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At the moment’s high tales
President Trump and different administration officers are managing expectations about an imminent settlement to finish the conflict in Iran. Iran has not formally responded to the proposed settlement, however semi-official information companies counsel that disagreements over “one or two” points are jeopardizing the potential deal. After talking with the leaders of a number of Gulf nations and Israel on Saturday, Trump mentioned the U.S. and Iran have “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However on Sunday, he mentioned in a sequence of social media posts that the U.S. wouldn’t rush into an settlement. Iran’s international ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei mentioned that if a deal is reached, discussions on nuclear points with the U.S. would start over a 60-day interval. Senior official Hossein Nooshabadi mentioned that 60-day interval would begin after a 30-day preliminary settlement concerning the Strait.
Vessels are anchored off the coast of Sharjah within the United Arab Emirates on Might 21, 2026.
AFP by way of Getty Photos
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AFP by way of Getty Photos
- 🎧 NPR’s Mara Liasson tells Up First that Iran is firmly rejecting any discussions concerning its nuclear program. Republicans who supported the strike on Iran have been very important of the opportunity of the deal, Liasson provides. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina urged Trump to “stick to your guns in getting a good deal with Iran.” Liasson says a deal may assist Republicans within the upcoming elections. Democrats have a bonus when individuals are requested about who they might vote for within the generic poll. However the Democratic model stays unpopular. Democrats in aggressive districts should distinguish themselves from their social gathering, simply as Republicans have to separate from Trump, Liasson provides.
- 🎧 The U.S. has made it clear that Iran should begin permitting ships to move by means of the Strait as a part of the deal, NPR’s Aya Batrawy says. Iran additionally has calls for: The U.S. ought to unfreeze its cash in international banks, and Israel ought to finish its conflict in Lebanon in opposition to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Gulf Arab states have suffered vastly from the conflict and have been hit laborious by Iran. Round 2 million pilgrims are at the moment performing the hajj in Saudi Arabia, heightening the urgency of avoiding a return to battle so as to guarantee their security. There may be rising stress to succeed in a deal, because the conflict would not appear to have softened Iran’s stance, Batrawy says.
The most recent figures from the Congolese authorities present that greater than 200 folks have died within the Ebola outbreak within the Democratic Republic of Congo. Well being employees have registered greater than 900 suspected instances. The virus is spreading quickly throughout japanese Congo, a area bigger than Florida. Ongoing battles between armed teams and nationwide armies are complicating efforts to comprise the disease. The World Well being Group warns that the chance of the virus spreading rapidly all through the nation could be very excessive. This outbreak entails a uncommon pressure of Ebola that lacks an authorized vaccine or remedy.
- 🎧 Chaos and weak infrastructure in japanese Congo are complicating the outbreak amid excessive violence, reporter Emmet Livingstone says. 4 totally different nationwide armies are combating on the bottom. The largest battle entails the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. Some instances of the virus have been confirmed within the space. Assist teams are fighting mistrust in healthcare, historic points and misinformation, alongside a important scarcity of PPE and medical provides. U.S. assist cuts have additionally additional exacerbated the state of affairs, Livingstone says.
Roughly 50,000 residents in Backyard Grove, Calif., remained beneath evacuation orders yesterday as emergency response groups labored to handle a probably explosive state of affairs on the GKN Aerospace manufacturing plant. Late Saturday, firefighters discovered a possible crack in a tank on the facility. Orange County Hearth Division Chief Craig Covey says a crack within the tank could possibly be end result. Whereas not preferrred, it will be higher if the chemical substances leaked out slowly quite than exploding. This tank accommodates round 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a extremely poisonous and flammable chemical used to make resins and plastics. Emergency responders say the incident began on Thursday when chemical substances in a tank on the facility started exceeding protected temperature limits. Authorities evacuated residents to guard them from the danger of a giant explosion and the dangerous fumes it may produce. For the reason that fireplace division can’t predict the route during which the fumes may transfer, they needed to clear a large space across the plant.
Pope Leo XIV addressed the rise of synthetic intelligence as we speak in his first encyclical, a serious educating addressed to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Leo’s “Magnificent Humanity” urges Catholics to interact in shaping AI ethics as a substitute of leaving it within the palms ofl of rich tech elites.
- 🎧 Pope Leo is worried that Silicon Valley is pushing the thought of a hybrid human-machine world, says Claire Giangrave, Vatican correspondent for NPR’s associate group Faith Information Service. Giangrave says the pope sees AI as a brand new Industrial Revolution and believes the Catholic Church may also help information society towards a extra human and humane future. The pope describes a brand new face of colonialism, the place folks’s information and data are exploited. He calls it “one of the most urgent moral challenges of our time” and argues that governments and worldwide organizations should step as much as place legal guidelines and laws round AI use. Whereas some AI corporations resist any regulation of AI improvement, others in Silicon Valley are actively searching for steerage from spiritual traditions as they navigate new and surprising technological developments, Giangrave says.
Church and State
View of the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial on July 3, 2006, in San Diego, California. The cross is the centerpiece of the memorial, which sits atop a mountain overlooking San Diego.
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Photos
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Sandy Huffaker/Getty Photos
This week at NPR, we’ll discover the elevated intermixing of God and authorities in a brand new sequence we’re calling Church and State. It is an concept that has been gaining momentum by means of the primary and second Trump administrations, not solely inside U.S. politics but additionally all through American tradition, in songs and work, schoolbooks and worship occasions infused with religion and politics.
In a brand new survey, People say faith is gaining higher affect over the USA’ authorities. Most respondents expressed discomfort with the rising affect. NPR faith correspondent Jason DeRose says the Church and State challenge was developed following his group’s protection of actions by the Trump administration that warranted additional exploration. Amongst these matters is a current Division of Justice report on anti-Christian bias, which highlights coverage variations stemming from animosity in direction of Christians. Moreover, earlier this month, the administration hosted a prayer service on the Nationwide Mall, the place cupboard members prayed in entrance of an enormous cross.
On Morning Version, DeRose shares insights into the tales that will probably be featured within the Church and State sequence this week and explains why his group pursued this challenge.
Watch this
Byron Allen
Nickolai Hammar/NPR
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Nickolai Hammar/NPR
Go face-to-face with the individual of the second. NPR’s Newsmakers video podcast brings the largest names in politics, enterprise, sports activities, arts, and tradition out of the headlines and into the interview chair to debate the mark they’re making on the world. Observe the Newsmakers podcast or subscribe to NPR’s YouTube channel to get new episodes as quickly as they’re out there.
On Friday, Byron Allen introduced his present Comics Unleashed to the CBS time slot that was lengthy held by The Late Present with Stephen Colbert. The media mogul and former slapstick comedian has praised Colbert however famous that his present will keep away from the political comedy Colbert was identified for, shifting away from the standard late-night format. Colbert’s present was canceled regardless of its excessive scores, a call many seen as politically motivated due to Colbert’s frequent criticism of Trump and his administration. CBS mentioned that the cancellation was “purely a financial decision.” Allen maintains that nobody at CBS or its dad or mum firm, Paramount, imposed any restrictions or boundaries on his present.
Allen sat down for an NPR Newsmakers interview with NPR’s Ailsa Chang forward of the debut episode of Comics Unleashed. He mentioned his plans for the present, why he believes there’s nonetheless loads of political comedy out there after Colbert’s cancellation and the significance of Black People proudly owning and producing media.
Watch the dialog on YouTube, take heed to the interview or learn the article about their dialogue.
3 issues to know earlier than you go
Tilda Swinton, left, poses with Renate Reinsve, Cristian Mungiu, winner of the Palme d’Or for ‘Fjord’ and Sebastian Stan throughout the awards ceremony on the 79th worldwide movie pageant, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, Might 23, 2026.
Andreea Alexandru/AP
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Andreea Alexandru/AP
- Romanian director Cristian Mungiu gained the highest award on the 79th Cannes Movie Competition on Saturday for his culture-war drama Fjord.
- Felix Rosenqvist overtook David Malukas to clinch the victory within the one hundred and tenth operating of the Indianapolis 500. He gained by a mere 0.0233 seconds, the closest end within the race’s historical past. (by way of WFYI)
- Shein, the ultrafast-fashion big, is buying Everlane, a model that when pitched millennial consumers with its dream of “ethical factories” and “radical transparency” in clothes manufacturing and pricing.
This article was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
