NPR News: 03-31-2026 10PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump says the U.S. will be done attacking Iran in two to three weeks. As for the critical strait of Hormuz, the waterway that conveys one-fifth of the world's oil, Trump says it will be up to other countries to secure it. That's not for us. That will be for France. That will be for whoever is using the strait. But I think when we leave, probably that's all cleared up. Today, I had tremendous numbers of ships who were sailing through it. Trump says the U.S. has obliterated Iran's military capabilities, but Iranian forces are still launching a steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors. Trump says he's negotiating with Iranian leaders, but Tehran has dismissed his claims of diplomatic progress. The U.S. average price of a gallon of regular gas has passed $4 a gallon up more than a dollar from before the Iran War. It's $589 in California. The U.S. IPR's Stephen Besahaw reports that despite the high prices, people in the U.S. are still driving.

1:01Ken Davis said he didn't have much choice making the drive between Birmingham and Atlanta. Because this is something we needed to do for business, so I mean, you know, when you have to do it, you have to do it. He stopped at Bucky's in Leeds, Alabama to refuel. And just about all of the stores, 100 gas pumps were taken by drivers, still paying high gas prices. Now, life doesn't have that to deal with because she has an EV, so, you know, she's got a full tank every day. She leaves home. But, you know, me, I'm still going with gas, so I've got to pay the price for it. Davis said he is cutting back on personal trips. Stephen Besahaw and P.R. News. Top European leaders are visiting Ukraine to mark the anniversary of atrocities committed by Russia in a town near Keeve four years ago. More than 400 civilians were killed during the destruction of Butchah. People were shot at point blank range and left to rot. Many were tortured. And a mass grave was found. US-led efforts to end the war are on hold. His Washington's attention is focused on Iran. NASA is preparing to launch the Artemis II moon mission.

2:04The crew is made up of four people, including the first woman and black man on a lunar mission. But as NPR's Katie Riddle reports, NASA has not been talking about these firsts much lately. When the crew was first announced a few years ago, NASA officials were proud to highlight these achievements. But that was before President Trump returned to office in signed executive actions targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across federal agencies. Since then, NASA has removed language from their website, celebrating the crew's diversity. AJ Link is from the group, Black and Astro. I think it's really important to explicitly highlight the inclusion of not just black folks, but other marginalized folks that have been left out of the industry and to back away from that or to erase that, I think, is wrong. After this mission, NASA is planning for another possibly returning to the moon's surface. Katie Riddle and Pierre News. It's NPR. A federal judge has blocked President Trump's executive order, barring federal funding

3:05for NPR and PBS, saying it violated the broadcasters' first amendment rights. It's not clear what the decision means for the future of federal funding of public broadcasting. The ruling doesn't affect Congress's vote last year that rescinded funds from the corporation for public broadcasting, which funnels money to NPR and PBS and their stations. A federal judge has ruled that construction must stop on President Trump's ballroom. U.S. District Judge Richard Lyon wrote that Trump does not have the power to build the ballroom without Congress weighing in. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has more. Judge Lyon granted a preliminary injunction sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States. He wrote that, quote, the ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion. The judge added, however, that he will delay the enforcement of the injunction for 14 days because he expects the administration to appeal immediately. Trump responded in a nearly 300-word social media post, calling the National Trust a, quote,

4:06radical left group of lunatics. Trump aired multiple grievances in the post, also criticizing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, from California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. Danielle Kurtzleben and PR News. Sugar, the surfing dog has died, the 16-year-old rescue from Huntington Beach, California, died after battling cancer. The five-time dog surfing world champion first dog in the surfing hall of fame was found as a stray. Sugar spent her days outside the water comforting veterans as a dedicated therapy dog. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Subaru. They are continuing their partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute 165,000 trees since 2025, growing greener, healthier communities for generations to come. Subaru, more than a car company.