Top Stories

Putin Declares 32-Hour Ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter holiday. The announcement comes amid ongoing international diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. (CBS News)

Strait of Hormuz Traffic Remains Significantly Low Despite Iran Ceasefire Despite a ceasefire agreement intended to reopen the critical oil transit waterway, ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply reduced on Wednesday and Thursday. The slow recovery raises questions about how quickly global energy markets will stabilize. Gas prices in the U.S. continued to edge upward even as oil prices fell. (CBS News)

Army Survivors Dispute Pentagon's Account of Deadly Iran Drone Strike in Kuwait U.S. service members who survived an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait that killed six American troops are publicly disputing the Pentagon's official description of events, saying their unit was left "dangerously exposed." (CBS News)

Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Rex Heuermann Pleads Guilty to Eight Murders Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann changed his plea to guilty in court on Wednesday, admitting to the murders of eight women in a case that gripped Long Island for years. (ABC News)

Artemis II Crew Prepares for Reentry and Splashdown NASA's Artemis II crew completed their final full day in space Thursday ahead of a scheduled splashdown near San Diego on Friday. NASA expressed confidence in the spacecraft's heat shield despite issues encountered during the unpiloted Artemis I mission. The crew is also conducting medical experiments involving their own cells that could reshape medicine on Earth. (CBS News)

Left Perspective

"Arc de Trump" to Be Partially Taxpayer-Funded CBS News reports that President Trump unveiled a model of an "Independence Arch" — quickly dubbed the "Arc de Trump" — intended for the ceremonial entrance to Washington, D.C., ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary. A follow-up report confirms taxpayers will help fund the project, drawing criticism about the use of public money for a monument closely associated with the sitting president. (CBS News)

March Shattered Heat Records Across the U.S. Federal data shows last month was the hottest March on record for the Lower 48 states — and broke records "by the most for any month ever." CBS News notes that a forecast El Niño could push global temperatures even higher. (CBS News)

Property Taxes Surging Nationwide The average U.S. property tax bill rose 3.7% last year to $4,427, outpacing inflation even as typical home values declined. CBS News published a state-and-county breakdown of the increases. (CBS News)

Judge Orders Pentagon to Restore Press Access A federal judge blocked a restrictive new Defense Department press policy, ruling the Pentagon must restore media access after previously finding earlier press restrictions unlawful. (CBS News)

Right Perspective

Note: No right-leaning outlet articles were included in today's provided sources. The following stories were covered across outlets and may resonate with right-leaning audiences:

• VP Vance Prepares for High-Stakes Iran Diplomacy — Vice President Vance is preparing for a significant diplomatic meeting with Iran, as reported on the CBS Evening News. (CBS News)
• AG Bondi's Push on Animal Cruelty Crimes — Attorney General Pam Bondi is pursuing an aggressive crackdown on animal cruelty crimes, guided in part by a politically connected nonprofit animal shelter. (CBS News)
• White House Staff Warned Against Prediction Market Bets — White House aides received an internal email warning them not to place bets on prediction markets like Kalshi or Polymarket using nonpublic information. (CBS News)

International View

Putin's Easter Ceasefire Announcement — Russia's declared 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter will be closely watched for compliance, though past ceasefire declarations have been met with skepticism by Ukraine and Western allies. (CBS News)

Strait of Hormuz Concerns Persist — The continued depression in Hormuz shipping traffic despite the Iran ceasefire suggests lingering uncertainty among commercial shippers and insurers about the waterway's safety. (CBS News)

U.S. to Host Israel-Lebanon Talks — Washington is planning to host diplomatic talks next week between Israel and Lebanon following confusion over whether Lebanon was included in the broader ceasefire framework. (CBS News)

Trump Criticizes NATO After Rutte Meeting — President Trump publicly criticized NATO following a meeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte, continuing a pattern of tension between the administration and the alliance. (CBS News)

Underreported

$267 Million Hospice Fraud Case in California — Police charged 21 suspects in what's described as a massive hospice fraud scheme with zero legitimate patients, totaling $267 million. Bodycam footage from the raids was released. (CBS News)

FAA Investigating Near-Collision at LAX — A Frontier Airlines plane nearly collided with two trucks on a taxiway at Los Angeles International Airport, prompting an FAA investigation. (CBS News)

Democrats Court Black Voters at National Action Network Convention — Democratic lawmakers gathered at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network Convention in New York, seeking to shore up support among Black voters. (CBS News)

Sources

• CBS News (Lean Left)
• ABC News (Lean Left)

Note: Today's digest drew exclusively from lean-left sources as provided. No center, lean-right, or right-leaning outlet articles were available in the input feed. Readers are encouraged to consult additional outlets for a fuller spectrum of perspectives.