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Top stories
Two commercial vessels were fired upon Wednesday morning in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after President Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire with Iran. The incidents have renewed skepticism about whether negotiations will hold. Mr. Trump extended the truce shortly before it was set to expire but did not specify its duration. Vice President Vance, who heads the U.S. delegation, remained in Washington instead of traveling to Islamabad as planned. NPR reports that Tehran continues to press an aggressive posture; one Iranian adviser wrote that the extension “means nothing” and accused the U.S. of using it to buy time for a possible surprise attack.
In Virginia, voters narrowly approved a ballot measure that allows the state legislature to draw a new congressional map. Analysts say the change could help Democrats pick up as many as four seats, potentially shifting Virginia’s delegation to 10 Democrats and 1 Republican. NPR’s Ashley Lopez notes that nationwide redistricting effects largely balance out or slightly favor Democrats: Democratic gains in California offset potential Republican pickups in Texas, while Virginia’s vote neutralized some GOP-leaning seats in states like North Carolina and Missouri. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called a special session aimed at creating more Republican-leaning districts. The redistricting battles follow last year’s push by former President Trump urging Texas to pursue more GOP seats; Democrats have responded with large, costly campaigns, including millions in ad spending and multiple special elections and sessions.
The Department of Justice has given many public entities extra time to make digital materials accessible under updated Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Large public institutions — public colleges, K–12 schools, local governments and other entities serving 50,000 or more people — now have until April 26, 2027, to comply; smaller covered organizations have until 2028. The DOJ said it “overestimated the capabilities” of covered entities to meet the original deadline. Disability-rights groups criticized the eleventh-hour delay.
Living better
Two recent court decisions found Meta and Google liable for endangering children with their products; both companies are appealing. At the California trial, one attorney likened social apps to “digital casinos.” Cultural anthropologist Natasha Dow Schüll’s research on video slot machines identifies four features that make gambling devices — and, by analogy, some apps — highly engaging and potentially addictive:
– Solitude: A one-to-machine relationship removes social cues that normally signal it’s time to stop, and children using screens alone are at higher risk of problematic use.
– Bottomlessness: Endless, auto-playing content eliminates natural stopping points.
– Speed: Faster pacing increases engagement; rapid scrolling and quick content delivery on apps have a similar effect.
– Teasing: Algorithms often deliver content that’s near what a user wants but withholds the perfect match, prompting continued searching.
Behind the story
By Nick Schönfeld, freelance journalist. Few people have heard of Tristan da Cunha, and even fewer have visited. Long described as the world’s most remote inhabited island in the mid–South Atlantic, Tristan often inspires fantasies of escape, pristine nature and freedom from modern life. But the island is not a romanticized isolation — it’s a working, cooperative community. Over sixteen months of reporting and photography, the feature chronicles daily life: fishermen at dawn, families processing food, road crews clearing landslides, pensioners working night shifts at the lobster factory and the everyday labor that sustains the island. The immersive package aims to show Tristan’s history, its isolation and the real rhythms of life there.
3 things to know before you go
1) World Cup travel costs go well beyond match tickets: traveling to Northeastern venues, especially Boston and New York, can be expensive; WBUR breaks down expenses from parking to transit.
2) Fans gathered at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios to mark the 10th anniversary of his accidental fentanyl overdose.
3) The American Library Association’s annual list of most-challenged books reports that 31% of library challenges now come from elected officials.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.