NPR News: 04-24-2026 7AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. President Trump has announced a three-week extension to the pause in fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Lebanon. The 10-day ceasefire was to expire in the coming days. Attacks still continue, though. Hezbollah says it fired rockets into northern Israel last night. Israeli military responded with its own airstrikes on what it says were military structures. Pope Leo is urging the US and Iran to return to the negotiating table for talks to end the war. NPR's Ruth Sherlock has more. Speaking during a press conference on the Papal Plain as he returned from a trip to countries in Africa, Pope Leo urged leaders to adopt what he called a culture of peace. Calling negotiations between Iran and the United States complex, he urged all sides to engage in dialogue. Leo said he carried with him a photograph of a young Muslim Lebanese boy who was killed in Israel's recent attacks against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah there.

1:03The same child had been previously photographed carrying a sign welcoming the Pope when Leo visited Lebanon last year. When conflicts arise, Pope Leo asked, the question is how to promote the values we believe in without the deaths of so many innocents, Ruth Sherlock and Pion News. The extent of personal injuries and damage and destruction in northern Oklahoma will come to light this morning. There are multiple tornadoes touched down there late last night. The soaring cost of jet fuel is forcing airlines in Europe to cut thousands of flights and PR's Joel Rose reports. 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. Energy experts warned that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran's coast, would lead to higher prices for jet fuel and even possible shortages in Europe ahead of the peak summer travel season.

2:04Joel Rose and PR News. Major shifts in marijuana policy. The Justice Department has ordered an immediate change in the classification of medical cannabis. Ben Marcus from Colorado Public Radio explains. This order moves medical marijuana from schedule one to schedule three, so rather than being in the same category as heroin, it will be in the same category as anabolic steroids or Tylenol with Codine. That's expected to normalize the business, meaning it could possibly open up more banking services, allow customers to use credit cards, it could allow businesses to make common tax deductions that they can't right now. The change could also open up research. The order doesn't apply to recreational marijuana, but the Justice Department is expediting a broader review that could include recreational use. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A Wisconsin judge convicted of obstruction, obstructing an ICE arrest outside of her

3:06courtroom has asked the court to reconsider the verdict. Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan says new legal precedent invalidates her conviction. She's asking for a new trial. A jury found Dugan guilty of helping a man evade immigration agents in the courthouse last April. She's scheduled to be sentenced in June. The tech company meta is laying off about 10% of its staff. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram has been pumping billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. NPR's John Ruich reports an internal memo says meta is reorganizing to offset investments. A meta spokesperson confirmed the internal memo. Minute Metta's chief people officer, Janelle Gayle says the layoffs are part of a continued effort to run the company more efficiently. The cuts will also allow it to offset other investments the company is making. Gayle says while it's unwelcome news that puts employees in an uneasy state, the company feels it's the best path forward given the circumstances. The layoffs will take place on May 20th. Metta also will not hire for 6,000 open roles that it had intended to film.

4:10In January, Metta forecast record capital expenditures this year of up to $135 billion, almost double what it spent last year. John Ruich NPR News Microsoft will offer voluntary buyouts to more than 8,000 U.S. employees next month, according to the Associated Press. That's about 7% of the software company's domestic workforce. I'm Kristen Wright, NPR News from Washington. For NPR, 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.