Secretary

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated on 'Face the Nation' that the U.S. military paused its ship escort operation in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran requested a halt to pursue peace talks. • President Trump announced the operation last week amid Iran's blockade, but suspended it two days later following Tehran's signal to 'make a deal.' • The pause supports a fragile ceasefire, with the U.S. now clearing the strait without active escorts, aiming to de-escalate tensions.

• India's Department of Financial Services Secretary has raised alarms over Anthropic's new AI model, stating it has amplified global cybersecurity concerns. • The development has drawn attention from banking regulators worldwide, prompting calls for immediate action to mitigate potential risks from this AI advancement. • This warning underscores the escalating threats posed by advanced AI in financial sectors, urging regulatory bodies to prioritize safeguards amid rapid technological changes.

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the Vatican on Thursday for 2½ hours to discuss Middle East peace efforts. • The visit aims to mend fences following President Donald Trump's recent public criticisms of the Pope over Iran policy. • Rubio focused on achieving a durable peace amid ongoing U.S. pressures on Tehran, including a naval blockade and peace proposal.

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Rome this week for high-level meetings with Vatican officials following public tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leone. • The friction arose from Trump's attacks on the Pope's criticism of U.S. strikes in Iran and Lebanon plus hardline migration policies, risking a broader U.S.-Holy See fracture. • Agenda covers conflicts in Iran and Lebanon where Pope Leone called for civilian protection, U.S. migration restrictions, and concerns over Cuba and Latin America policies.

• U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that banks and technology companies are collaborating to strengthen defenses against AI-enabled cyber threats, including attacks targeting bank accounts. • The warning highlights growing concerns that artificial intelligence tools could be weaponized by attackers to compromise financial institutions and customer accounts at scale. • The Treasury Department's focus on AI-driven cybersecurity risks reflects broader government concerns about the technology's potential dual-use applications in criminal activities.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described President Trump's economic measures as suffocating Iran's regime during a May 3 Fox News appearance. • Iran's economy faces $435 million daily losses and 112% food inflation due to the U.S. blockade, per FOX Business analysis. • Rising U.S. gas prices from the Iran conflict are creating broader economic challenges despite the pressure on Tehran.

Database could be used to regulate opponents, from ‘shutting off bank accounts’ to healthcare, official warnsDonald Trump is attempting to select his own citizenry and control who can vote by gathering the personal details of all Americans, Arizona’s top election official has warned.Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, fears that the Trump administration’s active efforts to forcibly extract voter files from 30 states including Fontes’s own are part of a bigger plan to gather vital information on all US citizens into a centralised database. “Trump is trying to amass a master list that will allow him to declare someone an enemy of the state,” he said. Continue reading...

• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took questions from reporters as Cole Allen, the suspect accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, prepared for his first court appearance on Monday. • Allen is accused of opening fire at the annual dinner while politicians, journalists, and celebrities were in attendance, with Leavitt and other Trump Cabinet members present in the room. • The incident represents a serious security breach at a high-profile event attended by senior government officials and media figures.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid allegations of an affair and steering grants to politically connected figuresThe secretary of the Department of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned this week after several controversies surrounding her brief tenure at the helm of the agency. But labor officials say even though her troubled reign is over, the US labor authority remains in a state of “constant turbulence”.Chavez-DeRemer was under investigation over claims she had an affair with a subordinate and allegedly misused travel funds, and that her aides allegedly steered grants to politically connected figures. Her husband was banned from the agency’s headquarters over allegations of sexual assault by at least two staffers. Continue reading...

• Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired by the Pentagon on Wednesday night amid escalating tensions with Iran over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. • The firing comes as the U.S. maintains military pressure on Iran, with reports indicating the blockade is costing Iran an estimated $500 million per day and pushing the regime toward economic collapse. • U.S. intelligence officials warn that Iran retains thousands of missiles and drones capable of threatening American interests in the region.

John Phelan firing caused by poor relationship with Pete Hegseth and slow movement on shipbuilding, sources sayThe Trump administration fired its top naval official on Wednesday in a move unrelated to the ongoing naval blockade of Iran’s strait of Hormuz, but instead over over an internal dispute about shipbuilding.The Pentagon confirmed that John Phelan, who ran a private investment fund in Florida and was a Donald Trump donor, had been ousted as the navy secretary. His departure – the first of any service secretary in the Trump administration – came in the same week Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two container ships in the strait of Hormuz, claiming maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores. Continue reading...

White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran saysWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the US’s negotiating positions or until talks were concluded “one way or the other”.The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The US army’s top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month amid the continuing war with Iran.The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: “If we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death.Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanon’s health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Continue reading...

Annalouise Spence allegedly used credit card to make ‘unauthorised purchases of luxury and personal items, including clothing, artwork and jewellery’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former private secretary of billionaire philanthropist Judith Neilson has been charged with dozens of counts of fraud after she allegedly used a business credit card to make more than $1m of purchases, including luxury clothing, artwork and jewellery.Annalouise Spence, 50, was due to appear at a bail court hearing on Thursday after being charged with 68 counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception. Continue reading...

Exit of John Phelan, navy’s top civilian official, comes a week after Pete Hegseth fired army’s top officerThe Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the navy’s top civilian official, John Phelan, the secretary of the navy, is leaving his job.In a statement posted to social media, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said Phelan was “departing the administration, effective immediately” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Formby, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn who quit role in 2020, says Labour is now ‘in hock to corporate sponsors’A former Labour general secretary has defected to the Green party, in the latest sign that allies of Jeremy Corbyn are moving in large numbers to Zack Polanski’s party.Jennie Formby, who managed the Labour party from 2018 to 2020, told the Guardian she had signed up as a Green party member and intended to campaign for it before May’s local elections. Continue reading...

President’s spokesperson announces Chavez-DeRemer, investigated over misconduct allegations, leaving for private sector jobDonald Trump’s labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down, the administration announced Monday.“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote on social media. “She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives.” Continue reading...

Documents also show PM’s choice for US ambassador was offered ‘higher tiers’ briefing before vetting was finalisedUK politics live – latest updatesThe then cabinet secretary, Simon Case, appeared to advise Keir Starmer to complete security vetting for Peter Mandelson before announcing an appointment, documents reveal.The documents released last month by the Cabinet Office as part of the disclosures over the US ambassadorial appointment also show Mandelson was offered a “higher tiers” briefing before his vetting was finalised. Continue reading...

Chris Wright says ‘I don’t know’ when asked about lower cost of gas as average price soars to $4 a gallon in USChris Wright, the Trump administration’s energy secretary, acknowledged Sunday that it might not be until 2027 before US gas prices come back under $3 a gallon.Asked by Jake Tapper, the CNN State of the Union host, when he thought “it’s realistic for Americans to expect the gas will go back to under $3 a gallon”, Wright replied: “I don’t know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year.” Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy says BBC staff have been strongly affected and have expressed frustration that high-paid presenters and executives are unlikely to be affectedThe BBC’s sudden announcement of 2,000 job cuts has had a “very strong effect” on staff, the UK’s culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said, as employees express frustration that highly paid presenters and senior staff will not be the prime targets of the cuts.Nandy, who has been having conversations with BBC staff during discussions about the broadcaster’s charter renewal, is understood to be keen that staff are involved in making the cost-cutting plan, which will affect as many as 10% of the broadcaster’s 21,000 employees over the next three years. Continue reading...

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Lebanese and Israeli military commanders in Washington D.C. on Tuesday as the Trump administration seeks to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. • Israel has signaled that negotiations will focus on disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah, while Hezbollah has called on the Lebanese government to withdraw from talks with Israel. • The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on March 2, following the US-Iran military exchange, making the diplomatic effort a high-stakes initiative for regional stability.

• U.S. Energy Secretary visited the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics, the largest magnetic fusion research site in the United States, on April 14, 2026. • During the tour, Secretary Wright, along with executives Gil and Prochaska, engaged with DOE-funded scientists and engineers advancing fusion power plant technologies. • The visit highlights fusion as a promising energy breakthrough, with the secretary calling it 'what powers the stars and why I went to MIT.'

Lisa Nandy says there are no grounds to refer Axel Springer deal to Ofcom, ending almost three years of uncertainty for titlesBusiness live – latest updatesThe culture secretary has cleared Axel Springer’s £575m takeover of the Telegraph, paving the way for the end of almost three years of uncertainty over the ownership of the titles.Lisa Nandy said that she does not believe there are grounds to intervene and refer the deal to the media regulator, Ofcom, for an in-depth regulatory investigation. Continue reading...

Use of UK military bases in Gulf region has been ‘invaluable’ to US military operation in IranMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe UK’s actions in the Gulf should be the basis for any US judgment of the country’s value rather than Donald Trump’s social media posts, the defence secretary has said.Speaking at a conference in London, John Healey said the UK’s recent efforts “spoke for themselves”, as Keir Starmer flew home after a trip that included discussing how to keep the strait of Hormuz open with Donald Trump, as well as meeting leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Continue reading...

Markwayne Mullin visits Asheville to survey Hurricane Helene recovery in first big trip since Kristi Noem’s ousterMarkwayne Mullin, the US homeland security secretary, used a visit to Asheville, North Carolina to call for a fundamental shift in the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), arguing that states and local governments – not the federal agency – should lead disaster response.“We shouldn’t look at Fema as being a first responder, but look at Fema as supporting the first responders you already have,” Mullin told reporters at a roundtable discussion. Continue reading...

• U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that 2026 tax filing season refunds are up more than 10% nationwide compared to last year, with working Americans poised for immediate take-home pay increases via withholding changes. • The gains stem from broader economic policies under President Trump, including Trump Accounts to expand benefits from the vibrant economy to more citizens. • This reflects efforts to return money to American workers, families, and businesses, ushering in a new era of growth amid strong IRS performance.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers on Friday that the ongoing military conflict with Iran will continue for another two to four weeks, according to sources cited by Axios. • The timeline represents official U.S. government assessment of the expected duration of military operations in the region amid escalating tensions and ground operation preparations. • This projection comes as the U.S. expands military presence and considers multiple operational options in the Persian Gulf region.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US conflict with Iran would extend another two to four weeks, while signaling no immediate plans for a ground operation into Iranian territory. • Rubio identified preventing Iran from imposing tolls on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz as the biggest post-conflict challenge, characterizing such action as illegal and dangerous to global commerce. • The statement comes as the US deploys additional troops to the region following an Iranian missile and drone attack that injured 12 American service members at a Saudi base.

• Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary in a 54-45 Senate vote, replacing fired Kristi Noem to oversee mass immigration raids and deportations. • Republican Rand Paul voted against Mullin, calling him a 'freaking snake' during hearings, while Democrats John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich crossed lines to support him. • Confirmation occurs as DHS partial shutdown risks extending into April amid staffing shortages, with ICE agents deployed to airports to ease security lines.