NPR News: 04-23-2026 3PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. Peace talks between Israel and Lebanon scheduled for this afternoon in Washington are being moved to the White House, meanwhile there are no signs of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Today, President Trump said the U.S. is intensifying its efforts to clear minds in the Strait of Hormuz, writing on social media that the U.S. military will shoot to kill. Yesterday, the Iranians attacked three cargo ships in the Strait and captured two of them, calling it retaliation for the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. NPR's Jaina Raf is in a man, Jordan, and says it's hard to separate out aggression from posturing. President Trump has threatened to shoot to kill anyone on Iranian gunboats laying minds in that Strait of Hormuz, and that does sound severe. But as for what's been happening out there on those waters, there have been more incidents, but we have to remember that the U.S. is blockading the Strait of Hormuz, but it's not

1:01in the Strait of Hormuz. So it's unclear whether we're much closer to a confrontation. Earlier today, the U.S. military said it seized a second tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean. A new national poll about youth from Harvard University finds that just 13 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds believe the country is on the right track. NPR's Alaina Moore reports, 46 percent of young Americans say rising prices and inflation are an urgent crisis, and many feel increasingly doubtful about their economic future. Just 29 percent believe they'll be better off financially than their parents. While 26 percent say they'll be worse off, it's a three-point difference. Five years ago, it was a 21-point difference skewing toward better off. Once more, folks are down on the political system, giving both parties roughly the same low approval rating of about 25 percent. Respondents were also more likely to say politicians care more about the interests of the elite over people like themselves by an 11-point margin for Democrats and a whopping 41-point

2:05margin for Republicans. Alaina Moore and P.R. News. The nation's second-largest school district voted to limit screen time for all grade levels and work towards eliminating it for the district's youngest students. NPR's Sequoia Carrillo reports. The Los Angeles Unified School District switched course on its technology policy this week with a unanimous vote to curb screen time for all of its students. Last year, the school district instituted a cell phone ban following suit with many states around the country. But L.A. U.S.C. remained committed to using technology for instruction, and until 2024 as developing an AI chatbot for students and parents, the move comes after significant parent pressure. The board hopes to implement the new rules in the next school year. Sequoia Carrillo and P.R. News. You're listening to NPR live in Washington. Globally, people are leaving the Catholic Church to become either Protestant or leave religion altogether.

3:06NPR's Jason DeRose reports on the findings of a new study from Pew Research. Catholicism has lost more people than it's gained in nearly all of the 24 countries Pew looked at in the analysis. And Protestantism has seen a net gain due to people switching religions. People from Europe and Latin America who switched tend to disaffiliate from faith groups altogether, while in places such as Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Philippines, former Catholics tend to join Protestant churches. Pew found the biggest losses for Catholicism were in traditional strongholds of the faith, including Spain, Chile, France, Brazil, and Italy. Meanwhile, Catholicism grew in Hungary and South Korea. Jason DeRose and P.R. News. For Time World Soccer Champion Italy says it is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup. An envoy to President Trump told the Financial Times he suggested it to the international soccer governing body. Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and an Iranian government spokesperson says

4:06the team is preparing to play its group stage games in California and Seattle as planned in June. Iran's ability and willingness to go to the World Cup has been unclear since the U.S. and Israel launched military attacks nearly two months ago. Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, and its sports minister says replacing Iran is, quote, not a good idea. At last, Czech U.S. stocks are falling with the NASDAQ and the Dow down more than 200 points each. This is NPR News in Washington.