NPR News: 04-03-2026 6PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton, two U.S. Air Force combat planes were shot down today. That's according to an official not authorized to discuss the incidents. A plane that went down near the Strait of Hormuz had one crew member who has been rescued by U.S. forces. One crew member has been rescued from the other plane crashed in southwestern Iran, but the search continues for its second crew member. The White House is asking Congress for the largest defense budget in modern U.S. history, one and a half trillion dollars. The boost comes amid more than the month-long war with Iran, NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben reports. This spending boost would be paired with a requested $73 billion in cuts to domestic spending, according to a budget summary from the White House. The annual budget request represents a blueprint of the executive branch's priorities, though Congress ultimately set spending levels. Trump outlined his priorities during a closed press lunch this week with religious leaders. It's not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things.

1:00They can do it on a state basis. You can't do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing, military protection. We have to guard the country. The White House posted a video of the event before deleting it. Daniel Kurtzleben and P.R. News, the White House. A group of 24 states filed a lawsuit today to block President Trump's latest executive order on voting, NPR's Miles Parks reports the order attempts to add new restrictions to mail-in voting. This lawsuit, filed by a group of Democratic states, is the third to be filed challenging the executive order. After the Democratic Party sued on Wednesday and a coalition of voting rights groups sued on Thursday, the Constitution is explicit in delegating power to run voting to the states, although Congress can step in to set national rules for federal elections as well. In a statement, New York Attorney General Leticia James referenced all that, saying, quote, no president has the power to rewrite the rules on his own. Commerist legal experts said they expect courts to swiftly block this order, as they did with Trump's order last March, which tried to add new restrictions to voter registration. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington.

2:02The high cost of housing means more people are priced out of not only buying, but also renting alone. NPR's Jennifer Lutton reports that has led to an uptick in seniors seeking roommates. The share of people 65-odd. looking for a roommate has tripled in the past decade, says Matt Hutchinson, with the listing site Spare Room. They're not the biggest group of roommates, but they're by far the fastest growing. David West is one of them. He never imagined living with a stranger at age 72, but divorce and job loss burned through his savings. His roommate in Fresno covers utilities and West shares his Costco membership. And it's that give and take thing. It's trying to help each other out as much as possible. Darla DeSatel is 74 and enjoys the shared company when she gets along well with a roommate. And that's pretty special when that works out. She's also proud. She's learned to live with less. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Myanmar's parliament has elected Min Hong Lang as the country's new president.

3:06He's the general who ousted Hong Tsong Tsong Tsui's civilian government in 2021. The move marks a nominal return to an elected government, but is seen as an effort to keep the army in power. Myanmar's election was deemed neither free nor fair by opponents and independent observers. The crew of the Artemis II mission is hurtling toward the moon. They'll fly by in a few days and circle back to earth. But what do they eat from central Florida public media? Marion Summerall explains. The menu includes a wide variety of foods with things like spicy green beans, tropical fruit salad, and maple cream cookies. In a NASA video about eating in space, astronaut Christina Cook says foods you wouldn't even imagine being rehydrated are actually good. NASA's Norm Knight, the director of the flight operations directorate, says NASA tracks each meal to ensure the crew's health. We have a food lab and we have folks at the Johnson Space Center tracking what they eat, the nutrition, the calories.

4:07It makes a difference. Each crew member was able to help sample and craft their own menu preferences before launch. For MPR News, I'm Marion Summerall in Orlando. New Jersey Democratic governor Mikey Cheryl and her family will move into Drum Thwacket, the state's official governor's mansion. She'll be the first governor to live in Drum Thwacket full-time in more than 20 years. For those curious, Drum Thwacket is a Scott's Gaelic phrase meaning wooded hill. I'm Ryland Barton, you're listening to NPR News from Washington. 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.