NPR News: 03-31-2026 12AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says talks with Iran are progressing, saying Monday that what to Iran says publicly differs from what it tells US officials in private. Despite all of the public posturing you hear from the regime and false reporting, talks are continuing and going well. What is said publicly is of course much different than what's being communicated to us privately. As a result, President Trump issued a 10-day pause to postpone planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure. Levitt says President Trump wants to reach a deal with Iran before the April 6 deadline he set last week after extending an earlier deadline for Iran to open the straight-up for moves. On social media Monday, Trump again threatened Iranian power plants, oil wells and the other rich harg island, if the straight is not opened immediately. Palestinians can now face a death penalty in Israel and it's occupied territories that's

1:01according to a new law passed by Israeli lawmakers. It's an initiative from Israel's far-right cabinet ministers that receive support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite condemnation from European countries. Here's Imperial Astronaut reporting from Tel Aviv. The new law makes the death penalty by hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis in what Israel classifies as terrorism cases. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Govir championed the law. He celebrated its passage toasting with lawmakers. Critics say the law is written in a way to not impose the death penalty against Jewish Israelis convicted of killing Palestinians. The bill had drawn opposition among Israeli national security and foreign affairs officials. The UK, France, Germany and Italy had urged Israel not to pass the law calling it discriminatory. A civil rights group has already filed a court challenge. Daniel Estrin NPR News, Tel Aviv. Lines at major airport security checkpoints starting to shrink transportation security administration

2:04officers are beginning to receive paychecks. After President Trump signed a memo last week, ordering the Homeland Security Department to pay them, Marlon Hyde, a member stationed in WABE reports. After days of long security lines at Atlanta Hartfield Jackson International Airport, a spokesperson says wait times are now under 10 minutes at all checkpoints. 65-year-old Carol Knows just arrived back to Atlanta. She says the security lines look unrecognizable from last week. Well, let's get ready to take some pictures myself. Like, it's just the same airport. That's how good it looks. Immigration and customs enforcement officers are still around, even checking IDs at security checkpoints with no word on when that deployment will end. The Union representing TSA officers says that while employees are starting to receive pay for previous weeks, it is not everything they are owed. Friend PR News, a Marlon Hyde in Atlanta. And you're listening to NPR News. Air Canada CEO Michael Russo is planning to step down the airline set Monday that Russo

3:06is planning to retire by the end of the third quarter. He had faced criticism over an English only condolence message following this month's crash at New York's LaGuardia airport to air Canada pilots were killed when their plane hit a fire truck on the runway. Deadly gang attack on one of Haiti's most important farming regions raising new concerns about the spread of violence. Harold Isaac reports as many as 80 people were killed. Residents say heavily armed fighters stormed communities in the Artibonid Valley before dawn on Sunday, setting homes on fire and shooting at civilians. Some victims were reportedly burned alive. Local authorities have confirmed at least 16 deaths, but the United Nation says the toll could be significantly higher. The assault is being blamed on the concrete gang, which says it was retaliating against a rival group. Aid workers and residents say gang members blocked roads and destroyed bridges. The attack highlights how insecurity

4:07is spreading into rural areas critical to Haiti's food supply far beyond the capital. For NPR News, I'm Harold Isaac in Porter Prince. Final four in the NCAA women's basketball tournament is set. Texas made it through to the National Semifinal for the second straight year with a route of Michigan Monday night in the other game. Yukon will play South Carolina on Friday a rematch of last season's national championship. South Carolina advanced to the final four with a victory over TCU. I'm Droyal Snyder in P.R. News. I want to understand the reason and the meanings of the narratives that led us here and maybe had a head them off at the pass. That's on the media specialty. I'm Brooke Gladstone, host of WNYC's on the media. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.