U.S. states.

They also noted that a specialized 988 service tailored for young LGBTQ adults, who previously accounted for 10% of all 988 hotline contacts, was eliminated by the Trump administration last summer, “potentially dissuading their use” ​of the hotline.

WHY THE 988 NUMBER ​EXISTS

The advent of 988 came ⁠as U.S. suicide rates surged in the years prior to the hotline being established. More than 516,000 people took their own lives between 2014 and 2024, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit health policy ​organization, with guns accounting for more than half of all suicides.

As of last July, the 988 ​hotline had received 16.5 ⁠million contacts since its launch, including 11.1 million calls, 2.9 million texts and 2.4 million chats, Kaiser reported.

Wednesday’s JAMA study was led by the Harvard Medical School in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, ⁠Massachusetts.

In related ​findings, the Crisis Text Line, a San Francisco-based nonprofit providing free text-based mental health ​support said on Wednesday that it received more than 1.5 million texts last year.

That averages out to one text message every 20 seconds, the highest volume in the Crisis ​Text Line’s 12-year history, surpassing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization said.

Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; editing by David Gaffen

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AI广泛应用 中国关键年龄层失业率上升

2026年4月23日 07:17 / 联合早报

AI广泛应用 中国关键年龄层失业率上升

人工智能的更广泛应用加大了中国青年的就业风险。图为4月9日，浙江嘉兴的求职者在招聘会现场与企业方沟通。 （新华社）

中国劳动力市场的意外恶化已经波及到关键人群——职业生涯初期的劳动者。季节性因素叠加伊朗战争的外溢影响，同时人工智能的更广泛应用加大了就业风险。

据彭博社报道，本周公布的最新官方数据显示，3月份25至29岁人群的失业率升至7.7%，高于一年前的7.2%，这也是中国国家统计局在两年多前调整就业数据统计方法、并将该年龄段单独列出以来的最高水平。

这些数据进一步表明，在全球规模最大的、超过7亿人的中国劳动力市场中，就业压力正在加剧。此前，总体失业率在上个月意外上升，而工资收入增速也降至2022年底以来的最低水平。虽然春节前后就业压力通常会上升，而今年春节时间较晚，可能加剧了3月份的就业困境，但越来越多的其他因素也在发挥作用。

中东冲突已进入第八周，对波斯湾能源出口造成了严重干扰，扰乱了贸易流动并压缩了企业利润空间。与此同时，年轻求职者还不得不面对花旗集团所称的中国“广泛但仍处于浅层阶段”的人工智能应用，这一转型最终可能威胁到约7000万人的就业。

3月份，几乎各个细分劳动力市场的失业率都有所上升，其中16至24岁人群的失业率接近17%。总体失业攀升至5.4%，为一年来最高水平，并且在31个大城市中出现上升。

但25至29岁这一群体尤为突出，因为他们更容易受到人工智能对劳动力市场潜在冲击的影响。这个群体传统上对雇主具有吸引力，主要包括刚从学校过渡到职场的新入职者。

报道分析，职业生涯初期人群就业状况的恶化，可能反映出自2020年疫情以来在中国逐步积累的对年轻劳动者的压力，如今又被人工智能系统进一步加剧 —— 尤其是在入门级岗位前景方面。

研究显示，早期失业可能带来长期的伤痕效应，对未来就业产生持续的不利影响。

如果不能实现扭转，中国可能难以摆脱“无就业增长”的局面，因为经济越来越依赖制造业，而该行业在过去十年中已经变得更加自动化。即便是在南方经济大省广东，许多工厂工人也正面临困境，因为劳动密集型行业的出口增长落后于高科技产业。

凯投宏观中国经济主管朱利安·埃文斯-普里查德（Julian Evans-Pritchard）称，工业部门约占中国国内生产总值的30%，但仅占就业的20%。

埃文斯-普里查德在上周五的一份报告中表示，“第一季度表现较好的工业部门，其劳动密集程度低于经济中的其他行业。”他还补充说，服务业和建筑业的招聘已经走弱，“这对消费前景来说不是好兆头。”

Senate defeats Democrats’ 5th attempt to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran

April 22, 2026 / 5:46 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Senate rejected another attempt to rein in President Trump’s ability to use further military force against Iran on Wednesday, marking Democrats’ fifth effort to do so since the war began eight weeks ago.

In a 46 to 51 vote, a motion to discharge the measure from committee failed. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans against it,while GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted with Democrats in favor.

Led by Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, the resolution would have directed the president to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”

The vote came a day after Mr. Trump said he was extending a two-week ceasefire with Iran as the deadline approached, changing course after threatening to resume attacks if the regime didn’t accept his terms for a deal. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote Wednesday that while he’s “relieved that the ceasefire deadline has been extended,” Congress must “seize this opportunity to stop this blunder before the fighting resumes.”

Schumer said Democrats will continue to force war powers votes “every week until Republicans see reason and help us end this war.” He claimed “they would be doing Donald Trump a favor.”

“Every day this disastrous war continues, Donald Trump digs himself deeper and deeper and deeper into a hole,” he said.

The New York Democrat urged Republicans to break with their party and support the resolution, saying “if Trump won’t dig himself out of the hole he’s dug, you Republicans should pull him out by voting for our war powers resolution today.”

Though the bulk of Senate Republicans have been unwilling to break with the president on Iran so far, an approaching deadline could change the dynamic.

Next week, barring a breakthrough to end the conflict, the war will cross the 60-day mark. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, engagements that haven’t been authorized by Congress are capped at 60 days. But that deadline can be pushed to 90 days if the president certifies to Congress in writing that “unavoidable military necessity” related to the safety of U.S. armed forces requires an extension.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated last week that the GOP conference felt “pretty good” about what the U.S. has been able to achieve in Iran. When asked Wednesday how he will approach the 60-day mark and whether Senate Republicans would consider an authorization for use of military force, Thune said “we’ll see” where members are on the issue.

“The president’s still within that allotted time, he can extend it, I think, 30 days unilaterally. But you know, we’re listening,” Thune said. “Sounds like the ceasefire now has been extended a little bit, and they’re going to try and see if they can get some sort of a deal. That’s ideal. But we’ll see where our members are.”

Fox News Poll: Economic gloom, Trump ratings signal tough GOP midterm path

Cost-of-living concerns persist; voters split on which party can address them

April 22, 2026 6:00pm EDT / Fox News

By Dana Blanton

Sen John Kennedy addresses GOP concerns ahead of midterms

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., addresses GOP concerns ahead of the midterm elections, highlighting market momentum and President Donald Trump’s gas price predictions on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’

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9 min

The electorate’s economic pessimism is giving the Democratic Party an edge six months out from the November election.

A new Fox News survey points to an environment conducive to a change in the majority party in the U.S. House, with negative ratings for both the president and the economy shaping the landscape.

About three-quarters of voters continue to give the economy negative ratings (73%), consistent with at least the last two years.

In addition, 60% rate their personal financial situation negatively, and 70% say it feels like the economy is getting worse, up 15 points compared to 55% last April and matching a record high.

FOX NEWS POLL: BROAD ANXIETY ABOUT AI DOESN’T EXTEND TO JOBS

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There is a strong partisan aspect to these economic views, with three times as many Republicans as Democrats rating the economy positively and four times as many Republicans saying it feels like conditions are getting better. Yet that optimism has limits, as more than half of Republicans say economic conditions (56%) and their personal finances (52%) are bad.

“Setting aside actual economic conditions, polarization is so pervasive now that it’s difficult to imagine a turnaround that could convince Democrats that Trump’s policies are working,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works with Democrat Chris Anderson on Fox News polls.

Overall, twice as many say President Trump’s policies are hurting (56%) rather than helping (28%) the economy. Among partisans, only Republicans think they are helping: 57% say so, and that climbs to 70% among MAGA Republicans but drops to 30% among non-MAGA Republicans.

FOX NEWS POLL: RECORD NUMBER SAY TAXES ARE TOO HIGH; GOVERNMENT SPENDING SEEN AS WASTEFUL

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Pocketbook pressure remains high, with majorities calling prices for groceries (62%), gas (60%), healthcare (55%), and housing (52%) a “major” problem for their families. Gas is the standout, as the share calling those costs a “major” problem jumped to 60%, nearly double the 33% in September 2025 and bringing the number saying it’s a major or minor problem to 89%.

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The largest number of voters, 43%, cite economic issues such as inflation (26%) and the economy generally (17%) as the most important issues facing the country today.

Other issues rank significantly lower, with around one in 10 naming political leadership/corruption (13%), the war with Iran (11%), political divisions within the country (9%), and immigration (8%) as the top concern. Aside from the Iran war, these priorities are mostly unchanged since last year.

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Democrats are more likely to cite inflation/economy (41%) and political leadership/corruption (22%), while Republicans prioritize inflation/economy (42%), immigration/border security (14%), and the Iran war (14%).

When asked which political party would do a better job handling issues, the poll finds Republicans have the advantage on border security (+16 points), crime (+8), immigration (+8) and national security (+6). Democrats are favored on climate change (+29 points), healthcare (+21), abortion (+18), transgender issues (+13), inflation (+8 points) and foreign policy (+6). Neither party has a significant edge on handling the economy (D +4) or artificial intelligence (D +5).

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Independents prefer Republicans more than Democrats on only four of the 12 issues tested and back the Democratic candidate on the generic ballot question by a 57-41% margin.

The poll shows if the election were today, 52% of voters say they would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 47% the Republican. That’s a five-point edge, within the poll’s margin of error. Democrats were up by six points in January (52-46).

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“Although these results are good news for the Democrats, there are two important factors to keep in mind when looking at the generic ballot results,” Shaw said. “First, because more of the Democratic vote is stacked in heavily Democratic districts, they probably need to win the national vote by one to three points to win a majority in the House. Second, poll results don’t become particularly predictive of the actual vote until late summer before the election.”

At this point, more Democrats (68%) than Republicans (60%) say they are “extremely” motivated to vote this year. There’s a similar gap among 2024 voters, with more supporters of Kamala Harris (72%) than Donald Trump (59%) feeling motivated.

Meanwhile, voters say both the Democratic Party (61%) and the Republican Party (61%) are focused on the “wrong” issues these days. Independents are 10 points more critical of Republicans (76% wrong focus) than the Democratic Party (66% wrong).

When asked what one issue they want the party to talk about less, voters are most fatigued by cultural and identity issues, regardless of which party raises them. They say Democrats should stop talking about transgender and DEI (19%), Trump (16%) and ICE and border security (11%). For Republicans, voters want less focus on ICE and deportations (16%), Iran and Israel and the war (10%) and culture wars/transgender issues (9%).

President Trump’s overall job rating stands at 42% approval, while 58% disapprove. Last month, it was 41-59%. The only time the president has had a net positive job rating was soon after taking office the first time, when 48% approved and 47% disapproved in February 2017. His lowest rating ever was 38-57 in October 2017.

Some of the president’s highest approval comes from MAGA Republicans (96%), very conservative voters (85%) and Trump voters (83%), while some of the lowest approval comes from women under age 45 (28%), Black voters (19%) and Democrats (5%).

Approval of Trump among Catholics overall (51%) and White Catholics (57%) held steady or ticked up a couple of points this month despite the president’s back-and-forth about the Iran war with Pope Leo XIV.

Forty-six percent have a favorable view of first lady Melania Trump. That makes her more popular than her husband by six points (40% favorable) and both the Democratic (42%) and Republican Parties (42%) by 4 points.

While Melania’s favorable rating is up one point compared to a year ago, her unfavorable rating has jumped 13 points — from 39% in April 2025 to 52% today. For the president, 60% have a negative view of him, up from 55% last year.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

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Poll-pourri

By a four-point margin, more voters have a positive view of ICE (42% favorable) than sanctuary cities (38%).

Views on border security have shifted sharply, with 45% now saying conditions are “about right,” while 31% say they are not strict enough and 23% too strict. That marks a significant change since 2023, when seven in 10 said border security was not strict enough.

Since 2023, the number of Democrats saying “too strict” jumped from 17% to 41% today, while Republicans saying “not strict enough” dropped from 91% to 46% now.

Conducted April 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

As head of the polling unit, Dana Blanton runs the Fox News Poll and oversees the Fox News Voter Analysis election survey.

中柬举行外长防长2+2战略对话机制首次会议

2026年4月23日 07:41 / 联合早报

中柬外长、防长“2+2”战略对话机制首次会议4月22日在金边举行，中国外交部长王毅（左二）、国防部长董军（左一）同柬埔寨副首相兼外交大臣布拉索昆（右二）、副首相兼国防大臣迪西哈（右一）共同主持。 （新华社）

中国和柬埔寨外长、防长“2+2”战略对话机制首次会议在金边举行。

据中新社报道，中国外交部长王毅、国防部长董军当地时间星期三（4月22日）同柬埔寨副首相兼外交大臣布拉索昆、副首相兼国防大臣迪西哈共同主持会议。双方就双边关系、政治安全与防务安全合作、国际地区形势等议题深入交换意见，达成广泛共识。

王毅说，当前国际局势剧烈动荡，变乱交织，地区国家稳定发展遭受冲击。面对复杂严峻的外部环境，中柬两国保持战略清醒，坚持守望相助，相互信任得到巩固，战略韧性持续增强。中国国家主席习近平去年4月历史性访柬并同柬领导人深入战略沟通，开启构建新时代全天候中柬命运共同体的新篇章。两国领导人决定建立中柬外长、防长“2+2”战略对话机制，为双方增进战略互信、加强战略协作注入新的动力。

他说，机制首次会议的举行，充分表明中柬历经考验的铁杆友谊，彰显双方对深化中柬战略合作的高度重视。中方愿同柬方将机制打造成提升政治安全和防务安全合作的战略平台，巩固中柬守望相助、团结合作的重要抓手，为推进中柬命运共同体建设作出新的贡献。

王毅说，面对世界百年变局加速演进，中柬比任何时候都更需要紧密团结。双方要深化政治安全合作，加强治理经验交流，提升各自执政能力，将发展与安全的主导权紧握在自己手中。中方支持柬泰两国落实中柬泰三方抚仙会晤共识，用好现有双边机制，加强对话、重建互信、转圜关系，愿为柬泰开展更全面有效沟通提供平台。中方将继续支持柬加快发展振兴、不断改善民生，愿为柬边民安置等继续提供人道支持，推进减贫示范合作项目。

王毅表示，当前国际社会正经历冷战结束以来最为深刻的动荡变革。中方赞赏柬方积极支持习近平提出的四大全球倡议，愿同柬方在相关倡议框架下深化合作，构建安危与共、求同存异、对话协商的亚洲安全模式，推动全球治理体系朝着更加公正合理的方向发展。

董军说，中柬外交与国防两个领域同频共振、协同发力，是应对风险挑战、筑牢安全屏障的战略选择，必将为维护两国安全发展利益和地区长治久安注入新的动力。当前国际和地区安全形势复杂多变，中方愿与柬方共同努力，深耕厚植军事安全互信，续写两军“古交如真金”的新篇章，为构建新时代全天候中柬命运共同体作出新的更大贡献。

布拉索昆表示，柬中外长、防长“2+2”战略对话机制体现了柬中关系的高度和深度，对增进双方战略互信、深化务实合作具有不可替代的重要作用，必将促进两国关系长远发展。中国是柬最信赖的朋友，感谢中方对柬全方位支持。柬中铁杆友谊扎根两国人民，惠及两国人民。柬方坚定恪守一个中国原则，坚定支持中国为实现国家统一所作的一切努力，愿同中方不断充实“钻石六边”合作架构和“工业发展走廊”“鱼米走廊”等务实合作，共同推进柬中命运共同体建设取得更多成果。

他说，柬方高度赞赏中方在国际和地区事务中秉持公正客观立场，支持中方提出的系列重大全球倡议，愿同中方密切多边协作，携手维护多边主义，推动构建平等有序的世界多极化和普惠包容的经济全球化。

迪西哈说，此次对话充分展现柬中牢不可破的传统友好和全面战略合作伙伴关系，增进了两国高层战略沟通，深化了双方政治互信。柬方始终高度重视柬中在国防安全等领域合作，愿在现有双边框架下总结经验，凝聚合力，积极探讨合作新路径，推动柬中关系取得更大发展。

双方一致认为，面对当前国际形势，双方要保持战略清醒和战略定力，捍卫政治安全和政权安全，相互支持彼此核心利益，扎实推进各领域务实合作，持续为中柬命运共同体增添新内涵；统筹推进高质量发展和高水平安全，反对任何势力离间中柬铁杆友谊；深化两国执法与防务合作，合力严打网赌电诈，维护各自网络安全；在四大全球倡议框架内积极开展合作，支持通过对话谈判解决地区纠纷，共同反对单边霸凌和强权政治，维护全球自由贸易和国际公平正义。

Trump administration settles lawsuit with ex-Trump adviser Carter Page

2026-04-22 5:56 PM ET / CNN

By Holmes Lybrand

2 hr ago

PUBLISHED Apr 22, 2026, 5:56 PM ET

Russia Federal agencies US elections National security

See all topics

Carter Page at the One America News studios on Capitol Hill, on May 29, 2019.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File

The Justice Department has reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who sued the DOJ and FBI for over flawed government surveillance he faced due to his Russian contacts in 2016, according to a filing with the Supreme Court Wednesday.

Page, who investigators focused on during their probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, is one of a growing number of past Trump allies who have reached legal settlements with the administration during Trump’s second term.

In 2016, investigators wiretapped Page through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a hotly debated probing tool federal investigators use with cases involving a foreign nexus. An inspector general report said the process used to obtain the warrant to monitor Page was riddled with mistakes and errors.

Because of his work as a campaign adviser and connections to the Russian government, investigators wanted to monitor Page as they probed potential collaboration between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Page sued the Justice Department and FBI and an array of ex-FBI officials, including former Director James Comey, former top counterintelligence official Peter Strzok, and former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who was convicted of doctoring an email related to the FISA application.

Related article US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Trump’s lawyers seeking resolution of his $10 billion lawsuit against IRS and Treasury 2 min read

Page’s lawsuit for violating his constitutional rights – seeking $75 million in damages – was initially tossed by a federal judge, who found in part that Page had not sued the people who had conducted the surveillance. An appeals court upheld that decision.

The filing did not outline the terms of the settlement. CNN has reached out to Page and the Justice Department for comment.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report highlighted Page’s pre-campaign contacts with at least two “Russian intelligence officers,” a trip he took to Moscow in summer 2016 where he gave a speech that “criticized the U.S. government’s foreign policy toward Russia” and his interactions with Kremlin officials where the Trump campaign was discussed.

Based on these Russia ties, plus other unverified information from the notorious Trump-Russia dossier, federal investigators asked the FISA court let them to wiretap Page for roughly one year. The DOJ later conceded that while the first two warrants proper, but the final two warrants were not legally supported.

“The settlement does not involve petitioner’s claims against the individual defendants,” the filing says.

The settlement is not the first the Trump administration has reached in lawsuits related to the 2016 Russia probe.

Last month, Trump’s Justice Department settled a lawsuit with Michael Flynn, awarding him over a million dollars following what he said was a wrongful prosecution.

Flynn sued the government for $50 million, alleging that the FBI tried to entrap him in the early days of the Trump administration.

The accusations in Flynn’s lawsuit stemmed from a criminal case brought in December 2017 – during Trump’s first year in office. In the case, Flynn admitted to lying to the FBI about his interactions with the Russian ambassador at the time as well as lying in a Justice Department disclosure over his lobbying firm’s work for Turkey.

He agreed at the time to cooperate in the investigation, and helped special counsel Robert Mueller piece together several instances where it was later alleged Trump attempted to obstruct the investigation.

Just before he was set to be sentenced, though, Flynn asked to drop his guilty plea. The Justice Department later moved to drop the case against him and he was pardoned by Trump.

Separately, lawyers for Trump are engaged in discussions with the IRS and the Treasury Department in an effort to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit accusing the agencies of an unauthorized leak of his tax information during his first administration, CNN reported Friday.