First Thing: US attacks Iran’s mine-laying boats in strait of Hormuz as tensions rise over oil | US news

Good morning.

The US military said it attacked and destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying ships near the Strait of Hormuz, following reports that Iran had begun planting explosives in the narrow waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Iran has placed several dozen mines in the strait in recent days and has the capacity to place hundreds more, CNN reported Tuesday, citing intelligence sources. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said this week that it would not allow “even a liter of oil” to leave the region if US-Israeli attacks continue.

The Tehran regime has weaponized the Strait of Hormuz, which is only 24 miles wide at its narrowest point, in response to US-Israeli attacks. Although Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf producers have built pipelines that can bypass the waterway, these routes carry only a small fraction of the region’s export capacity. Hundreds of tankers are waiting for the Revolutionary Guard to threaten to “set fire” to any ship using the trade route.

• What have we heard about Iran’s new religious leader? Mojtaba Khamenei is “safe and sound”, according to Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of the Iranian president. The comments come amid speculation about the religious leader’s health and whereabouts after he has not interacted with the public since succeeding his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, three days ago.

Low-wage Filipino workers captured in war against Iran

Thousands of low-wage Filipino workers are stranded in vulnerable positions in the Middle East after being caught up in the war in Iran.

There are 2.4 million Filipino people living in the Middle East, moving to earn higher wages and support their families. Many now find themselves under daily bombardment from drone and missile attacks.

Some workers are now considering whether to try to return home; They question whether the crisis will deepen further and how they will manage if their relatives, who rely on their salaries, return.

Trump’s choice for secretary of state was withdrawn after backlash over past “anti-Israel” rhetoric and racist rhetoric

Donald Trump’s nominee for the top diplomatic post has withdrawn after Republicans unanimously refused to support him because of his past remarks about race and the Jewish people.

Jeremy Carl, who has been nominated to serve as assistant secretary of state for international organizations, announced Tuesday that he is stepping aside in a rare setback for Trump in the Republican-controlled Senate, which has largely approved the president’s appointments.

• What comments had Carl made? During his confirmation hearing, senators questioned him for remarks that appeared to support the so-called grand conspiracy theory. Carl also admitted to making comments that minimized the impact of the Holocaust, calling those statements “absolutely false.”

In other news…

• Police are investigating whether there was a deadly fire on a bus in western SwitzerlandIt may have been set consciously. Six people died and five were injured in a bus fire in the small town of Kerzers on Tuesday.

• US House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to condemn Republican lawmakers who have recently made Islamophobic comments: He said he only talked to them about “our tone and message.”

• Republican and Democratic candidates are heading into a runoff in the race for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s House seat in Georgia. The poll is set for April 7.

• 35 years old Florida woman charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting into Rihanna’s home Sunday at Beverley Hills. Officials said no one was injured.

Status of the day: Wegovy users are five times more at risk of sudden vision loss than Ozempic users, according to research

A large study found that patients using Wegovy for weight loss had almost five times the risk of sudden vision loss compared to those using Ozempic. The study also found that men were three times more likely than women to develop non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NaION). The higher doses of Wegovy and the faster onset of injections may explain the higher risk, the authors said.

Actually: Why do divorced women change their wedding jewelry?

In recent years, women have been giving new life to their wedding rings after divorce and redesigning the bands as “divorce rings” to suit the new era they have entered. Some women even prefer “F-you rings” worn on the middle finger. “It’s a reaction against expectations, against norms, against the belief that a woman’s sole purpose is to be a man’s wife, not her own person,” said Marcie Bianco, author of Breaking Free: The Lie of Equality and the Feminist Fight for Freedom.

Don’t miss this: How Gen Z women are conquering country music.

Country radio remains male-dominated, but Young women overcome challenges to achieve great success in kind. Last week, Ella Langley and Megan Moroney became the first two women in country music to top Billboard across all genres. 200 and Hot 100 charts simultaneously. Their rise comes despite there being only one female artist on the current top 15 country streaming chart, said Leslie Fram, co-founder and managing director of FEMco, a Nashville-based creative consultancy. “Fans and streaming metrics speak louder than the gatekeepers.”

Climate control: Extreme heat now affects one in three people globally, research shows

A study has found that one in three people worldwide now live in areas where heat severely limits their activities. The report warns that rising temperatures caused by the continued burning of fossil fuels are making it difficult for even many young, healthy adults to do basic physical activities, such as housework or climbing stairs, during peak summer hours.

Last Thing: Michelangelo or bust? Experts were divided on the nature of the statue.

A marble bust depicting Christ the Redeemer on a little-known church northeast of Rome has attracted attention with the bold claim that it may have been made by Michelangelo. The church has received many visitors since independent researcher Valentina Salerno told a press conference last week that newly discovered documents linked the statue to the Renaissance master.

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