War, Death Threats and Taxes: Week in Review | U.S. News Decision Points

A shaky ceasefire is reached in Iran, Americans’ take on tax season, supply chain delays and rising costs. Sidney Slon here with the news from this past week.

On Monday, Olivier broke down several key developments from Iran over the weekend.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that economies across the globe are feeling the impacts of the conflict as diesel and gas prices continue to rise. Economies in Asia and Europe are likely to be hit the worst, the Post noted, although the U.S. is also seeing rising costs and inflation risks.

The U.S. rescued an injured airman on Easter, after Iran downed a fighter jet days earlier, causing both crew members to eject. The New York Times detailed a mission – involving five different planes and a CIA disinformation campaign –, to locate and rescue the second officer, who had climbed up a 7,000-foot ridgeline to hide from Iranian forces.

By Sunday, President Donald Trump was threatening Iran with destruction of the country’s power plants and bridges in an expletive-laden social media post, demanding the Strait of Hormuz reopen by Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

In the heat of tax season, Olivier discussed new survey results from the Pew Research Center, which show 60% of Americans are very bothered by the idea that wealthy individuals and corporations don’t pay their fair share in taxes.

Republican respondents had more of an issue with the taxes they personally pay, with 66% saying they pay more than their fair share. Democrats cared less about their own taxes, but they are much more worried than Republican respondents by the idea that rich folks don’t pay enough, 81% to 41%, respectively.

With the rising cost of living likely to play a big part in this year’s midterms, anger over taxes could be a deciding factor.

Leading up to his Tuesday 8 p.m. deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s online threats reached near-apocalyptic levels when he threatened to erase Iran’s “whole civilization.” But a few hours before the deadline, he announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Olivier examined why this was unlikely to bring prices down quickly, and what the future may hold for the conflict.

Weeks of delayed shipments through the strait have backed up a number of industries and raised prices globally, both of which will take time to recover. The ceasefire is also shaky, as Israel continues to strike Lebanon with missiles, which has prompted Iran to throttle the strait again.

Trump appears ready to declare victory in the region, as he has for weeks, but questions remain about two of his primary objectives: neutralizing Iran’s nuclear capabilities and achieving regime change in Tehran.

Yesterday, Olivier pivoted back to the states with a roundup of local and national headlines: