US president says attacks will be held off until Iranian leaders ‘come up with a unified proposal’ to end war.
Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026
United States President Donald Trump has announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran, saying that the US military will hold off its planned attack to allow more time for Tehran to put forward a proposal to end the war.
Trump said the move on Tuesday comes at the request of Pakistani mediators. The truce was set to expire on Wednesday.
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“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” the US president said in a social media post.
Iran did not issue an immediate response to Trump’s statement. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran’s position “officially announced later”.
Hours before his social media post, Trump had said that he opposes extending the truce, warning Iran that time is running out.
The about-face came as Iranian officials condemned the US naval blockade on the country’s ports, putting their participation in the talks scheduled for Wednesday in Pakistan in doubt.
With the naval siege persisting, it is unclear whether the extension of the truce will be enough to bring Iran to the negotiating table in Islamabad.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called blockading Iranian ports an “act of war” and a violation of the ceasefire.
“Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying,” Araghchi wrote on X.
Although the Iranian position, as expressed by several officials, has been to reject US threats and the naval siege, Trump suggested that disagreements within the leadership in Tehran is slowing down diplomatic efforts.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” the US president wrote.
After six brutal years of struggling to stay afloat, movie theater owners and operators arrived in Las Vegas for CinemaCon finally liking their odds of survival. It helped that the box office, which has been stuck in a rut since COVID, was up more than 23%, thanks to recent blockbusters like “Project Hail Mary” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
Despite the high spirits, the annual exhibition industry conference also exposed anxieties that many in Hollywood are feeling. David Ellison, the Silicon Valley scion who would like to be a mogul right now, please, dominated conversations, with cinema executives openly worrying that his deal to merge Warner Bros. and Paramount would give him too much power. There were also fierce debates about everything from the glut of preshow commercials to an overreliance on franchise fare. Here are five takeaways from a CinemaCon that didn’t lack drama.
The Revolution That Wasn’t
When CinemaCon kicked off last week, the opposition toward Paramount’s deal to buy Warner Bros. seemed to be gathering steam. On Monday, 2,000 A-listers, ranging from Joaquin Phoenix to Javier Bardem to Kristen Stewart, signed a petition to stop the merger. Hours later, exhibitors joined the fight, with Cinema United chief Michael O’Leary using his opening remarks to slam the deal as anti-competitive and declaring that it would lead to fewer movies, jobs and theaters. The tide soon shifted, however. On Wednesday, producers Emma Thomas and Jerry Bruckheimer were asked during a CinemaCon presentation why they didn’t add their names to the opposition and made it clear they felt Paramount’s purchase of Warners was a fait accompli, with Bruckheimer bluntly declaring, “The train has left the station.” Then on the last day of the conference, AMC Theatres chief Adam Aron came out in support of the merger, giving Ellison’s team the endorsement of the world’s largest cinema chain. In doing so, Aron undercut O’Leary, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed in Vegas or among the other members of Cinema United, which convened an emergency meeting after AMC gave its blessing to the pact. So why did Aron go rogue? Was he angling to get better terms from Ellison’s two studios? It’s worth noting that Aron also gave downplayed the threat of Disney’s 2019 purchase of Fox, a pact that led to one less studio and a lot less big-budget movies on his screens.
David Ellison’s Charm Offensive
Everyone may not have been on board with Ellison’s plans to roll up two of Hollywood’s most storied brands, but the Paramount and (future?) Warner Bros. owner generated goodwill with his pitch to exhibitors. Not only did he pledge to make a “minimum” of 30 films a year, keeping the combined studios’ output the same as when they operated independently, but he also committed to a 45-day exclusive theatrical window and a 90-day period before his films hit streaming. As a flex, he shared an elaborate introductory video that was directed by Jon M. Chu, narrated by Tom Cruise and featured cameos from James Cameron, Timothée Chalamet and Will Smith. The promotional piece ended with Cruise lounging on the studio’s water tower and declaring, “The future is Paramount. And the future looks pretty great from here.” Clearly, there’s no limit to Ellison’s ambitions. It’s worth noting, however, that the hard work will really start once he takes the keys to Warner Bros. and has to figure out how to pay off $80 billion in debt.
Tom Rothman Kicks a Hornet’s Nest
When he took the stage at CinemaCon to present Sony Pictures’ upcoming slate, the studio chief had some blunt advice for theater owners: “Get off the ad crack.” By that, Rothman meant, stop with the 30 minutes of commercials and trailers before movies even start. Oh, and lower your ticket prices … there’s a recession going on. He may be right that too many ads are causing people to stay away from theaters or skip the pre-show entirely, but what Rothman didn’t offer was suggestions for how cinemas would make up the lost revenue. Movie theaters have thin margins, and chains make millions by running promos. Moreover, they keep hiking prices to make up for declining attendance. “It would have been nice if Tom offered to help us pay for it,” one exhibitor groused. “But thanks for the feedback.”
It’s Super Mario’s World Now
From “Street Fighter” to “Call of Duty,” Hollywood is betting its future on video games. With comic book films fading in popularity, movie studios are picking up their consoles in search of the next great treasure trove of IP. These range from global phenoms like “The Legend of Zelda” to artsier offerings such as “Bloodborne,” a Japanese horror game that Sony will turn into an R-rated animated film. Where once movie stars flocked to Comic-Con to gush about how their childhood dream was to play Batman or the Flash or Hawkeye on-screen, now they’ll probably head to CES to wax poetic about their first “Tetris” experience. What else would you expect when “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is on pace to gross $1 billion globally?
Steven Spielberg’s Urgent Warning
Films like “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” set the template for summer blockbusters, delighting audiences with their big-screen escapism and spawning lucrative franchises. So it’s easy to forget that when these movies hit theaters, they were original properties. Spielberg, who came to CinemaCon to drum up excitement for his alien adventure “Disclosure Day,” reminded studios and exhibitors that if they want to keep their auditoriums filled, they need to embrace original stories. Moviegoers can’t exist on a diet of sequels, spinoffs and reboots alone, he said. “If all we make is known, branded IP, we’re going to run out of gas,” Spielberg warned. If he wants his message to stick, “Disclosure Day,” which marks Spielberg’s first big summer movie in a decade, needs to be a box office smash. Executives who have seen the film say it’s surprisingly emotional and not as action-packed as you might think. Is that what audiences are looking for?
When online platforms violate their own privacy policies to sell your photos, have no fear: They just might have to pay an undisclosed settlement fee 12 years later. (Who says justice is dead?) According to Reuters, AI company Clarifai says it has deleted 3 million profile photos taken from dating site OkCupid in 2014. It follows a settlement reached last month between the FTC and Match Group, OkCupid’s owner.
The Delaware-based Clarifai reportedly certified the data deletion to the FTC on April 7. The company also confirmed to US Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA) that it deleted any models that trained on the data. Clarifai told the representative’s office that it hadn’t shared the data with third parties.
The FTC opened the investigation in 2019, after The New York Timesreported that Clarifai had built a training database using OkCupid dating profile photos. The behavior was a direct violation of OkCupid’s privacy policy. Court documents reviewed by Reuters reveal that Clarifai asked OkCupid executives for the data in 2014. Apparently, they obliged.
Clarifai uses this creepy facial profiling example to sell its services.
(Clarifai)
“We’re collecting data now and just realized that OkCupid must have a HUGE amount of awesome data for this,” Clarifai founder Matthew Zeiler wrote in an email to OkCupid co-founder Maxwell Krohn. The AI startup used the dating site’s images to build a facial recognition service that can identify a person’s age, gender and race. (Another brilliant and totally ethical idea from Clarifai, tapping into unsecured city surveillance cameras without authorization, was reportedly shuttered.)
Zeiller suggested to The New York Times in 2019 that people needed to, well, get over it. “There has to be some level of trust with tech companies like Clarifai to put powerful technology to good use, and get comfortable with that,” the AI founder declared. Some of OkCupid’s founders were reportedly investors in Clarifai.
As part of the settlement, the FTC “permanently prohibited” OkCupid from misrepresenting its data collection and privacy controls. TechCrunchnotes how strange it is to use that as a penalty, given that FTC rules already bar that behavior.
YouTube notifications can get messy fast, particularly if you’re subscribed to a lot of different channels. To address that, today the company will begin muting push notifications from creators that you haven’t engaged with in the last month.
The change to YouTube notifications began as a small trial the company tested out earlier this year. The idea behind it is that if a viewer continually receives notifications about content they don’t engage with, this may eventually cause the user to disable YouTube notifications altogether. Now obviously, this is bad for YouTube. Turning off notifications means people will use the platform less, thereby resulting in lower revenue. However, it’s also bad for content creators, especially the ones you do like, who will have one fewer avenue to keep you updated about new and upcoming videos.
So starting today, for channels that you have subscribed to and have notifications set to “all,” YouTube will no longer send out push notifications to mobile devices from creators that you haven’t interacted with for one month. That said, these notifications will continue to be available inside the YouTube app in your inbox (the little bell icon in the top right).
Notably, for those who are clicking on notifications and watching related videos, nothing will change. Additionally, based on info from the test earlier this year, YouTube said “channels that upload infrequently will not have their notifications affected.” This is a good thing, especially for creators who post long-form content that takes extra time to make, as people probably don’t want notifications to go away in case they happen to miss a once-a-month upload.
The one thing that’s unclear is if you start watching a channel again that you have not interacted with in a while, is if YouTube will automatically restart related push notifications. However, as a way to prevent too many alerts from clogging up your phone, YouTube’s new protocol seems like a good way to cut down on the clutter.
L.A.’s film office on Tuesday unveiled a six-month pilot program aimed at removing cost barriers for small shoots as outcry over Hollywood’s production downturn has snowballed into a political campaign issue.
FilmLA’s new “Low Impact Permit Pilot Program” will reduce the city’s typical permit fees for tiny productions with fewer than 30 cast and crew members. The program will only apply to productions that shoot for a maximum of three consecutive days and in a maximum of three locations.
For those who meet the qualifications, application fees will drop from the typical $931 to $350, and notification fees will drop from $250 per location to $156 per location. L.A. Fire Department spot check fees ($285) will also be waived for these shoots. The initiative will roll out starting April 27.
That criterion makes the program seem tailor-made for microdramas, small student films and various new media productions, but it will not apply to the majority of professional feature films, television series and commercials.
The initiative was announced during a press event at Echelon Studios, a sprawling production complex under construction in Hollywood, where Mayor Karen Bass also announced a Department of Transportation pilot program that will reduce city parking lot expenses by 20 percent for all productions — the same perk afforded to Baywatch amid its filming issues at Venice Beach. The city additionally announced that it was working with Echelon’s developers to expedite its permitting process.
The pilot program emerged out of a June 2025 Board of Public Works hearing over the renewal of FilmLA’s contract with the city. In the wake of the Palisades and Eaton fires, FilmLA had come under fire for, critics said, presenting additional barriers to filmmakers and production teams that made filming in the city too onerous and expensive.
The Board of Public Works renewed the organization’s contract for five more years, but made requests of the organization after hearing from angry production workers.
One of them was for a tiered permitting system. ”There was a lot of outcry, at the time, that there is no tiered permitting system in the FilmLA ecosystem,” said Board of Public Works commissioner Steve Kang in an interview on Tuesday. “There was a request from the Board — and of course the mayor at the time, because she’s a big champion of equity — that we should develop a tiered permitting system. So that was the impetus behind this conversation and then the big announcement today from FilmLA and its board.”
FilmLA’s board has agreed to cover the costs of the new program for up to six months through the organization’s operating reserve. In a statement, FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches — who rose to the position after FilmLA’s previous CEO retired in the fall of 2025 amid sustained controversy over the organization’s role in L.A.’s production exodus — said the organization believes that “when community impact is small, regardless of the project type or production budget, the City and FilmLA review process should be simple.”
Data will be gathered over the course of the pilot program to determine how to turn it into a longer-term commitment. But the city has larger goals than simply creating a lower-cost tier for tiny shoots, says Kang, who notes that L.A. Councilmember Adrin Nazarian is pushing a motion to remove barriers for shoots with 50 cast and crew members or fewer.
“Today was all about 30 and under, but we are also working closely with Councilmember Nazarian while the motion goes through its normal legislative process to potentially increase the threshold in the future,” Kang said.
Asked whether the ultimate ambition is to create a much more sprawling tiered permitting system that would apply to larger productions, Kang said, “Correct.”
Mexico’s West Coast — despite a brief and now-subsided outbreak of violence in February in Puerto Vallarta — remains a major travel destination for Hollywood, with a host of new resorts casting an allure. From Cabo (just a two-hour plane ride from Los Angeles) to spots farther south in the Punta Mita and Costalegre areas, here are top places to check in along the coast.
Cabo
A room terrace at Park Hyatt Cabo del Sol, Villa La Paz.
Courtesy Park Hyatt Cabo del Sol
Cabo is popping with new and renovated hotels, further bolstering its front-row positioning as a Hollywood travel mainstay. The entire region is experiencing a growth spurt, starting with the recent opening of the first Park Hyatt in Mexico at the Cabo del Sol development. Upcoming openings include the first Soho House in Cabo (coming this fall) and the eagerly anticipated Amanvari (from Aman), which will join Four Seasons in the Costa Palmas development along the East Cape.
Global brands are not just launching new properties, but are also adding elite services to existing concepts. Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, recently partnered with Sensei to offer the luxury well-being company’s highly personalized programs at the property, located near San José del Cabo. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal just completed property-wide renovations and upgrades, including adding a new bubbly and seafood tasting experience at the Champagne Terrace at El Farallon, its cliffside restaurant overlooking the sea.
Casa Tesoro, a seven-bedroom private villa, at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico.
Courtesy Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
Punta de Mita in the Riviera Nayarit area was once upon a time a sleepy fishing village north of Puerto Vallarta, but it has been growing exponentially over the past decade. Up until a handful of years ago, Four Seasons and St. Regis dominated the luxury market, drawing repeat celebrity visitors such as John Legend, Lady Gaga and the Kardashian clan. While the area experienced a two-day outbreak of retaliatory violence and road blockades earlier this year following the killing of a drug cartel leader by the government, no international tourists were harmed during the incidents and Puerto Vallarta is by all accounts back to business as usual.
Covering 1,500 acres with more than 20 residential communities, the sprawling Punta Mita development already includes Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. “It has been the pioneer and setting the benchmark in the region because of the Four Seasons and St. Regis, and real estate values have done very well. It created the confidence of other brands to develop in the area after observing the growth over the last few decades,” says Carl Emberson, director marketing and operations for the $700 million Punta Mita development, which is estimated to be completed in 2030. A pair of new hotels from Montage and Pendry will open at Punta Mita in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Elsewhere in the area, Conrad, W and One&Only have opened properties in recent years and fractional luxury home ownership company Pacaso has just debuted Uavi, a four-bedroom penthouse residence near Punta Mita, while Omni and Belmond have plans to debut new resorts there.
Here are a few other luxury spots — all opened within the past three or so years — to check in to in the area:
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico.
Courtesy Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort
Located next to Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita (with access to all of its amenities including a lazy river), Naviva offers 15 tent-style bungalows surrounded by jungle, set on the edge of a private peninsula. This isn’t glamping, though. Accommodations feature a living room and separate king bedroom, a private plunge pool, a hammock, fire pit, outdoor shower, and oversized bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and skylit showers. This is the brand’s first adult-only, all-inclusive resort in the world with a biophilic design geared toward immersing guests in the natural surroundings. To deepen the relaxation, purify your mind and body during a temescal sweat-lodge ceremony or schedule a treatment in one of the two cocoon-like spa pods, each of which features a private garden.
Toppu Sushi Bar at the Rosewood Mandarina, Riviera Nayarit, luxury resort.
Courtesy Rosewood Mandarina
The new Rosewood Mandarina is an all-suite sanctuary spread across three distinct ecosystems, from ocean to mountain and flatlands. The grounds include design elements crafted by local artisans found throughout the 134 suites as well as two stand-alone villas with private plunge pool. The culinary offerings range from Mexican fare at La Cocina and Spanish flavors on the beach at Buena Onda to Japanese fine dining at Toppu. Activities on offer include horseback riding, surfing, golf, ziplining and world-class polo at the Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club. For holistic wellness, Asaya Spa offers treatments and rituals rooted in the healing traditions of the local Huichol and Cora cultures.
Rendering of the Spa Exterior at Siari, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Residence, Nauka, Nayarit, Mexico.
Courtesy Siari, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Residence
Located within the 920-acre Nauka private-member community, Siari Riviera Nayarit, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is named for the Uto-Aztecan word siari, meaning green. Set in a landscape of jungles and mangroves near the region’s largest swimmable beach, the resort is perched on the edge of a coastal cliff, featuring 91 suites and rooms and 34 residences, including the five-bedroom Siari Presidential Suite. Guests can enjoy a meal at one of the property’s three restaurants, including Zula from celebrated Mexican chef David Castro Hussong; personalized butler service; and golf at the development’s Tom Fazio-designed course. Siari’s private FBO services means guests can arrive by private jet or helicopter, while Nauka features a rare 400-slip deep-water marina accommodating yachts up to 220 feet.
Set between jungled cliffs and a stretch of shoreline overlooking Bahía de Banderas in Punta de Mita, this resort offers 82 ocean-view studios, casitas and suites, along with 30 two to five-bedroom casas and oceanfront residences, plus a seven-bedroom signature villa. Susurros del Corazón is highlighted by three infinity-edge pools that cascade down to the beach; Morritos Kids Club; and four dining options including La Boquita, an open-air taqueria with ceviches and agave-forward cocktails. The ONDA spa will have you covered when it comes to decompressing, from bodywork to breathwork, while activities range from pottery-making and cooking classes to private surf lessons, fishing trips and a healing cacao ceremony.
Costalegre, Jalisco
Meaning “the coast of joy,” this coastal stretch farther south along the Pacific Coast is less developed than Riviera Nayarit, making the Costalegre a popular yet low-key destination for creatives seeking downtime. The area may be a little harder to get to than some destinations — many resorts are a 60- or 90-minute drive from Manzanillo airport, while private aircraft can fly into Costalegre COJ Airport. The remote location translates to a landscape that is replete with protected biosphere reserves and marine ecosystems with turtle sanctuaries.
Careyes, a gated community known for its idiosyncratic architecture, and Cuixmala, an eco-resort with a biodynamic farm, were early pioneers of the Costalegre, which has been a favorite over the years for the likes of Mick Jagger, Kevin Hart, Emily Ratajkowski, Tom Ford and producer Lee Daniels.
Now larger hospitality brands are in the area as well, with Four Seasons opening a property there in 2022 and Chablé Hotels planning an arrival in 2027. The latter, a Yucatan-based design-driven hotel company, is expanding into branded residential real estate in the Costalegre with a plan for three communities. The Residences at Chablé Costalegre will be part of Reserva Tezcalame, a master-planned development with 19 ocean-view homes and an adjacent 71-key hotel, designed by Cuaik SDS with landscape architecture by Maat Handasa. Planned amenities include three restaurants overseen by chef Jorge Vallejo, a beach club, spa facilities and community event spaces.
Spread out over a 387-acre nature preserve on a quiet, secluded beach, this is an ideal choice for discerning celebrities who crave privacy. Las Rosadas is made up exclusively of seven private homes offering concierge services, including two villa estates, four Ocean Club Villas and one charming beach bungalow. For the ultimate in privacy, book the new four-bedroom Villa Esperanza, with expansive outdoor entertaining areas and stunning ocean views in a secluded area of the resort.
And while it’s not a hotel, the amenities are abundant. Beside a private ocean cove, you’ll find Bar Mono and lounging areas under a palm-thatched palapa in the sand, not far from the Playa Pool and open-air garden patio of La Terraza restaurant near a palm grove. Michelin-starred French chef Laurent Manrique creates a seasonal menu with farm-to-table fruits and vegetables. At dusk, a tequila tasting might be followed by a shared fresh seafood-themed meal by a beach bonfire. This is not a party place, but one for connecting with family and friends. On-site nature-preserve tours, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking and yoga classes by the shore can all be arranged. On display throughout the property is an impressive art collection focusing on emerging and established Latin American and international talents with large-scale sculptures, oil paintings, ceramics, mosaics and lithographs.
This luxury jungle-meets-beach resort, which opened in 2022, is adding a collection of Four Seasons Private Residences nestled within a secluded 3,000-acre nature reserve. Now in active sales, the portfolio includes 25 luxury villas and estates. Envisioned by three of Mexico’s most renowned contemporary architects, Victor Legorreta, Mauricio Rocha and Mario Schjetnan — in collaboration with Uribe Krayer and Estudio Esterlina for interior design — each understated, contemporary residence will offer soothing ocean views.
Owners receive access to the full amenities of Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, including a full-service spa, fine dining from Michelin-starred chef Elena Reygadas, a private on-site farm, golf at the David Flemming-designed El Tamarindo Course, and a plethora of winding nature trails and hikes to explore the landscapes that are under the care of an on-site team of biologists and conservationists.
Once the private home of Sir James Goldsmith, this resort, which opened in the late 1990s, is still owned by the Goldsmith family.
With 43 lavishly decorated rooms, Cuixmala is situated on a 30,000-acre nature reserve that traverses landscapes of lush jungle, coconut palm groves, lagoons and sweeping grasslands. The property includes Casa Cuixmala, Goldsmith’s former residence, which is perched on a small hill overlooking a 2-mile private beach, lagoons and mountains. Guests staying in any of the Casa’s four suites or in the adjacent Bungalows enjoy access to three ocean-view palapas with outdoor dining and lounge areas, and a saltwater pool.
The majority of produce for meals comes from the property’s biodynamic gardens and organic ranch, or from sister property Hacienda de San Antonio. Yoga and sound healing are among the wellness offerings, and Cuixmala even has an animal sanctuary where you can see more than 40 zebras and other exotic animals roaming free across the plains.
Careyes was inaugurated in the 1970s by visionary Italian developer Gianfranco Brignone, who differentiated the community from other destination resorts with a mix of brightly colored architecture, unique castle-like villas and exciting events.
The latter includes the Spring Agua Alta Polo Tournament at the Careyes Polo Club (created in 1990 by Brignone) with the two regulation Bermuda grass polo fields (the largest in Mexico); the tourney brings in global brands such as Land Rover Defender and Bulgari along with chic locals and travelers in the know.
Emmy-nominated producer Mekita Faiye decided to have a birthday party-meets-girls trip with six other friends at the resort recently. She had been looking for somewhere different with a twist and was intrigued by the backstory of the property and its founder. As a lover of the Amalfi Coast, Faiye tells THR she found a similar “Mediterranean elegance, mixed with Mexican vibrancy.” Faiye’s getaway in a butler-attended villa included turtle-release activities, a private boat trip to see whales and local caves, horse-back riding and an “unmatched sound healing experience,” she says.
“It was an excellent bonding experience, and we are now planning annual trips as a group,” says Faiye. Some of the guests didn’t know each other previously, but now, she says, “the magic of Careyes inspired us to stay connected forever.”
Two agents reportedly from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States have been killed in a car crash in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, leading to questions about their activities in the country.
On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the matter from the podium at her morning news conference.
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She underscored that a probe is under way, as Mexican law requires that foreign agents receive federal authorisation to operate in the country.
US agents, in other words, cannot work directly with state-level Mexican officials without prior approval from Sheinbaum’s government. It is unclear whether that standard was followed in this incident.
Sheinbaum also acknowledged there were conflicting reports circulating in the aftermath of the crash about the nature of the agents’ presence in Mexico.
“A full investigation must be conducted by the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether the Constitution or the National Security Law was violated and to ensure that the authorities in the state of Chihuahua have access to all the accurate information,” she said.
Tensions have been high over the past year over the possibility that the US may seek to unilaterally launch ground operations in Mexico, thereby violating its sovereignty.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take military action in Mexico to “eradicate” cartels and other criminal networks.
But Sheinbaum has rejected any such action as a red line not to be crossed in Mexican-US relations.
She reiterated that stance in Tuesday’s news conference, while welcoming collaborative efforts to combat crime.
“Joint ground operations are not permitted,” Sheinbaum said. “What has been agreed upon and stated very clearly with the United States government is that information is shared, and extensive work is conducted regarding joint intelligence.”
While she described her government’s relationship with the US as “excellent”, she did warn there could be consequences if a violation of Mexico’s laws were to be discovered during the course of the investigation.
“A formal diplomatic protest would indeed be issued, obviously, along with a request to ensure that such actions do not recur,” she said, adding that she has already been in contact with the US embassy.
For his part, US Ambassador Ronald Johnson expressed his condolences in a social media post after the crash.
“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and U.S. officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” Johnson wrote.
“It strengthens our resolve to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice, to protect our people.”
It is unclear if and to what degree US agents were involved in unsanctioned ground operations in Mexico.
The Washington Post, which broke the story, initially indicated that the two agents were engaged in a counternarcotics operation, citing anonymous officials familiar with the matter.
Their car appears to have veered off the road and crashed in a ravine early on Sunday. The identities of the two US officials have yet to be confirmed.
Johnson described the two officials as “embassy personnel”. Media reports, however, have indicated they may have been members of the CIA.
Contradictory statements from authorities in Chihuahua also compounded the confusion about who was involved in the antidrug operation.
On Monday, the state attorney general’s office in Chihuahua issued a statement to insist that “only elements of the State Investigation Agency (AEI) and the Mexican army participated” in the sting.
Chihuahua’s Attorney General Cesar Jauregui Moreno has ruled out “the intervention of foreign elements”, the statement added.
According to state authorities, “instructors from the United States” were in Chihuahua “for other purposes, such as teaching how to handle drones”.
Separately, 40 officers from Chihuahua’s AEI and 40 from Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defence led a two-day operation that resulted in the discovery and seizure of a drug lab in the community of El Pinal, the attorney general’s office said.
The office insists that the Mexican law enforcement agents were simply giving their US counterparts a lift to the airport, nothing more, when the early-morning car crash occurred. The two US officials were expected to catch a flight on Sunday from the city of Chihuahua.
“We are very respectful of the sovereignty of this country and of the non-intervention of agents of any kind that are not nationals, directly in this type of operation,” Jauregui Moreno said in the statement.
Since Trump began his second term, the question of whether he might pursue policies that violate Mexican sovereignty has loomed over cross-border relations.
Last year, he labelled several Mexican cartels “foreign terrorist organisations”, seeming to tee up possible military action.
Privately, in a notice to Congress, Trump has described cartels and other criminal networks as “unlawful combatants” engaged in an “armed conflict” with the US.
To that end, he has carried out a campaign to bomb alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 180 people.
He has also twice attacked Venezuela — once in December and a second time in early January — culminating in the abduction and imprisonment of the country’s then-leader, President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump and his officials have described the January 3 attack as a law enforcement operation. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores currently await trial on drug trafficking and weapons charges in New York.
Legal experts, however, have described the attack as a violation of international law.
Shortly after Maduro’s removal, Trump renewed his threats that other countries could likewise face attacks on their soil. Mexico was among the targets he floated.
“We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico,” he told Fox News in January. “It’s very sad to watch.”
Sheinbaum has rejected that assertion, while increasing her government’s anti-cartel operations.
In February, for instance, the Mexican military led a high-profile operation that resulted in the shooting death of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Researchers say quantum computers could process some AI datasets more efficiently than classical machines.
A proposed method feeds data into a quantum system in smaller batches instead of loading it all at once.
Even relatively small quantum computers could show advantages for certain data-heavy tasks.
Quantum computers may eventually help process some of the massive datasets used to train artificial intelligence, according to a report by New Scientist.
Drawing from an earlier study by Caltech, Google Quantum AI, quantum computing startup Oratomic, and MIT, researchers say one challenge has been getting large datasets—often measured in terabytes or petabytes—into a quantum computer. To use quantum effects, data must be converted into a quantum state, and preparing those states has traditionally required significant quantum memory.
“Machine learning is really utilized everywhere in science and technology, and also everyday life. In a world where we can build this [quantum computing] architecture, I feel like it can be applied whenever there’s massive datasets available,” Hsin-Yuan Huang, CTO at Oratomic, said in a statement.
The study proposes that, rather than requiring the full dataset to be loaded into quantum memory first, the new method prepares the necessary quantum states during processing, reducing the memory burden. The researchers say this could allow quantum effects such as superposition to be used without extremely large storage systems.
The researchers say the approach could also allow quantum computers to process large datasets while using less memory than conventional systems, suggesting that a machine with about 300 logical qubits—error-corrected quantum bits that can reliably perform calculations—could outperform classical computers on certain tasks.
Such a system does not yet exist; however, the researchers estimate that a quantum computer with roughly 60 logical qubits could begin outperforming classical systems on some data-processing tasks used in artificial intelligence, highlighting how advances in quantum computing could threaten fields such as cryptography and blockchain.
“People are used to quantum computers always being 10 years away,” Oratomic co-founder and CEO Dolev Bluvstein previously told Decrypt. “But when you look at where we were a little over ten years ago, the best estimates of what would be required for Shor’s algorithm were one billion qubits at a time when the best systems we had in the lab were roughly five qubits.”
Still, researchers say the connection between artificial intelligence and quantum computing is growing closer, as AI tools help scientists analyze and model complex quantum systems that would otherwise be difficult to simulate, accelerating work on quantum hardware and applications.
“The quantum machine is a very powerful device, but you do need to first feed it,” Professor of Computational Physics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, Adrián Pérez-Salinas, said in a statement. “This study talks about feeding and how it’s enough to load [data] bit by bit, without overfeeding the beast.”
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Kevin Warsh, United States President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve, has addressed concerns about his independence pending his appointment to the bank amid fears that Trump could sway his decisions on monetary policy.
On Tuesday, Warsh — who served on the central bank’s Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011 — faced waves of criticism during a confirmation hearing of the Senate Banking Committee where Democrats voiced concerns about the Fed’s independence should he be appointed to lead the organisation.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the committee, questioned Warsh’s independence, alleging that he would be a “sock puppet” for Trump, concerns he pushed back against and addressed in his opening testimony.
“I do not believe the operational independence of monetary policy is particularly threatened when elected officials — presidents, senators, or members of the House — state their views on interest rates,” Warsh said.
“Monetary policy independence is essential. Monetary policymakers must act in the nation’s interest . . . their decisions the product of analytic rigour, meaningful deliberation, and unclouded decision-making.”
Warsh, 56, also called for “regime change” at the US central bank, including a new approach for controlling inflation and a communications overhaul that may discourage his colleagues from saying too much about the direction of monetary policy.
Warsh blamed the central bank for an inflation surge after it slashed interest rates to nearly zero in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a move that continues to hurt US households.
Concerned by the implications of artificial intelligence for jobs – expected to increase productivity – and prices, he said he would move quickly to see if new data tools could provide better insight on inflation, and would also discourage policymakers from saying too much about where interest rates might be heading.
“What the Fed needs are reforms to its frameworks and reforms to its communications,” the former Fed governor said. “Too many Fed officials opine about where interest rates should be … That is quite unhelpful.”
Warsh has also long been an advocate for shrinking the Fed’s $6.7 trillion balance sheet. In the Tuesday hearing, he said any such plans would take time and must be publicly discussed well in advance.
Jai Kedia, a research fellow at the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at the libertarian Cato Institute, told Al Jazeera that there were many “encouraging” signs in Warsh’s candidacy.
“Warsh is presenting himself as a regime change candidate at a time when the Fed needs serious reform,” Kedia noted. “Particularly encouraging was his understanding of the negative effects of QE and his focus on reducing the balance sheet. He also correctly criticised mission creep and acknowledged that the Fed did better when it kept its focus on the dual mandate [of keeping inflation at 2 percent and increasing employment].”
Quantitative easing or QE is an unconventional monetary policy under which a central bank lowers interest rates, among other measures, to boost the economy, a step taken by central banks in several developed countries during the pandemic.
Warsh’s private investments, at well over $100m, are also under scrutiny. Among them are two holdings in the Juggernaut Fund LP, apparently part of his work advising for the Duquesne Family Office, the private investment firm of Stanley Druckenmiller.
Warsh’s nearly 70-page financial disclosure also showed that his other holdings include investments in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the prediction trading platform Polymarket.
“I agreed to divest virtually all of my financial assets, the large majority of which will be divested” before taking office, Warsh said without giving any details.
Warsh noted that selling his holdings comes with challenges. He said that when that process is completed, he would have “virtually no financial assets” and “we’ll be sitting in something like cash”.
Warren, however, questioned him about the divestment plan. “Do we have any way to verify that, in fact, these sales will occur if we have no idea what’s in them?” she asked.
Political hurdles
The hearing quickly turned contentious, and the pace of Warsh’s confirmation process through the Senate remained in doubt.
He would not directly say that Trump lost the 2020 election – a statement of fact that Senator Warren said was a litmus test of Warsh’s independence from the Republican president who nominated him for the top Fed job.
Yet even amidst the focus on independence, Warsh needs 13 votes to clear the 24-member Senate Banking Committee.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said he would vote against Trump’s nominee and join Democrats, which would create a 12–12 split. The committee has 13 Republican members and 11 Democrats.
Tillis said he would not vote for any Trump nominee until an investigation into current Fed Governor Jerome Powell, whose term ends May 15, is either concluded or called off. Last month, federal prosecutors said they found no evidence of wrongdoing. But Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, has not indicated that the investigation will be dropped.
Tillis said on Tuesday that he would support Warsh’s nomination once the probe into Powell is dropped.
“Today’s confirmation hearing underscored that Warsh is aiming for independence with guardrails,” noted Selma Hepp, chief Economist of Cotality, a market analytics company. “He rejected being a political ‘sock puppet’ and argued the Fed protects its autonomy by ‘staying in its lane.’ He offered no pre-commitment on rates, while emphasising inflation discipline, a large balance sheet, and a desire for clearer Fed communication.”
Noel Dixon, senior macro strategist at State Street, said that with Warsh, the US would have a “dovish-leaning Fed”.
“When a senator asked him if he would lower rates to 1 percent – I guess Trump had indicated that he would like to have rates below 2 percent – Warsh didn’t really say no to that,” Dixon noted. “He didn’t say that it would increase prices. He kind of leaned on it and said there would be a lagged effect, and he was just very noncommittal to that. So it’s almost like – just reading between the lines – he’s giving himself space to maintain possible justification for rate cuts by the end of the year.”
On Tuesday, he said he would be “disappointed” if the Fed did not lower interest rates.
Tuesday’s remarks follow comments in December, when the US president said he would not appoint anyone to lead the central bank unless they agreed with him.
“The public needs to know whether Mr. Warsh will have the courage of his convictions or if he’s willing to compromise his independence and accommodate more Wall Street deregulation,” Graham Steele, an academic fellow at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, told Al Jazeera in an email.
Warsh has praised the administration for its push for increased bank deregulation. In a November 2025 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Warsh claimed that Trump’s “deregulatory agenda” is “the most significant since President Ronald Reagan’s”.
MoonPay, the Dogecoin Foundation, and House of Doge collectively donated 1 million DOGE to the AKC Humane Fund.
The funds support rescue operations, assistance for domestic violence victims with pets, and veterinary care for financially struggling families.
MoonPay Commerce now processes Dogecoin donations to the charity, allowing ongoing crypto contributions.
MoonPay, the Dogecoin Foundation, and its corporate arm House of Doge collectively donated 1 million DOGE—roughly $95,000 worth—to the AKC Humane Fund on Monday, enabling ongoing crypto donations to the dog welfare charity through MoonPay’s payment infrastructure.
The contribution will fund shelter assistance for pet owners affected by domestic violence, stray dog rescues, and veterinary support for families facing financial hardship across the United States. (Disclosure: MoonPay Ventures is an investor in Dastan, the parent company of an editorially independent Decrypt.)
“This campaign brings Dogecoin’s purpose to life,” said House of Doge CEO Marco Margiotta, in a statement. “By enabling Dogecoin-powered donations for a cause that directly supports dogs, we’re creating a meaningful connection between our community and making a real-world impact.”
The partnership extends beyond the initial donation, with MoonPay Commerce processing future crypto contributions—in Dogecoin or other assets—to the AKC Humane Fund. MoonPay President Keith Grossman positioned the initiative as a milestone for crypto adoption.
“Dogs have always brought out the best in us. Now, with a little help from the Doge community, they are bringing out the best in crypto too,” Grossman said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with the AKC and the Dogecoin Foundation to turn DOGE into real-world impact, powered by MoonPay Commerce.”
Dogecoin is the original and still most valuable meme coin, recently trading at a price of $0.095 and ranking as the 10th largest cryptocurrency by market cap. While created as a joke, Dogecoin has persisted largely on the back of good vibes, with some community members trumpeting the acronymic ethos, “Do only good every day.”
“Dogecoin has always been about community and doing good,” said Dogecoin Foundation Director Tim Stebbing, in a statement. “Supporting dogs through the AKC Humane Fund is a natural extension of that ethos, and we’re excited to see the community rally behind this initiative.”
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