NPR News: 04-04-2026 1PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herfst. President Trump is, again, threatening Iran, saying on social media today, it has 48 hours left to open the state of Hormuz, or quote, all hell will rain down and glory be to God. He's already delayed that threat twice. This is the U.S. and Israel continue to pound Iran. Meanwhile, U.S. rescue teams are still searching for a U.S. airman from one of two plane shutdown yesterday in Iran. That's the first time in this war. NPR's Greg Maire has more. And F-15, which is a very good fighter jet, was struck by Iranian fire in Western Iran, and this set off an urgent rescue operation by U.S. forces for the two crew members, a pilot and a weapons officer. One was rescued. We still don't know the fate of the other. The rescue operation is still ongoing. This is coming from a U.S. official, not authorized to speak publicly. NPR's Greg Maire were reporting. In Lebanon, at least 23 people were killed in Israeli air strikes yesterday, about a

1:04third of the country's population is Christian, but the lead up to Easter has been subdued this year. NPR's Lauren Frayer has more from Beirut. Holy Week services are mixed with funerals and the sound of explosions. Israel's military says it's striking his Bullah's infrastructure after killing a thousand of its members. Three United Nations peacekeepers have been wounded at their base in the south. The U.N. says it doesn't know the origin of the explosion. Israel says it was a his Bullah rocket. Three U.N. peacekeepers were also killed there last week. Meanwhile, as the U.S. and Israel attack Iran and Iran retaliates against U.S. allies in the Gulf, Lebanon has not been hit by Iranian fire. But the U.S. Embassy in Beirut says Iran may now target U.S. universities in Lebanon. The American University of Beirut has shifted some classes online. The Embassy is also up to its overall warning, telling U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon now. Lauren Frayer and PR News Beirut. The attorney's general of California, New York and Massachusetts say they have concerns

2:06about the Trump administration's treatment of unaccompanied migrant girls who are pregnant. They've outlined their concerns in a letter. Mark Betancourt with the California newsroom has more. The letter was sent by California Attorney General Rob Bonta in the wake of a six-month investigation by NPR member stations. This story exposed a federal directive to send pregnant migrant children to a single group home in South Texas beginning last July. Child welfare advocates say the move was intended to detain the pregnant girls in a state where abortion is illegal. A Biden era role requires the government to provide unaccompanied children access to abortion services, but the administration is currently trying to remove that role. The attorney's general say the policy change could keep the girls from getting, quote, life or health saving abortion care. For NPR News, I'm Mark Betancourt. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. In Afghanistan, more than 70 people are dead dozens injured after heavy rain and storms

3:06across the country triggered lightning, flooding, and landslides over the past week and a half. More rain is forecast in the coming days and officials are warning people to stay away from river banks. Over and a half years after Bison were reintroduced into Britain, conservationists say the herd is already having an impact on the woodlands where they roam. Vicky Parker has more from London. It's been at least 6,000 years since wild bison last roamed what is now Britain. The Cant Wildlife Trust's Allison Reuter told the BBC the small herd of European bison was introduced to a woodland sanctuary in Cant because the habits of these massive lumbering animals help restore complex habitats that other bovine species cannot. They come in, they change habitats, they mess things up, they knock things over, they dig things up, they turn things around, and a lot's a lot of wildlife will really benefit from that. With the herd now growing, the trust is opening so-called bison bridges, ultimately allowing them to roam and reshape 500 acres of English woodland.

4:10For NPR News, I'm Vicky Parker in London. In college basketball tonight in men's final four play, Yukon takes on Illinois and then Michigan plays Arizona. The winners of each game will meet in the finals on Monday. Meanwhile for the women, South Carolina plays UCLA for the NCAA title both winning their semi-final matches last night, the women's final takes place tomorrow afternoon. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News. 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.