Good Thursday evening. In this edition: Trump extends deadline for Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz as he claims Tehran is "begging" to cut a deal.
Plus, TSA pay, Ethics hearing and Trump signature.
Iran War
President Trump again delayed his threat to "obliterate" Iran's power infrastructure, extending his deadline for the regime to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz as he said progress had been made in talks to end the war.
"As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," he wrote on Truth Social.
"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well."
The president made his initial threat last Saturday, giving Iran 48 hours to reopen the critical waterway for oil transport that Tehran has effectively shuttered.
On Monday, he extended that deadline to Friday, citing "productive conversations" with an anonymous Iranian official that Tehran publicly denied ever took place.
The new extension came after President Trump sought to increase pressure on Iran to strike a deal, warning the U.S. would otherwise keep "blowing them away."
"They now have the chance, that is Iran, to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and to chart a new path forward. We'll see if they want to do it," he said at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
"If they don't, we're their worst nightmare. In the meantime, we'll just keep blowing them away — unimpeded, unstopped. There's not a thing they can do about it."
The president claimed Iran was "begging" to make a deal, saying the country had been "beat to shit."
"They are begging to make a deal. Not me," he told reporters, adding that he was not sure whether he was even "willing" to make a deal. "The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to shit."
He vehemently denied reports that he was "desperate" to end the war, which has driven oil prices higher and is opposed by a majority of Americans.
"I read a story today that I'm desperate to make a deal," he said. "I'm the opposite of desperate. I don't care."
President Trump also sharply criticized NATO allies for declining to get involved, saying it raised questions about whether the U.S. would "be there" for the alliance in the future.
"I'm so disappointed in NATO because this was a test for NATO," he said. "This was a test: you can help us — you don't have to, but if you don't do that, we're going to remember."
NATO countries have largely avoided the conflict, with some arguing it was not their war or that it lacked a clear legal justification.
Mark Rutte, the alliance's secretary general, said he ultimately expects NATO members to come together to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but said European countries weren't given advance notice of the operations and have needed time to respond.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it was in the "interest" of G7 and NATO countries to help reopen the strait as he departed for France for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers.
"It's in their interest to help. Other countries get far more of their fuel from there than we do," he said.
The secretary declined to say who the U.S. was negotiating with but said there was "progress" being made.
"There's a growing amount of energy that's been flowing through the straits. Not as much as should be flowing, but some of it has picked up," he told reporters.
"So again, there's been some progress in regards to the exchange of messages, but that's an ongoing and fluid process, and not one we're going to negotiate or talk about in the media."
U.S. financial markets suffered their worst day since the war began, as oil prices again rose above $100 a barrel.
The S&P 500 shed 1.7% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 2.4%, ending the day in correction territory — off 10% from its recent high.
President Trumpsaid he will sidestep Congress and sign an executive order directing the Homeland Security Department to pay TSA agents, who have gone without a paycheck for more than a month, leading to a nationwide staffing shortage and long lines at airport security. "Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!" the president wrote on Truth Social. "Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports." The move comes as the latest round of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans to reopen the department appeared to break down on Capitol Hill. The Senate has held open a procedural vote since early afternoon as talks continued off the floor, but Republican leaders indicated they no longer expect to reach an agreement.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) appeared but did not testify at a rare public hearing of the House Ethics Committee, which is examining allegations she stole millions of dollars in federal relief funds and used some of the money for her congressional campaign. The congresswoman, who was indicted in November on federal charges, denies wrongdoing and has refused to resign, prompting the unusual public "adjudicatory" hearing. If the Ethics Committee finds she violated House rules, the panel could recommend censure, reprimand, removal from committees, or even expulsion from the chamber. Her attorney told the panel that the congresswoman would be "limited" in what she could address, citing the ongoing criminal proceedings, and requested the hearing be delayed or continued behind closed doors.
President Trump's signature will be added to U.S. paper currency, the Treasury Department announced, marking a first for a sitting president. "Under President Trump's leadership, we are on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S. dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial." To make space, the signature of the Treasurer of the United States will be removed from currency, which has borne their names since 1861.
For your radar…
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman greets the Artemis II crew members as they arrive Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the planned April 1 launch around the moon. Watch LIVE online at 2:30pm ET.
