Trump Looking To Send More Ground Troops To Middle East, Also Claims Progress in Iran Talks
Plus: Concerts To Get More $$ As Artists Trade Tours For Residencies
Good evening,
A truck carrying 413,793 KitKat bars — about 12 tons of chocolate — vanished last week in Europe, and it’s still missing.
WHERE DID THE COCOA GO? The shipment was traveling from Italy to Poland, and Nestlé warns the stolen candy could resurface on unofficial markets just weeks before Easter — one of the biggest chocolate-buying seasons of the year.
IN THIS ECONOMY? In the U.S., candy prices are up nearly 12% year over year, despite cocoa prices dropping over the past several months. Analysts say the drop hasn’t reached store shelves yet.
Americans are expected to spend $3.5 billion on Easter candy this year — with about 90% of baskets including chocolate.
Meanwhile, Nestlé tried to keep a sense of humor about the heist, saying, “We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat… But it seems thieves have taken the message too literally.”
Mo News Team
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Trump Claims Progress In Iran Talks As U.S. Troop Buildup Grows Four Weeks Into War
President Trump on Monday claimed “great progress” in talks with Iran, but warned he could strike the country’s power plants, oil infrastructure, and desalination facilities if a deal to end the war and for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is not reached.
REWIND: The comments come days after he paused threatened attacks on Iran’s energy facilities for 10 days, setting a new deadline of April 6.
Iran continues to publicly deny meaningful negotiations with the U.S. and has rejected Trump’s proposed conditions. At the same time, officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt are meeting behind closed doors to broker talks — meeting in recent days to explore a potential U.S.–Iran summit.
MILITARY BUILDUPThe White House and Pentagon are considering sending at least 10,000 additional combat troops to the region, on top of the more than 50,000 U.S. personnel now in the Middle East. That’s already roughly 10,000 more than then the approximately 40,000 usually based in the region.
WHY? The buildup comes as the U.S. considers more aggressive military options — including seizing territory to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil, and targeting Iran’s nuclear stockpiles.
OIL: Trump told the Financial Times this weekend that he could “take the oil in Iran” and seize Kharg Island, the key export hub where 90% of Iranian oil and gas comes out of, as talks continue. He noted that “it would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while,” if he chooses that option.
Two Chinese container ships sailed through the Strait on Monday after turning back on an earlier attempt. But the key waterway remains largely disrupted. Iranian attacks and threats have stranded hundreds of vessels and about 20,000 seafarers in the Gulf.
NUKE MATERIAL: Trump is also said to be considering a U.S. military operation to remove 1,000 pounds of uranium (some of it close to weapons-grade) from Iran that would take “days or longer,” U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal.
At the same time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said Trump’s original four- to six-week timeline for the war is still on track. “We’re on Day 30 today. So, you do the math on how much longer the Pentagon needs to fully achieve the objectives,” she said.
IRAN’S RESPONSE
Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf warned over the weekend that the U.S. “publicly signals negotiations while secretly planning a ground invasion,” and said Iran would respond with force if that happens.
The Iranian regime also threatened to target American and Israeli universities in the region, including campuses operated by U.S. institutions in the Gulf.
ON THE GROUND: Iran continues to launch drones and missiles at Israel and Gulf countries. On Friday, an Iranian strike wounded at least 15 U.S. service members at a Saudi air base, with at least five in serious condition.
That attack damaged key U.S. military assets, including refueling aircraft and a key surveillance aircraft.
The Pentagon says 13 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 300 injured since the war began.
THE WAR EXPANDSThe conflict is widening beyond Iran. Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Saturday launched their first missile toward Israel since the war began, opening another front and raising concerns about disruptions in Red Sea shipping routes.
At the same time, Israel is expanding military operations in Lebanon, pushing deeper into a security zone to counter attacks from Hezbollah, another Iran-backed terror group.
🚨 ONE THING WE’RE MIXED ABOUT
Watermelon Sugar Sky High Prices: Singers Ditch Tours, Making Concerts Even More $$
Attending a concert is getting even more expensive as more artists opt for long-term residencies in one location instead of touring multiple cities.
THE WHO’S WHO: More than 11 million people signed up for tickets when pop singer Harry Styles announced a 30-show residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden starting this August. It follows Bad Bunny, Spotify’s top global artist of 2025, playing 31 shows in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last summer.
Jennifer Lopez, Backstreet Boys, and No Doubt have also announced residencies in Las Vegas this year.
While the residencies help artists “mentally, physically, and financially” by eliminating constant travel and setup/breakdown, those savings for musicians are often being passed on to fans, as they already face rising ticket prices.
CUSTOMER DISSATISFACTION
Residencies are forcing concert-goers outside major cities to spend more on travel and lodging to see their favorite performers.
On top of a $500 ticket to see Styles, one concertgoer who lives outside Cincinnati told the Wall Street Journal that flights to New York and a hotel added another $1,500.
At the same time, residencies can boost local economies. Bad Bunny’s residency generated at least $200 million in tourism spending in Puerto Rico last year — during the typically slower travel season.
THE COST OF LIVE MUSIC
The shift toward residencies comes as concert ticket prices have nearly tripled over the past three decades — rising from about $25 in 1996 (not adjusted for inflation) to roughly $135 in 2024, according to Pollstar analysis.
In North America, concert prices have rebounded from their dip during the pandemic. The average ticket price increased by 48% from 2016 to 2024, according to a 2025 Global Stadium Report.
Music industry analysts attribute the spike in concert prices to ticket resellers, demand-driven pricing, and a post-pandemic boom in live music attendance.
⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
Trump: Military “building a massive complex” under new White House ballroom (MO NEWS)
Pentagon investigating video of Apache helicopter at Kid Rock’s Nashville home (MO NEWS)
TMZ captures lawmakers vacationing while DHS shutdown continues (MO NEWS)
Airport wait times plummet from hours to minutes as TSA workers start getting back pay (CNN)
Michigan synagogue attack was Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism, FBI says (ABC)
Student shoots a teacher and then fatally shoots himself at a Texas high school, authorities say (AP)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
Russia welcomes arrival of oil tanker in Cuba after Trump softens approach to U.S. blockade (CNBC)
Israel’s parliament passes law mandating death penalty for West Bank Palestinians convicted of terrorism (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
Heavy rain, floods kill at least 45 people in Afghanistan, Pakistan (AL JAZEERA)
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to retire later this year following language controversy (CBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
US Department of Labor issues 401k guidelines on private assets (REUTERS)
Bluesky leans into AI with Attie, an app for building custom feeds (TECHCRUNCH)
JetBlue Airways raises checked bag fees at least $4 as fuel prices soar (CNBC)
Power strips sold on Amazon recalled over fire risk, consumers urged to stop using ‘immediately’ (FOX)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Box Office: Ryan Gosling’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ flies high with $54.5 million in 2nd weekend (VARIETY)
Art theft: Cézanne, Matisse and Renoir paintings worth millions stolen from Italian museum in Parma (EURO NEWS)
Three-time Tony nominee Mary Beth Hurt has died at 79 (PLAYBILL)
New York City Marathon winner Albert Korir banned 5 years for doping (ESPN)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… Barbie fans who paid up to $450 to attend the first-ever Barbie Dream Fest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this weekend are comparing the event to the infamous 2017 Fyre Festival.
PINK, PLASTIC PROMISES: The Barbie event, which took place in a rented-out convention center, cost $72 for a single-day pass and up to $452.50 for VIP ticket holders. The website promised yoga sessions, crafts, and a live concert.
The weekend featured an appearance by tennis pro Serena Williams, who received the inaugural Icon Award at the event.
NOT AS ADVERTISED: Attendees posted videos showing a sparsely decorated venue with minimal pink displays, including a tiny “Roller Disco” skating rink, a cardboard Barbie Dream House cutout, and a deflating balloon logo.
Mischief Management, the third-party organizer that licensed the Barbie brand from Mattel, said it would issue refunds to everyone who attended.