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Chapter 1: What is President Trump's executive order regarding TSA agents?
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.
On social media, Trump announced he would sign an order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security to pay TSA agents, quote, in order to address this emergency situation and to stop the chaos at the airports. However, no such order has so far been signed. And it's not clear it would be legal since Congress holds the power of the purse.
and hasn't yet approved funds for the department as Democrats hold out for reforms to ICE immigration enforcement tactics. Hundreds of TSA agents have quit during the shutdown, and many more are calling out from work, causing very long lines at some airports.
Chapter 2: How is the U.S. responding to the Iran conflict?
Tamara Keith, NPR News.
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.
They would have used a nuclear weapon on Israel, and they would have used it on the other neighbors. And then they would have come after us. And if we had a weak president, they would have done great damage. But fortunately, you don't have a weak president. I knew what was happening. And I think we've been proven right.
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.
Chapter 3: What impact will the Iran conflict have on global inflation?
NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports the Paris-based group of wealthy nations says the U.S. will have the highest inflation rate.
Matthias Korman is general director for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He presented the group's downward revised economic outlook for the next two years.
This conflict and the related energy supply shock have now lowered our projected path for global growth this year and next.
He says U.S. inflation will surge to 4.2 percent, more than one percentage point higher than the group's previous forecast made late last year. Rising energy prices will also sharply curb economic growth around the world. It will worsen in 2027, said Corman, if the conflict doesn't end and the Strait of Hormuz reopen. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.
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. Metro areas along the U.S.-Mexico border saw the steepest declines as the number of immigrants fell.
This is NPR News from Washington. Louisiana officials warn that the state's $300 million crawfish industry is facing dire straits because of a shortage of seasonal workers.
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Chapter 4: How has U.S. population growth changed in metro areas?
The state ag department says at least 15 of the state's 20 processors received none of the H-2B workers they applied for. The Department of Homeland Security released the visas so late that crawfish season had already begun. Louisiana congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle are pressing the Trump administration for a solution.
Scientists have gotten an unprecedented look at the birth of a sperm whale. And as NPR's Nate Rott reports, they found it involves a surprising amount of teamwork.
Eleven sperm whales had gathered closely in the Caribbean Sea. And from a boat not far off, marine biologist Shane Garrow knew something was up. And then suddenly there was this gush of blood. An attack by predators, he feared, until... Bloop! this little head pops out and then splashed these little floppy flukes, like this little tiny tail.
The labor birth and hours after were all recorded by aerial drones and underwater microphones. And in two studies published in the journal Science and Scientific Reports, Garrow and colleagues detail how even whales that weren't related to the birth mother helped her and the calf, showing, Garrow says, that sperm whales live rich and complicated social lives.
Chapter 5: What challenges is Louisiana's crawfish industry currently facing?
Nate Ratt, NPR News.
Cherry blossoms have reached peak bloom here in Washington, D.C. The National Park Service says 70% of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open, but it only lasts for a few days. Most of the trees are located in the tidal basin, but parts of it are fenced off for seawall repairs. This is NPR News from Washington.
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