NPR News: 04-04-2026 11PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan.

U.S. President Donald Trump is, again, warning Tey Ron over his Monday deadline, this to

open the critical straight-of-our-move and allow ship traffic to flow again.

Ron is responding by threatening to open quote the gates of hell.

The U.S. military meanwhile is searching a remote area in Iran for a second day on Saturday

after a war plane was shot down and a pilot went missing.

Israel confirms striking a petrochemical complex in Iran and state media there says at

least five people are dead in that latest attack.

Meanwhile, Iran's top diplomat is signaling a willingness for talks with Pakistan and

he says those efforts are on the right track.

Russia says it's continuing to evacuate its staff from Iran's lone nuclear operational

power plant.

Amid the ongoing U.S. Israeli attacks, the latest exit comms as Tey Ron says its nuclear

facility had come under attack, killing in Iran and guard.

From Moscow, NPR's Charles Mainz has late details.

The head of Russia's nuclear energy agency, Ross Adams, Alexei Likacholv, said nearly

200 Russian workers departed the Bush Air nuclear facility by bus minutes before the

plant was hit.

And we're now on route out of Iran.

Likacholv, who's been slowly pulling his staff of 700 Russian workers from the nuclear

plant since the U.S. Israeli attacks began over a month ago, suggested a full withdrawal

was now imminent.

Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of repeatedly targeting Bush Air, and there have been no

registered spikes in radiation levels.

The United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency says it's deeply concerned over

continuing fighting near the facility.

Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.

A federal judge has altered the Trump administration's policy of requiring colleges to collect and

share data on race admissions.

Elise at Narodney reports the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit by 17 Democratic

State Attorney's General.

The Attorney's Generals had argued that new data requested in the Trump order jeopardized

student privacy.

The federal policy came from concerns that colleges were using personal statements and

other proxies to consider race.

The judge agreed the federal government has the authority to collect the data, but called

the 120-day rollout, quote, rushed and chaotic.

In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions,

but said applicants could share information about race in their admissions essay.

When the lawsuit was filed in February, a spokesperson from the Department of Education defended

the data collection, saying that U.S. taxpayers deserve transparency into college admissions.

A listen ad warning, NPR News.

At the NCAA Women's Basketball Final 4 in Phoenix, South Carolina will play UCLA Sunday

for the National Championship, the tip off for the championship game schedule for 330

Eastern.

This is NPR.

The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are getting close to the moon, and on

Monday, they will fly on the far side of the moon.

The trajectory could take them deeper into space than anyone has ever been.

Meanwhile NASA reports the spacecraft's waste management system is acting up again and

could be frozen until it's fixed the astronauts are using backup urine collection bags.

In Southern Louisiana, emergency services have taken 13 people to hospitals, this after

a vehicle struck a crowd during a parade in the city of New Iberia, NPR's Khloe

In a post on x.com, a Cajun ambulance says it transported 11 patients by ground and

two patients by air from the scene, after a vehicle plowed into a group of pedestrians

on a street corner during the Louisiana Lou New Year festival.

The Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office says deputies are currently investigating the incident.

In a post on its website, the office says several individuals sustained injuries, some

of which are believed to be serious, and that the driver is currently in custody.

Based on the preliminary investigation, the sheriff's office says the incident does not

appear to be an intentional act.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Chloe Valtman, NPR News.

Officials in Riverside, California, near Los Angeles, say a smoky wildfire that began

Friday is now mostly under control, winds that were expected to reach 45 miles per hour

have dissipated, helping the 260 firefighters who are battling the blaze.

Most of the evacuation orders have been lifted.

This is NPR News from Washington, I'm Dan Roman.

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