NPR News: 03-26-2026 12PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Trump administration's confirming for the first time the U.S. has proposed a 15-point plan for ending the war it started with Iran. U.S. Special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Whitkoff, addressed reporters a short time ago during President Trump's Cabinet meeting. We have, along with your foreign policy team, presented a 15-point action list that forms the framework for a peace deal. This has been circulated through the Pakistani government, acting as the mediator. And this has resulted in strong and positive messaging and talks. Whitkoff confirmed details of a 15-point plan that had been widely reported by news organizations. When she was asked about it yesterday, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said while there were elements of truth, some of the stories she had read were not entirely factual. Pakistan's Foreign Minister is publicly acknowledging that his country is indeed mediating in direct

1:02talks between the U.S. and Iran, and PRC Hadid has more on that. The Foreign Minister is Hark Dar's post on X is the first time Pakistan has publicly acknowledged it is mediating talks. In the post, Dar Tagh, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump on-voice Steve Whitkoff, and the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragshi. But Aragshi earlier said his country rejects the 15-point proposal Iran has countered with its own five conditions to end the war, including payment for damages. This comes amid a flurry of activity in the Pakistani capital Islamabad to mediate an end to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran. And according to an official in Islamabad not authorized to speak to NPR publicly, Pakistan's powerful Interior Minister recently held a secret meeting with Iran's ambassador. The Hadid, MPH News, Moira, India. A majority of Republicans still support President Trump's decision to go to war with Iran, the latest Associated Press Norx Center for Public Affairs research, shows 63 percent GOP support

2:05for airstrikes against Iranian military targets. However, the survey also finds Republican support for deploying U.S. ground troops falls to 20 percent. The findings indicating Trump risks alienating members of his base who'd rather the President spend more money and resources at home. Protesters chanting hands-off Venezuela, gathering outside and Manhattan courthouse today, as they waited for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to appear for a pre-trial hearing, a recieved during a U.S. raid in Kharakas to face drug trafficking charges. U.S. stocks are trading lower this hour, the Dow Jones industrial average down 222.5 percent. From Washington, this is NPR News. The Senate primary race in Maine is intensifying as Governor Janet Mills and Graham Platner,

3:06both Democrats compete to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins. Here's Maine Public Steve Missler. Both Democrats are dipping into their campaign coffers, while Collins spends very little as she eyes a sixth term. Last week, Governor Mills released an ad featuring several supporters reacting to a voice and personating Platner, reading excerpts from his 2013 Reddit post about women worried about sexual assault. He responded with an ad buy that's nearly four times as large as Mills' spot. These are words in the statements I have wore from a time in my life when I was struggling deeply after returning from war. These words are not who I am. Collins, meanwhile, has spent very little on advertising, but outside groups supporting her have spent big. One group has spent more than Mills and Platner combined. For NPR News, I'm Steve Missler and Augusta Maine. U.S. drivers are increasingly feeling part of the economic impact of the war in the Middle East talking about higher prices at the gas pump in Pierre's Bill Chappell reports on

4:06the effect on gig workers. Delivery drivers are feeling a ripple effect of the U.S. and Israeli war in Iran. Lee Dole delivers for several food apps in Detroit, Michigan. I really have changed my strategy since the gas prices went up. Really trying to keep my mileage down. Dole and other drivers say they're now more picky about which delivery orders they accept. Drivers of hybrid or electric cars aren't as concerned, but the analytics firm gridwise says gas prices of $4 and up are adding to driver's wage compression in a field that's oversupplied with workers. That's Bill Chappell reporting, it's NPR News.