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Today's top stories
The U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire deal yesterday, just hours before President Trump's deadline for Iran to meet his demands. Under the agreement, Trump announced that the U.S. and Israel would halt bombing for two weeks, contingent on Iran following through with its commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices plummeted and stocks soared after the announcement of the deal. Brent crude oil dropped by more than 13% to $94.74. In the early hours of the ceasefire, Israel disputed that the deal included a pause of its attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and continued its attacks today.
- 🎧 NPR's Franco Ordoñez tells Up First that the deal marks a significant shift from Trump's posts yesterday and over the weekend, when he threatened Iran in a profane social media post and demanded it open the Strait. Many analysts, including Nate Swanson, who worked on the Iran portfolio during the Obama administration and the early Trump years, believe Trump underestimated Iran's resilience. Swanson says that Trump believed if he applied enough pressure and caused enough damage, Iran would eventually capitulate. The U.S. has received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which the president described as a workable basis for negotiations.
- 🎧 Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted a statement on X expressing gratitude to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for facilitating a ceasefire. His statement also made it clear that Iran will maintain control over the Strait, and any ships permitted passage in the next two weeks will do so on Iran's terms. While there's a sense of relief in Iran, people are wary, NPR's D. Parvaz says. While state media showed images of jubilant crowds waving flags in the streets, Parvaz says that for many, the ceasefire signals the end of any hope of real regime change.
- 🎧 The market saw a lot of relief after the ceasefire announcement, but NPR's Maria Aspan says it's unclear how long that will last. Investors are swinging from hope to fear and back again, she says. She adds that this whiplash is different from the market changes Americans saw last year from tariffs. What happens next hinges not only on the president's actions but also on Iran's response. A war is also much more challenging to unwind than tariffs, Aspan says.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged in a letter in response to lawmakers' questions that the agency is using spyware tools that can intercept encrypted messages as part of its efforts to disrupt fentanyl trafficking. Acting director Todd Lyons said in the letter, which was reviewed by NPR, that ICE's Homeland Security Investigations uses various tools as part of its mission to disrupt and dismantle foreign terrorist organizations. His confirmation that the agency is using spyware comes as ICE intensifies its use of surveillance technologies to find people in the U.S. without authorization as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.
Trump-backed Republican Clay Fuller has won the U.S. House Race in Georgia to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. He will represent the state's 14th Congressional District in Washington, D.C., for the remainder of the current term. Fuller secured 56% of the vote, and Democrat Shawn Harris won 43% of the vote in the runoff race. Fuller has committed to upholding Trump's agenda in Congress.
A federal judge in Louisiana ruled Tuesday that telehealth access to abortion medication will remain available for now. The judge granted a request from the Food and Drug Administration to put a hold on the case while it completes a review of the safety of mifepristone, an abortion medication that has been available in the U.S. for more than 25 years. The judge ordered the agency to update the court on its progress in six months.
- ➡️ At least 38 abortion clinics closed last year in states where abortion remains legal, according to data from I Need an A, a project that helps people find abortion options. Even in states that recently passed constitutional amendments to protect abortion rights, clinics have shut down since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Now, communities are establishing alternatives, such as urgent care clinics, to help fill the gap.
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Go face to face with the person of the moment. 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 to NPR's YouTube channel to get new episodes as soon as they're available.
JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon says it is his job to speak out on many issues. In his annual letter to shareholders of the U.S.'s largest bank, he addressed banking issues and economic risks, including inflation and the Iran war, expressing the company's readiness for any challenge. In an interview with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, Dimon defended the war's general purpose but acknowledged the potential for economic blowback, including the possibility of a recession. He also said he doesn't worry much about the way Trump's contradictory statements tend to affect financial markets. "I have to deal with the world I got," he said. Watch or listen to the interview to hear Dimon's thoughts on the war, economy, AI's role in the workplace and more. You can read the article about their discussion here.
Picture show
The Artemis II crew got a front-row seat to a solar eclipse and the far side of the moon, taking in sights with their own eyes during their mission. The crew took geological observations of places of interest on the lunar surface, including a moon crater they proposed naming "Carroll" after their commander's late wife. On their journey, the astronauts captured thousands of photos of the moon's surface. While we wait for them to return home, take a look at what they saw.
3 things to know before you go
- The U.K. has denied Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, entry into the country following his history of antisemitic comments. The move forced the cancellation of the Wireless music festival, which he was scheduled to headline.
- NPR's "Word of the Week" is "sarcasm," which has a mean-spirited history. Linguists and etymologists say that, over time, a playful type of humor has sometimes watered down the word's meaning.
- A paleontologist's discovery of pincers on a tiny, 500-million-year-old fossil could change scientists' understanding of the origin of spiders.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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