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Chapter 1: What happened during the Artemis II mission and its significance?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. The crew of Artemis II is safely back on Earth after a more than nine-day journey around the moon and back. Central Florida Public Media's Brendan Byrne reports their spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Diego under a canopy of three parachutes.
Houston Integrity, splashdown, sending post landing command now.
The crew's Orion spacecraft made the 13-and-a-half-minute journey through the atmosphere, reaching a top speed of around 33 times the speed of sound and slowing to just around 19 miles per hour at splashdown. The four astronauts have traveled more than 694,000 miles since launching from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. It was the first time humans ventured to the moon in more than 50 years.
The mission was a critical flight of Orion, carrying crew for the first time and testing key systems like the life support propulsion and the heat shield. NASA will take this data and use it for future astronaut missions with a goal to land humans on the moon by 2028. For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.
Chapter 2: What are the latest developments in Iran-Pakistan negotiations?
Iran's team of negotiators have arrived in Pakistan for talks there Saturday with Vice President J.D. Vance. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports the two sides are meeting after President Trump backed down from threats to bomb Iran's power plants and instead agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
Pakistan's state TV showed Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Begir Khalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi being welcomed on the tarmac in Islamabad by senior Pakistani officials. The Iranian team will be holding talks with Vance, who's traveling with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump says his top priorities now are ensuring Iran has no nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz opens for shipping. Iran is demanding an end to Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Israel's attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and civilian areas of Beirut killed more than 350 people Wednesday, according to Lebanon's health ministry. threatening the talks in Pakistan.
Dozens more have been killed since.
Chapter 3: What allegations is Congressman Eric Swalwell facing and how are they impacting his campaign?
Aya Batrawi, NPR News, Dubai.
California Congressman Eric Swalwell is facing calls from fellow Democrats to end his campaign for governor. For Member Station KQED, Guy Marzarati reports Swalwell has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer, allegations Swalwell strongly denies.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the allegations from a former staff member who said Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice when she was too intoxicated to give consent. Swalwell is a leading candidate in the June 2nd primary for governor. In a statement, he called the allegations false.
But some of his top supporters, including California Senator Adam Schiff and Congressman Jimmy Gomez, are dropping their endorsements and calling on Swalwell to end his campaign. For NPR News, I'm Guy Marzarotti in San Francisco.
March saw a sharp spike in inflation because of the largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades. This is NPR.
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Chapter 4: How is inflation affecting the economy as reported in March 2026?
The White House has released official architectural plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch President Trump has proposed to add to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As NPR's Anastasia Siolkas reports, the plans will be reviewed next week.
The committee charged with reviewing the plans for the arch is the Commission of Fine Arts, a group President Trump has filled with his appointees. The submitted plans from the Harrison design firm show a structure very similar to the model that Trump showed off at a fundraising dinner at the White House last October.
The proposed arch bears a striking resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and is topped with two eagles and a winged, crowned figure reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty. On one side, the words, one nation under God, appear with the phrase, with liberty and justice for all on the other. The structure would be more than twice the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
Anastasia Tsoukas, NPR News, New York.
The world's first facility for permanently disposing of spent nuclear fuel is set to begin operations in Finland in the coming months. The site, called Onkolo, which means cave in Finnish, has been under construction for decades.
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Chapter 5: What are the details of President Trump's proposed triumphal arch for the National Mall?
It will be the repository for thousands of tons of dangerous radioactive waste. The site cost $1.2 billion to build, deep in stable bedrock that is 1.9 billion years old. It's on an island on Finland's west coast. The closest town is less than 10 miles away. Nuclear safety experts have raised concerns about such disposal.
Chapter 6: What is the significance of Finland's new nuclear waste disposal facility?
This is NPR News live in Washington.
This week on Consider This, America's celebrating its 250th birthday, but that milestone feels different in different places. In my heart, I don't feel stuck celebrating. We take you to Montgomery, Alabama, the cradle of the civil rights movement, where the past is also a warning. Everything that's going on now, we've already been through.
Listen to Consider This on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.