Iran war; DHS; surgeon general; May Day : NPR
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The Trump administration now faces a deadline to seek congressional approval for its military action in Iran. He does not appear to be seeking this approval. According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days. If the president requests an extension, Congress has 90 days to act. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the current ceasefire does not count toward the 60 days. The administration plans to continue confronting Iran through blockades of the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump holds a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House April 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Image
- 🎧 The Iranians have offered to reopen the strait and negotiate nuclear restrictions later. President Trump has convened his national security team to review the proposal, but he remains adamant about the need to include a nuclear deal, says NPR’s Franco Ordoñez. First. Alexander Gray, former National Security Council chief of staff during the first Trump administration, says the blockade gives the United States “maximum leverage.” Gray says the blockade depends on which side blinks or gives in first. “I think the Iranians are going to blink because they are losing over $400 million a day because of the U.S. Navy blockade,” Gray says. The problem is that the Trump administration argued that if it put enough military and economic pressure on Iran, Tehran would capitulate, but that hasn’t happened, Ordoñez says.
The House of Representatives voted yesterday to reopen the majority of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history. The House passed a bill funding DHS, excluding dollars for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The measure was approved by voice vote on the 76th day of the shutdown. After federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in January, Democrats withdrew support for a massive bipartisan spending bill including DHS to push for reforms in how agents do their jobs.
- 🎧 The Senate passed a plan five weeks ago to fund DHS except for certain immigration enforcement divisions. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially called the bill a joke but then struck a deal with the most conservative members of his conference, who expected full funding for DHS, NPR’s Claudia Grisales said. Republicans have crafted a partisan piece of legislation, known as the reconciliation bill, that includes funding for immigration enforcement for the remainder of Trump’s term. Initially, Johnson sided with the Conservatives, but later changed his position as reconciliation dragged on. He said that now that reconciliation is underway, Republicans could also approve additional funding.
Trump nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier as his new surgeon general, the official responsible for public health advisories in the United States. Saphier works at one of the country’s leading cancer centers as a radiologist specializing in breast cancer. She should be a more palatable choice to Republican lawmakers, who blocked the confirmation process of the last presidential nominee.
- 🎧 The surgeon general is responsible for promoting science-based measures to keep people healthy.according to NPR’s Pien Huang. In February, Saphier discussed the job on her podcast, saying the primary role is public health messaging. Huang describes Saphier as the initiator of the Make America Healthy Again movement, before Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took charge. The slogan was actually the title of a Saphier book published in 2020. Trump’s previous pick, Casey Means, faced pushback from some Republicans because of his views on vaccines. She is not against all vaccines and does not think they cause autism. But she also said she supports medical freedom and the right of individuals to choose if and when they want to get vaccinated.
May Day protests are expected to draw crowds across the United States today. Organizers are calling for boycotts of work, school and stores to protest the Trump administration’s policies and what activists say is a billionaire takeover of the government. “May Day Strong” events aim to commemorate International Workers’ Day. The protests follow national anti-Trump movements under the banner “No Kings,” which organizers say have mobilized millions of people. Unlike Labor Day celebrations in the United States in September, May 1 is traditionally a day of protest.
Listening of the day
Voting booths are seen at the Hadley Park Community Center on December 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Dean Roy ran for governor of Vermont at just 14 years old. His candidacy marks the first time someone under 18 has appeared on the state’s general election ballot for governor. While most states require people to be at least 30 years old to run for governor, there is no age requirement to hold office in Vermont. It was with this in mind that Roy took the initiative to launch a movement to involve more young people in politics. To support his cause, Roy launched a new political party called “Liberty and Unity”. Although he doesn’t expect to win, he hopes his campaign will be the start of a life in politics. Hear the teen explain why he decided to run for governor and what he wants to see in the future of politics.
Weekend Picks
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
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Macall Polay/20th century workshops
Find out what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:
🍿 Movies: The devil wears Prada 2 reunites Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci 20 years after the beloved original. Ahead of the sequel, fashion critic Robin Givhan explains in an interview with Morning editionIt’s Michel Martin.
📺 Television: Netflix’s new crime comedy Big mistakes tells the story of an offbeat family who finds themselves embroiled in the mafia. The series begins playfully, then turns into a farce that becomes more than a little hellish, writes NPR critic John Powers.
📚 Books: The latest graphic memoirs from designer Gemma Correll, Land of anxietyguides readers through the not-so-fun amusement park of his brain. Grimes uses theme park rides like the Emotional Roller Coaster and the Worry-Go-Round to explain his relationship with anxiety.
🎵 Music: Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead” debuted at No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, marking his fourth time achieving this feat. His album, you look pretty sad for a girl so in love should arrive in June.
🎮 Games: South Asian representation in video games is on the rise, thanks in part to stars and developers from the diaspora. The recent PlayStation release of the roguelike short film Saros, starring British actor Rahul Kohli, is expected to be a success.
❓Quizzes: This week, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool got a makeover, the president’s face is set to appear on a commemorative item and a record-breaking run. Do you think you were paying attention? Test your memory.
3 things to know before you leave
Sisters Rita (right), 81, Regina (left), 86, and Bernadette (center), 88, at the convent chapel at Goldenstein Castle, south of the city of Salzburg, Austria, September 20, 2025. Supporters of three octogenarian nuns flocked to the convent in a show of solidarity.
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Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images
- Three Austrian nuns in their 80s who fled their nursing home and returned to their former convent last year traveled to Rome this week for a general audience with Pope Leo XIV.
- J. Craig Venter, a scientist who played an essential role in sequencing the human genome, has died, his eponymous research institute announced. He was 79 years old.
- At 19, Rebecca Stuhlmiller felt like her life was falling apart. She moved from Montana to Arizona on a whim, but she still felt stuck. One day, as she sobbed behind the wheel at a red light, a man in the car next to her honked his horn and gave her a thumbs up. This small gesture from an unsung hero lifted her spirits and has stayed with her as she tries to pass that kindness on to others.
This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.
