NPR News: 05-08-2026 1PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
What recent political changes occurred in Virginia?
Last month, Virginia voters approved a redistricting measure that could have gotten Democrats four more seats in Congress. Today, Virginia Supreme Court nullified the election. Jad Khalil of member station VPM with details.
The court's ruling stems from Virginia's long constitutional amendment process. It requires the legislature to pass the text of an amendment, then stand for re-election, and then pass it again before voters approve it. Virginia Democrats had to sprint to get it passed in the first step and did so after early voting had already begun. The Virginia Supreme Court said that, quote, irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum. It's a major defeat for national Democrats who are counting on Virginia to blunt President Trump's redistricting push. State Democrats also spent lots of political capital on the effort. Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott said they would respect the result of the referendum.
Likewise, it's a win for Republicans. State Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougal said the ruling was constitutional and not partisan. For NPR News, I'm Jad Khalil in Richmond.
China confirmed today that a ship with a Chinese crew on board was attacked last Monday near the Strait of Hormuz. But China says so far there are no reported casualties. NPR's Jennifer Pak has this from Shanghai.
China's foreign ministry says the ship is registered to the Marshall Islands, but did not say whether it had signaled Chinese crew were on board. Since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the Iranians have retaliated by effectively closing the waterway. but they gave passage for ships from friendly nations, including from China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian did not say who struck the ship or give other details. China is deeply concerned, he says, that many vessels and crew members have been stranded in the critical waterway due to the war. The attack happened before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday when they discussed reopening the strait.
Jennifer Pak, NPR News, Shanghai. Several U.S.
states say they're monitoring asymptomatic residents who were on the cruise ship stricken by hantavirus outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the probability of a widespread contagion is very low, but they're asking people who came in contact with passengers from the Hondias ship to watch for symptoms. Dr. Céline Gounder is editor-at-large with KFF Health News.
The CDC is notifying state and local health departments so they can coordinate monitoring as a precaution. Because the incubation can be for up to eight weeks, they're watching for symptoms like fever, muscle aches, and trouble breathing.
Spanish authorities on the Canary Islands are preparing to receive scores of passengers and crew from that cruise ship. Local authorities have reported setting up quarantine measures to evacuate and isolate the ship's occupants so they don't come in contact with the general population. So far, though, there have been no new reports of antivirus infection on the vessel. It's NPR News. The Labor Department says hiring was stronger than expected in April. Employers created 115,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3 percent. This year's WNBA regular season tips off tonight. NPR's Becky Sullivan says 2026 will feature two new teams.
The season opens in Canada, where the new Toronto Tempo will host their first game in team history when they take on the Washington Mystics. On Saturday, the other new team, the Portland Fire, will host the Chicago Sky. Both new teams are hoping to repeat the success of the Golden State Valkyries, who led the league in attendance last season in their inaugural year in the league. And the Indiana Fever will welcome back star guard Kaitlyn Clark, who missed most of last season with injuries. The Fever have hopes of a title, as do the Las Vegas Aces and their four-time MVP Asia Wilson, who once again looked good.
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