NPR News: 04-18-2026 4AM EDT
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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Iran announced Friday that it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The news came as European leaders were meeting in Paris to discuss securing freedom of navigation in the waterway. EU leaders welcomed the latest development but say there still needs to be a lasting and workable solution to the blockade. NPR's Fatima al-Kassab has our reports.
The leaders of 49 countries took part in the meeting, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italy's Giorgio Maloney. Speaking afterwards, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was an agreement among all attendees that the strait should be opened without tolls or restrictions. He also said they discussed military planning.
I can confirm that along with France, the UK will lead a multinational mission to protect freedom of navigation as soon as conditions allow.
Starmer says this mission would be strictly peaceful and defensive to reassure commercial shipping and support mine clearance. Fatima Al-Khazab, NPR News, London.
Attendees at a rally held by President Trump in Phoenix Friday say they're unbothered by the president's recent public feud with Pope Leo. For member station KJZZ in Phoenix, Cameron Sanchez reports.
Trump criticized the pope on social media earlier this month after Pope Leo condemned the war in Iran. Trump called him weak on crime and followed up by posting an image of himself as a Christ-like figure on social media, which he's since deleted. Attendees at Trump's rally say the president gets carried away sometimes, but they stand by him. Arizona and Jake Rockwell.
I think it is important, but I think the Pope should stick in his lane. You know, he is a guy after all.
Friday's event took place at a Pentecostal megachurch and was hosted by a conservative nonprofit, Turning Point USA. Many of the attendees are Christians. For NPR News, I'm Cameron Sanchez in Phoenix.
We are now under 200 days away from the midterm elections in November. And NPR's Stephen Fowler says when it comes to raising money, Democrats are doing great.
Let me tell you where the money's going. To Democrats in high-profile Senate races. Incumbent Senator John Ossoff in Georgia reported $14 million from the last quarter. Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina, $13 million. And Democratic nominee in Texas, James Tallarico, $27 million. In many of these races, the Democrats are outracing the entire Republican field by multiple times over. There's clearly a lot of enthusiasm there.
And Fowler says that money could lead to a big swing toward Democrats in the fall. The Senate passed a short-term renewal of a controversial surveillance program on Friday and sent the measure to President Trump for his signature. The program allows key national security agencies to collect and analyze large amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. The bill extends authorization for the program until April 30th. This is NPR News. The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing its search at this hour for a boat that's gone missing off the coast of Guam. The 145-foot cargo vessel Mariana was disabled during Typhoon Sinlaku. The six crew members had contacted the Coast Guard on Wednesday, saying the boat had lost its starboard engine, but communications with the boat were lost on Thursday.
A federal judge has blocked the merger of local TV giants Nextar Media Group and Tegna until an antitrust lawsuit is resolved. NPR's Matt Bloom has our story.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento issued a preliminary injunction on the deal late Friday. It came in response to a complaint from eight Democratic attorneys general and DirecTV. The plaintiffs argue the merger could raise consumer prices and lead to the consolidation of local news stations. The deal, valued over $6 billion, could create a company that owns 265 TV stations across 44 states. President Trump has endorsed the deal publicly, and the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice have already approved it. Next are in a statement says the merger will make local stations stronger and that it will appeal the judge's block.
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