• Welcome home, astronauts: The Artemis II mission has been successfully completed, and the courageous crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — has returned safely to Earth. At 5:07 p.m. Friday, the astronauts’ command module splashed down in the Pacific off the coast of San Diego, where the crew was met by the USS John P. Murtha. Four human beings went farther into space than mankind has ever been before. Yet despite being so far away, they never felt closer to us or to each other because of their humanity. As Koch put it, “We will explore, we will build, we will build ships, we will visit again. We will construct science outposts, we will drive rovers, we will do radio astronomy, we will found companies, we will bolster industry, we will inspire. But ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.”

• Orbán defeated: After 16 years in power, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been defeated by the opposition leader, Péter Magyar, head of the center-right Tisza party. Magyar claims to have “liberated Hungary” by winning 3.3 million votes, the largest amount for one political party in the history of Hungary. Orbán has long been at odds with the European Union, whereas Magyar has promised to work more closely with the EU, stating, “Hungary is again going to be a very strong ally of the European Union and NATO.” Magyar’s party is also likely to win 138 seats in the 199-seat Hungarian parliament, while Orbán’s party is projected to take 55 seats. Orbán angered EU leaders when he vetoed a loan to Ukraine, and the Hungarian people’s top concern is the stagnant economy and inflation rising by more than 57% since 2019.

• U.S. Navy begins mine-clearing in Strait of Hormuz; China interfering in Iran: With negotiations between the U.S. and Iran breaking down over the weekend, U.S. Central Command announced that U.S. forces would act to rid the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian mines. President Donald Trump observed that the U.S. was doing “a favor to Countries all over the world.” Two U.S. Navy destroyers have since entered the Strait to begin the mine-clearing operation. Meanwhile, U.S. intel discovered that China may have secretly sent a shipment to Iran of shoulder-fired missiles known as MANPADS, which can take down low-flying aircraft. Intel agencies are seeing Beijing secretly taking much more action in this conflict, while at the same time attempting to appear uninvolved.

• Leo and Trump trade barbs: Over the weekend, Pope Leo and President Trump crossed swords over the administration’s operation against Iran. During a prayer vigil on Saturday, Leo made a comment implying Trump without naming him, stating, “Enough with the idolatry of self and money! Enough with the display of force! Enough with war! True strength is manifested in serving life.” Trump responded with direct criticism of the American pontiff, describing him as a “very liberal person” and calling on him to “stop catering to the radical left.” Trump added, “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.” The two are growing further apart.

• Trump ballroom continues: On Saturday, President Trump’s White House ballroom construction project got a win, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stayed an injunction that had stopped construction. The National Trust for Historic Preservation had sued to stop the ballroom and won an initial injunction against the project. However, the district court stayed the injunction until April 17 over national security concerns. At issue are the underground facilities of the East Wing of the White House, which include a bomb shelter, a medical center, and military facilities for the president and his staff. With the injunction lifted, the ballroom construction can move forward.

• Trump’s lawsuit against WSJ dismissed: The $10 billion defamation lawsuit that President Trump filed against The Wall Street Journal over the publication of a racy birthday card Trump allegedly gave to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday has been thrown out. In dismissing the lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles concluded that Trump had “not plausibly alleged that the Defendants published the Article with actual malice.” Indeed, the judge noted that the Journal had contacted Trump for comment before publishing the story. In his suit, Trump claimed that “no authentic letter or drawing exists.” This ruling comes as little surprise, given that it is historically very difficult for public figures to prove actual malice.

• DOJ probes assault on conservative journalist: The Department of Justice is investigating a mob of anti-ICE protesters who attacked Turning Point USA’s Savanah Hernandez in Minneapolis on Saturday. Hernandez posted the videos of her attack as well as a photo of one of the assailants, who is not only associated with the St. Paul church protest but whom she accuses of “inciting” the mob to assault her. Hernandez also posted on Sunday that the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is charging three people in connection with the assault. This comes amid growing instances of left-wing rioters violently attacking conservative reporters. Independent journalists Cam Higby and Nick Sortor were attacked in January by anti-ICE “protesters,” and a Daily Caller reporter was assaulted in February by anti-ICE rioters. Furthermore, there have been instances of violence against those demonstrating their support for ICE.

• Florida AG investigating ChatGPT over school attack: An attacker at Florida State University who killed two people and injured six others last year may have had help planning the attack from the AI platform ChatGPT. Now, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched an investigation into allegations that ChatGPT was involved. “We’ve also learned that ChatGPT may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting,” Uthmeier explained. “AI should exist to supplement, support, and advance mankind, not lead to an existential crisis or our ultimate demise.” The perpetrator allegedly used the AI chatbot to gain information on the best way to target the school, as well as how to use the firearm prior to the attack.

• Canada’s new LGBT acronym: The latest in woke craziness comes, unsurprisingly, from America’s neighbors to the north. In the grip of radical leftist ideology, a Canadian lawmaker announced a new “inclusive” acronym for all those minority folks who have yet to receive their due recognition. Forget the overly reductive and narrow LGBTQ+. The new woke acronym is “MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+.” And what does this mouthful of letters, numbers, and symbols stand for? The answer: “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual+”. Got it? It’s official: The inmates are running the asylum that was once known as Canada.

Headlines

• Congress to tackle DHS shutdown, government funding, voter ID bill on return (Center Square)

• Trump mulls fresh strikes on Iran after peace talks collapse (NY Post)

• Hegseth cuts military fellowship ties with woke Ivy League schools (Not the Bee)

• Kamala Harris teases 2028 presidential run (National Review)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.