Month: April 2026

⚡️Russia seeks to establish buffer zone between Ukraine’s Vinnytsia Oblast, Transnistria, military says.

“This is the first time such plans have been documented on (the Russian) part,” Deputy Presidential Office head Pavlo Palisa said.

kyivindependent.com/russia-s…

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) Apr 8, 2026

A.M. Edition for April 8. The U.S. and Iran have reached a 14-day ceasefire agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and pausing weeks of escalating military strikes. With Tehran touting the deal as a strategic win, WSJ Middle East correspondent Jared Malsin details what we know about the truce and whether the Strait is in fact reopening. Plus, how markets – and central banks – are responding to the U.S. and Iran walking back from the brink. And Republicans beat back a Democratic push to win Marjorie Taylor Green’s House seat. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Correction: India’s central bank is called the Reserve Bank of India. An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly referred to it as the Royal Bank of India. (Corrected on April 9) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump reached a last-minute ceasefire with Iran just before his deadline to bomb the country’s bridges and power plants, with Iran agreeing to open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks while negotiations continue over a 10-point peace proposal. Iran and the U.S. are both claiming victory, but the terms are murky and Israel says the deal does not include Lebanon, even as Hezbollah says it is abiding by the ceasefire. And global markets are surging on the news, but analysts warn the damage done to oil infrastructure will keep prices high for a long time to come. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Gerry Holmes, Rafael Nam, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Ava Pukatch. Our director is Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin. (0:00) Introduction (01:58) Trump-Iran Ceasefire (05:42) Iran On Trump’s Reversal (09:52) Markets React To Reopening Of Hormuz To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below: See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

The United Arab Emirates says its air defenses are firing at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Follow AP’s live updates. https://t.co/Va16Hs2Cko

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 8, 2026

6AM ET 04/08/2026 Newscast
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Plus: Clayton Fuller wins in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District to hold Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat for Republicans. And under pressure to protect user data, TikTok plans a second data center in Finland. Daniel Bach hosts. Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BREAKING:

Explosions reported at Iran’s Lavan refinery after ceasefire

Iran’s state media reports that several explosions occurred at the refinery facility on Lavan Island in the Gulf.

The cause of the explosions remains unknown

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) Apr 8, 2026