Energy Secretary Chris Wright was on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream to talk about the situation with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump is negotiating with Iran, hoping to work out a deal. He has said he will use overwhelming military force if they refuse to cut a deal.

“The President has said this morning that if Iran does not reopen the strait, come to the table, sign this deal, that he is going to wipe out every power plant and every bridge in Iran. What do you make of the situation where we are right now?” Bream asked.

“I think things are actually going quite well for the United States. I think we are not too far away from a deal, but of course, these are the dying gasps of a desperate regime. It’s for decades pursued a nuclear weapon, and they see that effort is going to come to an end,” Wright commented.

“It sounds very much like they are still in control of the strait. Accurate?” Bream asked.

“Well, they have missiles that can threat travel through the strait, and people don’t want to take risks. I think everyone understands this situation will be cleared out for good. Why risk an encounter a few days early?” Wright explained.

“How do you quell those fears that the industry is going to continue to have over actually getting ships moving again, which will actually change the global impacts of what is happening with oil and gas?” Bream asked.

“That will take time, but probably not too much time. There are negotiations with the Iranians going on despite what you hear in the chatter in public. I think those are actually going well,” Wright said.

“I think before long, you’ll see an agreement that achieves the United States end, puts an end to the 47 years of terrorism launched from Iran, and probably launches Iran on a better trajectory for its own people as well,” Wright continued.

“When the President talks about blowing up every power plant, every bridge, how does that complicate things for if the people do have an opportunity to rebuild there and how far it sets back some kind of a recovery for the country?” Bream asked.

Secretary Wright had an optimistic end to the conflict, especially since President Trump is a skilled negotiator.

“The President is using every way he can to get leverage over the regime to bring this conflict to an end. He is a creative negotiator. He uses pressure in different ways. He uses uncertainty in different ways,” Wright said.

“I think that as you have seen over the last 16 months that generally leads to good results. I don’t think we will see any surprises here. I think we will have a nice end to this conflict,” Wright explained.

Watch:

WATCH: @SecretaryWright confirms the Energy Department is looking into mystery surrounding scientists missing or dead, “haven’t found anything alarming yet.” pic.twitter.com/q4LKRIb8f7

— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) April 19, 2026

The post Energy Secretary Chris Wright Weighs in On Strait of Hormuz and Iran – “The President is Using Every Way He Can to Get Leverage Over the Regime to Bring This Conflict to an End” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

“God is so good to us,” said Ku Ro-beh, explaining how grateful he and the other inhabitants of the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp were to be able to hold even a modest Easter celebration without being killed. “We worried about airstrikes, but God protected us.”

This year, following the sham elections in which the military junta leader installed himself as the country’s new president, the Myanmar junta has continued its offensive, killing and displacing civilians across the country. Beyond losing loved ones and sometimes their limbs, civilians are forced to flee, adding to the more than 3.7 million people already displaced within the country. Fleeing to the jungle means farmers lose their fields, crops, and animals.

The World Food Programme warned that more than 12 million people in Myanmar will face acute hunger in 2026, with a projected one million reaching emergency levels requiring immediate assistance. More than 400,000 young children and mothers suffering from acute malnutrition are surviving on nutrient-deprived diets. Children lose access to education. For the religious, whether Buddhist or Christian, it often means losing access to temples, churches, and holy sites during times of observance.

Since Easter 2026, the junta has carried out airstrikes across multiple regions. On April 9, six people, including two children, were killed in an assault in Chin State. On April 13, the military conducted airstrikes and drone attacks in Kachin State. A wave of forced recruits sent to attack on foot was repulsed with heavy casualties. This marks another tragedy in the war: the forced recruitment of both males and females. In some cases, ethnic boys as young as twelve have been forced into the junta’s army and then tasked with killing their own people.

Also on April 13, airstrikes hit a monastery in Sagaing Region, killing two novice monks and injuring eight others, with no active fighting and no resistance forces present. A separate airstrike on a monastic school in Sagaing killed at least five people, including three novice monks, and injured nine others. The attacks involved jet fighters, Mi-35 combat helicopters, paramotors, drones, and Y-12 aircraft targeting civilians.

The following day, junta troops dumped the bodies of four civilians bearing signs of torture in Kachin State, and troops burned five villages in Mandalay Region in a single day. A military jet destroyed a building at Mutraw Junior College in Karen State, a school that had already relocated twice due to ongoing attacks. Airstrikes on resistance-held territory in Sagaing continued throughout the Thingyan holidays, the Burmese New Year, killing at least one civilian, a 14-year-old girl.

Amid the ongoing attacks on civilians across the country, residents of some IDP camps in Karenni State had to delay their Easter celebration until a priest was able to visit. The displaced Catholics are separated from their parishes, and each priest is now responsible for a large number of camps, forcing them to travel through the jungle from camp to camp to hold Mass at each one in turn.

Ku Ro-beh, who was displaced with his wife and children four years ago, works as an administrator in a large IDP camp with a population that peaked at around 9,000 people. He explained how, despite the threat of war and lack of resources, he and other community leaders organized an Easter celebration for the camp.

Just a few years ago, the church in the camp had been hit by an airstrike, and since then people have been careful not to gather in large crowds that could be seen from the air. Another challenge was timing. The Easter celebration had to be held a week late because the priest was tied up in other camps.

Because there is no way for displaced people to work, there is very little cash available in the camps. In fact, most camps do not even receive regular rations or aid distributions because both the UN and international NGOs refuse to provide aid inside the conflict zone. Instead, the camps depend on resistance governments, which have almost no tax revenue. They also receive a small amount of support either through family connections abroad or through the Church.

There used to be support from other parts of Burma, but those transfers are closely monitored and prohibited by the junta. A further problem is that after five years of civil war, there is severe donor fatigue, particularly as the economy in the rest of the country has steadily worsened. As a result, the small number of donors from other parts of Burma are themselves facing shortages of everything, including food.

Ku Ro-beh explained that some money was sent through private donations for the Easter celebration. “We prayed,” he said, and in the end they had about $800. “This is the most money we have ever had for a celebration.” The previous year, they managed a loaves-and-fishes miracle, hosting a Christmas dinner with a budget of $500. “The priest came and we had Mass.”

They also managed to purchase three pigs and two 20 kg baskets of fish. “But for security reasons, we did not make other plans like activities and songs.” They celebrated Mass and ate lunch together. Everyone in the camp was invited, and they wound up feeding about 500 people, about 300 of whom were Catholic, while the rest were Baptist, Buddhist, or animist.

“We all felt very happy,” said Ku Ro-beh. “This Easter celebration was very important for us because Easter is the most important day for Catholic Christians. For me, I feel God is always with us, even though we suffer this long war.” He concluded, “Listening to God’s words, joining the Mass, and trusting in Him comforted me greatly.”

The post Burma War: Easter Celebration Delayed for Internally Displaced appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The high stakes confrontation over control of the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and the Islamist Iranian regime took another step up the escalation ladder Sunday with the U.S. seizing an in-bound Iranian flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to run the blockade established last week by President Donald Trump following a short term ceasefire agreement in order to pressure the regime into agreeing to Trump’s terms for peace.

Trump said in a Truth Social post Sunday that the Navy stopped the ship by “blowing a hole in the engine room” and that Marines were in control of the ship.

The seizure comes a day after Iran fired on ships trying to exit through the Strait of Hormuz.

In recent days, the Iranian regime has sent conflicting signals on whether the Strait is open. The Iranian foreign minister declared the strait open on Friday, but the IRGC declared the strait closed on Saturday. The U.S. blockade applies only to ships entering and leaving Iranian ports.

Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were scheduled to resume in Pakistan this week. Iran said on Sunday that it would not send a delegation, while the U.S. went back and forth on whether Vice President JD Vance would once again head the U.S. delegation. The two-week ceasefire agreement expires Tuesday (or Wednesday). A report by a Saudi journalist says a delegation from Iran arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sunday. Pakistan’s prime minister confirmed the delegation’s departure in a post on X.

Trump announced the seizure of the Iranian cargo ship in a post to Truth Social.”

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them. The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Tanker Tracker reported the seized cargo ship was bound from Malaysia, noting an empty Iranian ship was allowed to pass through the blockade: “Iranian-flagged container ship TOUSKA (9328900) departed Port Klang, Malaysia, laden with cargo according to her AIS-reported draft depth. She passed the US Navy blockade line and was intercepted. Meanwhile, we spotted an empty Iranian-flagged VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) enter successfully.”

Iranian-flagged container ship TOUSKA (9328900) departed Port Klang, Malaysia laden with cargo according to her AIS-reported draft depth. She passed the US Navy blockade line and was intercepted. Meanwhile, we spotted an empty Iranian-flagged VLCC enter successfully. #OOTT https://t.co/iYZgXbZKlo pic.twitter.com/ScJU6KMYaU

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 19, 2026

Earlier Sunday, Trump posted about the Iranian regime firing on ships in the strait:

Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it. They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be “the tough guy!” We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Al Jazeera reported that an Iranian semi-official media outlet, Mehr, claimed the regime stopped the U.S. from seizing a ship, but did not give the ship’s name. The report seems to indicate a different ship that was attempting to leave Iran (excerpt):

“American terrorist forces deployed to the waters surrounding the Sea of Oman and opened fire on an Iranian merchant ship to force it to return to Iranian territorial waters”, the statement reads. However, with the timely presence and rapid response of the IRGC naval units in support of the Iranian ship, the Americans were forced to retreat and flee the area”, it continued.

UPDATE: The Department of War posted a statement and video:

U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, April 19.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.

After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.

American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance. Since the blockade’s commencement, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port.

U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, April 19.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at… https://t.co/iyzOQd93C3 pic.twitter.com/HwU4XS48Oq

— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 19, 2026

The post US Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship Trying to Run Strait of Hormuz Blockade; Trump Says Navy Stopped Ship by ‘Blowing a Hole in the Engine Room’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Sociology will host Alex Hanna, a transgender activist and AI researcher, as its Commencement speaker, according to a report from Campus Reform.

According to the department’s announcement, Hanna’s work as the director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute focuses on how AI technologies “exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality through their data practices and effects on labor.”

This is sadly typical for Berkeley, which consistently promotes DEI and Cultural Marxism.

This speaker calls himself transgender despite the fact that he is a biological male.

“In 2021, Hanna co-founded the “Alex and Demiana Hanna Pride Scholarship” at the University of Wisconsin at Madison Department of Sociology for active “LGBTQ” advocates.”

“The scholarship awards $2,000 to a sociology major who is actively committed to and engaged in activities that advocate for and support the LGBTQ community.”

In other words, this is pure DEI, something which is un-American and unpopular.

The commencement speakers website says “Hanna has previously taught courses at UC Berkeley, including “Data, Power, and Infrastructure” in 2023.”

Among the absurd courses he taught were “the surveillance of Blackness and the carceral logics of technology” and “administrative violence and trans and gender non-conforming identities.”

This is pure leftist indoctrination, and something the American public has repeatedly rejected. This is racism and Cultural Marxism.

“Hanna is also a senior fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies, a think tank that combines “academic rigor and activist passion to put scholarship into practice.”

“The Florida Department of Education changed its sociology framework in March to prohibit courses from teaching that “systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States.”

Clearly, Berkeley wishes to remain a leftist center of cultural Marxist propaganda.

This school has an agenda in choosing this speaker, and that agenda is not education.

The post DEI? UC Berkeley Sociology Department Chooses Transgender Activist As Commencement Speaker appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

‘Rocket Man’ Kim Jong Un keeps shot ballistic missiles into the sea of Japan.

Pyongyang is taking full advantage of the Iran and Ukraine wars to speed up their military technological developments.

With the eyes of the world busy elsewhere, North Korea again tested ballistic missiles today (19), accelerating its launches amid rumors of possible meetings with the US and South Korea.

JUST IN: North Korea launches “unidentified ballistic missile” eastward into the Sea of Japan.

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) April 18, 2026

North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles in latest weapons tests
https://t.co/oinEk7marS pic.twitter.com/KgvBqYjfiz

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) April 19, 2026

ABC News reported:

“Pyongyang’s intense missile activity – this was the fourth such launch this month and the seventh of the year – is meant to display its self-defense capabilities while gaining international leverage, some experts said.

‘The missile launches may be a way of showing that – unlike Iran – [they] have self-defense capabilities’, said South Korean former presidential security adviser Kim Ki-jung. ‘The North also appears to be exerting pressure preemptively and [making] a show of force before engaging in dialogue with the United States and South Korea’, he said.”

“U.S. President Donald Trump, preparing for a summit in China next month, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have repeatedly expressed interest in holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. There are no publicly known plans for any meetings.

[…] Sunday’s missiles were fired from near the city of Sinpo on North Korea’s east coast toward the sea around 6:10 a.m. (2110 GMT on Saturday) and flew about 140 km (90 miles), South Korea’s military said in a statement.”

Read more:

North Korea Says It Just Tested Cluster-Bomb Warheads for Ballistic Missiles and an Electromagnetic Weapon

The post North Korea Ramps Up Ballistic Missile Tests With FOURTH Series of Launches Just This Month appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.