NPR News: 03-28-2026 12AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.
What recent legislative measures have been passed regarding Homeland Security?
The House has passed a measure to temporarily extend funding in full for the Department of Homeland Security through May 22nd. The vote came after House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the bipartisan budget compromise measure passed early Friday morning by the Republican-led Senate.
This gambit that was done last night is a joke. I'm quite convinced that it can't be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill.
The measure will now be sent to the Senate, where its future is unclear. Democrats say they'll not support any measure that does not rein in what they call the excesses of ICE agents. Ukraine's President Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Friday to discuss defense deals and Ukraine's anti-drone systems. NPR's Ayyub Atrawi reports.
Saudi Arabia's state-run news agency says the kingdom and Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding related to defense procurement. It comes as Saudi Arabia's defense ministry says it's intercepted hundreds of drones and dozens of ballistic missiles fired at it from Iran. in counterattacks from the U.S.-Israeli war. Zelensky wrote in a post on X the agreement lays the foundation for future contracts with Saudi Arabia. He said Ukraine stands ready to share its expertise and systems following five years of war battling Russian missiles and drones. He said he also discussed with the Saudi crown prince, quote, Russia's assistance to the Iranian regime. The Ukrainian leader has told reporters he wants the Gulf to assist Ukraine with air defense missiles.
Saudi Arabia is mediated in the Russia-Ukraine war and facilitated prisoner exchanges. Aya Baltrawi, NPR News, Dubai.
Representatives from the G7 called Friday for an immediate halt to attacks against civilian populations in Iran, as well as that country's infrastructure. In the same communique, the group also called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. After the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington will seek international cooperation on a plan to keep the Strait open after the hostilities finally end. Crude oil prices Friday rose to $107 a barrel again. Those prices have been on a roller coaster since the war with Iran began. As NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports, that's a consequence of profound uncertainty.
Global oil trades are massively disrupted, but how catastrophic it is for the world economy depends on how long the Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed. Ed Crooks is with the consultancy Wood McKenzie.
Traders are trying to look at this very binary outcome of... Continued closure, a much higher price. A reopened street, a much lower price.
Every shred of evidence for a long disruption sends prices up, while every hint at a near-term resolution pushes prices down. And the result is a volatile price, somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Camilla Dominovsky, NPR News.
Stocks on Wall Street, meanwhile, finished down across the board. You're listening to NPR News. Heavy rains and strong winds have triggered deadly landslides and floods across East Africa this month. In southern Tanzania, officials say at least 20 people were killed in landslides.
What did President Zelensky discuss with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman?
In Kenya, flooding has led to the deaths of at least 88 people. And in Ethiopia, at least 80 people have died in landslides so far this month. PlayStation is getting more expensive. Sony announced Friday it's increasing the price for its flagship PlayStation 5 video games. And Pierre's Stephen Passaha reports.
The PlayStation 5 Pro will cost $900 starting April 2nd. That's a $150 increase. Traditionally, game systems get cheaper as they get older. But the nearly six-year-old original PlayStation 5 is also going up 100 bucks. Sony blames the price increases on, quote, pressures in the global economic landscape. That is likely referring in part to tariffs, since the systems are manufactured overseas. This is also potentially the latest sign of AI making computers more expensive to build. Data centers have gobbled up and raised the price of the memory chips that computers like video game consoles also need.
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