NPR News: 05-12-2026 1AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder.
What impact has the Iran war had on energy markets?
The Iran war has disrupted energy markets for more than 10 weeks. Now President Trump says he wants to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax. NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben reports on Trump's latest response to surging prices at the pump.
Suspending the gas tax would require an act of Congress. Currently, the tax is 18.3 cents per gallon of gas and 24.3 cents on diesel. The potential suspension is an acknowledgment from the White House of the toll that high gas prices have taken on American consumers. The latest NPR-PBS News Marist poll found that 8 in 10 Americans say gas prices are straining their budgets and that 63 percent say those price increases are Trump's fault.
What are President Trump's proposals regarding the federal gas tax?
Regular gasoline cost just under $3 per gallon before the U.S. bombed Iran. Now it costs 50 percent more at $4.52, according to AAA. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House.
President Trump cannot act to suspend the federal gas tax on his own. He would need to seek congressional approval. Lawmakers from both parties have pushed for such a move, though. Republican Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota.
Yeah, you know, I would, and I think others would, but what's going to make the real difference is what I just described. Again, getting control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said Monday that Republicans could help cut the cost of gas if they would use the War Powers Act to rein in President Trump. The federal tax is currently set at just over 18 cents per gallon on gasoline and roughly 24 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. President Trump is to leave for a trip to China Tuesday. The White House says the focus of his trip is keeping trade stable, but the Iran war will likely loom in the background. China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, At the White House on Monday, Trump called Iran's response to the U.S. proposal to end the war garbage and set the ceasefires on life support. Eighteen Americans aboard a cruise ship hit with a hantavirus outbreak have returned to the U.S.
as NPR's Ping Huang reports they're staying in specialized facilities for observation and treatment.
U.S. cruise passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, home to a federally funded quarantine unit. Dr. Michael Wadman oversees the facilities in which 15 passengers who don't have symptoms are quarantining.
The 15 that were welcomed here were in good shape. They were in good spirits. They definitely were tired and needed some rest, so we did a quick assessment.
One passenger, who tested mildly positive for hantavirus, is staying in a higher-level biocontainment unit.
How are American consumers reacting to rising gas prices?
And two passengers were sent to Atlanta, a couple in which one person has symptoms. They're staying in biocontainment at Emory University. Health officials said the passengers would be monitored for symptoms over 42 days, though after an initial assessment, some may do it from home. Ping Huang, NPR News.
And you're listening to NPR News. The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily extended access to the abortion medication Mifepristone. The order allows women seeking abortions to continue obtaining Mifepristone at pharmacies or through the mail without an in-person visit to a doctor at least through Thursday, while the court considers whether to allow restrictions imposed by a federal appeals court to take effect. The Trump administration's State Department did not participate in a U.N. forum last week about international migration. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports on how the administration is trying to redefine refugee issues.
UN member states met last week to recommit themselves to what's known as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. But the U.S. State Department says its goal is not to manage migration, but to foster what it calls re-migration, that is getting migrants to leave the U.S. and return to their home countries. In a statement, the department also accuses the U.N. of trying to advocate for and facilitate, quote, replacement immigration in the U.S.
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