NPR News: 04-23-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump says he doesn't want to be rushed into making a deal to end the war in Iran. The president spoke to reporters at the White House today after extending the ceasefire indefinitely. Trump also warned the U.S. is prepared to escalate if negotiations ultimately fail. If they don't want to make a deal, then I'll finish it up militarily with the other 25% of the targets. 78% of the targets that we've wanted to hit. We've knocked out their manufacturing, we've knocked out their missile production, we've knocked out their drone production, we've knocked out everything. In some cases, when I say knocked out of 70, 80, 90%, Trump also said he would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran, adding that such a weapon should never be used against anyone. Israel and Lebanon have extended their ceasefire agreement in peace talks at the White House today. The U.S. officials, including President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary

1:02of State Marco Rubio, met with the countries and ambassadors. NPR's Danielle Kurt Slavin reports. In a social media message, Trump wrote that the current ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will extend for three more weeks. That ceasefire has been shaky. These talks came a day after Israeli strikes and Southern Lebanon killed at least five people, including a Lebanese journalist. Trump also wrote that the U.S. will help Lebanon protect itself from his vola, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, but he did not elaborate on what actions the U.S. would take. The President added that he anticipates hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near future. Danielle Kurt Slavin and NPR news the White House. Federal authorities have arrested a special operation soldier accused of profiting off inside information. Soldiers say Ganon Ken Van Dyke made more than $400,000, betting on the removal of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, placing the bets just days before President Trump announced

2:03Maduro's capture. The winnings triggered a federal probe into whether inside information was used. The soaring cost of jet fuel is forcing airlines in Europe to cut thousands of flights. NPR's Joel Rose reports it's the latest impact on the aviation industry from the war in Iran. German carrier Lufthansa said this week it would cut 20,000 flights from its schedule through the fall to save on jet fuel. KLM and Scandinavian airlines have also trimmed their schedules. The price of jet fuel has climbed sharply since the start of the U.S. and Israeli-led war in Iran. It airlines in Europe, which imports a significant percentage of its jet fuel from refineries in the Middle East, have been hit particularly hard. Energy experts warned that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway of Iran's coast, would lead to higher prices for jet fuel, and even possible shortages in Europe ahead of the peak summer travel season. Joel Rose, NPR News. This is NPR. Globally, people are leaving the Catholic Church to become either Protestant or leave religion

3:07altogether. NPR's Jason DeRose reports on the findings of a new study from the Pew Research Center. 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 switch 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, NPR News. Ten people have been hospitalized after a shooting broke out of the shopping mall in Louisiana today. Baton Rouge, police chief, TJ Moore says it doesn't appear to be a random act of violence. We found out looking through surveillance videos, it looks like it was kind of a targeted

4:08two groups of people got into an argument inside the food court and started shooting at each other. Unfortunately, there were some innocent people that were in the area that might have also caught some rounds. An opposed on social media, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he's in contact with local authorities. No immediate arrests have been made. Stocks traded lower today on Wall Street, the Dow was down 179 points at the close. The Nasdaq fell 219 points, the S&P down 29. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington. Want to 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. That's plus dot NPR dot org.