Associated Press | Jacquelyn Martin

President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are playing hardball with each other right before the temporary ceasefire is set to expire.

Trump said today that he’s not interested in extending the pause in fighting. He threatened on Monday that “lots of bombs” will go off if the ceasefire ends, seeking to pressure Iran.

Meanwhile, he’s signaling that he actually does want a peace agreement. Trump is reportedly planning to send Vice President Vance and a delegation of negotiators to Pakistan today for another round of peace talks. Reaching a full agreement before the Wednesday deadline seems nearly impossible, which naturally opens the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

Iran is matching Trump’s energy: Iran’s president threatened to retaliate after the U.S. seized an Iranian-flagged ship. However, he noted in a social media post that this war “benefits no one.”

💡 Why this matters: Continued fighting between the U.S. and Iran harms both sides. It’s in both countries’ interests to end the conflict. But Trump and Pezeshkian are seeking to win the messaging battle with public threats. Keep a close eye on the Pakistan talks today.

President Trump invoked wartime authority to boost oil, gas and coal production. He has the power to do so under the Defense Production Act (DPA). Read more

Kevin Warsh, President Trump’s pick to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is in the hot seat today for his confirmation hearing.

💻 Watch Warsh’s confirmation hearing

This is the moment Trump has been waiting for: President Trump has been waiting for *years* for his chance to replace Powell and the time has finally come: May 15.

*Record scratch*: But wait, Trump may not be able to replace his nemesis on time. That’s because of his administration’s criminal investigation into Powell’s Fed.

Why?: Trump’s successor, Kevin Warsh, cannot be confirmed until the probe wraps. In the meantime, the current Fed chair typically stays in power. That’s because retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has vowed to block any Trump Fed nominee until the Justice Department investigation is completed. That means Trump has the choice of dropping his criminal probe into Powell to get his successor — or continuing the investigation and keeping Powell in power longer.

Read more on the sticky situation Trump is in: ‘Trump’s feud with Powell threatens plans to replace Federal Reserve chair’

💬 Follow today’s live blog

He blamed ‘policy errors in 2021 and 2022’ for inflation: He accused the Fed of handling inflation poorly in 2021 and 2022, which then made it “more expensive and harder to bring it down.”

Spotted — an NFL legend showed up: Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald sat directly behind Warsh during the hearing.

Sen. Warren thinks Warsh is ‘uniquely ill-suited’ for the job: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) cited decisions that he made while on the Fed’s board of governors during the 2008 financial crisis. She also referred to Warsh as Trump’s “sock puppet” on several occasions.

Trump called for Warsh to cut interest rates right away. He told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he would be disappointed if Warsh didn’t act quickly.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops are no longer required to get an annual flu vaccine.

Virginia voters will decide today whether to approve Democrats’ new congressional map.

If the proposed electoral map passes, 10 of 11 congressional districts in the state would favor Democrats. Currently, six of 11 districts favor Democrats. This referendum is getting a lot of national attention. Former President Obama even stepped in to urge voters to approve the new map.

Is it expected to pass?: It’s expected to be *very* close either way, arguably too close for comfort for either Democrats or Republicans. But Democrats are slightly favored to win. Read more on today’s Virginia vote

The redistricting wars are national: Virginia is just one of several states that sought to redraw their maps to tilt House seats either to the right or to the left.

Florida Republicans are hoping to adjust their electoral map to favor Republicans in up to five more congressional seats. Floridians will vote next week.

Here are states’ recent redistricting efforts:

🔴 Texas passed a new map that could allow Republicans to net five seats in November.

🔵 California passed a new map potentially giving Democrats up to five seats.

🔴 Republicans redistricted North Carolina and may gain a seat.

🔵 A Utah court ruling added a new district. This district favors Democrats.

🟣 Missouri may gain a GOP seat, but that is still up in the air.

🟣 Ohio’s redrawn lines favor Republicans, but Democrats could still win in the state.

❌ President Trump tried to pressure Indiana to redraw its map but Indiana Republicans said “no” and kept their current map.

The Hill’s Jared Gans wrote an interesting breakdown of the redistricting wars. Read it here

Tim Cook is resigning as the CEO of Apple after nearly 15 years. John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, will take over as CEO.

Trump had nice things to say about Cook: “I have always been a big fan of Tim Cook, and likewise, Steve Jobs, but if Steve was not taken from the Planet Earth so young, and ran the company instead of Tim, the company would have done well, but nowhere near as well as it has under Tim,” Trump posted on Truth Social. 🔎 Read Trump’s full post

— Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving her role. Her tenure had been called into question during an investigation into allegations of misconduct. Read The New York Times’s reporting on the misconduct allegations

— Tick bites are causing the highest rate of ER visits in nearly a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Wall Street Journal: The Rival Groups Waging an Expensive Battle Over America’s 250th

Variety: TV News Goes Crazy for Creators: Will Digital Mavericks Add Life to Old Format or Wipe It Out?

Slate: Who Killed the Florida Orange?: Deep in desiccated Southern groves, the powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal, unrelenting decline. No one wants to face what that means.