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On Politics

Mon Apr 20 2026

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello readers, and welcome back to On Politics. I enjoyed an unseasonably warm weekend here in NYC, where the magnolia trees in my area are in full bloom! But, back to reality, and to a Monday. Here are our top politics stories of the day.

Iran war peace talks, round two, on shaky ground

Will they or won't they... meet in Islamabad? That is the question today, as Iran signals it may not send any negotiators to Pakistan for a new round of talks with the United States. The unclear messages from the Iranian regime come a day after President Donald Trump announced he was initiating a second attempt to reach a peace agreement for the war, writing on social media that the U.S. delegation would be in Pakistan for discussions Monday evening.

But since then, Iran threatened to retaliate against the United States after American forces seized an Iranian cargo ship that Trump said attempted to break the U.S.-enforced blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. And earlier today, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran has no plans to attend the next round of peace negotiations in Islamabad , Pakistan, though even that became unclear, after he added that "no decisions" had been made. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, took to social media to call the U.S. government's approach "non-constructive and contradictory," yet the message did not confirm or deny his country's participation in talks.

The Iran war is now in its eighth week, and the expiration of the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal is rapidly approaching – on Wednesday. Israel and Lebanon are under a ceasefire as well, and an Israeli official told USA TODAY that representatives of the two countries are set to meet in Washington, DC, later this week to continue talks.

An Iranian flag flutters as a girl walks past damaged buildings amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, April 20, 2026.

Marko Djurica, REUTERS

A politics roundup:

•	Barack Obama, Zohran Mamdani sing to preschoolers during NYC visit
•	FBI's Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for $250M, says story about his drinking is false
•	Trump's approval rating drops over economy, Iran war in new poll
•	LGBTQ+ vs religious rights: Supreme Court takes big case on preschools

Gallery: Trump speaks in Arizona for Turning Point's 'Build the Red Wall' event

Supreme Court sidesteps pronouns case on trans youth vs. parents' rights

The Supreme Court won't decide whether a school violated parents' constitutional right to direct the upbringing of their child when handling a student’s request to be identified by a specific name and pronouns.

The justices' rejection of an appeal by parents in Massachusetts came even though, in March, the court's conservative majority granted an emergency request from California parents to block state rules aimed at preventing teachers from outing transgender students to their parents.

The issue of how schools can best support transgender and gender-nonconforming students has ignited fierce debates across the country, including in other lawsuits that the Supreme Court previously declined to review.

US imposed two-week deadline during secret Cuba meeting

The United States has given Cuba a two-week deadline to release high-profile political prisoners as a gesture of good faith, part of the Trump administration’s broader demands for economic and political reforms on the island.

The demand was presented during a secret meeting on April 10 in Cuba, a source familiar with the discussion told USA TODAY's Francesca Chambers.

Tensions have been escalating for weeks between Washington and Havana as Trump warned a hostile takeover was possible. After capturing Venezuela's leader in January, the Trump administration tightened longstanding sanctions and oil shipments to Cuba as part of a broader campaign to force sweeping political changes on the Communist-run island. The country is already mired in a severe economic crisis, and the near-total blockade is pushing it toward collapse.

Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more stories. You can reach me at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr.