NPR News: 05-01-2026 5PM EDT
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What is the current status of U.S.-Iran relations?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Today marks 60 days since the Trump administration formally notified Congress of the war with That's the legal deadline to gain approval from lawmakers to continue the conflict. But as NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, top officials argue hostilities with Iran have ended despite continued presence of U.S. forces in the region.
Under the War Powers Act, President Trump is supposed to get congressional approval of a conflict once the 60-day deadline is reached. or is required to withdraw U.S. forces. Trump announced major combatter operations against Iran in late February, but the White House and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that hostilities stopped with the implementation of the ceasefire and that there has been no exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran since April 7th. After two months of fighting, the two sides remain in a high-stakes standoff that is having major impacts on the global economy. Neither the U.S. nor Iran wants the bombing to resume, but both continue to make demands that the other side will not accept.
Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, the White House.
China's ambassador to the U.N.
How is China influencing the U.S.-Iran conflict?
is urging Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And he says if the waterway is still closed when President Trump visits China later this month, this will be a major theme of the trip, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports.
As he takes over the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council, China's Ambassador Fu Tsong says the Strait of Hormuz needs to open as quickly as possible.
And that actually applies to both sides. Iran needs to lift its restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. needs to lift its naval restrictions.
The Chinese ambassador denies his country is cooperating with Iran's military and calls U.S. sanctions on Chinese ships and companies, quote, illegitimate. He's urging the U.S. and Iran to keep a ceasefire in place and negotiate in good faith. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
Today, Nebraska became the first state under new federal rules to require Medicaid beneficiaries to prove they're working in order to keep their coverage. NPR's Selina Simmons-Duffin reports.
What new Medicaid requirements were introduced in Nebraska?
The one big beautiful bill act passed by Republicans in Congress last summer created a federal work requirement for Medicaid. Adults up to age 64 will have to regularly prove that they are working or that they qualify for an exemption. The deadline for the policy to be implemented is next January, but Nebraska is getting started early. The state says it's not adding staff or funding to implement the requirement, which will apply to roughly 70,000 Nebraskans. Health advocates call the rules paperwork requirements, since most people on Medicaid who can work already do. Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR News.
And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. More than half a million Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip are without work, according to the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions. Nuham Musla reports from Ramallah.
The labor union puts the unemployment rate in Gaza at 85 percent and in the Occupied West Bank at 38 percent. Since October 7, 2023, and Israel's subsequent restriction of Palestinian workers into Israel, the labor union says more than 250,000 workers have been prevented from reaching their jobs, leaving them without income for over 30 months. Shahar Saad, the head of the Palestinian Workers Union, tells NPR that the workers are suffering from unemployment and are living harsh conditions. He says the Palestinian labor market has lost $90 billion in these years of instability and war. For NPR, Noa Musleh reports from Ramallah.
Today, May 1st, is the International Workers' Day, which started 140 years ago in Chicago.
How has unemployment affected Palestinians in the Occupied Territories?
Demonstrations were held around the world, as Axios' Monica Eng explains. Unions really wanted this to be a huge day, a day when people basically walked out of school and walked out of work. And there was a lot of hubbub because the Chicago Teachers Union, which may be one of the most powerful political forces in this already strong union town, wanted Chicago public schools to just cancel school that day.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the current status of U.S.-Iran relations?
0:00–1:13
2
How is China influencing the U.S.-Iran conflict?
1:13–2:17
3
What new Medicaid requirements were introduced in Nebraska?
2:17–4:02
4
How has unemployment affected Palestinians in the Occupied Territories?
4:02–4:45
5
What were the key events of International Workers' Day?
4:45–4:55
6
What upcoming features can listeners expect in the next episode?
4:55–5:03