NPR News: 04-24-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. A second round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran this weekend may be in doubt. The White House says President Trump plans to send two negotiators to Pakistan tomorrow. Steve Whitcough and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. But on X tonight, Iran's foreign ministry says no meeting is set to take place between the U.S. and Iran over the war the U.S. and Israel started nearly two months ago. Foreign Minister Abbas Iraqi is already in Islamabad, but Tehran says that's for bilateral talks with Oman and Russia and talks with Pakistan's senior leadership. Both sides are maintaining a blockade of the crucial strait of Hormuz. NATO says its founding treaty for member states doesn't foresee any provision for suspension or expulsion of its allies. A new report suggests President Trump wanted to punish both Britain and Spain for not supporting the U.S. war on Iran. Terry Shultz has more on Spain's response. Reuters says it's learned of a confidential memo outlining ways that Trump administration

1:02could punish countries that in particular were not willing to let the U.S. use their military bases or airspace to conduct strikes on Iran. NPR has not independently verified the report. The memo cited by the news agency suggests trying to suspend Spain from NATO over its blocking of access for the U.S. military. Just by reporters at a European Union summit, 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. Asked for comment, NATO clarified there is no way a member country can be suspended or kicked out of the alliance. For NPR News, I'm Terry Shultz and Brussels. The Pentagon says the Defense Department will see to it that Trump has credible options to ensure that U.S. allies are no longer a, quote, paper tiger and instead do their part. Means governor, Democrat Janet Mills, vote vetoed what would have been the country's first temporary statewide ban on large-scale data centers.

2:03Maine Public's Peter McGuire reports that many of her fellow Democrats are furious. Attorney General Chris Mays, a Democrat, says the location of the facility in the city of surprise is inappropriate for housing human beings. And says DHS didn't submit necessary environmental reviews. The warehouse is across the street from a hazardous chemical storage facility. Mays says the government is obligated by its own laws to conduct a safety analysis. In their rush to expand detention capacity across the country and implement a deportation system that operates, quote, like Amazon Prime, but with human beings, DHS and ICE have run roughshod over federal law. In her lawsuit, Mays seeks to permanently bar DHS from using the warehouse as a detention center. For NPR News, I'm Cameron Sanchez in Phoenix. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention trains disease detectives who investigate

3:05outbreaks around the world. It's a fellowship program that's marking its 75th anniversary this week. The Fellows of the Epidemic Intelligence Service don't take that continuity for granted. The program was on DHS' chopping block last year, but it was spared. This week, fellows gathered in Atlanta for their annual conference. They presented on malaria, bird flu, and other health threats. Dr. Eric Pavsoner is the program's chief. Monthly that officers gone out for invasive strep A to Hawaii, DPR and the federated states of Micronesia. They've gone out for our officers are out there trying to figure out what they could do to come up with consequential actions to help make people safe and healthy. Their logo features the soul of a shoe with a hole in it, representing the shoe leather detective work that they've done for decades piecing together outbreaks. Ping Huang and PR News. China is sending two giant pandas to the Atlanta Zoo. It's Beijing's latest effort for panda diplomacy, less than a month before President Trump

4:08is set to visit the country. The China Wildlife Conservation Association says Ping Ping, a male, and Fushuang, a female, will kick off a decade-long conservation partnership under an agreement signed with the zoo last year. It's not clear when the pandas will arrive, but the zoo is already doing upgrades to the facility to create a more comfy place for the pair. Giant pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China friendships since 1972 when China first sent pandas to the United States. I'm Janine Herbst and PR News in Washington. This message comes from Subaru. They are continuing their partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute 165,000 trees since 2025, growing greener, healthier communities for generations to come. Subaru, more than a car company.