NPR News: 04-04-2026 11PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. U.S. President Donald Trump is, again, warning Tey Ron over his Monday deadline, this to open the critical straight-of-our-move and allow ship traffic to flow again. Ron is responding by threatening to open quote the gates of hell. The U.S. military meanwhile is searching a remote area in Iran for a second day on Saturday after a war plane was shot down and a pilot went missing. Israel confirms striking a petrochemical complex in Iran and state media there says at least five people are dead in that latest attack. Meanwhile, Iran's top diplomat is signaling a willingness for talks with Pakistan and he says those efforts are on the right track. Russia says it's continuing to evacuate its staff from Iran's lone nuclear operational power plant. Amid the ongoing U.S. Israeli attacks, the latest exit comms as Tey Ron says its nuclear

1:00facility had come under attack, killing in Iran and guard. From Moscow, NPR's Charles Mainz has late details. The head of Russia's nuclear energy agency, Ross Adams, Alexei Likacholv, said nearly 200 Russian workers departed the Bush Air nuclear facility by bus minutes before the plant was hit. And we're now on route out of Iran. Likacholv, who's been slowly pulling his staff of 700 Russian workers from the nuclear plant since the U.S. Israeli attacks began over a month ago, suggested a full withdrawal was now imminent. Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of repeatedly targeting Bush Air, and there have been no registered spikes in radiation levels. The United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency says it's deeply concerned over continuing fighting near the facility. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow. A federal judge has altered the Trump administration's policy of requiring colleges to collect and share data on race admissions. Elise at Narodney reports the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit by 17 Democratic

2:02State Attorney's General. The Attorney's Generals had argued that new data requested in the Trump order jeopardized student privacy. The federal policy came from concerns that colleges were using personal statements and other proxies to consider race. The judge agreed the federal government has the authority to collect the data, but called the 120-day rollout, quote, rushed and chaotic. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions, but said applicants could share information about race in their admissions essay. When the lawsuit was filed in February, a spokesperson from the Department of Education defended the data collection, saying that U.S. taxpayers deserve transparency into college admissions. A listen ad warning, NPR News. At the NCAA Women's Basketball Final 4 in Phoenix, South Carolina will play UCLA Sunday for the National Championship, the tip off for the championship game schedule for 330 Eastern. This is NPR. The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are getting close to the moon, and on

3:05Monday, they will fly on the far side of the moon. The trajectory could take them deeper into space than anyone has ever been. Meanwhile NASA reports the spacecraft's waste management system is acting up again and could be frozen until it's fixed the astronauts are using backup urine collection bags. In Southern Louisiana, emergency services have taken 13 people to hospitals, this after a vehicle struck a crowd during a parade in the city of New Iberia, NPR's Khloe In a post on x.com, a Cajun ambulance says it transported 11 patients by ground and two patients by air from the scene, after a vehicle plowed into a group of pedestrians on a street corner during the Louisiana Lou New Year festival. The Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office says deputies are currently investigating the incident. In a post on its website, the office says several individuals sustained injuries, some of which are believed to be serious, and that the driver is currently in custody.

4:06Based on the preliminary investigation, the sheriff's office says the incident does not appear to be an intentional act. Additional information will be released as it becomes available. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. Officials in Riverside, California, near Los Angeles, say a smoky wildfire that began Friday is now mostly under control, winds that were expected to reach 45 miles per hour have dissipated, helping the 260 firefighters who are battling the blaze. Most of the evacuation orders have been lifted. This is NPR News from Washington, I'm Dan Roman. 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.