NPR News: 04-24-2026 7PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herfst. There's some confusion as to whether a second set of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran will take place in Pakistan this weekend. The White House says special envoy Steve Whitkopf and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will head to Islamabad tomorrow for talks with Iran. But Iran's foreign ministry spokesman says on X tonight that no meeting is planned to take place between the U.S. and Iran. When Minister Abbas Aradji is in Islamabad and Tehran says that's four bilateral talks with Oman and Russia and that he will also hold meetings with Pakistan's senior leadership. Pakistan was the mediator for the talks two weeks ago led by Vice President Vance that didn't lead to a deal. President Trump this week extended the ceasefire indefinitely, but both the U.S. and Iran maintain a blockade of the straight-up Hormuz, the crucial waterway that some 20 percent of the world's oil travels through. The two sides are far apart of many issues, including control of the straight and Iran's

1:02nuclear program. The U.S. and Israel started the war in Iran nearly eight weeks ago. A federal court of appeals has ruled the President Trump's ban on asylum at the southern border is unlawful. As NPR Sario Martinez-Velteron reports, it's a blow for the proclamation that Trump signed his first day in office. Back in January 2025, the White House said that suspending asylum at the southern border was meant to prevent immigrants, participating in a quote in Vation from coming to the U.S. But now the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled Trump's proclamation circumvents the removal procedures crafted by Congress. The court also says the administration's policy cast aside the federal laws that give people the opportunity to claim asylum. Immigrant rights groups say their ruling is a victory for those seeking safety and protection at the U.S.-Mexico border. Sario Martinez-Velteron and PR News. Georgia's governor says nearly 1,000 homes are in danger from wildfires in the southern

2:03part of the state, or will Bali of Member Station W-A-B-E in Atlanta reports, more than 120 homes and structures have been destroyed, the most in state wildfire history. Governor Brian Kemp spoke after flying over the wildfire zone. Unfortunately, we believe that fire activities are going to remain extremely high throughout the weekend and really we need to change in the weather. All of this is happening as a southern part of the state deals with extreme to exceptional drought conditions. There's now a mandatory outdoor burn ban in place. Any fire that breaks out that we have to go chase or the locals do takes resources away from us dealing with these devastating fires that potentially can burn another home. The governor says one of the largest wildfires is believed to have started when a balloon hit a power line. For NPR News, I'm Ronald Bali in Atlanta. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Food and Drug Administration says it will offer a fast review for three psychedelic drugs

3:07that are being studied for hard-to-treat mental health conditions, including depression and PTSD. This following an executive order from President Trump calling for access to the drugs to be sped up. It reflects growing popular support for the psychedelics among Trump's supporters, including combat veterans. Researchers have found remnants of what they say is the largest invertebrate ever documented, gargantuan octopuses that once prowled the oceans. A team of scientists sliced through large rocks that had formed on the seafloor a hundred million years ago. They created 3D reconstructions of any fossils inside, which included a handful of octopus jaws, the only hard part in these soft-bodied creatures. The jaws allowed an estimation of the animal's body size, and they were likely colossal, each one larger than a school bus. Yog Mutaloza is a paleontologist at rural university Bohem.

4:08Just few fossil findings may shed very new light on the evolution of the biosphere. The results paint a vivid picture of the ocean ecosystem of the late Cretaceous, one that would have been filled with a variety of large and hungry predators. For NPR News, I'm R.A. Daniel. Ulster dended the day in mixed territory, the Dowdown 79 points, the Nasdaq up 398, S&P 500 up 56. I'm Janine Herbst NPR 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.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.