NPR News: 04-04-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Doha Lisa Kowtow. The conflict in the Middle East is intensifying. US forces are searching for a missing American service member who ejected Friday from an F-15 jet in southern Iran. The Oracle Office Building in Dubai was damaged overnight, as NPR's Ayabatari reports. Authorities in Dubai say debris fell on the facade of Oracle's office building. The apparent overnight drone attack occurred when offices would normally be empty of personnel, and no injuries were reported. Iran says the attack is in response to the attempted assassination this week, a former foreign minister Kamal Harazi. Iran says he was severely wounded and his wife killed. Iranian media reported he'd been talking with Pakistani mediators on possible US Iran talks to end the war. The US and Israel have been coordinating most attacks on Iran, and it's unknown which carried out the attack on Harazi. Iran's revolutionary guard named 18 US attack and defense companies as targets to further

1:00assassination attempts. The list includes Palantir, Mehta, Google, Microsoft, and others. Ayyapatari, NPR News, Dubai. A federal judge has halted the Trump administration's policy requiring colleges to collect and share data on race in admissions. Alisa NPR's Alisa Nadwani reports the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit by 17 Democratic State 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 US taxpayers deserve transparency into college admissions.

2:03Alisa Nadwani and NPR News. The Trump administration was warned by the mortgage industry last year not to kill a program that was helping military veterans avoid foreclosure, the VA killed it anyway, and Pierce Crill Chris Arnold reports. More than 10,000 veterans have lost their homes in foreclosure sales since Trump's VA, with no warning, shut down that safety net program last May. That's according to industry data, and it's the highest level in a decade. Also, 90,000 more vets are headed toward foreclosure. The VA is rolling out a new program that could help, but it won't be up and running for months. Steve Sharp with the National Consumer Law Center says vets are losing their homes now. And we really shouldn't lose those folks to foreclosure, those homes, those families, children, neighborhoods. We should have something in place. Sharp and some lawmakers are calling. This is NPR News. In Southern Louisiana, emergency services have taken 13 people to the hospital

3:06after a vehicle struck a crowd during a parade in the city of New Iberia. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports the local sheriff's office is investigating. StonEx.com, a Cadean 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 Lawn 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. Based 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 Veltman, NPR News. Despite repeated attempts for a ceasefire during religious Easter celebrations, Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine, hitting a market in Nicopol, killing at least five people and injuring nearly 30.

4:07The Kiev Independent reports drones also hit a residential neighborhood in Ukraine's second largest city of Harkiv, injuring another five people there. The attacks come as President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Istanbul for security talks with that country's president, Rajip Tayyip Erdogan. Trilateral peace talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have been on hold since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. I'm Doha Hli, Saikal Tal, NPR News in New York City. Support? This message comes from Subaru. They are continuing their partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute 165,000 trees since 2025, growing greener, healthier communities for generations to come. Subaru, more than a car company.