Good morning, everybody. It's Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, and this is first look. We've got a huge show today, major global tensions, big moves in Washington, and more corruption getting exposed. Here's what we're tracking.

President Trump extends the Iran ceasefire

but keeps the pressure on with a full naval blockade. A high-stakes battle over the Federal Reserve

as Trump's pick faces a contentious confirmation hearing. And later, another Democrat resigns

in disgrace, accused of stealing millions in FEMA funds.

Let's get into it.

We start with breaking developments overseas.

President Trump has officially extended the ceasefire with Iran.

But make no mistake, this is not a sign of weakness.

This is leverage.

Trump made it clear in a truth social statement that

the U.S. is holding off on further military action at the request of Pakistan's leadership,

giving Iran time to get its act together and present a unified proposal. But at the same time,

the pressure is still very much on. The naval blockade remains fully in place, and the

U.S. military is ready and able if talks collapse. Trump said it directly. If there's no deal,

bombing resumes. This all comes as negotiations are basically in limbo. Vice President J.B. Vance

was supposed to head to Pakistan for another

round of talks. But that trip is now delayed because Iran hasn't even confirmed whether it will

show up. That tells you everything. Iran is fractured. Even their own UN representative

admitted they'll only negotiate if the U.S. lifts the blockade, which of course

is the entire point of the pressure campaign. And remember, this all follows a major escalation.

Just days ago, the U.S. military seized an Iranian cargo ship, the Toska, after it tried to violate

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