Thursday morning news: April 16, 2026

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Iran » Pakistan is working to bring Iran back to the bargaining table.

Pakistan’s army chief has arrived for meetings in Tehran in an effort to arrange a second round of peace talks between U.S. and Iranian leaders.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters:

LEAVITT:  We've remained very much engaged, uh, in these negotiation, in these talks. You heard from the vice president directly and the president this week. Um, that these conversations are productive and ongoing. Uh, and that's where we are right now.

Meantime, in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military is enforcing a blockade of shipping traffic in and out of Iran. Centcom posted audio of the broadcast warning sent from Navy ships …

AUDIO:  All vessels are advised to immediately return to port if leaving and discontinue transit to Iran. If that is your next quarter call, do not attempt to breach the blockade.

The Pentagon says no vessels have breached the blockade.

AUDIO:   If you do not comply with this blockade. We will use force the whole of the United States Navy is ready to force compliance.

President Trump said largely cutting off Iran’s commerce had drawn a strong response with Iran threatening to disrupt trade throughout the region.

TRUMP:  They reacted to this even I think we're, you know, we've obliterated them and this almost seems to be more of a reaction than we had before. So we'll see. I mean, look, it only matters, uh, the end result.

The president again, though, struck a cautiously optimistic tone, saying Iran wants to make a deal to end the war. The current temporary ceasefire expires in less than a week.

FISA » Congress is debating whether to extend a key part of a law that U.S. spy agencies and law enforcement heavily rely on for surveillance before its authorization expires on Monday. WORLD’s Mary Muncy reports.

MARY MUNCY: Agencies like the CIA and FBI are urging Congress to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — or FISA.

The section allows government agencies to spy on non-U.S. citizens outside of the United States without a warrant.

They argue that it's an invaluable tool giving them flexibility to detect and respond quickly to threats.

For example, the CIA says Section 702 allowed them to prevent a mass casualty event at a Taylor Swift concert.

But critics and privacy advocates note that the communications of Americans’ can sometimes be scooped up by accident. And courts have flagged compliance violations, even after 2024 reforms.

The current bill would extend Section 702 until October of next year.

For WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

Zelenskyy pursues more arms deals » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been on a European tour, meeting with leaders across the continent. But he wasn’t just drumming up support for Kyiv in its ongoing fight against Russia. He’s also touting Ukraine’s recently acquired knowledge of drone technology.

AUDIO: [Zelenskyy in Germany]

On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed Zelenskyy in Berlin...with full military honors.

AUDIO: [Zelenskyy in Norway]

From there it was onto Oslo where he met with the Norwegian prime minister.

And on Wednesday…

AUDIO: [Zelenskyy in Italy]

...the Ukrainian president met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.

MELONI: [Speaking Italian]

Speaking here...Meloni says supporting Ukraine is not just the right thing to do morally but also strategically with the security of Europe at stake.

Zelenskyy, while gathering assurances of financial support and weapons also agreed to share Ukraine's knowledge of drone technology with allies.

Roblox settlement » The popular kids' gaming platform Roblox will pay more than $12 million dollars to the state of Nevada and expand protections for young users.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford called it a first-of-its-kind agreement.

FORD: As our children connect online, we must be aware that there are those who would seek to harm them, who would prey upon them, and who must be kept as far away from them as possible.

Under the deal, Roblox will build on its existing protections — such as age verification and restrictions on chats between adults and minors and will expand parental oversight to children under 16.

Nearly half of all U.S. children under 16 use Roblox. The platform faces lawsuits in other states as well — though in this case, Roblox settled without litigation. Ford said the money will be used for “preventive programs” including offline clubs that pull kids away from screens.

Typhoon aftermath » Residents in U.S. territory are surveying the damage today after a super typhoon ripped through the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports:

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Super Typhoon Sinlaku is the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth this year. It pounded the islands with relentless rain and sustained winds approaching 150 miles per hour flipping cars and toppling utility poles.

So far, no deaths have been reported. But the power was out Wednesday across Saipan, home to about 45-thousand people and many roads are impassable.

FEMA says it's ramping up relief supply shipments and sending more personnel to the region.

The typhoon also battered Guam, site of several U.S. military bases, with tropical-force winds.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: A new report calls out selective federal prosecutions of pro-lifers. Plus, the AI schools promising personalized lesson plans and high test scores.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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