WASHINGTON (AP) – King Charles III will deliver an address to Congress during his visit to Washington in late April, becoming the first British monarch to give a speech to a joint meeting of U.S. lawmakers in more than three decades. The joint address is part of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaring independence from Britain.
NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks overcame early losses to finish with slim gains and close out their first winning week since the start of the Iran war. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% after slumping as much as 1.5% in early trading. The Dow Jones shed 108 points, or 0.2% as of 3:17 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Stocks in Europe and Asia finished lower.
WASHINGTON (AP) – As President Donald Trump assembled his Cabinet last week, he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance to give an update on the Iran war. Rubio, known for his hawkish views, gave an impassioned defense of the war, calling it “a favor” to the United States and the world.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran fired on targets across the Middle East, sparking multiple blazes at a Kuwaiti oil refinery, while American and Israeli airstrikes hit the Islamic Republic early Friday as the war neared the end of its fifth week unabated and the U.N. Security Council prepared to meet over Tehran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Today is Wednesday, April 1, the 91st day of 2026. There are 274 days left in the year. This is April Fool’s Day. Today in history: On April 1, 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II. (U.S. forces succeeded in capturing the Japanese island on June 22 after a battle in which more than 240,000 died.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – New Zealand and Cook Islands signed a defense and security pact Thursday, easing more than a year of tension between the Pacific nations over Cook Islands’ deepening ties with China. The fraught diplomatic standoff that prompted Wellington to pause millions of dollars in aid to Avarua was hardly a clash of geopolitical heavyweights.
NEW YORK (AP) – Elon Musk’s space exploration company has filed preliminary paperwork to sell shares to the public, according to two sources familiar with the filing, a blockbuster offering that would likely rank as the biggest ever and could make its founder the world’s first trillionaire.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors on Wednesday as airstrikes pounded Tehran and U.S. President Donald Trump again made contradictory statements about whether he was ready to wind down the war or escalate it.