NPR News: 08-04-2026 12AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder.
Are U.S. and Iran actually holding talks to end the war?
Contradictory messages about talks to end the Iran war. President Trump says that talks are ongoing. Iran says that's not true. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports on the months-long back-and-forth between the two countries in a war that's now more than five months long.
Over the weekend, Trump said he would hold off on new strikes on Iran, saying that new talks would start Monday. But Iran has since denied any direct talks with the U.S. When a reporter asked about that contradiction, Trump suggested that Iran was lying.
For some reason, when they're talking, they don't like saying that they're talking.
The Iran Foreign Ministry has said the country is talking to Oman about reopening the Strait of Hormuz temporarily. The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June in the hopes of ending the conflict, but a ceasefire collapsed in early July when Iran struck commercial ships and the U.S. retaliated. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House.
Stocks surge Monday amid hopes that the U.S. and Iran can clinch an agreement to ease tensions in the Persian Gulf. But it remains unclear when the strait will reopen to oil tanker traffic. Here's NPR's Rafael Nam.
After a lot of recent volatility, stocks rallied after President Trump announced over the weekend that the U.S. would hold off from attacking Iran and saying, quote, the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. There's not a whole lot of details, but for now, investors acted with relief, sparking big gains in Wall Street while global crude prices fell. This has been the pattern since the war with Iran started. A lot of volatility, with markets sometimes posting big declines, but then staging enough rebounds to allow the Dow to hit a record close, with the S&P ending just below its record close hit in early June. Rafael Nam, NPR News.
What contradiction did President Trump and Iran present about negotiations?
President Trump was asked Monday about Todd Blanch after two holdout Republican senators said they will vote to advance Blanch's nomination for attorney general after Blanch put in writing a pledge to kill the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
I don't know what they agreed. I think Todd Blanchie agreed to reconfirm things that he's already said, and what he said was okay.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas and North Carolina's Tom Tillis issued a statement after Blanch Sunday night formally rescinded the order that established the fund. It was created as part of President Trump's settlement of a lawsuit he filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. The fund would have compensated people who believe they were unfairly prosecuted by the Justice Department, including January 6th rioters. Authorities in Washington state have arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with one of the three wildfires burning near the city of Spokane. Local media say the man is a convicted felon and that he was arrested Monday night. Tens of thousands have been forced to flee the flames.
This is NPR News. More than two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over the president's new tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing the import taxes that the Supreme Court struck down in February. Twenty-four states joined the lawsuit spearheaded by New York. The new tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union took effect as temporary tariffs imposed by President Trump after the Supreme Court defeat expired. Brown University President Kristen Paxson is stepping down. Paxson announced Monday that she will leave her post at the end of the academic year. Paxson underclashed with the Trump administration over threats to slash federal funding in an open letter on the school's website.
How could reopening the Strait of Hormuz affect oil markets and shipping?
Paxson says she had intended to leave a year earlier but stayed on to navigate a federal funding freeze. Drive along a Texas highway in the summer and you'll usually see signs advertising fresh local peaches. This year is different, as Natalie Weber from Houston Public Media reports.
This year's harvest is smaller than normal after an unusually warm winter and a late spring freeze.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:04
2
Are U.S. and Iran actually holding talks to end the war?
0:04–1:53
3
What contradiction did President Trump and Iran present about negotiations?
1:53–3:42
4
How could reopening the Strait of Hormuz affect oil markets and shipping?
3:42–5:04