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Today’s top stories
A 10-day ceasefire to stop fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon begins today. President Trump announced the agreement on social media yesterday after separate phone conversations with the leaders of Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah was not involved in the ceasefire discussions. Israel has vowed to keep its forces in southern Lebanon and said it would attack if Hezbollah threatened. The current two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran is set to expire in a few days. Iran has said it will not enter peace talks with the US unless Israel maintains a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Tracer rounds illuminate the night sky as people fire live ammunition and fireworks into the air as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah begins in Beirut, Lebanon, in the early hours of Friday.
Hassan Ammar/AP
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Hassan Ammar/AP
- 🎧 NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf is in Beirut, where she says things are relatively calm Since the ceasefire started at midnight. she says there is some hope Here among the people. “A ceasefire in a war is always welcome,” she says. “But people also realize it’s temporary, so there’s a cautious optimism.” Nearly a fifth of Lebanon’s population has been displaced by the violence. Both Israel and Hezbollah have told people it is still too dangerous to return home.
- 🎧 As the end of a two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran approaches, US defense officials say a naval blockade of Iranian ports remains firmly in place. The US is blocking ships from leaving or entering Iranian ports – thereby strangulating Iran’s economy. Meanwhile, Iran has control over the Strait of Hormuz until American, European or Asian minesweepers can clear it and possibly allow ships to pass safely. NPR’s Quill Lawrence says a blockade is an act of war, but in this case, it could be part of the conversation.
President Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, A former Coast Guard doctor and his deputy surgeon general under Trump’s first administration, to serve as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than a month into the President’s second term, there has been no definite leader at CDC. If confirmed, Schwartz would succeed Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Will work under Kennedy Jr. He will inherit an agency in turmoil, whose employees have been hit by deep cuts in staffing, budgets and programs. Here’s what we know about Schwartz.
- 🎧 CDC is very quiet these days, And it’s giving the public very little information, says NPR’s Pien Huang. The agency has recently been challenged over changes made to vaccines under HHS Secretary Kennedy. The remaining workers say they have lost trust in federal leadership. Huang says Schwartz will have her work cut out for her if she is confirmed. In testimony yesterday, Kennedy said Schwartz and others nominated by Trump to help lead the CDC are receiving “applause from both Republicans and Democrats.”
Millions of immigrants are stuck in legal limbo as a growing backlog of immigration applications puts them at risk of deportation. An NPR review of data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the DHS agency that approves immigration applications, shows that nearly 12 million applications are awaiting a decision. The number of pending requests soared in the first three months of Trump’s second administration, leaving immigrants scrambling to get confirmation that their applications had been received, let alone reviewed.
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Go face to face with the person at that time. NPR’s Newsmakers video podcast brings the biggest names in politics, business, sports, arts and culture out of the headlines and into the interview chair to discuss the mark they’re making on the world. follow the Newsmakers Podcast or subscribe NPR’s YouTube channel To get new episodes as soon as they become available.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Didn’t Realize How Small His One-Bedroom Apartment Was Until he moved all his belongings to the bedroom of Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence. But he hasn’t had time to think about the place, as he spends most of his time at City Hall and around New York City. The mayor makes sure they meet other New Yorkers and “get out of the bubble” by exploring the city on foot, bike or train. In conversation with NPR’s Leila Fadel, Mamdani discussed his first 100 days as mayor, the future of the Democratic Party and the inhumane effects of the Iran war on “people all across his country.”
Watch the interview now on YouTube Or read articles discussing them.
weekend choice
Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.
Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy
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Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy
See what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Instead of diving into new releases this week, the Pop Culture Happy Hour host is delving into a list of classic movies he hasn’t seen yet, including Erin Brockovich, Enter the Dragon, Raging Bull and the Flower Drum Song.
📺 TV:Season 2 of Netflix beef At times it can become cumbersome due to the new characters and interconnected stories. But it’s compelling because at any moment, each character can reveal his or her worst self, says NPR’s Ayesha Harris.
📚 Books: Take a step back in time with these memoirs from two celebrities who defined ’90s culture: Grammy-winning singer Brandy Norwood’s FaZe and TV host Arsenio Hall’s Arsenio.
🎵 Music: Los Jornaleros del Norte is providing the soundtrack to anti-ICE protests in LA. The band plays protest songs whose lyrics reflect the hopes and struggles of undocumented workers to avoid immigration agents.
❓ Quiz: This newsletter keeps you updated on the latest Iran war news. But have you faced any major battles in the animal kingdom? You will need that knowledge to complete this week’s quiz.
3 things to know before you go
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and fellow Republicans celebrate GOP tax policies at an event outside the Capitol on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Washington.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
- The House approved a stopgap measure to extend by 10 days a controversial surveillance program that allows US intelligence agencies to intercept the electronic communications of foreign citizens located outside the United States.
- A Texas district judge has ordered the closure of Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp where 27 people died in a deadly flood last summer. Protect damaged cabins As the planned date of reopening of the camp approaches. (via Kut)
- Justin Fairfax, former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia shot his wife dead Thursday before taking his own life, according to Fairfax County Police. Fairfax’s tenure was marked by allegations of sexual harassment. (via vpm)
