Ryland Barton

The truck's load became increasingly pungent as temperatures rose.

One person wrote online that it smelled like catfish bait.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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

President Trump says he's going to sign an executive order to pay TSA agents.

As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, airport security workers are about to miss their second paycheck because of the partial government shutdown.

President Trump says he's extending his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy plants.

Iran and the U.S.

appear to be at an impasse, with each side hardening their positions and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the Middle East war.

Still, President Trump says 26 days into the conflict, the U.S.

is ahead of schedule.

Thousands more U.S.

troops are on their way to the region.

A global policy forum predicts that world inflation will surge due to energy shocks brought on by the U.S.

and Israel's war on Iran.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports the Paris-based group of wealthy nations says the U.S.

will have the highest inflation rate.

New population estimates show that U.S.

growth in metro areas slowed sharply as immigration dropped and hurricanes pushed people out of some Gulf Coast counties.

The Census Bureau reports that the average metro growth rate fell from 1.1 percent in 2024 to 0.6 percent in 2025.