NPR News: 04-04-2026 5AM EDT

Live from NPR News and Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

Lebanon says at least 23 people were killed in Israeli air strikes on Friday, about a

third of the country's population is Christian, but the lead up to Easter has been subdued

this year.

NPR's Lauren Fraer reports from Beirut.

Holy Week services are mixed with funerals and the sound of explosions.

Israel's military says it's striking Hezbollah's infrastructure after killing a thousand

of its members.

Three United Nations peacekeepers have been wounded at their base in the south.

The U.N. says it doesn't know the origin of the explosion.

Israel says it was a Hezbollah rocket.

Three U.N. peacekeepers were also killed there last week.

Meanwhile, as the U.S. and Israel attack Iran and Iran retaliates against U.S. allies

in the Gulf, Lebanon has not been hit by Iranian fire, but the U.S. Embassy in Beirut says

Iran may now target U.S. universities in Lebanon.

The American University of Beirut has shifted some classes online.

The Embassy is also up to its overall warning, telling U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon now.

Lauren Fraer and P.R. News Beirut.

For the first time in decades, a crude mission is on its way back to the moon.

In Pagody Houston, we have some news to share with you.

You are now closer to the moon than you are to us on Earth.

That moment coming from mission control as NASA's Artemis II crew crossed a major milestone

in deep space.

The four astronauts are now more than 100,000 miles from Earth, continuing their journey

around the moon and back.

Christina Cook is one of the crew members on board.

We can see the moon out of the docking hatch right now.

It is a beautiful sight.

We're seeing more and more of the far side, and it's just a thrill to be here.

NASA released the first images from the mission this week.

They show Earth as a glowing blue sphere against the darkness of space.

It was a shortened trading week on Wall Street, with markets closed for Good Friday and

P.R. Maria Aspen reports all three major indexes finished the week lower.

The war in Iran and the resulting energy crisis has had investors swinging from panic

to relief and back again.

Stocks had their best day of 2026 on Wednesday.

As investors hoped President Trump would do more to end the war.

But then his address to the nation that evening left room for doubt and sparked another

if temporary sell-off.

The war has already sent oil prices soaring and damaged some of the refineries and other

infrastructure needed to produce more.

Consumers are paying more at the gas pump, while companies are paying more for shipping

and trucking.

The longer the war continues, the longer this oil shock risks fueling inflation and wider

economic damage.

Maria Aspen and P.R. News The Dow lost 61 points on Thursday.

This is N.P.R. News in Washington.

Airline bag fees are going up as fuel costs rise, united now plans to charge $45 for a first

check bag on flights across North America and parts of Latin America and $55 for a second.

That's about $10 more than it was before the conflict with Iran.

Egypt Blue has also raised prices.

The BBC has released two long-lost episodes of the Colt TV sci-fi series, Doctor Who.

N.P.R.'s Chloe Bellman reports the 1965 episodes were found in a private collection.

In the Nightmare Begins, William Hartnall is the doctor gleefully incapacitates an uninvited

guest on his spaceship, The TARDIS.

What is it?

Oh, it's an invention of mine.

I call it the magnetic chair.

It had a force field strong enough to restrain a herd of elephants.

The series' story arc focuses on the threat of the Daleks, terrifying robots hellbent

on conquering the universe.

One man with mains, find and destroy him, I obey.

The non-profit group Film is Fabulous found the episodes in a private collection late

last year.

The BBC archives then restored the reels.

In the 1960s and 70s, broadcasters often deleted master tapes of shows to save storage space.

95 Doctor Who episodes are still missing today.

Chloe Bellman, N.P.R. News.

Illinois will play Yukon tonight in the NCAA Men's Final Four.

Michigan will take on Arizona in the second matchup.

The two winners will advance to the championship game on Monday night.

I'm Windsor Johnston, N.P.R. News in Washington.

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