NPR News: 04-01-2026 10PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump says the war in Iran will end in two to three weeks. During a televised address, he said the conflict is necessary to keep Iran from building a nuclear weapon, and he blamed Iran for high oil prices. Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home. The short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching to ranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict. Trump says other nations should seize the strait of hormones, adding that the U.S. doesn't need the oil and gas that comes through it. But the price of gasoline has risen more than a dollar a gallon in the U.S. since the start of the war. The national average is $4.06. In California, it's $5.89. Global crude oil prices are back down to around $100 a barrel. They felt sharply after President Trump first indicated yesterday the U.S. could leave

1:02the war in Iran within a few weeks. NPR's Camila Domenoski reports. Trump has recently threatened Iran if the strait of hormones is not reopened immediately, but he's also indicated the U.S. might withdraw from the conflict, even if the strait remains closed, suggesting other countries should reopen it. How long traffic the strait of hormones remains disrupted is a crucial question for oil markets. Al Salazar is with the Energy Data Company in Varys and based on their models. We found that for basically every month that this, you know, varies in terms of our moves closure. There's about a $15-$10-$50 move in our forecast. That's Per Barrel, Camila Domenoski, NPR News. Republican leaders in Congress say they have a plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a month-long funding lapse, but it's not immediately clear what comes next. NPR's Eric McDaniel has more. How Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, jointly announced their funding plan. They say it includes customs and border protection and immigration and customs enforcement,

2:04also known as CBP and ICE. Democrats have been blocking funding for immigration enforcement in a push for reforms, such as body warrant cameras and a ban on masks. After federal officers killed two American citizens in Minnesota. The GOP leaders say they'll use a budget process known as reconciliation to avoid the need for democratic support in the Senate, which typically has a 60 vote threshold to pass this kind of legislation. If successful, their plan would fund DHS for three years, past the end of Trump's time in the White House. Eric McDaniel, NPR News, Washington. U.S. stocks largely rose today as hopes grew that the war with Iran could end soon. The S&P 500 jumped nearly three-quarters of a percent. The Dow climbed nearly a half a percent in the NASDAQ rose more than one percent. Shoppers increased their spending in February, particularly on cars and clothing after pulling back at the start of the year due to severe winter storms. You are listening to NPR News from Washington. King Charles will deliver an address to Congress at the end of the month.

3:04Queen Elizabeth II was the last British monarch to speak to Congress in 1991. lawmakers say it's part of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaring independence from Britain. The speech also comes at a time of friction between the two nations. New research shows that psychedelic substances found in nature can be mass-produced in the lab, NPR's John Hamilton has more on a study in science advances. Many psychedelics come from natural sources, like mushrooms, medicinal plants, or the skin of a sonoran desert toad. But a team in Israel thought there must be an easier way to obtain large quantities of mind-bending compounds, including psilocybin and DMT. So they studied how living organisms make these substances. Then they genetically altered a tobacco plant to give it the same ability. The result? A tobacco plant capable of simultaneously producing five different psychedelics. These products aren't intended for recreational use, though. The goal is a better source of psychedelics for experimental treatments of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

4:08John Hamilton, NPR News. Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin has rescinded a rule that DHS expenditures over $100,000 be personally approved by his office. The decision ends a widely criticized policy implemented by his predecessor, Kristi Nome, that critics said put a burden on FEMA's work-aiding disaster response and recovery. From the last gargoyle has been returned to its perch during a two-year restoration of the Kentucky Cathedral modeled after the Notre Dame in Paris. This is NPR News.