The United States and Iran appear close to a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan's prime minister said Saturday that a deal was closer than ever before and expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, followed immediately by technical-level talks next week. U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal was “scheduled to get signed tomorrow,” and that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said no signing would occur Sunday but left the possibility open for the coming days.

The Trump administration has put up $750,000 to charter a private yacht to evacuate a single American citizen from a remote South Pacific island after she had been aboard a cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. 

President Donald Trump has issued a pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana who served nearly two years in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after he left office. Buyer sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for making those trades while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He maintains that he is innocent. Trump cited Buyer’s career as a judge advocate general in the Army and in the House that was “distinguished and highly productive.” Buyer says the pardon “corrects a politically motivated prosecution” and that it was “horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit.”

The U.S. military said it carried out another strike Saturday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men in the fourth attack this week and putting the total death toll at 205. U.S. Southern Command announced the strike with its usual language that the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and operated by a designated terrorist organization. It provided no evidence for the allegation. It’s the latest in a monthslong campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Video released by the military on social media shows a small vessel floating in the ocean before it’s hit and engulfed in a fireball.

Public demand and the increasingly outspoken calls from the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse have driven Congress to mostly set aside party politics in an effort to search for accountability. That search has even led to interviews with some of the highest-ranked officials to ever appear before a congressional investigation, including a former president. Yet lawmakers have little to show in terms of criminal culpability for Epstein’s crimes or a definitive acknowledgment of government failure. Lawmakers and survivors of his abuse are still grasping for a sense of finality. Some lawmakers say there should still be criminal investigations.

President Donald Trump says any agreement with Iran should include a requirement for several additional Muslim-majority countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to join the Abraham Accords. The U.S.-brokered accords, aimed at normalizing relations with Israel, were forged during Trump’s first term. In a social media post on Monday, Trump said negotiations are “proceeding nicely,” and he tied any eventual agreement to expanded participation in the agreements first signed in 2020. He pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should “immediately” sign on, followed by Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed.

Texas voters will pick a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in a primary runoff election on Tuesday. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was the top vote-getter in the March 3 primary, but strong showings by two GOP challengers forced the four-term incumbent to a head-to-head matchup with state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton placed second in the primary and received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Also on the ballot are primary runoffs in more than a dozen congressional districts, plus state contests for lieutenant governor, attorney general and others.