NPR News: 04-09-2026 8PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's authorized negotiations with Lebanon, aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the countries. They've technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948. Meanwhile, President Trump posted on social media that Iran is doing a very poor job of allowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and it is quote, not the agreement we have, as NPR's Daniel Estrin reports after more than a month of war, Iran is feeling emboldened. The regime is still there. It is proven that it can withstand the most powerful army in the world and the most powerful army in the region, Israel. And it discovered the Strait of Hormuz and what havoc it can wreak, not only on the Gulf, but on the entire globe. NPR's Daniel Estrin reporting. First Lady Melania Trump gave a surprise statement today denying any connection to Jeffrey Epstein. They appear together in a group photo from 2000, but Trump decries what she says are fake images and statements about herself and the deceased, convicted sex offenders. She does urge Congress to hold hearings on the Epstein probe. NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben has this. The First Lady called for public hearings to allow victims to testify. Several prominent male executives resign from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn't amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth. It's unclear what prompted this statement. President Trump has mentioned numerous times in the Epstein files. He has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Trump has called on the country to move on from the Epstein scandal. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, The White House. Federal forecasters say it's increasingly likely that an El Nino weather pattern will emerge this fall. The climate shift can have major effects on rainfall and temperatures. NPR's Lawrence Summer reports. You can think of El Nino as the planet redistributing its heat. Warm ocean water develops in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which has a big effect on the atmosphere. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say an El Nino will likely begin this summer or fall. And it could be a big one. A super El Nino. That doesn't always produce big weather impacts, but typically it means more rain in the southern U.S. and drier weather in the northern U.S. Globally, the hottest years on record have been El Nino years. Lawrence Summer, NPR News. A key measure of inflation stayed high in February before the war in Iran spiked gas prices, a sign that everyday costs were elevated even before the conflict began. And U.S. stocks rose today, even though oil prices did too. The S&P 500 rose more than half a percent. This is NPR News. Britain and Norway have conducted a weeks-long operation to deter Russian spy submarines near undersea cables in the North Atlantic. British Defense Secretary John Healy says they tracked a Russian attack sub and two spy submarines north of the U.K. NATO countries have expressed concern that Russia could sabotage underwater cables crucial for global communications. Tickets to the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA are on sale starting today. Fans have been shocked by the high prices. LAist Libby Rainey reports. Fans in LA went from ecstatic to heartbroken when they logged on to buy Olympics tickets and saw prices in the hundreds and thousands of dollars. Seats at the games start at 28 bucks, but go as high as 5,500, including a whopping 24 percent service fee on each ticket. And the cheap seats sold out fast. Denny Nivens has been to eight Summer Games and said he's never seen price tags so high. It's completely unprecedented. I think they're pricing a whole lot of people out completely. He paid $4,700 for just four tickets to track and field and wrestling finals. Olympics organizers say the ticket costs are necessary to pay for the games and that more cheap tickets will be made available in later drops. For NPR News, I'm Libby Rainey in Los Angeles. The world's first facility for permanently disposing spent nuclear fuel is set to begin operating in Finland after decades of construction. The site on an island near three of Finland's five nuclear reactors was chosen for its stable bedrock. But experts have safety concerns, especially for future generations. This is NPR. Get your NPR-based journalism and get NPR Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.