NPR News: 03-28-2026 10AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Pakistan will host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt for two days starting on Sunday. Betsy Joel's reports this is part of a broader diplomatic effort that Pakistan says is aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishak Dar says foreign ministers are meeting in Islamabad. This comes after Pakistan formally announced earlier this week that it was relaying messages between Iran and the United States in its effort to promote peace between them. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shabasharif also offered to host the U.S. in Iran for talks on a settlement and said he spoke with Iran's president for more than an hour by phone today. Egypt has also offered to host meetings to de-escalate the war launched one month ago, and Turkey has said that it is also passing messages between Washington and Iran. For NPR News, I'm Betsy Joel's in Islamabad. Foreign lines are still being reported at security checkpoints at airports across the

1:03nation, as Congress continues to clash over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Passengers have been standing in line for hours this morning at Baltimore Washington Airport with some missing their flights. Traveler Darian Davis describes the scene there. I've been doing it since maybe January, and this process usually takes about maybe 15 minutes, at least on the Baltimore side. I have no idea how long this is taking at this point to be really honest. You just kind of got to smile and nod, I hope you get through, but it's at least four times a time. And that's in Baltimore. Atlanta is just unspeakable at this point. President Trump last night signed an executive action that would pay TSA agents who've been working without a paycheck for more than a month. The White House says the move is aimed at easing security lines. Americans against President Trump are expected in cities across the country today. Organizers of the No Kings movement are expecting more than 3,000 rallies nationwide.

2:05Steve Futterman reports from Los Angeles. Organizers expect tens of thousands to show up for an afternoon rally in front of LA City Hall. Other rallies are occurring in places like Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and along the ocean in Santa Monica. In downtown LA, where previous protests have moved on to freeways, halting traffic, security barricades have been put up on some freeway on an off-ramps to try to prevent that from happening again. Last year in June during another No Kings protest, large numbers did turn out in the LA area. That protest took place just days after there were violent confrontations between police and protesters over ice enforcement activities. For MPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Protests are also taking place in Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia. This is NPR News. Lawmakers in California have voted to audit the state's joint intelligence centers.

3:06The move comes after claims of illegal data sharing and invasive surveillance. The ACLU and other groups say police use the centers to help immigration and customs enforcement and to bypass local limits on facial recognition. Democrats call it transparency, Republicans call it a political witch hunt. Playstations are getting more expensive, Sony announced on Friday that it's increasing the price for its flagship PlayStation 5 video game systems, and PR Stephen Bissaha reports. The PlayStation 5 Pro will cost $900 starting April 2nd, that's a $150 increase. Additionally, game systems get cheaper as they get older, but the nearly 6-year-old original PlayStation 5 is also going up 100 bucks. Sony blames the price increases on quote, pressures in the global economic landscape. That is likely referring in part to tariffs since the systems are manufactured overseas. This is also potentially the latest sign of AI making computers more expensive to build.

4:08Data centers have gobbled up and raised the price of the memory chips that computers like video game consoles also need. Microsoft also raised prices on its Xbox line in September. Stephen Bissaha and pure news. Thousands of striking workers at one of the nation's biggest meat packing plans are extending their walk out to a third week, they're pushing for higher wages and better health care. Jobs USA says it's operating the Swift Beat plant in Greenley, Colorado at limited capacity right now. This is NPR News. Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.