NPR News: 04-02-2026 1PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The White House is outlining the next steps toward ending the war with Iran. In a national address last night, President Trump outlined what he considers accomplished objectives in the conflict, which is now in its second month. NPR's Jay Parvez has been tracking the response from the Iranian government.
In a speech updating the nation on the war with Iran, President Trump said that the conflict would end soon. but that U.S. strikes on Iran would intensify over the next two to three weeks. He also said this.
We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.
There has yet to be an official response from Iran, but response from some officials on social media was swift and sharp. For instance, Saeed Majid Mousavi, the aerospace commander for Iran's Revolutionary Guard, wrote on X, You, with your paltry 250-year-old history, threaten a civilization over 6,000 years old. the ex-account belonging to the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai posted, they said Iran needed to be great again. Now suddenly the goalpost is the Stone Age? Funny thing, civilizations that go back to empires like the Archimedes don't really do again, they just are. Shortly after President Trump's speech, in which he also claimed that Iran's military capabilities were destroyed, Iran launched a series of missiles at Israel and Bahrain.
Deepa Raz, NPR News, Van, Turkey.
House Speaker Mike Johnson will attempt to get Republicans to back a bipartisan deal to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security except its immigration enforcement teams. NPR's Eric McDaniel has more.
Speaker Johnson last Friday panned the proposal that he's now asking Republicans to support. This gambit that was done last night is a joke. They voted down that plan from the Senate, and now he'll have to ask his members to support the same deal. It funds DHS immediately, except for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection. So folks like airport security can be paid in the short term, while a bigger three-year deal is worked out to fund all of DHS through the remainder of Trump's time in the White House. And thanks to a parliamentary maneuver called reconciliation, that long-term deal shouldn't need any support from Democrats. First, though, Johnson has to convince hardline Republicans that he's no longer joking.
Eric McDaniel, NPR News, Washington.
The Commerce Department says the U.S. trade deficit widened in February to just over $57 billion. Imports and exports both increased during the month, but as NPR's Scott Horsley reports, imports rose more.
The news comes a year to the day after the president ordered double-digit tariffs on virtually everything Americans buy from other countries. What Trump called Liberation Day tariffs were later struck down by the Supreme Court. Customs officials are now working on a process to refund $166 billion that was wrongly collected.
That's NPR's Scott Horsley reporting. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 189 points. This is NPR News. Those who work in New England's fishing industry are among those feeling the financial strain from the high cost of fuel. David Wright with Ocean State Media has more from Rhode Island.
At the fishing ports of Rhode Island, the price of dockside diesel fuel jumped nearly 50% last month. It's now $5.75 a gallon. If it climbs much higher, sea captains like Patrick Duckworth say it may soon become too expensive to fish. The price of fish doesn't come up, the price of fuel doesn't go down, and you're going to see this harbor full all summer long. Meaning they won't be going out on the water? Yep, won't be going out on the water, and less money, probably a lot of people that won't have jobs. Seafood processors say it's a double whammy, not only to higher fuel prices cut into the fishermen's pockets, they also hit harder for truckers who transport the fish where it needs to go. For NPR News, I'm David Wright in Narragansett, Rhode Island.
The Artemis II Orion spacecraft has entered high Earth orbit where it will stay for a day before heading toward the moon.
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