A tentative ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is staggering under pressure from multiple fronts as the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted and Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 182 people.

The U.S. and Iran are set to meet in Pakistan this Saturday for talks, with Vice President JD Vance leading the U.S. negotiating team. Pakistan is serving as the key moderator. Ironing out the details of the ceasefire is expected to be the first item on the agenda during peace talks this weekend before any longer-term peace agreement is considered.

Iran's parliament speaker called the ceasefire with the U.S. unreasonable, accusing the U.S. of violating three of Tehran's 10 conditions for ending the fighting.

RELATED STORY | US, Iran agree to two-week ceasefire that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Iran appears to have mined the Strait of Hormuz, evidenced by a released chart indicating a "danger zone."

The U.S. has not launched any offensive strikes since Tuesday night when the deal was announced, and Iran has not launched any major strikes in the last 24 hours. However, core countries involved disagree on key elements, including the attacks in Lebanon and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance addressed the disagreements while returning to the U.S. from a trip to Hungary, noting that if the parties cannot agree on those elements, there will be a problem.

"The deal is a ceasefire, a negotiation," Vance said. "That's what we give and what they give is the straits are going to be reopened. If we don't see that happening, the president is not going to abide by our terms if the Iranians are not abiding by their terms."

President Donald Trump posted overnight on Truth Social that U.S. military assets will remain in the region while talks continue. Trump stated that ships, aircraft, military personnel, ammunition, and weaponry will remain in place in and around Iran until a "real agreement" is fully complied with. He added that if attacks resume, they would be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before, but stressed there would be no nuclear weapons.

Trump also reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be open and safe. While the White House said yesterday that more ships were getting through, international maritime tracking agencies disagree. The agencies showed no increase in ships moving through the strait yesterday, with only a handful getting through compared to the usual dozens on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts continue in Beirut after Israeli strikes hit busy commercial and residential areas without warning. The attacks killed at least 182 people, making it the deadliest day in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The strikes came hours after the ceasefire with Iran was announced. Trump said Lebanon was not included in that deal.

Israel's military called it their largest coordinated strike of the current war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israel is not going to stop attacks in Lebanon.

RELATED STORY | Vance to travel to Pakistan for peace talks amid fragile Iran ceasefire

In Iran, thousands of mourners took to the streets of Tehran earlier today to mark the 40th day following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In Washington, Congress is currently on a two-week spring break, but Democrats are expressing dissatisfaction with the president's actions and are seeking to rein in his military power. This follows weekend posts from the president that included profanity and a threat that an entire civilization will die.

House Democrats plan to try to force a war powers resolution through unanimous consent today during a pro forma session. The effort requires unanimous consent, meaning it only takes one of the 435 members to block it.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Senate Democrats are expected to try to push through a war powers resolution vote next week. The bill is likely subject to a 60-vote threshold, requiring Republican support that currently appears unlikely.

The ongoing conflict continues to impact gas prices. Oil prices went down yesterday, which experts attributed to optimism following the ceasefire announcement. However, experts say ceasefire talk is not enough to bring down prices at the pump until dozens of ships are seen going through the Strait of Hormuz daily.

If the strait reopens and international trading levels drop, gas prices could decrease by five or 10 cents per gallon per week. Prices are unlikely to return to levels seen six weeks ago before the war began due to the transition to more expensive summer gas and increased travel demand.

More American consumers are taking on personal loans, with one in three or 38 percent now holding one and the average balance topping $19,000, according to new data from Experian.

The data shows a growing trend over the past decade. While the number of people taking out personal loans has jumped, the delinquency rate for these loans has stayed steady over the past two years at just around four percent.

RELATED STORY | Six in 10 parents in debt just to support their kids, survey finds

Higher prices for everyday expenses are pushing people to borrow more, and many consumers feel their wages are not keeping up. Four in 10 consumers say they are more likely to get a personal loan this year due to economic conditions over the last 12 months.

Many Americans are borrowing just to keep up, according to economics professor Michael Snipe.

"Whenever you see a spike in loans, that's an indication that consumers are struggling," Snipe said.

"That's an indication that there's a gap between their wages and their income and their spending," Snipe said.

"If wages aren't going up, that's gonna have to get made up in taking on debt," Snipe said.

Despite the economic circumstances, personal loans can often be a smart financial tool, according to personal finance expert Erica Sandberg.

"Personal loans are very positive under certain circumstances. They're a great strategy to get out of debt, but also to pay for things in an installment type of arrangement," Sandberg said.

RELATED STORY | Auto loan delinquencies on the rise: Here's what that means for the economy

One of the most common uses is consolidating debt, which includes paying off credit cards. Credit card interest rates can top 20 percent.

Miranda Valencia is a mother of six who has struggled with credit card debt in the past and consolidated her debt to pay it off.

"Such high interest rates, youre never able to get on top of payments, because youre just making the minimum payment," Valencia said.

"It's often much higher than 20 percent, 24 percent, 26 percent higher. Whereas a personal loan tends to be much, you know, a much lower rate. So you're having a big difference right there. So it's a lot less expensive," Sandberg said.

The lower rate paired with fixed monthly payments can make it easier for borrowers to dig out of debt. But there are risks, too.

"These are not something that you would take on lightly. It needs to be part of an overall personal finance strategy," Sandberg said.

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is on day 46, and while TSA agents are now getting paid thanks to President Trump's executive order, there are 15 other agencies that fall under the Department of Homeland Security, which employs about 260,000 people.

These include Citizen and Immigration Services, FEMA, the Secret Service, CISA, which is the lead cybersecurity agency for the U.S., and the U.S. Coast Guard, the only branch of the military to be funded by DHS.

Now Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, the official relief organization for the Coast Guard, is stepping in to help civilian employees survive this funding gap.

"They're happy that these TSA agents who are on the front lines of keeping our nation safe every day are getting paid," said Donnie Brzuska, communications officer for CGMA. "However, I would say they feel forgotten. That really starts to wear on you, especially as you've gone 6 weeks without a paycheck, and you feel like nobody has heard your story. Nobody knows the challenges that you're facing. And again, that just reduces your focus on the mission."

RELATED NEWS | Airport bottlenecks ease as TSA workers get paid, but shutdown continues

During this shutdown, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance has received over 600 requests for help, totaling over $1.8 million.

Active duty Coast Guard members are still getting paid on the 1st and the 15th of every month, but even active duty Coast Guard has some uncertainty around those paychecks because the money is not coming from regular appropriations.

During the fall 2025 shutdown, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the One Big Beautiful Bill would be used to pay active duty Coast Guard members. It's unclear if that same authority is being used now.

Scripps News has confirmed that active duty Coast Guard members did receive their paycheck on Wednesday, but for the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, there's a lot of uncertainty about when their next paycheck might come.

MORE ON THE SHUTDOWN | Trump directs DHS to 'immediately pay' TSA agents impacted by government shutdown

The most visual impact of the partial government shutdown remains the slowdowns at airports and long lines for TSA checkpoints.

Those TSA agents, as well as other DHS officials, have already missed a partial paycheck and a full paycheck. Growing numbers of TSA officials are calling in sick and not showing up to work.

At George W Bush Airport in Houston and Atlanta's airport on Thursday, 38% of TSA agents called out sick.

Here are tips for managing your travel during the slowdown:

Check security wait time conditions at your local airport early and often If you are stuck in a long TSA lines, ask for an estimated wait time If you're worried about missing your flight, call your airline while you're still waiting in the TSA line

RELATED NEWS | TSA warns some small US airports could close amid shutdown

The funding gap for the Department of Homeland Security is now hitting five weeks. And while Democrats and Republicans and the white House are continuing to discuss and negotiate, it does not appear that they are close to a deal.

Democrats, Republicans and a white House officials sat down behind closed doors Thursday to continue to negotiate possible changes to immigration enforcement.

Republicans coming out of that meeting said there were good faith discussions happening and both sides are really trying to work together. But it's unclear what the points of contention are and where they still disagree.

One Democrat coming out of that meeting said the two sides are still very far apart.

The Senate is expected to work through the weekend, and talks about DHS funding can presumably continue during that time. We are also going to be looking ahead to the first potential Senate floor vote for DHS Secretary nominee, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, next week.

One year after Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, industries see mixed results and higher consumer costs

While many of President Trumps most sweeping tariffs were recently struck down by the Supreme Court, the ones levied against steel and aluminum remain intact. One year later, the tariffs continue to impact the industry and the businesses that rely on it.

Trump initially imposed a 25% tariff on foreign aluminum, copper, lumber, and steel, later doubling the rate for steel and aluminum.

"I have also imposed a 25-percent tariff on foreign aluminum, copper, lumber, and steel," Trump previously said.

"Were going to bring it from 25 percent to 50 percent," Trump later added.

RELATED STORY | Trump increases tariffs on steel and aluminum, which will likely increase consumer prices

Many in the industry say the higher tariffs have helped them by driving up the price of foreign-made metals and pushing manufacturers to buy domestically.

Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute, noted the benefits to domestic producers.

"The impact has been very positive for the industry. We've seen imports of steel decline," Dempsey said.

"Those imports have gone down about 12.5% over last year, and that's allowed the U.S. industry to increase production and increase sales of domestically produced steel," Dempsey said.

Steel shipments were up nearly 5% last year compared to 2024.

But for many businesses and consumers that use steel and aluminum, the tariffs have meant higher costs. In many cases, that is being passed on to consumers.

Scott Breen, president of the Can Manufacturers Institute, which represents can makers and their suppliers, pointed out challenges predicted by many economists. Tariffs can help domestic producers, but they drive up costs for industries and consumers who need those materials.

"These tariffs on aluminum and steel have added a significant cost that can makers, farmers, food producers, consumers need to absorb," Breen said.

According to the latest Producer Price Index report released Wednesday, the price of domestic steel mill products was up more than 20% from a year ago, and aluminum was up nearly 40%.

RELATED STORY | Trump says inflation is 'defeated' and the Fed has cut rates, yet prices remain too high for many

"Unfortunately, with these tariffs, it's a cost that has to be absorbed, and it gets passed along the value chain, oftentimes ultimately to that consumer," Breen said.

Despite soaring material costs, the price of a new car has gone up just about 2% from a year ago, according to Cox Automotive. That adds about $1,000 to the sticker price.

There are two reasons for this: parts like steel and aluminum are just a small part of what goes into a car, and some automakers said they will absorb some of the price increases instead of passing them onto consumers.

25 days into a partial government shutdown, Americans are dealing with delays at major airports as TSA workers, required to work without pay, are now failing to show up to work. And that has led to long lines in Houston and New Orleans.

Democrats and Republicans both expressed concerns Tuesday about the fact that the country is actively at war while the Department of Homeland Security is not fully funded.

But there is still not a clear path towards what a compromise might look like.

Republicans said Tuesday that they are ready and willing to sit down and negotiate, saying they put down an offer to Democrats 12 days ago that they say hasn't been responded to.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected the idea that Democrats aren't responding to offers from Republicans, saying that Democrats are in constant communication with the White House. Sen. Schumer put the blame on the White House for not being willing to budge on the issues of funding ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans are still very far apart on that issue. But he said Democrats don't want to hold the rest of the agency and the rest of DHS' funding up just because they disagree about those two departments.

"It is the Republicans that are blocking the reopening of these critical agencies. It is true that we are still far apart on the question of ICE. It is also true that there is no reason at all to hold TSA, the Coast Guard or FEMA hostage while our negotiations continue," Sen. Schatz said.

"Obviously, cybersecurity falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, border security, you go right down the list. FEMA. These are agencies that have a profound impact on the safety and security of the American people and the Democrats have opted to, in the most cynical way, play politics," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Sen. Thune has planned a procedural vote on another bill to fund DHS for later this week. But it's not clear that Democrats and Republicans are any closer to actually striking a deal that would allow that procedural vote to be successful.

RELATED NEWS | TSA shortages snarl airports as government shutdown stretches into Spring Break

Meanwhile, Democrats are vowing to shut down the Senate over the war in Iran.

They say they are not satisfied with answers they received Tuesday from the executive branch during a classified briefing on the war.

"What was unsatisfactory was the lack of answers and certainly credible answers that we deserve and more important the American people deserve," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). "There seem to be more questions than answers and a total lack of clarity, after a week of war, about why seven Americans have died in the service of this country."

Senate Democrats have not yet detailed exactly what a blockade of Senate business might entail.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently changed how it analyzes raw data in its monthly jobs report, updating a formula known as the "birth-death model" starting in January.

The birth-death model is designed to estimate jobs created by new businesses and jobs lost when companies close before those changes show up in official records.

"In order to get the data out quickly, they make assumptions about the pace at which new businesses are being formed, births, and new businesses that are actually failing, deaths," Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG U.S., said.

RELATED STORY | Bureau of Labor Statistics issues first inflation report after Trump fires its leader

Because new job gains and losses aren't immediately measured, the monthly report relies on estimates and that's why the government makes revisions months after the numbers are originally reported.

The new formula for the birth-death model is designed to limit that.

"What it's doing is assuming a much lower rate of new firm births and a higher rate of new firm deaths because that's what actually happened," Swonk said.

That should lead to more accurate figures and less drastic revisions, according to John Stewart, a supervisory economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"It should lower the error in our monthly estimates of the over the month change, such that our annual revisions will become smaller," Stewart said.

But data experts like Eric Pachman, a data analyst and founder of Data 4 the People, say the monthly report is still far from perfect.

"This is a model. Non-farm payroll is a model. All models have error," Pachman said.

"It's good, but it's not perfect," Pachman added.

RELATED STORY | BLS revises job numbers after overcounting 911,000 positions

Ultimately, economists say the monthly data should be looked at as a likely baseline but not as the definitive bottom line.

"The goal is to get, as you know, accurate as possible, as timely as possible. But in some cases, we find when the world shifts dramatically and we're standing on fault lines a lot these days, that ends up sort of wreaking havoc on some of the data and some of revisions," Swonk said.

The February jobs report comes out Friday morning. In January, it showed the U.S. added 130,000 jobs. Economists are expecting about 60,000 jobs were added in February, according to a Bloomberg survey.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees continue to work without pay during an ongoing partial government shutdown, as lawmakers remain at a stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

About 61,000 Transportation Security Administration employees clocked into work this week not knowing when they'll get paid due to the shutdown. They're one of several agencies affected, which include FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service and parts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Many TSA employees are still feeling the impacts from the last government shutdown. In a congressional hearing on February 11, Acting TSA Director Ha Nguyen McNiel told Congress the agency lost over 1,000 agents in October and November last year many of them attributing their departure to the 43-day government shutdown.

Many were subject to late fees for missed bill payments, eviction notices, loss of childcare, and more, said McNiel. Some are just now recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it.

TSA is focusing on surge staffing as big events like the World Cup come to the United States. But with yet another shutdown, those efforts could be severely impacted.

Because of a 2019 bill signed into law during President Trump's first administration... furloughed and essential employees, like TSA agents, will receive backpay once Congress approves a budget for DHS. But a delayed paycheck can still put families in a tough financial position when their bills keep coming in.

RELATED STORY | Immigrant claims violent ICE arrest; judge rules detention unlawful

Democrats and Republicans have been unable to compromise on DHS funding, with Democratic lawmakers calling for changes to immigration enforcement across the United States.

Their proposals include a ban on face masks worn by federal immigration officials, requiring judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, mandating body cameras on all agents, and establishing a standard uniform with a badge, identification number and last name prominently displayed.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday that Democrats also dont want to see law abiding immigrants being swept up as part of the Trump administrations crackdown on illegal immigration. Republicans have not agreed to all of the proposals, leaving DHS funding unresolved.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Judge block ICE, DHS from using taxpayer data for immigration enforcement

While immigration enforcement has been central to the dispute, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection arent expected to be affected as much by the shutdown as they received billions of dollars in funding through President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law last year.

Meanwhile, the shutdown is likely to continue for now, as Congress is recessed until next week.

Executives from Waymo and Tesla faced questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday amid scrutiny over their self-driving car technology.

Currently, there is a state-by-state patchwork of safety regulations on autonomous vehicles. But Congress is seeking to move forward with legislation that would create national regulations for self-driving cars, which have increased their presence in major U.S. cities in recent years.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Waymo driverless taxi kills beloved bodega cat, KitKat, in San Francisco

Members of the Senate Commerce Committee expressed a bipartisan desire for federal action to regulate the industry, saying current laws have not kept pace with technological advancements. Meanwhile, Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy sought to highlight the benefits of autonomous vehicles, including reducing drunken or distracted driving and reducing traffic deaths.

"I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that the next big jump we have in reducing the number from 40,000 [traffic deaths a year] to hopefully a day where it's zero is autonomous driving," Moravy said. "Simply put, an autonomous driver the system, the computer that operates it doesn't sleep, doesn't blink and doesn't get tired."

RELATED STORY | First driverless semi trucks have started running regular routes in Texas, company says

Lawmakers acknowledged the promise of self-driving cars but also stressed that safety improvements are needed. They also discussed questions of liability whether it should fall on a driver or manufacturer in the event of a crash.

Officials for Waymo and Tesla said their autonomous vehicles were built to comply with existing federal rules, but those regulations were written decades before self-driving technology became a reality.