Ryland Barton

Rory McIlroy is the defending champion.

Scotty Scheffler is seeking his third Masters title.

Notably absent are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who are both dealing with personal issues.

The S&P 500 and Dow both rose more than half a percent today.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's authorized negotiations with Lebanon aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the countries.

They've technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948.

Meanwhile, President Trump posted on social media that Iran is doing a very poor job of allowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and it is, quote, not the agreement we have.

As NPR's Daniel Estrin reports, after more than a month of war, Iran is feeling emboldened.

NPR's Daniel Estrin reporting.

First Lady Melania Trump gave a surprise statement today denying any connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

They appear together in a group photo from 2000, but Trump decries what she says are fake images and statements about herself and the deceased convicted sex offender.

She does urge justice.

Congress to hold hearings on the Epstein probe.

NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has this.

Federal forecasters say it's increasingly likely that an El Nino weather pattern will emerge this fall.

The climate shift can have major effects on rainfall and temperatures.

NPR's Lawrence Sommer reports.

A key measure of inflation stayed high in February before the war in Iran spiked gas prices, a sign that everyday costs were elevated even before the conflict began.