Today is Thursday, April 16th. We're talking about the latest efforts to keep Iran peace talks alive

and why the U.S. stock market is now hitting record highs. Also, what a historic verdict against

the owner of Ticketmaster could mean for concert and sporting events. Plus, how one state's

special election could have a national impact, reasons for the latest wave of tech and entertainment

layoffs, and who made Time

Magazine's list of most influential people for 2026. Those stories and even more news next.

Welcome to The Newsworthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy.

Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. It seems the U.S. and Iran are

inching toward an agreement to end the war. Despite peace talks ending last weekend without a

breakthrough, both sides have reportedly been exchanging messages, and today top Pakistani

mediators are in Iran to talk about them. Yesterday, the White House said

the Trump administration feels good about the prospects of a deal, but at this point, the exact

timetable is not clear. There were some reports that President Trump wanted to extend the temporary

ceasefire that's set to expire in just a few days. Now the White House is saying that's not true.

And even though actual large-scale

strikes have not been confirmed in Iran this week, the U.S. has still been going after Iran's

economy. For example, there's the naval blockade on all of Iran's ports, which seems to be

working to keep Iranian goods from going in or out. And Iran says, if that continues, it will

halt all trade in the region far beyond the

Strait of Pormuz. Also, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. is now willing to

sanction any country that buys Iranian oil. The Treasury also imposed new sanctions on Iran's

oil transportation infrastructure, targeting more than two dozen people, companies, and vessels.

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