Rubio plans to visit the Vatican this week as tensions between Trump and the pope rise - AP News

Rubio plans to visit the Vatican this week as tensions between Trump and the pope rise  AP News

US stock futures mixed as Middle East risks remain in focus - Reuters

US stock futures mixed as Middle East risks remain in focus  Reuters

US Stock Futures Dip on Reports of Increasing Mideast Tension - Bloomberg.com

US Stock Futures Dip on Reports of Increasing Mideast Tension  Bloomberg.com

Rubio to Visit Rome, Officials Say, After Trump’s Feud With Pope and Meloni

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip will come after President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV and then turned on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for defending the pontiff.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Trump’s War With the Pope - WSJ

Trump’s War With the Pope  WSJ

Trump's renewed threats against the European automotive industry further undermine the Turnberry deal

On May 1, the US president announced his intention to raise tariffs to 25% on European cars and trucks, once again highlighting the limitations of the trade agreement negotiated last summer between the United States and the European Union.

Marco Rubio to meet Pope Leo after Trump’s broadside against pontiff

US secretary of state’s two-day visit reportedly intended to thaw Washington’s frosty relations with Vatican and Italy The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will meet Pope Leo on Thursday, weeks after Donald Trump’s unprecedented broadside against the pontiff. Rubio will meet the first US-born pope privately in the Vatican’s apostolic palace at 11.30am (10.30 GMT), the Holy See’s press office confirmed on Monday after media reports on Sunday. Continue reading...

By Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Brazil’s Lula to travel to US to meet with Trump later this week

Media reports say the Brazilian president will meet with his US counterpart in the White House in the coming days.

Trump has a new Strait of Hormuz plan. The market isn’t buying it - CNN

Trump has a new Strait of Hormuz plan. The market isn’t buying it  CNN

Marco Rubio moonlights as wedding DJ before meeting with Pope Leo - The Times

Marco Rubio moonlights as wedding DJ before meeting with Pope Leo  The Times

Premarket: U.S. stock futures mixed as Middle East risks remain in focus - The Globe and Mail

Premarket: U.S. stock futures mixed as Middle East risks remain in focus  The Globe and Mail

Opaque nature of US-Iran shadow war: Are they 'dancing their way out of a minefield' toward a deal?

François Picard welcomes Peter Apps, Global Defence Commentator, who writes a bi-weekly column for Reuters on national security, conflict, international affairs, and technology. Rather than casting the current state of US–Iran tensions as a binary shift between war and peace, Apps outlines a more fluid and volatile reality, where ceasefire and escalation unfold simultaneously: “both (conflict and negotiations) will keep running.” At the heart of this crisis, the Strait of Hormuz emerges not o...

By François PICARD

US Apache and Seahawk helicopters sank half a dozen Iranian small boats while clearing out threats around the Strait of Hormuz

The US has created a path through the Strait of Hormuz for safe transit, a top commander said. US Navy photo US Apache and Seahawk helicopters sank six Iranian small boats threatening commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military has also fended off missile and drone attacks threatening the Navy and other vessels. A top commander said the US has created a defended path through the strait for safe travel. US AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters eliminated six Iranian smal...

Trump looking forward to China summit with Xi Jinping, as strains from Iran war loom

The two leaders are slated to meet May 14-15 in Beijing as they seek to navigate challenges on trade and other fronts

By Bloomberg News

Opinion - Arrests in massive human trafficking sting connected to Trump, Jan. 6

Senior IDF official: No change in home front rules despite Iran attack on UAE, Oman

"Our air defense systems and attack capabilities are prepared at a high level which is something which has not changed since the ceasefire decision," the IDF official said.

US says Rubio to discuss Mideast in Vatican visit

The State Department said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East, following criticism from US President Donald Trump over the pope’s stance on the war.

Rubio to meet Leo XIV, Meloni in 'relations thawing' mission

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 4 - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Rome this week on what has been described as a relations-thawing mission following President Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo XIV and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Trump has criticised Meloni, with whom he had had friendly relations, several times after she said it was unacceptable for him to have called the pope "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy" following American pontiff's criticism of the Uni...

By ANSA

Ship struck in Strait of Hormuz as Trump says US Navy would escort tankers - The National

Ship struck in Strait of Hormuz as Trump says US Navy would escort tankers  The National

Tanker hit by unknown projectiles in the Gulf coast: UKMTO issues warning - Gulf News

Tanker hit by unknown projectiles in the Gulf coast: UKMTO issues warning  Gulf News

Trump Renews Call For Israel To Pardon Teflon Bibi, The "Wartime Prime Minister"

Trump Renews Call For Israel To Pardon Teflon Bibi, The "Wartime Prime Minister" President Trump has renewed US pressure on some Israeli government decision-makers to grant a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he's still battling multiple corruption charges, at a moment he has ordered the armed forces to be engaged in several fronts, including in Lebanon.  Trump told the Israeli outlet Kan News on Sunday, "Tell your president to pardon Bibi. He's a wartime prime mini...

By Tyler Durden

Bond Market on Edge: Treasury Yields Spike, 30-Year to 5.03%, Mortgage Rates to 6.52%, as Gulf War Reheats

Which raises a question: How many more Fed rate cuts would it take in this inflationary era to drive the 30-year Treasury yield to 6%?

By Wolf Richter

Spain to deploy over 13,000 officers for Pope’s June visit

Spain will deploy over 13,000 officers for Pope Leo XIV’s visit in June, implementing top-level pope visit security to counter multiple potential threats. Read More: https://punchng.com/spain-to-deploy-over-13000-officers-for-popes-june-visit/

By Punch Newspapers

Rethinking the Persian Gulf’s role in deep time human history - Tehran Times

Rethinking the Persian Gulf’s role in deep time human history  Tehran Times

Pope Leo to meet US Secretary of State Rubio Thursday

Pope Leo XIV will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, the Vatican said Monday, just weeks after serious criticism of the pontiff by US President Donald Trump. The post Pope Leo to meet US Secretary of State Rubio Thursday appeared first on Vanguard News.

By Ayobami

Iran threatens US forces over Strait of Hormuz as Washington unveils escort plan - rudaw.net

Iran threatens US forces over Strait of Hormuz as Washington unveils escort plan  rudaw.net

President meets the Pope in the Vatican - Iceland Monitor

President meets the Pope in the Vatican  Iceland Monitor