While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 2, 2026
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian published an open letter to the people of the US on his website on April 1.
PHOTO: AFP
Iran’s president writes open letter to US people
Iran’s president asked the people of the United States if the Middle East conflict was truly putting “America First”, accusing the US of war crimes and being influenced by Israel ahead of a much-anticipated address by US President Donald Trump.
Sparked by a US-Israeli offensive launched against Iran on Feb 28, the war has rippled across the Middle East, creating global economic turmoil.
More than a month in, Mr Trump claimed on April 1 that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was seeking a ceasefire, a claim Tehran has denied.
“Attacking Iran’s vital infrastructure – including energy and industrial facilities – directly targets the Iranian people,” Mr Pezeshkian said in an open letter, published to his website on April 1.
US Supreme Court sceptical of Trump birthright aims
PHOTO: REUTERS
With President Donald Trump present, US Supreme Court justices signalled scepticism on April 1 towards the legality of his directive to restrict birthright citizenship in the US, part of his hardline immigration approach that would upend the long-held understanding of a key constitutional provision.
In his historic visit to the top US judicial body, Mr Trump, wearing a red tie and dark suit, sat in the front row of the public gallery of the ornate courtroom after arriving by motorcade from the White House.
The Republican president then left midway through the proceedings not long after the Justice Department lawyer arguing for his administration completed his presentation.
US man arrested over Trump threats on Facebook
PHOTO: AFP
A US man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Donald Trump, officials said on April 1, outlining a series of Facebook posts targeting the US president.
Andrew Emerald, 45, is said to have written eight messages on the social media platform in which he threatened to injure and kill Mr Trump, who was grazed by a would-be assassin’s bullet in 2024.
“Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026 or I am hunting him down and putting him there,” Emerald allegedly wrote in one post in May 2025.
Death of near-blind Myanmar refugee ruled a homicide
PHOTO: REUTERS
Local officials in upstate New York on April 1 ruled the death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar as a homicide, after he had gone missing for several days upon being released from jail and into the custody of the US Border Patrol.
Mr Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was found dead on a downtown Buffalo street in freezing cold weather in February.
Mr Shah Alam, from a family of Arakan Rohingya refugees, did not speak English and walked with a cane.
Megan Thee Stallion falls ill during Broadway show
American rapper Megan Thee Stallion said on April 1 that she had a “wake-up call” after she was taken to hospital in the middle of a Broadway performance of Moulin Rouge! in New York City.
“I’ve been pushing myself past my limits lately, running on empty, and my body finally said enough. It honestly scared me,” the 31-year-old wrote on Instagram.
“I thought I was gonna faint on stage, I really tried to push through my performance but I just couldn’t.”
