By Hanna Ziady, CNN

London (CNN) — Oil prices fell sharply Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran would be over “very soon,” though they remain volatile and well above their levels before the conflict started.

Also on Tuesday, the world’s biggest oil exporter, Saudi Aramco, warned of the war’s potentially “catastrophic consequences” for oil markets if flows don’t resume through the vital Strait of Hormuz. 

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, slid 7% to trade at $91.8 a barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, fell more than 6% to around $88.6 a barrel. Those prices compare with around $73 and $67 respectively before the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.

Early on Monday, both oil prices surged above $100 a barrel, crossing that mark for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Brent neared $120 a barrel at one point Monday.

The sharp reversal in prices came after Trump’s comments during a phone interview with CBS appeared to calm markets. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he told the broadcaster.

Although he later appeared to contradict those remarks, investors were also hopeful about other options now on the table to increase global oil supply and resume tanker transits through the Strait of Hormuz – the main channel for transporting the Middle East’s copious oil output to the rest of the world.

For example, the White House has said it will provide insurance and secure naval escorts for ships transiting the strait, although a clear plan hasn’t yet emerged. On Tuesday, Trump vowed to hit Iran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if it “does anything” to stop the flow of oil through the strait, according to a Truth Social post.

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven major developed economies, or G7, said Monday that they stood ready to support global energy markets through the release of oil reserves if necessary.

These reserves could be significant – around 1 billion barrels, excluding China and Canada, according to one estimate – and would help put a cap on oil prices. “Strategic reserves would help if the war is to be measured in weeks, which remains our base case,” said Mohit Kumar, an analyst at US investment bank Jefferies. “But if it’s an extended war lasting months, strategic reserves alone would not be sufficient,” he added.

Indeed, the outlook for prices remains highly uncertain. On Tuesday, Saudi Aramco, the world’s top oil exporter, warned of dire consequences should the war continue to disrupt oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

“There would be catastrophic consequences for the world’s oil markets, and the longer the disruption ​goes on… the more drastic the consequences for the global economy,” Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told reporters ⁠on an earnings call, according to Reuters.

“While we have faced disruptions in the past, this one by far is the biggest crisis the region’s ​oil and gas industry has faced,”

By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN

(CNN) — The IRS is operating with roughly 27% fewer employees this tax filing season than it did last year. And, last July, a major new tax law took effect, containing many new provisions affecting individuals for tax year 2025.

We checked in with some tax professionals to get a read on how the filing season has been going so far, both for them and for their clients.

Here are some top takeaways:

Confusion over new tax breaks

No tax on overtime. No tax on tips. No tax on Social Security.

That’s how three new tax breaks have been pitched to the public by politicians. The only problem? The “no tax” part is incorrect.

Take Social Security. “The new law did not change the taxability for Social Security,” Tom O’Saben, director of tax content for the National Association of Tax Professionals, said in a press call. What it did was offer anyone over 65 – regardless of whether they get Social Security benefits – an additional deduction of up to $6,000 ($12,000 for joint filers), subject to income limitations.

As for tips and overtime income, the new breaks are deductions that only reduce the tax owed on that income by a percentage. And the break only applies to “qualified” tips in certain industries and only a portion of one’s “qualified” overtime. Figuring out just how much is deductible isn’t simple.

Filers aren’t clear on how much of a break they’ll get. For instance, O’Saben noted one of his clients mistakenly thought the tax break he’d get on his overtime is a credit, meaning a dollar-for-dollar reduction of his tax bill equal to the amount of eligible overtime he earned. So for every $100 in eligible overtime, he assumed his tax bill would be cut by $100. But, in fact, the deduction for every $100 of eligible overtime would only reduce his tax bill by $100 multiplied by his top tax rate. If he’s in the 12% bracket, he’d cut his tax bill by just $12. If he’s in the 22% bracket, he’d see $22 in tax savings.

And, while the IRS has done a reasonable job of putting out information on the new tax breaks, according to O’Saben, the guidance is still subject to updates.

For example, just last week, the IRS issued updated rules for the tips deduction that contained a new qualifying element for self-employed filers who claim it, said Josh Youngblood, a Dallas-based enrolled agent. The change was more in line with what the relevant statute says, Youngblood noted, but it means the self-employed will get less of a tips tax break than originally thought.

Lack of clarity over documentation

Another area of uncertainty: just how much documentation a filer needs in order to verify what they’re claiming, especially since the IRS did not change the W2 form for 2025 and made it optional for employers to report an employee’s taxable tips and overtime on that form, which they will have to do next year.

“We don’t have a set structure in place th

By Andrew Freedman, CNN

(CNN) — There are increasing indications El Niño is likely to form and strengthen into potentially a significant event during the next several months, throwing weather patterns worldwide out of whack. El Niño could affect the Atlantic hurricane season (if the timing is right) and heat the planet even further, making another record warm year much more likely than it otherwise would be either this year or next.

El Niño and La Niña are periodic climate cycles in the tropical Pacific Ocean that occur every few years and can have profound effects on global weather patterns. They can bring flooding to parts of Africa and drought to other areas, help pummel the West Coast with winter storms while leading to more heat extremes globally in the case of El Niño.

El Niño is characterized by unusually warm waters along the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean, and a series of shifts in winds and precipitation patterns in the atmosphere. Those shifts are significant enough to affect weather around the world. Right now, unusually warm water is spreading under the ocean surface from the Western to the Eastern tropical Pacific, in what may be a precursor to such an event.

While there is still considerable uncertainty in the forecast, most projections from El Niño monitoring groups in the US and Australia, among others, show a current weak La Niña waning in the next few months. La Niña is El Niño’s cooler water sibling that can also lead to global weather disturbances. For now, experts are expecting the emergence of so-called “ENSO Neutral” conditions, meaning that neither a La Niña or an El Niño is present, for much of the latter half of spring and into the summer.

Then, depending on myriad factors ranging from the direction and strength of trade winds to the sloshing of warmer than average ocean waters from the Western to the Eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, an El Niño may emerge sometime in the late summer to fall time frame.

Outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, and other groups all show the same general scenario, with varying degrees of confidence and slight differences in timing.

Right now, while the ocean is beginning to look more El Niño-like and projected to become even more so, the atmospheric circulation still reflects the influence of a weak La Niña. This means that the effects of an El Niño, should one develop, are still several months away.

In order to be more confident in predicting an El Niño, trade winds blowing from east-to-west across the equator would need to slacken, allowing more warm water from the western Pacific to push east and emerge at the surface. So far, this shift in the trade winds has not occurred consistently, but computer models project that this will change during the next few months.

In fact, some computer models, including the well-regarded European ensemble, are quite aggressive in developing an El Niño and progressing it into an intense “Super El Niño” event by late Fall. If this were to occur

Por Sergio Gómez Martín, CNN en Español

La versión live action de “One Piece” que adapta el aclamado y popular manga de piratas creado por el japonés Eichiiro Oda regresa este martes con su segunda temporada a Netflix.

Tras una primera temporada estrenada en 2023 que logró buenas críticas y se convirtió en una de las series más vistas de la plataforma, ahora vuelve, tres años después, para continuar las aventuras de Monkey D. Luffy y su tripulación de los Sombreros de Paja mientras se adentran en el Grand Line y siguen buscando el preciado tesoro One Piece.

La primera temporada cubrió la conocida saga del East Blue e introdujo el universo de One Piece. Ahora, la segunda temporada continuará la historia mostrando lo amplio que es el mundo creado por Oda y presentará a uno de los villanos favoritos de los seguidores, entre otros muchos personajes.

El propio Oda, quién participa en la producción de la serie, dijo en un comunicado escrito por él que realizó la selección del reparto desde Japón “a partir de fotos y vídeos”, pero que al verlos en persona durante el rodaje en Sudáfrica le convenció de que “fueron la elección perfecta”.

Para no perderse en los nuevos episodios, a continuación se detallan quiénes son los nuevos personajes (y sus correspondientes actores) que aparecerán en la segunda temporada. A partir de este párrafo, el artículo contendrá spoilers de la obra según lo que se conoce del manga y el anime de acontecimientos que podrían revelarse en esta y en futuras temporadas.

Crocus (interpretado por Clive Russell): un antiguo pirata que ahora vigila el faro de los Cabos Gemelos mientras cuida de Laboon, una ballena gigante que sigue esperando la vuelta de la tripulación que la dejó en dicho lugar hace más de 50 años.

Dorry (interpretado por Werner Coetser) y Broggy (interpretado por Brandon Murray): son dos gigantes provenientes de Elbaph que llevan peleando desde hace más de 100 años en la isla de Little Garden, llegando incluso a olvidar el motivo de su disputa.

Smoker (interpretado por Callum Kerr): un capitán de la Marina que tiene el poder de convertir su cuerpo en humo. Se le presentó en la escena post créditos al final de la primera temporada y perseguirá a Luffy.

Tashigi (interpretada por Julia Rehwald): espadachina y miembro de la Marina bajo el mando de Smoker. Tendrá una rivalidad con Zoro.

Wapol (interpretado por Rob Colletti): es el antiguo rey de Drum y el villano de esta parte de la obra. Tiene el poder de una fruta del demonio que le permite comer cualquier cosa o material.

Dalton (interpretado por Ty Keogh): era el jefe de la guardia real de Drum y actualmente se encarga de defender dicha isla.

Dragon (interpretado por Rigo Sánchez): enigmático personaje con una marca en la cara que aparecerá en Loguetown para ayudar a Luffy. El Gobierno Mundial lo considera como el peor de los criminales.

Tony Tony Chopper (interpretado por Mikaela Hoover): es un reno que comió una de las frutas del demonio que le otorgó características humanas. Es un médico, es el nuevo miembro que se unirá a la tripulación de Luffy y es uno de los personajes más populares y queridos por los fans de “One Piece”.

Dr. Hiriluk (interpretado por Mark Harelik): es el doctor que adoptó a Chopper y le enseñó medicina en la isla de Drum.

Dr. Kureha (interpretada por Katey Sagal): es una doctora que cuida de Chopper después de que Hiriluk le pidiera ese favor mientras él continuaba su investigación.

Mr. 13 y Miss Friday: son una nutria que viste una especie de pijama y gafas de sol y un bui

CNN en Español

El Gobierno de Trump comienza a entrar en pánico por los precios del petróleo. Sheinbaum pide a EE.UU. que frene el flujo de armas ilegales hacia México. ¿Cómo quedó el nuevo Congreso de Colombia? Esto es lo que debes saber para comenzar el día. Primero la verdad.

• Suscríbete aquí para recibir el newsletter cada mañana en tu correo
• Escucha las 5 cosas de CNN

Un alto funcionario iraní advirtió que el Gobierno de su país está preparado para una larga guerra con EE.UU. y señaló que está dispuesto a seguir atacando a los países del golfo Pérsico para que convenzan al presidente Donald Trump de que se retire del conflicto que comenzó. La advertencia se produjo en una entrevista exclusiva con CNN en Teherán con Kamal Kharazi, asesor de política exterior de la oficina del líder supremo, quien descartó la diplomacia por ahora. Trump, por su parte, ha dado mensajes contradictorios sobre la duración prevista del conflicto.

• ¿Quién es Mojtaba Jamenei, el nuevo líder supremo de Irán?
• Análisis: Este sería el costo político para Trump de una guerra prolongada con Irán
• Iraníes en América Latina, entre la esperanza y el miedo a la devastación
• Análisis: Por qué Trump no puede explicar el inicio —ni el final— de la guerra con Irán
• Video parece confirmar que un misil Tomahawk de EE.UU. alcanzó una base iraní junto a escuela destruida en un ataque mortal

Si bien altos asesores de Trump habían anticipado algún breve repunte en los precios del petróleo en los primeros días de la guerra con Irán, la magnitud y la sostenibilidad de la reacción del mercado los tomó por sorpresa, dijeron a CNN personas familiarizadas con las discusiones internas. Ahora, mientras los precios del petróleo rondan los US$ 100 por barril y los precios de la gasolina en EE.UU. están subiendo bruscamente, una reacción tardía busca formas de amortiguar el impacto.

• Cómo la guerra con Irán está impulsando los precios del petróleo y la gasolina, en gráficos y mapas
• ¿Por qué el petróleo superó los US$ 100 por barril y qué puede pasar con la gasolina?
• La sombría elección que enfrenta la administración Trump: ¿colapso económico o naval?

La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, respondió este lunes a los comentarios del presidente Donald Trump y dijo que Estados Unidos puede ayudar en la lucha contra el crimen organizado deteniendo el tráfico de armas ilegales hacia México, una postura que el Gobiern