Thursday morning news: May 7, 2026

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 Iran: peace talks update » President Trump says a deal to end the war in Iran could come within a week.

The White House sent a new peace proposal to Iran this week, and Trump told White House reporters on Wednesday: 

TRUMP: They wanna make a deal. We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal.

The proposal requires Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program, which Iranian leaders previously refused to do. But the president now says:

TRUMP: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won't. And they've agreed to that, among other things.

Teheran says it is still reviewing the U.S. proposal.

If a deal does come together, Trump's UN ambassador Mike Waltz says the U.S. won’t merely be taking Iran’s word for anything.

WALTZ: It's going to be inspect and verify. There will be no trust involved there in making sure another UN agency, the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, can get its inspectors in and inspect anytime, anywhere. 

The ceasefire was still holding on Wednesday, even as a US Navy fighter jet fired on and disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker—the latest vessel to defy the U.S. blockade.

Tehran is also pushing to charge tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz—a demand that Washington and London reject. Trump warned that without a deal, the bombing of Iran will resume even more intensely than before.

Lutnick testimony » Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced lawmakers Wednesday to answer questions about his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Lutnick spent nearly four hours behind closed doors with the House Oversight Committee.

Republican Chairman James Comer:

COMER: Right off the bat, he corrected his statement on the time that he, he came to the island.

Lutnick had previously claimed that he cut ties with Epstein in 2005. But he told the committee on Wednesday that he met Epstein three times—including in 2012 on Epstein's now-infamous island. Though Lutnick noted that he was there with his wife and kids.

The Epstein files document contact between the two through 2018.

Some Democrats called Lutnick evasive and demanded he resign.

Ukraine update » In Ukraine:

SOUND: [Kindergarten attack]

Firefighters doused flames as rescuers searched rubble for survivors after the latest Russian drone attack. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more:

BENJAMIN EICHER: The drone attack struck a kindergarten classroom in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, Wednesday.

Officials say at least two people were killed and seven people were injured. But no children were inside during the strike.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

EICHER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian attacks like these fly in the face of a unilateral ceasefire declared by Ukraine. He further promises that Ukraine will act in kind.

Meanwhile...an ominous warning from Moscow…

SPOKESPERSON: [Speaking Russian]

EICHER: ...this Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman is telling all diplomatic missions to evacuate staff from Kyiv...in the event of a future Russian mass strike against Ukraine's capital.

Moscow says that could come in response to alleged Ukrainian threats to disrupt weekend commemorations of Russia's World War II victory against Nazi Germany.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Rubio-pope meeting preview » Secretary of State Marco Rubio is at the Vatican today.

Rubio is sitting down with the first American-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, in Rome after weeks of friction between the White House and the Vatican.

President Trump this week responded to the pope’s criticism of the war in Iran, saying, "The pope would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Adding, “I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics.”

Secretary Rubio said Wednesday:

RUBIO: I think what the president basically said is that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics and Christians and others for that matter.

The secretary, who is himself a devout Catholic, will look to repair frayed ties between the White House and the Vatican. But the two leaders will also talk about religious freedom and persecution of Christians around the world.

Rubio on this trip also meets with Italy's prime minister tomorrow.

Ted Turner obituary » Ted Turner has died at the age of 87.

The Atlanta media mogul launched CNN in 1980. That was part of what would become a cable TV empire.

Turner merged that empire in the mid-90s with Time Warner, where he then served on the board. But things took a big turn years later when Time Warner merged with AOL.

In 2003 he told Mike Wallace with 60 Minutes:

TURNER:  It was very clear that, uh, that it was gonna go through, so I might as well have gone along with it and-

WALLACE: And it was a big mistake.

TURNER: It was. Absolutely.

He said he lost at least $7 billion dollars from that merger.

Turner was also a competitive boat racer, winning the America's Cup in 1977, and he owned the Atlanta Braves for two decades.

But the brash billionaire also stirred controversy with remarks, including comments insulting Christians and abortion opponents, though he often later apologized for such comments.

President Trump reacted to Turner’s death, calling him "one of the Greats of All Time."

I'm Kent Covignton.

And coming up: Christians mark the National Day of Prayer. Plus, Messianic Jews in Jerusalem on faith and tradition.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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