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Chapter 1: What key political events are impacting South Carolina and Texas?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. South Carolina Republicans dealt President Trump a blow today, blocking a redistricting measure that would have pushed out the state's lone Democrat, Congressman Jim Clyburn. This after three weeks of rushed hearings and debates. Meanwhile, early voting for the June 9th primary got underway today.
And Texas is holding a primary runoff today in a high-profile Senate contest between Republican incumbent Senator John Cornyn and State Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom President Trump endorsed. Iran says it shot down a U.S. drone after the U.S. targeted Iranian Navy boats. That comes as Tehran and Washington are negotiating a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and enter nuclear talks.
NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from Tel Aviv.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal could be days away, but it's unclear how the latest military escalation will affect efforts to reach a deal. Iran said at least four naval officers were killed in the U.S. attacks. The U.S. says it was targeting boats laying mines. And Iran reported explosions around a city on the Strait of Hormuz.
That's the strategic waterway crucial to the world's oil and gas supplies that the U.S. wants Iran to reopen. Israel's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, called the Iran deal being negotiated bad. He argued it would be a matter of time before another war erupts between Israel and Iran. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
The Supreme Court is refusing to intervene in a discrimination lawsuit brought by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores against the NFL, allowing the case to proceed toward trial. The justices today rejected an appeal from the league, which wanted the case handled through arbitration rather than in open court in New York.
Flores sued the league and three teams, alleging it was rife with racism in hiring black coaches. Street drug deaths in the U.S. continue to drop fast, declining roughly 14 percent last year. That's according to the latest overdose report from the CDC. And Fierce Brian Mann has more.
U.S. overdose deaths peaked in 2023 with more than 110,000 fatalities in a 12-month period. They've been plunging ever since. According to the CDC, roughly 69,900 people died from overdoses in 2025, the lowest number of street drug deaths in a 12-month period since 2019. Experts say the drop is due to better medications for treating opioid addiction and wider access to health care.
There's also been progress disrupting the smuggling of illicit fentanyl. Alabama, New York and Virginia saw the biggest drops in drug deaths.
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Chapter 2: How is the U.S. military involvement affecting Iran's nuclear negotiations?
But there are still problem areas. Arizona, New Mexico and North Dakota have actually seen sharp increases in fatal overdoses. Brian Mann, NPR News.
Consumer confidence fell slightly this month as rising gas and food prices hit Americans' wallets. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell seven-tenths, the first decline after three months of gains. This is NPR. In Western Europe, an early spring heat wave is shattering records in France and the U.K. as temperatures continue to climb. NPR's Fatima al-Kassab has more.
Temperatures reached a record of nearly 95 degrees Fahrenheit in London on Monday, around 25 degrees hotter than the average high temperature for London at this time of year. The UK also experienced what is classed as a rare tropical night, when overnight temperatures don't fall below 68 degrees. And these records could be broken again as temperatures continue to rise this week.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued alerts across England warning of a rise in deaths, particularly among the elderly. Most homes in the UK do not have air conditioning. Last week, the U.K. 's Independent Climate Change Committee warned the U.K. is built for a climate that no longer exists.
Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR News, London. Authorities in Washington state say there are casualties after a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill imploded. Police say the tanks ruptured at the Nippon Dynaware packing company caused multiple critical injuries, including deaths. Search and rescue crews continue to look for survivors. There's no word on a cause of the implosion.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is underway in Washington, D.C., with 247 of the best young spellers in the English language competing this year in the bee. That field will be cut down to about a dozen finalists, and the winner will be announced on Thursday. At the close, the Dow was down 118 points, the Nasdaq up 312. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.
On Consider This, NPR's afternoon news podcast, we cover everything from politics to the economy to the world. But every story starts with a question. At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious, to make sense of the biggest story of the day and what it means for you. Follow Consider This wherever you get your podcasts.
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