NPR News: 04-24-2026 11AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. The White House says President Trump is extending a shipping waiver for 90 days. The waiver to the Jones Act allows more crude, fuel, and fertilizer to reach U.S. ports more quickly by opening up domestic shipping routes to foreign flagged vessels. The Jones Act requires all goods traveling between U.S. ports to be moved only on American ships. The Trump administration has reportedly drafted options for pushing NATO allies it feels have not been sufficiently supportive of the war in Iran. Terry Schultz reports the exclusive Reuters report on the memo says one of the possibilities is trying to suspend Spain from the alliance. Reuters says it's seen a confidential memo outlining ways the Trump administration could punish countries that in particular were not willing to let the U.S. use their military bases or airspace to conduct strikes on Iran. The memo reportedly suggests trying to suspend Spain from NATO over its blocking of access

1:02for the U.S. military and the Iran war. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez didn't give the idea much credit. We don't work on emails, he said. We're working on official documents and positions, Sanchez added that Spain always collaborates with allies and accordance with international law. But Trump warned several times about possible retaliation saying he'll remember which countries didn't support the war. For MPR News, I'm Terry Schultz and Brussels. The Justice Department is dropping its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the agency's renovation of its Washington headquarters. President Trump has accused Powell of mismanaging the project, cost overruns, put costs into the billions. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Piro sent on X, the Inspector General will review project costs, the IG has reviewed it twice and found no wrongdoing. A soldier with the U.S. Army Special Forces, who was involved in the January raid, to capture Venezuela's president has been charged by the Justice Department.

2:03As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, prosecutors say the Army master sergeant profited on the prediction market from the operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Prosecutors have unsealed an indictment against Ganon Ken Van Dyke, a U.S. Special Forces soldier who helped plan and carry out the arrest of Maduro. Under the username Burden Summix, Van Dyke allegedly placed $32,000 in bets on Polymarket that Maduro would soon be out of power. Those wagers netted him more than $400,000 in profit. Polymarket is an overseas, unregulated exchange where traders are anonymous and bet with cryptocurrency. But Federal investigators worked with Polymarket to identify Van Dyke. He's the first person criminally charged in the U.S. over trades on prediction markets, which have seen massive growth in Trump's second term. Donald Trump Jr. is an investor and advisor to Polymarket, Bobby Allen and PR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A federal judge has ordered the release of an Egyptian national and her five children

3:04from immigration detention. NPR's Jasmine Gards reports they've been held there for more than ten months. High M. Algamal's ex-husband, Muhammad Solomon, is accused of perpetrating the fatal fire bombing of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado last year. Following the attack, Algamal 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 324 days. Today, a federal judge ordered them released with ankle monitors. In a statement to NPR DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote, quote, Muhammad Solomon is a terrorist responsible for an anti-Semitic fire bombing in Boulder. The judge wants to release this terrorist family onto American streets. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, New York. A Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing an ICE arrest outside of her courtroom has asked the court to reconsider the verdict.

4:05Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan says new legal precedent invalidates her conviction. A jury found Dugan guilty of helping a man evade immigration agents in the courthouse last April. Atlanta will soon welcome two new giant pandas from China. In a move of panda diplomacy, the Zoo and China's Wildlife Conservation Association recently signed a new conservation agreement to bring pandas back to Atlanta. The zoo had returned its panda family in 2024 when their previous pact with China had expired. This is NPR News. Report for NPR.