NPR News: 04-29-2026 5PM EDT
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What are the financial implications of the Iran war?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Pentagon says the Iran war has cost $25 billion so far. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testified today on Capitol Hill.
Hegseth was defending the administration's proposed $1.45 trillion defense budget with a focus on rebuilding U.S. military industry. But it's the first time he's appeared under oath since the Iran war started. And Democrat Adam Smith asked why President Trump ordered the attack after claiming to have destroyed Iran's nuclear weapons program last year.
Well, their nuclear facilities have been obliterated underground. They're buried and watching them 24-7. We had to start this war, you just said, 60 days ago because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat.
How is redistricting impacting Florida's midterm elections?
Now you're saying that it was completely obliterated?
They had not given up their nuclear ambitions. Higgs has said the biggest adversaries are Democrats and some Republicans who are criticizing the war. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.
Florida Republicans gave a boost to President Trump's national redistricting drive to shape the midterm elections today. From member station WFSU, Tristan Wood reports the legislature approved new voting maps that could flip four congressional seats now held by Democrats.
It still needs his signature, but Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' office drew the map that divides Democratic votes in Central and South Florida. DeSantis says Florida's population growth requires redistricting, but also indicated it would create four new Republican-leaning districts. Democratic Florida State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith said the motivation for the redraw is partisanship.
This map is clearly designed to entrench power rather than reflect the will of the people.
What controversial comments were made by the British ambassador?
The map's passage came just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in a Louisiana redistricting case. DeSantis predicted that would help Florida's redistricting hold up in court. For NPR News, I'm Tristan Wood in Tallahassee, Florida.
With the British king and queen visiting the U.S. this week, officials on both sides of the Atlantic have been playing up the special relationship between the U.S. and Britain. But as NPR's Lauren Frayer reports, some embarrassing comments have emerged from Britain's ambassador to Washington.
In audio leaked to the Financial Times newspaper, Ambassador Christian Turner tells a group of British students visiting Washington that if America has any special relationship.
I think there is probably one country that
How is the EPA's budget cut affecting environmental protection?
It's probably with Israel. And he calls it extraordinary that the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, quote, hasn't touched anybody in the U.S.
while it has... Gone right to the top of the British system.
In the audio, which is from February, Turner mentions the King's brother, Andrew, and his own predecessor as ambassador, Peter Mandelson, both fired from official roles over ties to the late sex offender. And he says questions over Mandelson's appointment might still bring down the British prime minister. Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London.
And from Washington, this is NPR News. The Trump administration is proposing cutting the EPA's budget by roughly half, sparking heated congressional hearings this week. Democrats accused the agency of abandoning its mission to protect the environment and public health. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says the EPA can still enforce laws while cutting funding and regulations.
What are the mental health concerns related to AI in the workplace?
A new survey finds that a majority of workers expect layoffs in the near future due to AI taking over jobs. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports a majority also say they feel more comfortable turning to AI chatbots for mental health concerns than their HR department.
The survey was conducted by Modern Health, a workplace mental health company. Respondents reported growing stresses affecting employee mental health, with only one-third saying that their well-being is valued by their employer. More than 70% said their employer pushes productivity at the cost of employee wellness. Despite a majority reporting adequate mental health coverage, half of the respondents said they don't use employer-provided mental health days for fear of being judged.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are the financial implications of the Iran war?
0:00–0:49
2
How is redistricting impacting Florida's midterm elections?
0:49–1:45
3
What controversial comments were made by the British ambassador?
1:45–2:26
4
How is the EPA's budget cut affecting environmental protection?
2:26–3:19
5
What are the mental health concerns related to AI in the workplace?
3:19–4:26
6
What recent developments are there in rescuing the stranded humpback whale?
4:26–5:04