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At the same time, Israel and the U.S. continued to pound Tehran with airstrikes. One resident there told the Times that they felt, quote, hours and hours of explosions. Iran also stepped up its retaliation, launching a wave of drones and missiles at a military base in Saudi Arabia, injuring 12 American soldiers. It was one of the most serious breaches of U.S. air defenses since the war started. Are you considering still putting boots on the ground? And would you do that without going to Congress? I just have lines of alternates. We have tremendous numbers of ships over there. Also, as of this weekend, President Trump has new options if he decides to turn up the pressure on Iran. According to two U.S. military officials, several hundred special ops forces, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, have now arrived in the Middle East, joining thousands of recently deployed Marines and Army paratroopers. And on the energy front. I think out of a sign of respect, 20 boats. A big, big boats of oil. Trump said that Iran is going to let some oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz. He framed it as a sign that talks with Iran to end the war were underway and going well. It wasn't immediately clear who the ships belonged to or where they would be headed. Still, any oil or gas getting through would be a major development. Since Iranian forces all but cut off the crucial waterway, global energy prices have soared. The cost of oil has climbed over 50% compared to before the war. And in the U.S., gas prices are approaching an average of $4 a gallon. Now, more on an energy crisis in a different part of the world. For months, the U.S. has had an effective oil blockade on Cuba, as the Trump administration tries to force political and economic changes in the communist ruled country. It has cut the island off from fuel, upending everyday life there. I can tell you that the situation on the ground is quite dire. Jack Nickes covers Cuba for the times, and he says some of the most severe consequences so far have been to the country's healthcare system. The hospitals are canceling surgeries because many doctors and nurses can't commute to work. Many clinics are struggling to administer treatments like chemotherapy because of the power outages. Many ambulances are parked, pharmacies are largely empty. They've halted medicine production because many of the factories run on diesel. All of this together has really resulted in a significant worsening of healthcare in Cuba, which once was a triumph for the nation. And six separate doctors we spoke to said that those rapidly deteriorating conditions were already causing deaths that would otherwise be preventable. This weekend, the Times learned that the U.S. Coast Guard will allow one tanker full of oil to reach Cuba, buying the nation at least a few weeks before its reserves totally run out, according to analysts. The ship, which is owned by the Russian government, was already very close to the island as of last night. It's unclear why the White House is letting it through, though the decision avoids a potentially thorny confrontation with Russia in the waters just off the coast of Florida. In Washington, to catch you up quickly on the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, it is still shut down with no new funding. Just hours after Senate Republicans struck a deal with Democrats to fund everything at DHS, except ICE and Border Patrol, House Republicans angrily rejected that. That highlighted a major rift within the party, with hard-right Republicans in the House ripping on their counterparts in the Senate for what they consider caving to Democrats' demands. The stalemate has resulted in the exact situation many lawmakers have been trying to avoid. Congress is now scheduled to be off for Easter break. That means the partial shutdown will likely last until mid-April at least. The most visible consequence of the funding lapse, though, may get some relief as soon as today. TSA agents are set to get paychecks. After President Trump ordered DHS to find the funds to do it. Before this, hundreds of TSA officers had quit and absence rates spiked, causing hours-long security lines and people missing their flights. Amid the chaos, the White House deployed ICE agents to airports. Over the weekend, the administration said those deployments would continue for now. Also this weekend, protesters against the Trump administration gathered around the country for no-kings rallies. The organizers said 8 million people took part, one of the largest protests in recent history. The Times has not independently confirmed the numbers spread over thousands of protest sites. One of the largest gatherings took place outside the Minnesota State Capitol, where people turned out in part to protest the fatal shootings of Rene Good and Alex Pretty by federal agents in Minneapolis this year. Opposition to ICE and the administration's immigration crackdown remained a key part of the rallying cry at the protests. But there were also chances of end this war. At least in some places, the war in Iran seemed to be motivating many younger people to turn out. A 22-year-old organizer at a rally near the University of Iowa said the crowd there was a lot younger than at previous no-kings demonstrations, which she attributed in part to anger over the new conflict in the Middle East. The White House itself has mocked the nationwide protests. An administration spokeswoman said earlier that, quote, the only people who care about these Trump derangement therapy sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them. And finally, every year at a mass the night before Easter, the Roman Catholic Church welcomes new converts. This weekend in the U.S., there will be a surprising number of them. The Archdiocese of Detroit will have almost 1,500, most in two decades. The same trend is happening in Los Angeles and Phoenix, as well as smaller rural places like Gallup, New Mexico and Allentown, Pennsylvania. One cardinal told the Times that when a bunch of bishops got together at a conference recently, they were all asking each other, what's your number? What's your number? For quite a while, the broader Christian population in the U.S. had been declining. But a survey from Pew showed last year that it stabilized. As for why Catholicism in particular is calling to people, there are a lot of theories. Some converts told the Times they were feeling disconnected or lonely, and they thought the Church could help. Others said they were drawn in by Catholic podcast stars on social media. And then there's the fact that the new Pope is American. Still, what exactly is behind the surge has stumped even Church leadership. Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said, quote, Of course, we think the Holy Spirit is, but we are kind of stymied. Those are the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow. From regularly updating our tariffs to get you our best value, to smart tech that helps you take control of your energy future, we're here for whatever's next. Just one of the reasons why we're rated excellent on TrustPilot by our customers. Find out more about how we can help at yournext.com.
