5 things to know for April 9: US-Iran ceasefire, Bondi deposition, missing woman case, Viktor Orbán, Americans on space

2026-04-09 06:29 AM ET / CNN

By Tricia Escobedo
Updated Apr 9, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 6:29 AM ET

In what could be a first for a Cabinet member, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a new podcast that he says will expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

Reuters

1️⃣ US-Iran ceasefire

A massive strike by Israel on Lebanon has put a strain on the US and Iran’s uneasy ceasefire. Iran has accused Israel of breaking the deal, but the US and Israel claim the agreement doesn’t cover Hezbollah in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed today that shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply and then stopped following Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon. Marine tracking data showed no ships transiting the strait following an earlier report that traffic had resumed after the ceasefire came into effect. Vice President JD Vance restated that if Iran does not follow through on promises to reopen the strait, the ceasefire will end.

Lebanon: Hundreds killed and wounded in Israeli attacks Wednesday

1:42 • Source: CNN

Lebanon: Hundreds killed and wounded in Israeli attacks Wednesday

1:42

2️⃣ Bondi-Epstein deposition

Pam Bondi will not appear for her upcoming deposition in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation given that she is no longer serving as attorney general, the Justice Department said. It marks the latest roadblock in Congress’ fight to secure Bondi’s sworn testimony related to the department’s public release of its investigative files into the late convicted sex offender.

3️⃣ Missing woman case

The arrest of an American man who told authorities his wife fell overboard while on a dinghy in rough waters in the Bahamas has brought greater scrutiny to his account of what happened as the search for her enters a fifth day. Brian Hooker was taken into custody as a suspect, a Royal Bahamas Police Force assistant commissioner told Reuters, though no charges have been announced. His attorney confirmed to CNN that he was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the disappearance of his wife, 55-year-old Lynette Hooker. According to the attorney, Brian Hooker “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing” and “has been cooperating” with authorities.

4️⃣ Viktor Orbán

Hungary’s populist prime minister and a darling of the MAGA movement is trailing in the polls ahead of parliamentary elections this weekend. At a recent rally in Budapest to support Viktor Orbán, President Trump addressed the crowd through Vice President JD Vance’s phone, saying, “I’m a big fan of Viktor. I’m with him all the way. The United States is with him all the way.” There’s a lot at stake for Hungary, but the election could also test the limits of a potential “Trumpian revolution” in Europe.

Vice President JD Vance joins Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on stage at an event in Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday.

Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters

5️⃣ Americans on space

Public opinion polling over the decades has shown that Americans’ views about the country’s space program have shifted from skepticism to outright favorability. Just after the launch of the Artemis II mission last week, US adults shared their thoughts on the benefits of sending people to space and whether it’s worth the cost. CNN’s polling team looked at what the poll found and how it compares to Americans’ views of space exploration throughout the years.

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Breakfast browse

Fewer US babies

Data shows that the fertility rate in the US is nearly 20% lower than it was two decades ago. Experts say there are several reasons for the decline.

Super El Niño

The infamous climate cycle is intensifying in the Pacific Ocean and could redraw global weather maps. Here’s what to expect and when.

Your brain on a plant-rich diet

Eating more plant foods than animal products is linked to a lower risk of dementia, even in older age, according to a new study. But not all plant-based diets are the same.

Hold the pickles

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‘It really bent your mind’

The “overview effect” is a life-altering phenomenon that astronauts experience in space.

And finally…

This tourist hot spot is the closest you’ll get to Mars without leaving Earth

1:57 • Source: CNN

This tourist hot spot is the closest you’ll get to Mars without leaving Earth

1:57

▶️ Greetings from Mars

This tourist hotspot is the closest you can get to the red planet without leaving Earth (or at least it’ll look like it). Watch here.

Today’s edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.

3月12日，在黎巴嫩贝鲁特南部郊区，以色列空袭后，受损建筑物旁竖立着一幅印有真主党领导人卡西姆头像的牌子。 （路透社）

以色列军方声称，在以色列对黎巴嫩发动空袭时，黎巴嫩真主党领导人卡西姆的秘书哈尔希死亡。

法新社引述军方星期四（4月9日）发布的声明称：“昨天，以色列国防军在贝鲁特地区发动空袭，击毙了真主党总书记卡西姆（Naim Qassem）的私人秘书兼侄子哈尔希（Ali Yusuf Harshi）。”

声明还补充说，哈尔希是“卡西姆的亲密伙伴和私人顾问，在管理和保护其办公室方面发挥了核心作用”。

新华社报道，伊朗与美国停火后，以色列国防军称，以军对黎巴嫩真主党实施本次美以伊冲突开始以来“最大规模打击”。据黎巴嫩民防部门报告，空袭已造成至少254人死亡、1165人受伤。

Artemis II moon mission unifies politically divided Americans in wonder

2026-04-09 10:04:13 UTC / Reuters

By Helen Coster, Andrew Hay and Steve Gorman

April 9, 2026 10:04 AM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

节点运行失败

[1/2]People gather on the day of the launch of the next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule, part of NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, in Titusville, Florida, U.S., April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo

Artemis II mission sparks nationwide enthusiasm, bridging political and social divides
Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 80% of Americans hold favorable view of NASA during mission
Educators use Artemis II to inspire students

April 9 (Reuters) – NASA’s Artemis II mission, the world’s first astronaut voyage to the moon in over half a century, has captivated Americans young and old across political divides, bringing unity of wonder, hope and ​pride to a nation torn by partisan rancor and war.

From a profusion of rocket-launch watch parties and special classroom lessons on space, to a surge in planetarium visits and a ‌retail boon in NASA- and Artemis-themed apparel, signs abound of public fascination with the four astronauts who flew to the far side of the moon.

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The 10-day mission, a key dress rehearsal for a planned attempt later this decade to land astronauts on the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in late 1972, is set to conclude on Friday with splashdown of the Artemis II crew in the Pacific Ocean off California.

The astronauts’ return to Earth is expected to be followed by ​the public and the media about as closely as the April 1 launch of their Orion capsule atop the towering Space Launch System rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“Everyone can be excited about ​humans extending their capabilities, learning new things, and doing so in a positive, peaceful way,” said Gaza Gyuk, senior astronomer at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, where he said ⁠hundreds of visitors have flocked to watch the Artemis launch and learn about the mission.

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Home-grown infatuation with Artemis, the successor to NASA’s Cold War-era Apollo moon program of the 1960s and ’70s, was reflected in polling ​data.

Some 69% of Americans say they get excited about space exploration, and about 80% expressed a favorable view of NASA, including large majorities of both Republicans and Democrats, according to a three-day Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted during ​the Artemis II mission. Likewise, 69% of respondents said it was important to return astronauts to the moon.

As was the case during the Apollo program, NASA’s latest lunar ambitions are being pursued at a time of political and social upheaval, including a U.S. military conflict that has proven unpopular at home.

The tumult may help explain the appeal of Artemis as both a welcome distraction from the grind of political news many find disturbing, and as an affirmation of U.S. scientific and technical accomplishment.

SPACESUITS ​AND SOCKS

Cashing in on the lunar enthusiasm, retailers and independent creators were offering Artemis-related merchandise ranging from officially licensed NASA apparel to custom accessories inspired by the mission.

One company called Rock ‘Em Socks was selling Artemis ​II socks for $14.99 a pair, emblazoned with the SLS rocket against a starry night sky.

NASA was selling assorted Artemis-themed items, including an “I AM ARTEMIS” baseball hat, a mission pin, a women’s bomber jacket and playing cards.

On the e-commerce site ‌Etsy (ETSY.N), space ⁠enthusiasts could buy Artemis II keychains, posters, canvas art and $135 made-to-order “dangle and drop” 3D-printed earrings inspired by the gumdrop-shaped Orion space capsule.

In the Philadelphia suburb of Elkins Park, astronomy enthusiast Hector Ybe, 38, gathered about 225 people, including families with children, for an Artemis launch party last week.

“For two hours, everybody forgot what was happening outside in the world, everybody was talking about space,” he said, adding that participants represented a variety of ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds.

Young children dressed in spacesuit outfits marveled at the launch while an older generation recalled watching the first moon landing in 1969.

‘IN THIS TOGETHER’ IMAGES

The mission has offered a counterpoint to the ​view of many Americans that fact-based science has come ​under attack, or that technology – such as artificial ⁠intelligence and social media – is to be distrusted, even feared.

Gyuk pointed to new images of Earth captured by the Artemis crew from space showing oceans and land masses without boundaries, a reminder of humanity’s commonality.

“That helps people sort of realize that we’re all in this together,” he said.

Educators across the country have been incorporating ​the Artemis mission into their lesson plans.

At the STEM Lab public school in Northglenn, Colorado, engineering teacher Erin Brabant decorated a hallway with posters of ​the SLS rocket, astronauts and ⁠a mission timeline, and assigned students to build models of their own lunar landers.

“When we talk about Artemis, it’s like every kid stops what they’re doing,” Brabant said. “Their little side conversations stop, and they have questions.”

The diversity of the Artemis crew – pilot Victor Glover is the first Black astronaut and mission specialist Christina Koch the first woman ever sent to the moon – also has inspired students of color and girls who may want to pursue engineering ⁠careers, Brabant said.

Last ​week in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, 15 Girl Scouts ranging in age from 5 to 11 watched the launch live at ​their troop meeting.

They had been working on presentations about famous Girl Scouts for Women’s History Month, and the launch drew their attention to Koch, a former Girl Scout herself, according to Heather Willard, the troop’s leader.

“All of the girls were mesmerized,” Willard said.

Reporting by ​Helen Coster in New York and Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Elissa Slotkin is testing whether winning in Trump country is a winning message for Democrats

2026-04-09T10:00:55.147Z / CNN

By Jeff Zeleny

2 hr ago
PUBLISHED Apr 9, 2026, 6:00 AM ET

Sen. Elissa Slotkin speaks to the Polk County Democrats during their spring dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 7.

Cody Scanlan/The Register/USA Today Network/Imagn

Des Moines, Iowa—

Sen. Elissa Slotkin knows how to win in Trump country. She’s trying to show her fellow Democrats the way.

“We don’t help ourselves by pretending we don’t have a problem, OK?” Slotkin told Democrats at a party dinner here Tuesday night. “Staying on defense only doesn’t win anything. You must go on offense to win.”

The Michigan senator brought a dose of tough medicine for Democrats as she visited Iowa, the latest stop on a tour of states that President Donald Trump won, which she believes can be the center of the party’s revival in the midterm elections and beyond.

“If we can figure out how to win in the middle of the country, we can work that out on the coast,” Slotkin said. “But what works on the coast does not necessarily work in the middle of the country.”

As she joins a long list of Democrats eyeing a potential presidential candidacy in 2028, Slotkin is positioning herself squarely in the middle – geographically and politically – as she tests her message in recent months to audiences in Missouri, Idaho, western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio.

Her appearances are intended to bolster the party in its quest to win control of Congress this fall, an argument she delivered here at the Polk County Democratic Party’s annual fundraising dinner on Tuesday night, but her broader ambitions come alive with little coaxing.

“I just want to be part of the change that I think we need in this party,” Slotkin told CNN in an interview after her speech. “I’m not so arrogant as to think it has to be me, but I want to be part of that next generation, without a doubt.”

Slotkin, as a politician, is a product of the Trump era.

She won a seat in Congress in 2018 in a Trump-friendly district during his first midterm election. Two years later, she won reelection with Trump at the top of the ballot. She narrowly won a US Senate seat in 2024, even as Trump carried Michigan.

‘It’s fight or flight’

She downplays any ideological divisions among Democrats – a prospect that will surely be tested in the 2026 and 2028 campaigns – and said the party should find unity in turning the page from Trump. Yet with just 28% of Americans holding a favorable view of the Democratic Party, according to the latest CNN poll, the challenges facing Slotkin and other leaders is clear.

“We used to talk about, are you a progressive or are you a moderate? That’s not the debate anymore. It’s fight or flight,” Slotkin said, adding that despite a more moderate background, “I am on team fight – 100%!”

Slotkin drew the ire of the Trump administration last year for organizing a video that she and five other Democratic lawmakers recorded, urging members of the military to resist illegal orders. The Justice Department tried to charge the group, but failed to win an indictment.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin listens as Sen. Mark Kelly speaks on the failed grand jury indictment against them and other colleagues by the Department of Justice, after they recorded a video citing the Uniform Code of Military Justice that members of the military must refuse illegal orders, during a news conference on February 11.

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

As she introduces herself to new audiences, she ticks through her electoral history – race-by-race – making it clear that one of her biggest calling cards is winning in places that other Democrats have struggled to do so.

She delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress last year, choosing to speak from the city of Wyandotte, Michigan, which she noted that both she and Trump won in 2024. She offered a message for anyone feeling down-and-out by his return.

“First, don’t tune out. It’s easy to be exhausted, but America needs you now more than ever,” Slotkin said in that speech, a message that she reprises in her campaign trail stops today. “If previous generations had not fought for democracy, where would we be today?”

Now, even as she talks about being friendly with Trump-voting neighbors from her town of Holly, Michigan, she also delivers a searing critique of the president’s foreign policy, domestic agenda and the enrichment she believes he’s made from office.

The spark for a political turnaround for Democrats, she said, must be rooted in economic fairness.

“Under no ledger can you say that people are doing better today than we were two years ago,” Slotkin said. “You can’t say it.”

‘The most dangerous thing we face’

Slotkin, 49, was a CIA analyst long before she ran for office. She signed up for the intelligence service after attending graduate school in New York during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. She served three tours of duty in Iraq and worked on the national security staffs of the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

Even with global threats rising, she said, her biggest worries are closer to home.

“I believe to my bones that the most important and dangerous national security threat to the United States is not coming from abroad,” Slotkin said. “It is the threat to the middle class in America and the threat to the American dream. That is the most dangerous thing we face.”

On her visit to Iowa, Slotkin sat down for lunch with five Trump voters in Indianola, a town just south of Des Moines, to hear concerns across the political spectrum. The session was organized by Majority Democrats, a group of younger elected officials who are trying to rebrand and rebuild the party.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin speaks to voters in Indianola, Iowa, on April 7.

Hannah Fingerhut/AP

She appeared at a health care town hall meeting for Sarah Trone Garriott, an Iowa state senator who is running for Congress against Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in one of the most competitive races in the country.

Slotkin offered instructions for how to speak about politics to their conservative neighbors, saying: “Fear is contagious, but so is courage.” She urged Democrats to “call balls and strikes” and point out undisputable facts about the economy.

“You can’t argue with the price of gas at the pump right now. It’s not negotiable to be like, everything’s great, prices are going down,” Slotkin said. “You can tweet that as much as you want. Everyone knows how much the damn tank was to fill up.”

A Democratic Project 2029

Gone are the days when a visit to Iowa by an ambitious Democrat automatically signaled the exploration of a presidential campaign. The state lost its long-held position at the front of the party’s nominating calendar after the 2020 Iowa caucuses, but it is still competing for an early-slot along with Michigan and a handful of states.

Yet it remains a place where presidential aspirations can blossom, with activists still pointing to Obama’s 2008 victory as a critical launching pad to the White House. He won the state in two general elections, too, the last Democratic presidential candidate to do so.

Mindful that she is one of many Democrats eyeing a potential run – governors, senators and almost certainly others – she implored party activists to press candidates for their plans, not merely listen to their criticisms of Trump.

“You’re going to see every Tom, Dick, and Harry candidate come through here, right?” Slotkin said. “I want you to ask what their offensive plan is – their Project 2029 – and the value proposition they’re going to offer as an alternative to what Trump is doing, rather than just pointing at him and saying, ‘He’s bad. He’s bad. He’s bad. He’s bad.’”

“We know that,” Slotkin said. “OK?”

西班牙外交部长阿尔瓦雷斯谴责以色列星期三对黎巴嫩发动的袭击。 （法新社）

西班牙外交部长阿尔瓦雷斯指责以色列星期三（4月8日）对黎巴嫩发动的空袭，违反了国际法以及刚达成、为期两周的中东停火协议。

路透社报道，阿尔瓦雷斯星期四（9日）在议会下议院对议员们说：“昨天我们看到，以色列无视停火协议，违反国际法，向黎巴嫩投掷了数百枚炸弹。”

西班牙已成为对美国和以色列在伊朗和黎巴嫩的行动批评最为激烈的西方国家之一。马德里方面称这些行动鲁莽且非法，并已禁止任何卷入冲突的飞机进入领空。

阿尔瓦雷斯此前宣布西班牙将重开驻德黑兰大使馆，以期实现中东地区的和平。 他告诉记者：“我已经指示我方驻德黑兰大使返回，重新就任，并重新开放我方大使馆。”

他说，他已指示西班牙驻伊朗大使桑切斯-贝内迪托返回伊朗首都德黑兰，重新开放于3月7日起因美国和以色列空袭而暂时关闭的西班牙驻伊朗大使馆。

新华社引述阿尔瓦雷斯说，这一决定是基于美国和伊朗达成为期两周的停火协议而作出的。西班牙希望借此鼓励各方致力于谈判，推动地区和平稳定。

阿尔瓦雷斯同时谴责以色列星期三对黎巴嫩发动的袭击。他强调，地区局势原本出现“一线希望”，以色列对黎巴嫩的袭击是“对全人类良知的真正羞辱”。

Colorado’s latest Supreme Court loss adds to growing string of culture war defeats

April 9, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

Kaley Chiles, a faith-based counselor in Colorado Springs, challenged the state’s 2019 law on talk therapy for minors

By Ashley Oliver Fox News

Supreme Court rules on conversion therapy, prepare to hear birthright citizenship case

‘Fox News Sunday’ anchor and Shannon Bream reports on the Supreme Court’s 8-1 ruling on conversion therapy and the upcoming birthright citizenship arguments on ‘Special Report.’

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4 min

Colorado’s loss in the Supreme Court’s Kaley Chiles case last week marked the third time in recent years the justices have rebuked the state in a major culture-war dispute, adding to a growing pattern of high-profile reversals in cases over speech, religion and anti-discrimination law.

The high court’s decision was the latest in a trio of lawsuits that backfired for Colorado, after the Colorado Civil Rights Commission lost in court to a cake baker in a key religious liberty case and after a website designer won a similar battle against the state’s civil rights division. Conservative legal experts said the legal setbacks for the state were not a coincidence.

“Colorado seems hell-bent on enforcing its own new orthodoxy of thought, and the Supreme Court has had to come back time and time again to correct them and to remind them that the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, even when the state may disagree with a person’s opinions,” Carrie Severino, president of the legal watchdog JCN, told Fox News Digital.

The Supreme Court last week found that Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, signed into law in 2019 by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, violated the First Amendment because it only restricted talk therapy when the therapy aimed to prevent minors from embracing being transgender or gay.

SUPREME COURT BLOCKS COLORADO’S SO-CALLED ‘CONVERSION THERAPY’ BAN ON FIRST AMENDMENT GROUNDS

Kaley Chiles, plaintiff in Chiles v. Salazar.(Alliance Defending Freedom, press release)

In response to a question from Fox News Digital about the apparent theme, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Jim Campbell said the state “has proven itself to be no respecter of the First Amendment.”

“I don’t think at this point that it’s coincidental,” said Campbell, who represented Chiles before the Supreme Court during oral arguments. “The State of Colorado has shown an utter disregard for the First Amendment rights of people like Kaley Chiles.”

JONATHAN TURLEY: THIS BLUE STATE’S LATEST ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH IS AWFUL AND SNEAKY, TOO

In Chiles v. Salazar, the high court found 8-1 that the state law discriminated based on viewpoint. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority opinion that such laws suppressing speech on that basis amounted to an “‘egregious’ assault” on the Constitution.

“The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country,” Gorsuch wrote.

The case centered on Chiles, a licensed faith-based counselor in Colorado Springs, who argued that she helped youths reach their own stated goals, which she said could include minors seeking counseling on their sexuality and gender identity.

COLORADO HOUSE ADVANCES CONVERSION THERAPY LAWSUIT BILL

Protesters wave transgender pride flags outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Colorado argued it was allowed to regulate Chiles’ therapy because it amounted to professional conduct and the state wanted to protect minors from Chiles’ perceived harmful counseling.

The decision followed a landmark ruling in 2023, when the Supreme Court found 6-3 in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis that the First Amendment barred Colorado from using the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act to force a website designer to create wedding websites for same-sex couples. The high court said in the ruling that the state could not force a person to create content conveying a message that he or she disagreed with.

That ruling was viewed at the time as a broad free speech win that followed the Supreme Court’s narrower 2018 decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

In that case, the justices sided with baker Jack Phillips, finding that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had shown unconstitutional hostility toward his religious beliefs that the commission did not show toward other bakers.

“The Supreme Court found, at least at the time of Masterpiece Cakeshop, that Colorado’s state agency was acting in a way biased against a certain set of beliefs, and from what we can see that hasn’t changed in the intervening years,” Severino said. “Unfortunately, each time the Supreme Court has corrected them, they’ve only doubled down.”

KAGAN TURNS ON LIBERAL ALLY JACKSON WITH FOOTNOTE JAB OVER FREE SPEECH

Baker Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, manages his shop in Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 15, 2018.(Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Terry Schilling, president of the conservative American Principles, observed the trend in Colorado, saying in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that Democrats there “will stomp on the rights of anyone who stands in the way of the well-heeled gay and transgender lobby whether it is bakers, doctors, or desperate families.”

“It should not take the lengthy legal battles or the Supreme Court to rein in the liberal war against reality,” Schilling said. “That is why fed-up Colorado families are appealing straight to voters to protect children from extremist Democrats,” Schilling added, citing his organization’s efforts to pass conservative ballot initiatives in the state.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Outside the First Amendment cases, Colorado has also been a testing ground for other highly polarizing legal fights that made it to the Supreme Court.

The justices in Trump v. Anderson unanimously reversed the state Supreme Court’s decision to remove President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential primary ballot over allegations that he had incited an insurrection, finding the state lacked the authority to remove him.

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.

西班牙谴责以色列袭击黎巴嫩 重开驻伊朗大使馆

2026年4月9日 19:24 / 联合早报

西班牙外交部长阿尔瓦雷斯谴责以色列星期三对黎巴嫩发动的袭击。 （法新社）

西班牙外交部长阿尔瓦雷斯指责以色列星期三（4月8日）对黎巴嫩发动的空袭，违反了国际法以及刚达成、为期两周的中东停火协议。

路透社报道，阿尔瓦雷斯星期四（9日）在议会下议院对议员们说：“昨天我们看到，以色列无视停火协议，违反国际法，向黎巴嫩投掷了数百枚炸弹。”

西班牙已成为对美国和以色列在伊朗和黎巴嫩的行动批评最为激烈的西方国家之一。马德里方面称这些行动鲁莽且非法，并已禁止任何卷入冲突的飞机进入领空。

阿尔瓦雷斯此前宣布西班牙将重开驻德黑兰大使馆，以期实现中东地区的和平。 他告诉记者：“我已经指示我方驻德黑兰大使返回，重新就任，并重新开放我方大使馆。”

他说，他已指示西班牙驻伊朗大使桑切斯-贝内迪托返回伊朗首都德黑兰，重新开放于3月7日起因美国和以色列空袭而暂时关闭的西班牙驻伊朗大使馆。

新华社引述阿尔瓦雷斯说，这一决定是基于美国和伊朗达成为期两周的停火协议而作出的。西班牙希望借此鼓励各方致力于谈判，推动地区和平稳定。

阿尔瓦雷斯同时谴责以色列星期三对黎巴嫩发动的袭击。他强调，地区局势原本出现“一线希望”，以色列对黎巴嫩的袭击是“对全人类良知的真正羞辱”。

美联储星期三（4月8日）公布的3月17日至18日联邦公开市场委员会（FOMC）会议纪要显示，更多美联储官员对通胀感到担忧。 （路透社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国联邦储备局越来越多官员认为，可能需要调高利率以抑制高油价所造成的通货膨胀压力。

美联储星期三（4月8日）公布的3月17日至18日联邦公开市场委员会（FOMC）会议纪要显示，更多美联储官员对通胀感到担忧，敦促同事们考虑在会后声明中提及，若出现特定情况，可能调高利率。

会议纪要写道：“一些与会者认为，有充分理由在会后声明中对委员会未来利率决策采用双向表述，以表明如果通胀维持在目标水平之上，上调联邦基金利率目标区间可能是适当的。”

相比之下，在1月会议纪要中，认为可能须要加息的官员仅有“几位”。在美联储的用语中，“一些”（some）所指的人数多于“几位”（several）。

在3月会议上，美联储连续第二次将利率维持在3.5%至3.75%区间不变，但警告中东战争为经济前景带来新的不确定性。美国和以色列2月28日对伊朗开战，伊朗随即封锁石油运输咽喉要道霍尔木兹海峡，导致油价飙涨。

延伸阅读

鲍威尔：美联储暂不因伊朗战争加息
油价上涨如何让美联储决策更棘手？

美联储肩负着双重使命，既要将通胀率降至2%的目标，也要最大程度促进就业。加息虽有助于抑制通胀，但会加剧经济下行压力，推高失业率；降息可刺激经济活动和就业，但会推高物价。

根据会议纪要，美联储多名官员指出，在油价持续上涨的情况下，通胀高企的风险可能会持续比预期更长的时间。

他们担忧中东冲突引发的高油价效应可能外溢到不包括食物和能源价格的核心通胀，也担忧通胀连续几年高于目标水平后，民众的长期通胀预期可能对能源价格的上涨更为敏感。

他们指出，若战争旷日持久，通胀向2%目标回落的速度可能比此前预期更慢，并认为通胀持续高于2%的风险已有所上升。

桑坦德集团首席美国经济师斯坦利说，会议纪要显示，美联储认为通胀和就业方面的风险都在上升，同时也担心战争若拖得更久，风险将进一步加剧。

在3月会议上，大多数美联储官员预期失业率会保持平稳，但认为就业市场的风险偏向下行。

在会议过后发布的预测中，美联储官员暗示今年可能会有一次降息，这与去年12月的预测相同。不过根据联邦基金期货市场的反应，投资者不认为美联储会在今年内降息。

中国国防部：中国在伊朗问题上坦坦荡荡 不做拱火浇油的事

2026年4月9日 17:09 / 联合早报

中国国防部星期四（4月9日）强调，中国在伊朗问题上坦坦荡荡、正大光明，从不做拱火浇油的事。

根据中国国防部官网，中国国防部新闻发言人张晓刚星期四下午就近期涉军问题发布消息。有记者问，有报道称中芯国际向伊朗军方提供晶片制造设备，中国商业卫星公司公开美军中东基地影像。美官员声称清楚中俄为帮助伊朗所采取的行动，必要时将对这些行动加以应对。请问对此有何评论？

张晓刚回应，坚决反对有关方散布针对中国的猜测性、影射性虚假信息。他进一步说，中国在伊朗问题上坦坦荡荡、正大光明，始终秉持客观公正立场，一直在为劝和促谈而努力，从不做拱火浇油的事。

张晓刚指出，谁在说一套做一套，谁在到处制造战乱冲突，国际社会看得清清楚楚。

路透社此前引述美国高级官员称，中国最大晶片制造商中芯国际向伊朗军方提供晶片制造设备。中芯国际曾被指与中国军方有关联，而受到美国政府严厉制裁。

延伸阅读

美官员称中芯国际向伊朗军方提供晶片制造设备

美媒：中企用AI追踪美军动向并兜售情报

另据《华盛顿邮报》报道，美国和以色列对伊朗发起军事行动后，西方和中国社媒平台上流传一批详细披露美军行动的贴文。报道以总部位于杭州的觅熵科技（MizarVision）为例，称其发布的图片详细展示美军袭击伊朗前夕的航母打击群等兵力集结情况，以及美军在以色列等中东国家军事基地的飞机数量及型号。

美国战争部长赫格塞斯3月31日在一次简报会上指出，美国清楚中国和俄罗斯为帮助伊朗所采取的行动，并在必要时对这些行动加以应对。

担忧高油价推高通胀 多名美联储官员认为可能有必要升息

2026年4月9日 19:33 / 联合早报

美联储星期三（4月8日）公布的3月17日至18日联邦公开市场委员会（FOMC）会议纪要显示，更多美联储官员对通胀感到担忧。 （路透社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国联邦储备局越来越多官员认为，可能需要调高利率以抑制高油价所造成的通货膨胀压力。

美联储星期三（4月8日）公布的3月17日至18日联邦公开市场委员会（FOMC）会议纪要显示，更多美联储官员对通胀感到担忧，敦促同事们考虑在会后声明中提及，若出现特定情况，可能调高利率。

会议纪要写道：“一些与会者认为，有充分理由在会后声明中对委员会未来利率决策采用双向表述，以表明如果通胀维持在目标水平之上，上调联邦基金利率目标区间可能是适当的。”

相比之下，在1月会议纪要中，认为可能须要加息的官员仅有“几位”。在美联储的用语中，“一些”（some）所指的人数多于“几位”（several）。

在3月会议上，美联储连续第二次将利率维持在3.5%至3.75%区间不变，但警告中东战争为经济前景带来新的不确定性。美国和以色列2月28日对伊朗开战，伊朗随即封锁石油运输咽喉要道霍尔木兹海峡，导致油价飙涨。

鲍威尔：美联储暂不因伊朗战争加息
油价上涨如何让美联储决策更棘手？

美联储肩负着双重使命，既要将通胀率降至2%的目标，也要最大程度促进就业。加息虽有助于抑制通胀，但会加剧经济下行压力，推高失业率；降息可刺激经济活动和就业，但会推高物价。

根据会议纪要，美联储多名官员指出，在油价持续上涨的情况下，通胀高企的风险可能会持续比预期更长的时间。

他们担忧中东冲突引发的高油价效应可能外溢到不包括食物和能源价格的核心通胀，也担忧通胀连续几年高于目标水平后，民众的长期通胀预期可能对能源价格的上涨更为敏感。

他们指出，若战争旷日持久，通胀向2%目标回落的速度可能比此前预期更慢，并认为通胀持续高于2%的风险已有所上升。

桑坦德集团首席美国经济师斯坦利说，会议纪要显示，美联储认为通胀和就业方面的风险都在上升，同时也担心战争若拖得更久，风险将进一步加剧。

在3月会议上，大多数美联储官员预期失业率会保持平稳，但认为就业市场的风险偏向下行。

在会议过后发布的预测中，美联储官员暗示今年可能会有一次降息，这与去年12月的预测相同。不过根据联邦基金期货市场的反应，投资者不认为美联储会在今年内降息。