NPR News: 07-25-2026 10AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Linda Kenyon. The war continues between the U.S. and Iran as tensions remain high over the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at the White House Friday, President Trump said he believes a deal could be forthcoming.
They want to make a deal. I just don't think they're ready yet.
How are U.S.-Iran tensions affecting the Strait of Hormuz and diplomacy?
But they do want to make a deal. Sometimes they don't want to say they want to make a deal. They want to be the tough guys.
Amid the U.S.-led war against Iran, a dormant, decade-long conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed militants in Yemen has erupted yet again. NPR's Emily Fang explains.
Saudi Arabia has been trading fire with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen starting two weeks ago. This week, the Houthis announced a blockade of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Suez Canal and which Saudi Arabia is increasingly using to export its oil internationally. Because another waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, is effectively cut off by Iran. All this will further disrupt maritime traffic and global trade. The Houthis fired at two Saudi ships in the Red Sea this week, so Saudi Arabia then struck a port in Yemen and a Yemeni island on Friday. And in further retaliation, the Houthis say they've now aimed strikes at a city in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Emily Fang, NPR News.
A Louisiana Democrat who's losing his House seat to redistricting says he'll run for his former state Senate seat instead of seeking re-election to Congress. His district was redrawn to favor a Republican. Brooke Thornton from members station WRKF in Baton Rouge has more.
For Congressman Cleo Fields, this is all too familiar. He represented the majority black fourth district in the 90s until the Supreme Court ruled it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. In 2025, he returned to Congress in the newly drawn sixth district seat. But this year, Louisiana redrew the map again.
Why have Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthis renewed conflict in Yemen?
Nowfield says he's hoping to return to the state Senate where he represented Baton Rouge. The Democrat says he isn't viewing this as a step down.
I come back to the state because this is where I feel like I've been most effective. It's hard to get things done in Washington, and particularly when you're not in a majority.
He will finish his congressional term January 3rd. For NPR News, I'm Brooke Thornton in Baton Rouge.
Democrats in Maine are meeting to pick a candidate to face longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins after Graham Plattner dropped out of the race. Democrats have coalesced around former Senate President and former logger Troy Jackson from rural northern Maine. The new nominee will be selected at a state party convention in Bangor today. He will have less than four months to campaign. Before Plattner dropped out of the race, Jackson campaigned alongside him during a failed bid for governor. He was also the progressives' favorite to replace Plattner on the ballot. Democrats need a main Senate win to take control of the Senate. You're listening to NPR. Security has been tightened for the UK's biggest annual gathering of Muslims.
Vicki Barker has the story from London.
How did the Houthi blockade of Bab al-Mandeb threaten global trade?
The Jalsa Salana, organized by Britain's Ahmadiyya Muslim sect, is expected to draw about 50,000 people from more than 100 countries. Last month, another big Muslim gathering had to close early after police uncovered a possible far-right threat. Several hundred extra security staff have been drafted in for this weekend's convention. Any possible threat, though, might not just come from the far right. Many Orthodox Muslims consider Ahmadiyya, with its pacifist message and belief that its founder was the Messiah, to be heretical. The sect is persecuted in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia bars its followers from the Hajj pilgrimage. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.
Peanut butter lovers, this one's for you. More than 800 pounds of peanut butter have been spread across a museum floor in the Netherlands as part of a tribute to Dutch artist Wim T. Schippers. who died last month. Shippers was known for his conceptual art. He first created the peanut butter floor in 1969 as part of a floor covering series.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:19
2
How are U.S.-Iran tensions affecting the Strait of Hormuz and diplomacy?
0:19–1:53
3
Why have Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthis renewed conflict in Yemen?
1:53–3:07
4
How did the Houthi blockade of Bab al-Mandeb threaten global trade?
3:07–4:59