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U.S. State Department: The negotiations aim to resolve all remaining issues, including the demarcation of international land borders.

The U.S. Treasury Department has issued sanctions related to Nicaragua.

Market news: A majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives have supported extending temporary immigration protections for approximately 350,000 Haitians in the U.S., and the vote is still ongoing.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: US President Trump told me that he is determined to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz and dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: We will continue to be based in Lebanon and establish a broad security zone extending to the Syrian border.

US President Trump: It is very important that Pope Leo understands that Iran poses a threat to the world.

Market news: The White House is moving forward with granting various U.S. government agencies access to Anthropic's Mythos model.

On April 17, European Central Bank Governing Council member Leon Panetta stated that ongoing conflicts and global geopolitical tensions are threatening the future of developing countries. He said, "The progress made over the years in development and poverty reduction is at risk of reversal. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable, with high debt levels, limited fiscal space, and the poorest countries are the least able to withstand shocks." The International Monetary Fund this week lowered its global economic growth forecast to 3.1%, under the most optimistic scenario, assuming a relatively short-lived conflict with Iran and related shocks, and oil prices averaging $82 per barrel. In the worst-case scenario, if energy infrastructure suffers further damage, global economic growth could fall below 2%. Panetta stated that the World Bank needs to "strike a balance between short-term support and medium- to long-term development goals."

According to sources familiar with the matter, Trump is considering appointing Michael Murray to lead the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust efforts.

The U.S. State Department announced a significant expansion of an existing visa restriction policy that targets individuals working for U.S. adversaries. Measures have been taken to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals in the hemisphere engaged in related activities.

U.S. Trade Representative Greer: We are in talks with Canada and Mexico regarding rules of origin for steel.

The Federal Reserve accepted a total of $158 million from five counterparties in its fixed-rate reverse repurchase operations.

On April 17th, former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called on the US government to develop contingency plans to prevent a potential collapse in demand for US Treasury bonds. He warned that such a scenario would have "extremely serious" consequences. Paulson stated, "We need an emergency response plan that is targeted, short-term, and prepared in advance, ready to be activated once a tipping point is reached." Paulson said that if the $31 trillion US Treasury market were to fail, its nature would be different from the financial crisis he dealt with two decades ago. "Back then, the situation was already bad, but the government still had fiscal space to deal with the credit crisis. But if a US public debt crisis occurs, reaching a tipping point, and when trying to issue Treasury bonds, only the Federal Reserve is a buyer, while Treasury bond prices fall and interest rates rise, it will be a very dangerous situation." For years, US budget experts have warned of a potential "vicious cycle": as government debt continues to expand, investors demand higher yields, pushing up government interest payments and further widening the fiscal deficit. In extreme cases, if the Treasury cannot raise enough funds to pay interest or principal, the market generally believes that the Federal Reserve will have to intervene as an emergency buyer. Paulson stated, "If it happens, the impact will be very severe, so we must prepare for that possibility."