NPR News: 04-23-2026 11PM EDT
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What severe weather events are impacting the middle of the country?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Serious storms are moving through the middle of the country tonight. Local television is showing video of a massive tornado and says homes have been flattened near the city of Enid in northern Oklahoma near Vance Air Force Base. Fatalities and injuries are unclear, but KOCO-TV is reporting that authorities in Garfield County have launched search and rescue operations for people who may be trapped beneath debris. The National Weather Service says the threat of severe weather through the weekend stretches from Oklahoma to Minnesota. President Trump says he does not want to be rushed into making a deal with Iran.
I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now. Do you know that if I left right now, We had a tremendous success. It would take them 20 years to rebuild, but I don't want to do that. I want to have it everlasting.
Trump took questions today in the Oval Office where Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met for a second time in a week and announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The initial 10-day ceasefire was due to expire on Monday. Trump says he expects to meet at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the next couple of weeks. Earlier today, Trump ordered the Navy to, quote, shoot and kill any boat trying to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping through the waterway has virtually stopped over the fear of mines and Iranian attacks, and Pierre's Jackie Northam reports.
There are no reliable numbers as to how many mines are in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but the threat of one hitting a ship is enough to keep some vessels anchored. The Washington Post reported that a classified Pentagon assessment shared with Congress says it could take up to six months to clear the strait, and that such an operation wouldn't begin until after the war. President Trump dismissed that assessment and said in a social media post that U.S. minesweepers had already started clearing the strait. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy boarded a second ship carrying oil from Iran that was bound for China. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
The Justice Department is reclassifying medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The department says the move will pave the way for more research into safety and use in medical treatment, as NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.
The Justice Department says it is immediately rescheduling FDA-approved and state-licensed marijuana from what's known as a Schedule I drug, the same group as heroin, to a Schedule III drug, like Tylenol with codeine. The move does not legalize marijuana under federal law, but it does recognize that marijuana has medical applications and opens the door to research the effects of cannabis. The department is also ordering a new hearing to begin in late July to fully reschedule the drug. The move by the Trump administration comes after years of debate in Washington about reclassifying marijuana. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
And you're listening to NPR News. Police in Baton Rouge say Thursday's shooting inside the Mall of Louisiana was not a random act of violence, but a disagreement between two groups. One person was killed and five were wounded when gunfire broke out in the food court. Lafayette Parish officials say at least three of the victims are high school seniors.
What recent developments have occurred regarding U.S.-Iran relations?
Baton Rouge police say five people have been taken into custody for questioning. The department is appealing to witnesses for any video of the shooting. Routine childhood vaccination rates are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports a major push by the World Health Organization and others delivered more than 100 million inoculations to kids in dozens of countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic threw a major wrench in routine childhood vaccination programs for diseases like measles and polio. In 2021, more than 25 million children missed at least one vaccination as clinics closed and resources were diverted to fighting the pandemic.
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