The Bulletin

• Israel called off Iran strikes: Israel was preparing to launch military strikes against multiple nuclear targets in Iran—until U.S. President Trump intervened, according to a New York Times report citing administration officials and other briefed on the discussions.

• Are Shein and Temu prices going up? Chinese-founded e-commerce giants Temu and Shein announced plans to raise prices for U.S. customers beginning next week, citing rising operating costs linked to sweeping new trade policies enacted by President Trump. Here's what to know.

• Trump escalates war with Harvard: The Department of Homeland Security has terminated nearly $3 million in grants for Harvard University in the latest clash with the Ivy League school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Get more details.

• Iran warns US over nuclear talks: Iran has warned the United States that its apparently contradictory statements on nuclear talks put them at risk of falling apart. Know more.

• DOGE deactivates nearly half a million credit cards: The Department of Government Efficiency has suspended almost half a million government credit cards in use by federal officials. Find out more.

• US citizen detained after visiting Canada: Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip. Here's why.

The rundown: Donald Trump has set a new, and unwelcome, benchmark in his presidency. According to fresh polling data, his net approval rating among independent voters has sunk to a record low, surpassing even the most unfavorable numbers from his previous term. Here's what it reveals.

Why it matters: According to CNN pollster Harry Enten, Trump's net approval rating among independents has gone from negative 16 percent in 2017 to negative 22 percent in 2025, meaning the president has "broken his own record." Independent voters were a key pillar of Trump's coalition in the 2024 election, with 46 percent backing him—up from 41 percent in 2020, when a majority (54 percent) voted Democrat. But that support appears to be eroding in the wake of the president's sweeping tariff announcement on April 2, which rattled the markets before a partial pause temporarily stabilized them. Newsweek's analysis of every poll conducted after April 2 that includes independent voter data finds his net approval currently stands at -17 points, with just 37 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Republican 2028 Primary Polls: What Early Surveys Show

TL/DR: Independent voters often decide the outcome of national elections, and Trump's record-low approval among this group signals potential trouble ahead—not just for his own political capital, but for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterms.

What happens now? As the effects of his economic, immigration and other major policies come into sharper relief, Trump's approval rating is likely to remain changeable.

Deeper reading Donald Trump's Approval Rating Breaks Unwanted Record

The rundown: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned that negotiations with the White House would be difficult after President Trump had hailed "big progress" in the first round of talks between the two sides over trade and security ties. Find out what's next.

Why it matters: Trump said on April 2 that he planned to impose a 24 percent tariff on imports from Japan as part of an announcement of higher "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of countries. After financial markets panicked, he put a partial 90-day hold on the import taxes to allow for trade negotiations. "Of course, the negotiations will not be easy going forward, but President Trump has stated that he wants to give top priority to the talks with Japan," Ishiba said after Wednesday's talks with the U.S., which Trump attended, Reuters reported. Ishiba said he had "received reports that frank and constructive discussions were held over a considerable period of time," Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported, adding: "I believe that the discussions will lead to further progress."

Read more in-depth coverage:
Trump Says 'Cost of Military Support' on Table in Japan Talks He'll Attend

TL/DR: Japan is among the first countries to start open negotiations with the U.S.

What happens now? There will be further negotiations between Japan and the U.S., with the potential for those to develop into direct talks between Trump and Ishiba, depending on the progress. While expressing optimism about their potential, Ishiba warns the talks won't be easy.

Deeper reading Japan Cautious as Trump Hails 'Big Progress' in Key Test of Tariffs

The rundown: New satellite imagery has revealed for the first time a hulking steel rig in the Yellow Sea between China and South Korea that has inflamed tensions between the two nations. Learn more.

Why it matters: The photographs, supplied exclusively to Newsweek, show the latest of several large steel platforms that China has installed in the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ), a jointly managed stretch of the Yellow Sea, known in Korea as the West Sea, where the Chinese and South Korean exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. The PMZ, established under a 2001 agreement, permits only fishing-related activities and navigation in the disputed area until a formal maritime boundary is agreed upon. South Korea, a U.S. treaty ally, says the structure—installed without its knowledge or consent—violates that arrangement. The rig arrived in the area last year on approximately October 28, according to a review of satellite photos by Bill Conroy, an analyst at the Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis initiative SeaLight.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Beijing Responds to Google Label in South China Sea

TL/DR: Researchers told Newsweek the pointed placement was likely part of a broader Chinese territorial push, similar to the Beijing's expansive moves in the South China Sea.

What happens now? South Korea and China are preparing for working-level talks on their maritime dispute later this month, according to the Yonhap news agency, citing diplomatic sources.

Deeper reading Exclusive—Satellites Show Chinese Moves Against US Ally

The rundown: Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man deported to El Salvador before the U.S. Supreme Court called for him to be returned, is defending her husband and denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for what she described as an unjust act of "abduction," after the resurfacing of a 2021 restraining order against him. Read her full statement.

Why it matters: Vasquez Sura gave an exclusive statement to Newsweek responding to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) release of court filings alleging domestic violence. Her statement comes after the DHS posted documents from 2021 indicating that she filed for a protective order claiming her husband punched and scratched her, ripped her shirt and left her bruised. The temporary restraining order barred him from contacting her and directed him not to harass or abuse her, according to the court filings. She said that "after surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution after a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order in case things escalated."

Read more in-depth coverage:
Trump Admin Says Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Wife and Child Are Now 'Safer'

TL/DR: Abrego Garcia's deportation has become a flashpoint as President Trump moves forward with campaign promises of mass deportations. Abrego Garcia was expelled to El Salvador last month, drawing intense scrutiny.

What happens now? If the U.S. and El Salvador say they do not have the power to return Abrego Garcia, his fate remains uncertain. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said she would move quickly on the case and invited the plaintiffs to conduct depositions with the DHS, ICE and the State Department by April 23.

Deeper reading Exclusive: Abrego Garcia's Wife Responds After Restraining Order Revealed

The rundown: From going "boy sober" to "decentering men," discourse about young women rejecting the traditional path of marriage and motherhood has swept social media. As birth and marriage rates decline, more and more women are embracing the single life. Newsweek spoke to experts and a young woman who is embracing the trend to find out more.

Why it matters: Away from the algorithm, there is a clear pattern of women moving away from marriage and motherhood. In the U.S., the fertility rate is at a historic low of 1.7 births per woman, and in 2021, the number of single-person households in the U.S. peaked at 38.1 million, a record high at the time. Lisa Wade an associate professor of sociology at Tulane University told Newsweek that "traditional marriage and motherhood is not generally a good deal for women pairing with men." Wade said women can remain single and child-free if they choose, unlike in previous eras, they may do so. The responsibility of caregiving and emotional labor appears to be a major factor for women choosing to forgo a traditional path.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Why Gen Z Is 'Rejecting Traditional Relationships'

TL/DR: It's safe to say this is much more than just a TikTok trend. But what's behind the rise?

What happens now? Wade told Newsweek: "Right now, there is a movement on the right to reverse or reengineer relationships between men and women along the lines of difference. The last time that happened was the 1950s and that was followed by the civil rights era, the women's movement, gay liberation and the sexual revolution."

Deeper reading Women Are Choosing the Single Life