Iran denies breaking ceasefire; USPS tables pensions amid ‘cash crisis’
The fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran continues, with peace talks set for Saturday. What President Donald Trump said about Iran’s hold on the key oil passageway, the Strait of Hormuz.
Plus, a soldier who survived a deadly Iranian drone attack in Kuwait at the start of the war claims the U.S. military was unprepared for the force of the blast.
And first lady Melania Trump speaks out about Jeffrey Epstein. What she calls lies and why she decided to make a public statement.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, April 10, 2026.
Iran denies violating ceasefire as Trump says Tehran is ‘doing a very poor job’ reopening Strait
Iran has denied it has violated the two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel, as President Donald Trump accuses Tehran of not following through on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said that Iran is “doing a very poor job of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.” He said that was not the deal.
Only a small number of ships have passed through the waterway since the ceasefire began earlier this week. As a result, oil prices have climbed again.
Iran’s paramilitary, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has claimed innocence. In a statement Friday, it said Iran has “absolutely not carried out any launches toward any country during the ceasefire.”
However, some Middle Eastern countries have reported Iranian attacks since the ceasefire began. Kuwait said it was targeted by drones from Iran. Saudi Arabia’s state-run news agency reported that officials say its east-west pipeline, which carries oil out to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, was damaged in the recent attacks.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high as Israel continues to carry out attacks on Lebanon, after its massive assault there on Wednesday, which left more than 100 people dead. The Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and an Israeli border town overnight.
The back-and-forth attacks threaten to derail the ceasefire.
The U.S. and Israel insist Lebanon was not part of the deal, while Iran and other world powers, including France and the U.K., say it is.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wants direct talks with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah. It comes as negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are set to take place this weekend in Pakistan.
Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. delegation.
Army survivors speak out about deadly Kuwait attack, says Pentagon’s narrative is misleading
Some survivors of the deadliest Iranian attack on U.S. forces so far during this war say the Pentagon isn’t telling the full story of what happened.
On March 1, an Iranian attack on a U.S. outpost in Kuwait killed six U.S. Army members and injured more than 20 others. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the drone used in the attack as a “squirter,” meaning that it squirted through the unit’s defenses.
But members of the unit assigned to that outpost told CBS News that’s not quite accurate. One told CBS that “painting a picture that ‘ONE squeaked through’ is a falsehood,” adding that the unit was “unprepared to provide any defense for itself” and not in a fortified position.
They said that in the hours before, they had received a warning that an attack was possible, but they had been given the all-clear about 30 minutes before chaos erupted. CBS protected this soldier’s identity.
“Everything shook, and it’s something like what you see in the movies. Your ears are ringing. Everything’s fuzzy. Your vision is blurry. You’re dizzy. There’s dust and smoke everywhere.”
He also said the injured soldiers had to take care of themselves and each other in the wake of the blast, which was a devastating direct hit.
“Our medical capabilities there actually were very limited. We had to evacuate ourselves and get ourselves to the hospital.”
CBS reported a Pentagon spokesperson would not comment on the soldiers’ claims, citing an active investigation into the attack.
Melania Trump denies Epstein ties, calls on Congress to hold public hearing for victims
In a rare, and seemingly out-of-the-blue, public statement, first lady Melania Trump is denying any ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In remarks at the White House on Thursday, Melania said fake images and statements about her and Epstein have been circulating on social media, and that she and her lawyers are fighting back against “unfounded and baseless lies.”
The first lady also looked to quash rumors that it was Epstein who introduced her to President Donald Trump.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Melania said in her remarks. “I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998.”
The first lady also called on Congress to hold a public hearing with Epstein’s survivors.
In a statement, senior adviser to the first lady, Marc Beckman, said the first lady decided to speak out now because “enough is enough” and “the lies must stop.”
An MSNow reporter, who says she spoke on the phone with Trump, says he told her he did not know the first lady was going to make a statement about Epstein.
USPS pauses employer pension payments, says move will save $2.5B
The United States Postal Service (USPS) said it’s facing a severe financial crisis and is taking a major step to conserve cash. Starting Friday, USPS is temporarily suspending its employer contributions to the federal retirement system, a move it says will free up about $2.5 billion this fiscal year.
Officials said current and future retirees should not be immediately affected. Employee contributions and Thrift Savings Plan payments, including employer matching funds, will continue as usual.
The move comes as Postmaster General David Steiner warned that USPS could run out of cash within 12 months without major changes, including reducing delivery from six days a week to five or fewer.
USPS also wants to raise the price of a forever stamp from 78 cents to 82 cents. Starting April 26, some postage prices will face a temporary 8% surcharge tied to transportation costs related to the Iran war.
Immigration board rejects Khalil’s appeal, final order of removal issued
The former Columbia University graduate student at the center of a high-profile deportation case stemming from his pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli actions at the university more than a year ago is now one step closer to being removed from the country.
A federal immigration appeals board has rejected Mahmoud Khalil’s appeal. The board issued a final order of removal on Thursday, according to Khalil’s lawyers.
Khalil was born in Syria, holds Algerian citizenship, and is a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
Federal authorities arrested him in March 2025, alleging that he led anti-Israeli protests at Columbia and that the demonstrations were aligned with Hamas. Khalil claims he was only a spokesman for the Palestinian cause. He spent more than 100 days in immigration detention.
Khalil released a statement following Thursday’s ruling, saying, “The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it.”
The Board of Immigration Appeals is operated by the Justice Department.
A federal appeals court in New Jersey ruled earlier this year that Khalil’s case must first go through the immigration court system before he can challenge its rulings in federal court.
Artemis II prepares for splashdown off California coast
It’s another big day for NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon. The space capsule is coming home, and its return will culminate in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean as the country watches and holds its breath.
The Orion will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, and at the most tense point, mission control will lose contact with the crew for about six minutes. Orion will descend at roughly 24,000 miles per hour.
Experts say the heat generated by speed, atmosphere and friction can reach 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, turning the Orion into a blazing fireball. The capsule is equipped with a large heat shield to safeguard it.
Fingers are crossed at NASA, and beyond that, all goes well.
“It’s 13 minutes of things that have to go right,” Artemis II lead flight director Jeff Radigan said.
“Our guidance is working very well right now. All of our trajectory calculations are showing that the vehicle is on, you know, the almost the best path it could be. And that our correction burns are very small, this evening and then tomorrow. But let’s not beat around the bush. We have to hit that angle correctly; otherwise, we’re not going to have a successful reentry,” he said.
The splashdown will take place off the coast of San Diego, with the final phase lasting about 13 minutes and the space module coming down from 400,000 feet. NASA will begin coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET with the actual landing in the water expected just after 8 p.m. ET.
The 10-day mission has been highlighted by a spectacular lunar fly-by, beautiful pictures of the moon and the earth, including an image known as “Earthset.”
More from Straight Arrow News:
Does the end of taxes on tips actually help workers?
LAS VEGAS — Hospitality workers in Las Vegas hoped the nationwide “No Tax on Tips” provision would provide relief after a sharp decline in tourism. Results have been mixed.
The tax provision, as part of 2025’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, allows eligible workers to deduct up to $25,000 of voluntary tips from federal taxes until 2028. The measure was made to give immediate financial relief to and increase take-home pay for service workers such as kitchen waitstaff, beauty salons, bartenders or delivery drivers.
Members of Las Vegas’ powerful Culinary Union, for example, welcome these benefits as tourism took a significant hit last summer. As Nevada relies on tourism and hospitality to survive, it has significantly affected workers, housing and the state’s economy far deeper than other cities nationwide.
Rising unemployment and housing costs have contributed to recent down years in Las Vegas, where unemployment rates are among the country’s highest.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
