NPR News: 02-26-2026 5PM EST

Coming up on the Here and Now Anytime podcast, squirrels, ferrets, and moose. Oh my, climate change is making it harder to be a mammal these days. Our reporting project, Reverse Course, returns with stories of science in action from the frozen north woods of Minnesota to the desert of Arizona. Listen to Here and Now Anytime wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told members of Congress she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and didn't recall ever meeting him. Her deposition was paused today after Colorado Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert leaked a photo of Clinton in the room to a conservative influencer who posted online a violation of the committee's rules. The committee's ranking Democratic member, Robert Garcia of California, says there should be repercussions for leaking the photo. What is not acceptable is oversight Republicans breaking their own committee rules that they established with the secretary and her team, which you've all reported and you've seen by releasing photos. Not acceptable, and it was gracious of the secretary and her team to continue the deposition. Clinton has long called for the deposition to be open to reporters Former President Bill Clinton will testify tomorrow Democrats say President Trump should testify as well The U and Iran have wrapped up the latest round of nuclear talks with a plan to hold further discussions next week. As NPR's Greg Meirey reports, this comes with a large U.S. military force now positioned for a possible military strike against Iran. The U.S. team, led by presidential advisors Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held several hours of negotiations with the Iranians in Geneva, Switzerland. Oman's foreign minister mediated and said afterward on social media there was, quote, significant progress, though he didn't offer specifics. He did say the sides agreed to hold technical talks next week in Vienna. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has long monitored Iran's nuclear program, is based there. President Trump has ordered a large U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. It includes more than a dozen warships and perhaps a couple hundred warplanes. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington. Tennessee officials say that a state law policing how public officials vote is unconstitutional. Cynthia Abrams with member station WPLN reports. Tennessee attorney general has proposed a settlement throwing out the law State lawmakers passed the legislation last year making it a felony for local officials to vote in favor of sanctuary city policies Nashville Metropolitan Councilmember Clay Kapp one of the plaintiffs in the case says this is a huge victory We challenge that law because it tramples on free speech and it tramples on local self-government. The law was passed alongside a flurry of other immigration actions, which are not impacted by the settlement. For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville. The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate slipped this week below 6% for the first time since late 2022. That's good news for home shoppers as the spring home buying season gets rolling. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Shipping giant FedEx says it will return any tariff refund it might get to shippers and customers who paid them. The company is suing the Trump administration, saying it should pay back money collected during President Trump's trade war over the last year. Last week, the Supreme Court struck down the president's power to issue the tariffs using an emergency power. The public is paying respects to Reverend Jesse Jackson as the civil rights icon lies in repose in his hometown of Chicago. NPR Debbie Elliott reports civil rights leaders say the racial progress Jackson fought for is under threat Honoring Jesse Jackson isn just looking back at his legacy but pushing his fight forward says Maya Wiley president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights a coalition of more than 240 groups. One of the things that so many of us are talking about right now is as we celebrate his incredible life of service and leadership is also to be recommitted to the vision of that leadership at a time when it has never been more critical. She says a new generation must work to preserve hard-fought gains on voting rights, equal protection, and racial justice at a time when they're under attack. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. The East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville is now known as Dolly Parton Children's Hospital. Hospital officials say the name change is part of a promise to transform pediatric care in the region. Parton's philanthropy already impacts her home state and beyond, including a program that sends three million books to kids every month, and she donated $1 million to research that helped produce Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. This is NPR News from Washington.