NPR News: 04-23-2026 7PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump says he's taking his time and doesn't want to be rushed into making a deal to end the war in Iran. Taking questions from reporters today at the White House, Trump was pressed about whether he would use a nuclear weapon. Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it. I would use a nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody. Earlier today, Trump ordered the Navy to quote shoot and kill any boat trying to lay minds in the Strait of Hormuz, and PR's Jackie Northern Report, shipping through the waterway, has virtually stopped over the fear of minds and Iranian attacks on ships. There are no reliable numbers as to how many minds are in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but the threat of one hitting a ship is enough to keep some vessels anchored. The Washington Post reported that a classified Pentagon assessment shared with Congress says it could take up to six months to clear the Strait, and that such an operation wouldn't

1:04begin until after the war. President Trump dismissed that assessment and said an associate media post that U.S. mind-sweepers had already started clearing the Strait. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy boarded a second ship carrying oil from Iran that was bound for China. Jackie Northam in PR News. The federal judge has ordered the release of an Egyptian national and her five children from immigration detention, and PR's Jasmine Guards reports they had been held there for more than ten months. Hayam Elgamel's ex-husband, Muhammad Solomon, is accused of perpetrating the fatal fireballming of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado last year. Following the attack Elgamel and their children, ranging in age from five to eighteen, were detained at the Delhi Processing Center in Texas. They were investigated and cleared by the FBI of any knowledge of the attack. They've been detained for three hundred and twenty four days. Today, a federal judge ordered them released with ankle monitors.

2:05In a statement to NPR DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote, quote, Muhammad Solomon is a terrorist responsible for an anti-Semitic fireballming in Boulder. The judge wants to release this terrorist family onto American streets. Jasmine Guards and PR News, New York. Firefighters are working to contain a series of wildfires that are burning across parts of South Georgia. Brantley County Manager Joey Cason says gusty winds are forcing additional evacuations in the area. We have folks that have been told to evacuate in the last ten minutes. We need folks to understand they need to be prepared to evacuate. This is a dynamic fire that's changing. The fires in Brantley County are said to be about fifteen percent contained. The firefighters say dry, windy conditions are fueling the flames. Wildfires are also burning in Northern Florida. This is NPR News in Washington. The Trump administration is reclassifying medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

3:07The move is being framed as a step toward broader federal acceptance and could expand research and business opportunities. But it does not legalize marijuana under federal law. The chain shifts state license medical marijuana from schedule one to schedule three alongside drugs like ketamine. Recreational marijuana remains a schedule one substance classified the same as heroin. The first round of the NFL draft is tonight and the Las Vegas Raiders could be getting a new franchise quarterback and PR's baggy Sullivan has this preview. Fernando Mendoza was the star of the college football national championship game back in January. Now, the Indiana quarterback is expected to be the first overall pick. The Raiders haven't taken a quarterback in the first round since they drafted Jamarcus Russell back in 2007, who ended up being a bust. The New York Jets will choose second, followed by the Arizona Cardinals, the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants. Some of the other top players in the draft include the Notre Dame running back Jeremiah

4:08Love and the Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey and four Ohio State buckais, a wide receiver, two linebackers and a safety could all be taken in the top 10. The second and third round will take place tomorrow, then rounds four through seven will wrap up on Saturday. Becky Sullivan and PR News. Stocks traded lower today on Wall Street. The Dow was down 179 points. The S&P 500 fell 29 that Azdaqim Pazid lost 219 points. I'm Windsor Johnston and PR News in Washington. Wanna hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon Prime members can listen to NPR News now, sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get NPR Plus at plus dot NPR dot org.