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Trump pressed on Iran endgame as US naval blockade begins in Strait of Hormuz

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Monday that a U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz has begun, a new development in the now seven-week war after peace talks failed over the weekend.

Taking questions from reporters outside the Oval Office, Trump was asked what he hoped to achieve from the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports: Is it to force Iran back to the negotiating table or to reopen the critical waterway and bring down oil prices?

“Maybe everything,” Trump responded. “Both of those things, certainly, and more.”

“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world, because that’s what they’re doing,” he continued. “They’re really blackmailing the world. We’re not going to let that happen.”

Earlier Monday, Trump threatened any Iranian ships that come close to the new U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, writing they will be “ELIMINATED.”

Trump said while Iran’s navy has been “obliterated” by U.S. attacks, any smaller ships that near the U.S. barricade will be wiped out “using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.”

“It is quick and brutal,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.

Iran has warned of consequences if the security of Iranian ports is threatened, with a spokesman for the country’s joint military command saying “no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe.”

There are many outstanding questions about how the U.S. blockade will work and what impact it will have on the conflict.

Trump first said the U.S. would block “any and all Ships” trying to enter or leave the strait, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies typically passes.

U.S. Central Command, however, said the blockade will be enforced against any ships entering Iranian ports or coastal areas but clarified its forces “will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”

Abroad, some U.S. allies have said they won’t back Trump’s Hormuz blockade.

“We’re not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told BBC radio in an interview Monday morning.

French President Emmanuel Macron said France and the U.K. will instead organize a “peaceful multinational mission” aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait.

Trump on Monday was asked if he expected other countries to assist in the U.S. naval blockade.

“We don’t need other countries, frankly. But they’ve offered their services,” Trump said, though when asked Trump did not list any specific countries. “We’ll let it be known, probably tomorrow.”

At home, Trump faces potential political backlash over rising gas prices. Americans are now paying on average more than $4 for a gallon of gas, according to data from AAA.

Trump, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, conceded that energy prices may not fall by the November midterm elections, and that they could even be “maybe a little bit higher.”

The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz comes after peace talks between the U.S. and Tehran in Islamabad on Saturday ended with no resolution. Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said the U.S. needed a firm commitment from Iran that it would not seek a nuclear weapon.

Trump on Monday echoed that the sticking point was the enrichment question.

“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “And we agreed to a lot of things, but they didn’t agree to that. And I think they will agree to it. I’m almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don’t agree, there’s no deal. There’ll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump on Monday said the “right people” in Iran still want to reach an agreement.

“We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal,” Trump said.

ABC News’ Zoe Magee and Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.

Trump admin agrees to fly pride flag at Stonewall National Monument in resolution to lawsuit

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Monday agreed to fly the rainbow pride flag on federal grounds at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after the National Park Service’s removal of the flag was challenged in a federal lawsuit filed by a coalition of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, agreed to fly the flag at the site as part of a resolution to the lawsuit filed on Feb. 17 by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, Village Preservation and Equality New York.

The site became the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights in 2016. The pride flag was permanently installed at the site during the Biden administration in 2021, but was removed by NPS in early February.

The move drew sharp criticism from a group of local lawmakers, officials and LGBTQ+ advocates, who rallied at the site on Feb. 12 and installed their own pride flag there to replace the one removed by the government. As the lawsuit moved forward, NPS did not remove the flag that was installed by advocates.

According to court documents, NPS agreed that the pride flag will fly at the site alongside the American flag and the NPS flag.

The Gilbert Baker Foundation, which is named after the artist who created the pride flag in 1978, celebrated the lawsuit’s resolution and the government’s agreement to fly the flag at the monument.

“The Rainbow Flag is more than a symbol — it is a global emblem of hope, visibility, and the ongoing struggle for equality,” Charles Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, said in a statement announcing the agreement. “Its presence at Stonewall, the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, is both historically and culturally indispensable. Restoring the flag affirms the truth of our history and the legitimacy of our continued fight for dignity and inclusion.”

ABC News reached out to the Interior Department and NPS for comment.

The NPS communications office confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News in February. It said that, under federal guidance, “only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions.”

“Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs,” the statement continued.

The monument is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.

Man charged after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) — A Texas man has been charged with traveling to California to allegedly throw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman‘s house, according to court records unsealed on Monday.

The suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama, was allegedly caught on video surveillance outside the CEO’s home in San Francisco, according to court records.

Around 4 a.m. Friday, the suspect allegedly “threw an incendiary destructive device” at Altman’s house, which sparked a fire on an exterior gate, San Francisco police said. No one was injured, police said.

The suspect was arrested about an hour later outside OpenAI’s headquarters, where he was allegedly threatening to burn down the building, according to police.

Moreno-Gama, who allegedly had kerosene in his backpack, was seen trying to hit the building’s glass with a chair, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors said they also found a document in which Moreno-Gama allegedly expressed anti-AI-executive sentiments.

He allegedly had a list of names and addresses of apparent board members and chief executive officers of AI companies and investors.

“MORENO-GAMA stated he “killed /attempted to kill” Victim-1,” court documents said. “MORENO-GAMA also wrote, ‘Also if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message.'”

In a separate incident, two people have been arrested for allegedly firing shots at Altman’s house on Sunday morning, police said.

Administration fires 2 immigration judges who ruled against deporting Palestinian rights advocates

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration has fired two immigration judges who earlier this year dismissed the deportation cases of students advocating for Palestinian rights, the union representing immigration judges confirmed Monday.

Roopal Patel, who was appointed as an immigration judge in 2024, ruled in February that there were no grounds to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University. Ozturk was held in detention in Louisiana for 45 days.

Nina Froes, who was also appointed as a judge in 2024, dismissed deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who was arrested by immigration authorities immediately following his citizenship interview last April.

Froes and Patel are among 113 immigration judges who have been fired during the current Trump administration. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, six judges were terminated this past weekend alone.

It’s unclear if the two judges were terminated directly because of their rulings in the deportation cases of the students.

News of the dismissals was first reported by The New York Times.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration court judges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said on social media that the firings “violated every basic due process.”

“Donald Trump is purging immigration judges who aren’t rubber stamps for his cruel, inhumane mass deportation agenda,” Goldman said. “In just over a year in office, he has fired more than 100 judges and threatened others who refused to comply with his wishes.”

Stepbrother charged with murder, sex abuse in teen girl’s cruise ship death: DOJ

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his stepsister during a family cruise vacation, the Department of Justice announced Monday.

Anna Kepner, 18, died on the Carnival Cruise ship Horizon in November while the ship was in international waters and heading to Miami, prosecutors said.

The DOJ alleged the stepbrother “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Kepner. The Florida high school senior died from mechanical asphyxiation, officials said.

The boy was initially charged as a juvenile, prosecutors said. He’s now been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.

Anna Kepner’s father, Chris Kepner, is married to the suspect’s mother, Shauntel Kepner.

Chris and Shauntel Kepner said in a statement Monday, “Our family is devastated by the loss of Anna and continues to grieve this unimaginable tragedy.”

The couple said the 16-year-old suspect has not yet been taken into custody, which they said has left them “deeply concerned and troubled.”

“We believe accountability is critical and are seeking clarity on this matter,” they said, adding, “We are placing our trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”

“This situation is deeply painful and complex for our entire family,” the Kepners said. “Anna was deeply loved, and we remain committed to honoring her life and memory every day.”

Mexican migrant is 47th person to die in ICE custody during current administration

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WINN PARISH, La.) — A Mexican migrant died last week in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to an agency notification sent to lawmakers, becoming the 47th person to die in ICE detention during the second Trump administration.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.

In the notification, ICE said that Cabrera was found unresponsive and was transported to a local medical center.

“Despite life-saving efforts, at approximately 8:51 a.m., an onsite physician at WPMC pronounced Cabrera deceased,” the agency said.

Clemente is the 15th Mexican national to die in ICE custody since the administration began its immigration crackdown in 2025.

Last month, Mexican diplomat Vanessa Calva Ruiz called the recent deaths part of “an alarming, unacceptable trend” since the administration took office.

“These deaths reveal systemic failures, operational deficiencies, and possible negligence,” she said in Los Angeles.

ICE said that Clemente had prior convictions for disorderly conduct, drug possession, and probation violation, as well as an arrest for domestic violence. ABC News could not independently confirm these claims.

The increase in ICE deaths has coincided with an unprecedented rise in federal immigration detention. The number of people being held recently climbed to a record 70,000, the highest level in the agency’s 23-year history.

According to an ABC News analysis of ICE data, the first 14 months of the current term have been the deadliest period at federal detention centers since the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC News’ analysis found the current death rate is 11 per 100,000 admissions, compared to 7 per 100,000 last year and just 1 per 100,000 in 2022.

In a previous statement, an ICE spokesperson said, “Consistent with data over the last decade, death rates in custody are 0.009% of the detained population. As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens — including providing access to proper medical care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”

“It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the statement said.

Trump takes down image from his social media platform that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — An AI-generated photo that President Donald Trump posted Monday on his social media platform that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure and drew criticism from some of the president’s religious backers was removed roughly 13 hours after it was posted.

At an unscheduled news conference at the White House Monday afternoon, Trump acknowledged he posted the image, but said he thought it was an image of him as a “doctor.”

“Well, it wasn’t a picture, it was me,” the president said. “I did post it, and I thought it was me as the doctor and it had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Husband of woman reported missing after going overboard in Bahamas interviewed by police again: Attorney

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The husband of a woman who was reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy was questioned again by police on Monday as he awaits any charging decision in connection with her disappearance, according to his attorney.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, has been missing for over a week. She and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for their yacht, Soulmate, in Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker was arrested on Wednesday in connection with his wife’s disappearance and interviewed by Bahamian police for approximately three hours on Friday. Police subsequently requested an extension to give them until Monday evening to make any charging decision, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler.

He was questioned by police again on Monday for about an hour, according to Butler, who said investigators did not present any new evidence. She also said police have not given Brian Hooker any updates on the search for his wife since his arrest.

Police have until 7:20 p.m. ET Monday to charge or release him, according to Butler.

Butler said Brian Hooker is considered a suspect in his wife’s disappearance and denies any wrongdoing.

Following his initial interview on Friday, Butler said Brian Hooker was “questioned in relation to causing harm, which resulted in her death.”

“He definitely denies causing her death and he’s still asking about her and is hopeful that she will be recovered,” she continued, saying they have not been informed of any evidence that her body has been recovered.

The attorney said Brian Hooker is “heartbroken” over the disappearance of his wife of 25 years and that his arrest has been “traumatic.”

His arrest came after multiple sources told ABC News a criminal investigation had been opened into whether there was any wrongdoing in the case. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

In a statement posted to social media last Wednesday, Brian Hooker said “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused his “beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy” near Elbow Cay.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus,” he said.

Brian Hooker told police that his wife was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. He subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at a marina at around 4 a.m. on April 5, and reported his wife overboard, police said.

The Hookers documented their sailing travels on social media under the name “The Sailing Hookers.”

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a “full and complete investigation” into her mother’s disappearance.

She told ABC News her stepfather, Brian Hooker, told her that her mom “fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn’t know if she got it or not.”

Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told ABC News she hopes “we find the truth” amid the investigation and alleged the couple have had a volatile relationship.

“I just want the truth to come out and I’m hoping that they can do that, and I hope they find her and that that will help clear up all of this,” she said.

Judge throws out Trump’s $10B lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein reporting

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Judge throws out Trump’s B lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein reporting

Judge throws out Trump’s $10B lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein reporting — U.S. President Donald Trump attends UFC 327 at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge on Monday threw out President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal after Trump sued the paper last July for its reporting on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book.

In his order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles concluded that Trump failed to prove that the Wall Street Journal knowingly published false information in the paper’s July article on an alleged letter from Trump that was included in Epstein’s 50th birthday book in 2003.

“Because President Trump has not plausibly alleged that Defendants published the Article with actual malice, both Counts must be dismissed,” the order said.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that Trump could attempt to refile the case by April 27.

In court filings, Trump’s lawyers had argued that the article and surrounding coverage were a “deliberate smear campaign designed to damage President Trump’s reputation” and subject the president to “public hatred and ridicule.”

In a 17-page ruling, Judge Darrin Gayles concluded that President Trump came “nowhere close” to the legal standard to prove that the Wall Street Journal acted with malice when it published its reporting about the birthday letter.

Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department’s Todd Blanche last year that Epstein had asked her to coordinate contributions to a book celebrating his 50th birthday, but said she could not recall if President Trump, then a private citizen, was among those who responded.

Trump filed the suit by arguing that the Journal “acted with serious doubts about the truth of their reporting” because the president had claimed the letter was fake. However, Judge Gayles concluded that the reporters “attempted to investigate” the letter and did not act recklessly just because Trump denied its authenticity.

“To establish actual malice, ‘a plaintiff must show the defendant deliberately avoided investigating the veracity of the statement in order to evade learning the truth,'” the ruling said. “The Complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite.”

The White House has continued to deny the authenticity of the letter after it was released by the House Oversight Committee in September.

Judge Gayles reached his conclusion without having to make a factual determination about the authenticity of the letter.

“Because the Court finds that the Complaint fails to adequately allege actual malice, it declines to address these issues at this juncture. Moreover, whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein’s friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation,” he wrote.

Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in July against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones, its owner Rupert Murdoch, and the reporters who filed the story.

Pope Leo responds to Trump’s criticism, saying he has ‘no fear’ of US administration

April 13, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(ALGIERS and LONDON) — Pope Leo XIV on Monday responded to criticism from President Donald Trump, telling reporters while traveling to Algeria that he has “no fear” of the White House.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel,” the pontiff said on Monday, as he began a dayslong visit to four African nations. “That’s what I believe in. I am called to do what the church is called to do.”

The pope on Saturday called for an end to conflict, without explicitly mentioning the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. “Enough of war,” Leo said during a peace vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

The pope also suggested “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, imploring the country leaders to come to a peace agreement.

Trump on Sunday night posted on social media calling the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

The pope, who was born in Chicago and is the first American to lead the Catholic Church, was elevated to his position in May 2025, a few months into Trump’s second term. The president at that time congratulated Leo, saying on social media that it was “such an honor” for an American to become pope.

The pontiff has voiced concern about several armed conflicts, repeatedly calling for peace, including mentioning the civil war raging in Sudan, the Russia-Ukraine war and the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He has called for peace in Iran and the broader Middle East since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The pontiff has been a strong messenger for global peace since the start of his papacy last May.

He has repeatedly called for the parties involved to engage in negotiations, including saying on March 1 that he was making “a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm.” He has said that “God does not bless any conflict.”

Leo said on Monday that his comments “are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone and the message of the Gospel is very clear, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.'”

“I will not shy away from pronouncing the message of the Gospel, of inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible,” Leo continued. “To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is and I’m sorry to hear that.”

Trump early on Monday had called for the pope to focus on “being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”

“It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” Trump wrote on his social media network.

Responding to a question from reporters hours later, Leo said of the apparent tensions with Trump, “I do not look at my role as being political … I don’t want to get into a debate with him. I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”

“I will continue to speak out loud against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue, multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” he said. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say, ‘There’s a better way to do this.'”

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