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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Good morning!
The Department of Justice is looking to move forward after the firing of the attorney general.
NICK EICHER, HOST: That’s ahead on Washington Wednesday, Hunter Baker is standing by.
Also today, World Tour: the face of Europe’s new right is facing a tough political challenge as Hungarians head to the polls
And later: A story of addiction, exploitation, and a family cycle that needed desperately to be broken.
VICTORIA: Those generational curses can be broken, they definitely can be broken through the power of Jesus Christ.
And WORLD commentator Janie B. Cheaney on the bad bet America is making on gambling.
MAST: It’s Wednesday, April 8th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio.
I’m Lindsay Mast.
EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!
MAST: Up next, Kent Covington has today’s news.
KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Iran » A potential dramatic reversal in the Iran war: President Trump last night announcing a two-week ceasefire just ahead of a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
He’s calling the agreement a “double-sided ceasefire,” with both the U.S. and Israel standing down while peace talks continue.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Tehran’s acceptance, saying Iran will allow commercial ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz provided strikes inside of Iran are halted.
Trump had threatened massive strikes against Iranian infrastructure if that did not happen.
And former State Dept anti-terror advisor Morgan Wright says that ticking clock may have been a powerful motivator.
WRIGHT: I think the other thing too is I think the Iranians realized is that we had more, we had more than bombs and bullets. We’ve got a complete cyber capability. The Israelis were inside their network tracking the Ayatollah, so I don’t think it was necessarily bombs and bullets. It might have been keyboards and mice, you know, mouse, to take out their infrastructure.
President Trump says all military objectives have been achieved in Iran and a long-term peace deal is within reach.
Intense last-minute diplomacy by Pakistan was reportedly key. Iran also handed Trump a 10-point peace proposal, which the president called a “workable basis on which to negotiate.”
Direct U.S.-Iran peace talks are now expected later this week in Islamabad.
Ahmad Sharawi is senior analyst with the Iran program at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He says a major key in those talks is whether Iran is willing to move off its maximalist demands. But for now:
SHARAWI: There should be a healthy degree of skepticism about whether Iran will fully adhere to its terms, especially when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz.
This marks the most significant pause in fighting since the war began six weeks ago.
Iranian missiles and drones » But that assumes that the fighting actually pauses.
In Israel last night:
SOUND: [Air raid sirens]
Air raid sirens sounded once more in Tel Aviv.
Iran fired a fresh wave of ballistic missiles at Israel just ten minutes after President Trump announced the ceasefire. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Iranian forces also launched drones and missiles toward U.S. military bases across the Middle East.
Israeli consulate attack » Earlier in the day in Istanbul.
SOUND: [Gunfire in Istanbul]
Authorities say three gunmen armed with rifles and pistols attacked police outside the Israeli consulate Tuesday. Eyewitnesses say the firefight lasted for more than 15 minutes. When it was over, one gunman was dead and the other two were wounded.
Israel had already withdrawn its diplomats from the consulate amid security concerns.
ERDOGAN: [Speaking Turkish]
In a speech Tuesday, Turkey’s president condemned the attack, calling it a heinous act of terror.
Artemis II update » Artemis II astronauts continue their trek home this morning after making history once again on Tuesday. The crew made the first ever radio call between a moonship and the International Space Station.
AUDIO: Integrity. This is the International Space Station. How do you hear?
Hey, International Space Station. And Jessica, we have you loud and clear.
The two spacecraft were more than 200-thousand miles apart.
The Artemis crew, of course, also made history on Monday, venturing deeper into space than humans had ever traveled.
The capsule is expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday.
Vance in Budapest » Vice President J.D. Vance is in Hungary today in a show of support for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of Sunday’s election.
WORLD’s Harrison Watters has more.
HARRISON WATTERS: The vice president says the eastern European nation remains a strong U.S. ally in Europe under Orbán. He also called out the European Union for pressuring social media platforms to flag possibly misleading or deepfake Hungarian posts.
VANCE: Why are bureaucrats in Brussels telling social media companies what information they are giving to Hungarian voters? I think the voters in Hungary are adults.
WATTERS: Vance’s visit comes after Orban endorsed President Trump in each of his presidential campaigns.
The prime minister has led Hungary for 16 years and is a vocal critic of the EU’s generous support for Ukraine against Russia. In February, Hungary vetoed a loan of more than $100 billion dollars to Ukraine and blocked sanctions on Russia that Orbán says
would hurt European taxpayers.
Hungary relies on Russia for about 90% of its oil.
Orban’s challenger in Sunday’s parliamentary election is Péter Magyar [peh-ter Mah-yar], a former loyalist who vows to steer Hungary back in line with the EU if his party wins.
Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.
Over 80 migrants are missing from a boat that capsized » More than 80 migrants are missing after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean. The vessel was carrying about 120 people when it left a coastal town in Libya Sunday, and overturned in rough weather.
A merchant vessel and a tugboat rescued 32 survivors.
The U.N. migration agency says 2026 is the deadliest start to a year for Mediterranean crossings in more than a decade, with nearly a thousand deaths recorded so far.
I’m Kent Covington.
Straight ahead: Hunter Baker is standing for Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.
This is The World and Everything in It.
LINDSAY MAST, HOST: It’s Wednesday, April 8th. Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Lindsay Mast.
NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.
Time now for Washington Wednesday!
Joining us is political scientist Hunter Baker. He is a WORLD Opinions Contributor and our Washington Wednesday regular. Good morning Hunter!
HUNTER BAKER: Good morning.
EICHER: Pam Bondi’s tenure as attorney general officially ended April 2nd. The New York Times reports that the day before, she rode with the president to the Supreme Court for oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case—making a final appeal for a more graceful exit. That effort, ultimately, fell short.
The president moved quickly—installing her deputy, Todd Blanche, as acting attorney general the same day. Bondi says she’ll remain through the end of the month to help with the transition before moving into the private sector.
So with that transition already underway, the questi
