New York Times: “President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, who has had a volatile relationship with President Trump, is under criminal investigation by at least two U.S. federal prosecutors’ offices.”

“The investigations, which have not been previously reported, were being conducted by the U.S. attorney’s offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and they have involved prosecutors who focus on international narcotics trafficking as well as agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.”

New York Times: “A Russian tanker full of oil is moving through the Atlantic Ocean and drawing scrutiny to see if it is heading to Cuba, a potential test of the U.S. oil blockade of the island.”

“The ultimate destination of the tanker is still unknown. But if Russia is attempting to send oil to Cuba, as some analysts suspect, it could represent a critical lifeline for the Cuban government — and a new potential showdown between two superpowers over the small island nation.”

Wall Street Journal: “Iran projected defiance as the war neared the three-week mark, with the new supreme leader declaring that ‘safety must be taken away’ from the country’s enemies while its armed forces vowed to pursue them even in tourist spots.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied that U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have crippled Iran’s ability to produce missiles—a statement attributed to a spokesman who had already been killed in a strike hours earlier.”

Tom Nichols: “Trump did seem to have an overarching goal at the start of the war: regime change. In a video he released during the first night of the attack, he told the Iranian authorities to surrender and called on the Iranian people to rise up against their government.”

“Unfortunately, the regime in Tehran seems to be recovering and, even worse, consolidating power. The American intelligence community has reportedly issued an assessment that the regime ‘will remain intact and possibly even emboldened, believing it stood up to Trump and survived.'”

“Trump now appears lost, unable to comprehend how a blockbuster movie that he scripted out, one in which he cast himself as the Liberator of Iran, has turned into a poorly received miniseries that might yet be renewed for another dreary season.”

New York Times: “U.S. warplanes and attack helicopters are ramping up assaults against Iranian drones and naval vessels in an escalating military effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed to most Western shipping.”

Gallup: “Finland once again leads the world as the happiest country, according to the latest World Happiness Report, marking its ninth consecutive year at No. 1.”

“The Nordic nations continue to dominate the top of the rankings, with Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway joining Finland in filling five of the top six spots this year.”

Bloomberg: “Signs of hardship are everywhere in Cuba. The fuel crunch is exacerbating problems with an already decrepit grid. The country suffered two major blackouts — one of them island-wide — in March alone. Gasoline is being rationed, tourist resorts are being shuttered, and the government has told airlines they won’t be able to refuel.”

“The United Nations said that the US fuel blockade is keeping the government from delivering food to its most vulnerable citizens, and is pushing it to the edge of a humanitarian crisis.”

“China, Brazil, Mexico and others are providing — or have pledged to provide — food and humanitarian aid. But without major fuel shipments, it’s unclear how long Cuba’s government can remain afloat.”

The Economist: Cuba’s broken economy leaves it at Donald Trump’s mercy.

Associated Press: “The stranglehold is disrupting the lives of Cuba’s 11 million residents, who are enduring massive blackouts and a breakdown in medical care due to a lack of fuel.”