NPR News: 04-21-2026 1AM EDT
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What are the latest updates on U.S.-Pakistan negotiations?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump says he expects the negotiating team led by Vice President J.D. Vance to return to Pakistan, but it's not clear when the team would leave for Islamabad. But a two-week ceasefire with Iran is set to expire on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a new United Nations study estimates Gaza needs $71 billion for reconstruction and recovery. NPR's Aya Petrauri reports a study says a third of that is needed immediately to rebuild critical infrastructure.
A new assessment by the UN, World Bank and European Union notes that more than 370,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed or damaged in Israeli attacks, leaving more than a million people without homes. Most people in Gaza now live in makeshift tents made out of sticks and plastic tarps. Israeli troops, meanwhile, occupy around half of Gaza and have leveled thousands more homes there, they say, to dismantle Hamas tunnels. The study also says around 75 percent of all people in Gaza who were employed before the war are now without jobs, relying on aid to survive. It notes Gaza has the lowest levels ever recorded globally on the Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy, standards of living and access to education.
Aya Batraoui, NPR News, Dubai.
New Army regulations that took effect Monday raise the maximum enlistment age to 42 and also drop a waiver requirement for recruits who have a single conviction for marijuana possession. Jay Price reports.
That new maximum age is up from 35. It brings the Army into line with the Navy and Air Force, which have similar limits. The changes come against a backdrop of societal shifts, including the widespread legalization of marijuana. Military branches have also eased restrictions on tattoos in recent years. The Army had suffered recent major recruiting shortfalls, but it exceeded its targets for the past two years, in part because it created preparatory courses to help potential recruits raise their entry test scores and drop weight to meet basic requirements. For NPR News, I'm Jay Price.
Business owners now applying for tariff-free funds after the Supreme Court ruled that most of President Trump's tariffs from last year were unconstitutional. The government has launched a portal for claims, as NPR's Alina Selyuk reports.
Virginia business owner Sarah Wells logged onto the portal before it was even supposed to be open. I sort of took the early bird catches the worm approach. She makes backpacks and accessories for new moms, and she applied for a refund of $20,000 for tariffs she paid on two shipments from China and Cambodia.
How is Gaza's reconstruction being addressed by the UN?
There were a lot of hours leading up to today and a lot of cumbersome parts of this, but today was actually pretty quick. That prep process is still difficult for many businesses, especially smaller ones. U.S. Customs is not saying how many companies did submit claims so far, but this initial phase is meant to cover refunds of some $127 billion, which is the majority. Alina Seluk, NPR News.
This is NPR News. Singer-songwriter David Burke pleaded not guilty in an L.A. courtroom Monday to murder charges and the death of a 14-year-old girl missing for a year. Steve Futterman reports.
It began as a missing person investigation. Immediately, the focus centered on 21-year-old David Anthony Burke, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hockman.
On April 23, 2025, Celeste went to Mr. Burke's house in the Hollywood Hills. She was never heard from again.
Last September, it turned into a murder investigation.
Her dismembered and decomposed remains were found inside of a car registered to Mr. Burke.
Prosecutors believe the motive was to prevent Celeste Rivas from revealing possible criminal acts involving Burke. Attorneys for Burke say he is innocent. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.
The American Library Association says book bans and attempted bans remain at near record highs, saying that many challenges now come from government officials and activists rather than concerned parents. The ALA on Monday released its annual list of the most challenged books in U.S.
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