Lakshmi Singh

Here's NPR's Stephen Fowler.

U.S.

stocks are trading lower this hour.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average down 526 points or more than 1% at 46,890.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

Veteran Congressman Jim Clyburn, one of the top-ranking Democrats in the U.S.

House, is seeking an 18th term.

He ended speculation today in announcing plans to run for reelection in South Carolina's 6th District.

He is an influential figure in politics.

Clyburn is credited with helping Joe Biden's presidential campaign with a 2020 endorsement.

The lawmaker turns 86 years old this summer.

He is one of the oldest members in Congress, surpassed by 88-year-old Republican Representative Hal Rogers of Kentucky and 92-year-old Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

A strong El Nino weather pattern could be on the way this summer.

NPR's Rebecca Hersha reports that would drive up global temperatures in the second half of this year.

Major market indices are down roughly 1% this hour, with the Dow down 500 points.

It's NPR News.

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mustafa Khamenei, is making his first public statement since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.

The younger Khamenei vows to avenge, quote, martyrs, to continue attacks on U.S.

bases in the region, and to keep its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global route for oil shipments.