NPR News: 04-23-2026 6PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump today ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran. He also said he has plenty of time to reach a peace deal and stress that his top priority is making sure that Tehran never possesses nuclear weapons. NPR's Danielle Kurdslaibin reports. Trump was testy responding to a reporter's question as to whether he'd use a nuclear weapon against Iran. Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally in a very conventional way decimated them without it. No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody. Earlier this month, Trump threatened Iran on social media, saying, quote, a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again, unquote. Trump also tells reporters now that he is not in a hurry to come to a peace deal with Iran, saying, quote, I don't want to rush it. I want to take by time. We have plenty of time. Danielle Kurdslaibin and PR News, the White House.

1:00President Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend her ceasefire by three weeks. The two sides met at the White House today for high level negotiations. An internet blackout in Iran is approaching the two month mark with very few people able to communicate outside of the country. Dory Buscarin heard from one Iranian who protested the regime before the war and now feels frustrated with the extended ceasefire. A cafe worker in Rocht wrote to NPR that wartime conditions have put pressure on people economically and psychologically, but that quote, the declaration of the ceasefire was like a bullet that completely destroyed our hopes. Despite his opposition to the regime, he said, quote, if everything ends like this and no meaningful change is made, we too will come to believe that America is the great devil that the Islamic Republic has been proclaiming for years. Friend Pair News, I'm Dory Buscarin in Istanbul. The Justice Department is reclassifying medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

2:06NPR's Ryan Lucas reports the department says it will pave the way for more research into safety and use in medical treatment. The Justice Department says it is immediately rescheduling FDA-approved and state licensed marijuana from what's known as a Schedule I drug, the same group as heroin, to a Schedule III drug, like Tylenol with coding. The move does not legalize marijuana under federal law, but it does recognize that marijuana has medical applications and opens the door to research the effects of cannabis. The department is also ordering a new hearing to begin in late July to fully reschedule the drug. The move by the Trump administration comes after years of debate in Washington about reclassifying marijuana. Ryan Lucas and Pair News, Washington. At the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 179 points than Aztec fell to 19. This is NPR News. Wildfires in South Georgia have destroyed nearly 90 homes and are threatening hundreds

3:06more. Ways are also burning in parts of Northern Florida. Officials say dry conditions are fueling the fires. Drought in the United States has reached record levels for the first time this year, or than 61 percent of the lower 48 states are in moderate to exceptional drought. Shareholders of Warner Brothers Discovery have voted to merge with Paramount Skydance. NPR's Mandelite Del Barco reports that media mogul David Ellison offered to buy Warner and all of its assets for $110 billion dollars. If U.S. and international regulators approved the merger, David Ellison would get the legendary century old movie studio, its streaming services and cable channels such as CNN and HBO. Ellison has repeatedly promised that combined Warner Brothers and Paramount merger would release 30 films a year. While shareholders approved the deal, they rejected a generous compensation proposal for Warner Brothers executives. But that vote is non-binding, meaning the board could still give current Warner Brothers

4:11CEO David Zazloff a golden parachute, nearly $887 million dollars. This morning in New York, filmmakers protested the mega deal, saying the consolidation will lead to layoffs, less competition, and more media concentration by the Ellison family, which is friendly with President Trump, Mandelite Del Barco, NPR News.