NPR News: 03-25-2026 11AM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Iran says ships that are not associated with Israel or the U.S. can transit through the Strait of Hormuz. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports some ships are passing through the narrow waterway, but most oil and gas tankers remain trapped.
Iran says it's acting in self-defense by restricting the passage of vessels associated with the aggressors of the war. In a letter addressed to the U.N. Secretary General, Iran said the United States and Israel and others participating in the war do not qualify for non-hostile passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The strait has been closed to nearly all ships since the U.S. and Israel launched war on Iran nearly a month ago. Maritime intelligence analysis firm Windward says on Monday five ships transited through the strait. It says one ship explicitly signaled it was an Indian ship with an Indian crew, reinforcing that ships that can transit are doing so in coordination with Iran's approval. The U.N.
human rights chief says the near total closure of the strait is disrupting global energy supplies, with countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan suspending school to save on energy. Ayyub Atrawi, NPR News, Dubai.
The House Homeland Security Committee is examining how the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is affecting Americans. TSA agents are not getting paid. Many are quitting or calling out. Many airline passengers have to wait hours to clear airport security. The acting TSA administrator is Hanwen McNeil. She is telling lawmakers at a hearing this morning that TSA agents are being unfairly treated.
Paying these dedicated employees for the work they are performing. should never be a point of debate. And yet here we are on the 40th day of our third shutdown this fiscal year.
President Trump has deployed ICE agents to some major airports, but that is drawing criticism. The head of the union for TSA agents says ICE officers are untrained and could make airport security worse. The Trump administration is facing a deadline to nominate a new director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A law on federal vacancies is setting the timetable for the CDC.
And Piers Ping Huang explains. The last CDC director, Susan Menares, was fired by the Trump administration in August when she stood up to changes to vaccine policy that her boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wanted to make. This week marks 210 days since the firing, the limit to which the role can be filled by temps, according to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Senior officials have run a search for a new director with this deadline in mind. The nominee needs to be aligned with President Trump and Secretary Kennedy and also be able to get Senate confirmation. The role is currently filled by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who also leads the National Institutes of Health. He joined the CDC last month and could continue in the acting role while an official nominee navigates Senate confirmation.
Ping Huang, NPR News.
On Wall Street, the Dow is up 430 points. This is NPR. A series of Trump administration policies is increasing pressure on U.S. farmers, and Pierre's Danielle Kurtzleben reports rural area residents tend to support the president, but these challenges may test their patience.
The war in Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz have spiked the costs of nitrogen fertilizer and fuel. All of that comes after deportations thinned out the agricultural labor force and tariffs both pushed input prices higher and disrupted normal trading relationships. Illinois farmer Dave O'Brien is fed up with the Trump administration's messaging.
It bothers me with these statements about, well, there's going to be a little hurt to be spread around, but that'll all get better. That's almost an insult. We're supposed to take it in the ribs, but I guarantee you'll get it better.
In a statement to NPR, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said President Trump is, quote, looking at every potential option to lower fertilizer prices.
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