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NPR News Now

NPR News: 04-19-2026 5AM EDT

19 Apr 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.858 - 4.543 Windsor Johnston

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

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Chapter 2: What are the current tensions in the Strait of Hormuz?

5.064 - 23.889 Windsor Johnston

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed after Iran reimposed restrictions on the waterway. President Trump says the U.S. blockade in the channel will stay in place, warning Tehran against escalation. With the ceasefire set to expire this week, officials warn the standoff could intensify if no agreement is reached.

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24.49 - 39.916 Windsor Johnston

Talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to take place in Washington this week. A temporary ceasefire appears to be holding between the two sides, but as NPR's Kat Lonsdorff reports, many people who live in Lebanon are not convinced it will lead to lasting peace.

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40.317 - 51.317 Abir Mohamed El-Masri

46-year-old Abir Mohamed El-Masri has been living in a tent in a parking lot with her six kids for nearly seven weeks. She says she'd much rather be in their apartment in the southern suburbs, but...

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51.297 - 56.302 Unknown

I don't trust the ceasefire, she said.

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56.622 - 68.453 Abir Mohamed El-Masri

It's more of a truce than a ceasefire. We can't go home yet. Many of the more than one million people displaced in Lebanon during this war have headed back to the south, where much of the fighting was happening, despite warnings not to.

68.953 - 83.95 Abir Mohamed El-Masri

But Israel is still occupying about 10 percent of the country after destroying whole villages to create what it calls a buffer zone to keep Hezbollah from firing rockets into Israel. Lebanese people from those villages cannot return. Kat Lonsdorff, NPR News, Beirut.

84.23 - 102.516 Windsor Johnston

Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a Democratic event in Michigan, saying she's cautiously optimistic about the party's chances of taking back Congress. Harris warned President Trump has put obstacles in place that could make it harder to vote, but said she doesn't believe the November elections will be canceled.

102.597 - 113.709 Kamala Harris

Because if you thought no King's Day was a thing, if they cancel the elections, the people will take to the streets. They're not going to cancel elections.

113.729 - 136.249 Windsor Johnston

Harris also urged voters to check their registration status and make sure they haven't been removed from the rolls. North Korea has fired multiple ballistic missiles into the sea today. It's the latest in a series of weapons tests. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports Pyongyang has been developing new military technologies used in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Chapter 3: How is the ceasefire impacting civilians in Lebanon?

165.935 - 175.532 Anthony Kuhn

Pyongyang's biggest takeaway from Ukraine and Iran, though, is that its best insurance against being attacked is its nuclear arsenal. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

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176.073 - 198.366 Windsor Johnston

This is NPR News in Washington. Florida's Board of Education has pulled sociology from the list of classes students attending state colleges can choose from in order to graduate. As Katherine Welch reports, this follows a similar move at the state's 12 public universities.

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199.004 - 221.417 Katherine Welch

The Board of Education voted to remove introductory sociology courses from counting toward general education requirements at Florida's 28 state colleges. The classes will still be available as electives. The board's chair said in a statement that general education courses cannot be used as, quote, vehicles for indoctrination.

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221.397 - 246.865 Katherine Welch

Sociology has been in the crosshairs since a 2023 Florida law banned courses that include teachings about how racism, sexism, and privilege are inherent in the country's institutions. The United Faculty of Florida called the state's earlier changes to sociology textbooks sanitizing. For NPR News, I'm Katherine Welch in Orlando.

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247.216 - 267.681 Windsor Johnston

Much of the United States is facing record drought conditions for this time of year. More than 60 percent of the lower 48 states are in moderate to exceptional drought, including nearly all of the southeast. Meteorologists warn the conditions could worsen the risk for wildfires, food prices and water shortages.

268.262 - 278.515 Windsor Johnston

Experts say they're also concerned about significantly low reservoir levels and the potential for a poor agriculture year. This is NPR News.

280.337 - 303.666 Brittany Luce

This year, for the first time in NPR's history, public media is operating without federal funding. That means NPR needs your support now more than ever. I'm Brittany Luce from It's Been a Minute. Please do your part to keep independent, reliable news coverage strong and support the podcasts that get you through the day by making a gift for public media giving days. Head over to donate.npr.org.

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