NPR News: 04-08-2026 6PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Iran says it is re-closing the Strait of Hormuz less than 24 hours after the conditional ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran went into effect. Only a trickle of ships were able to pass through the vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world's energy supplies. NPR's Jackie Northam reports. Despite being anchored since the start of the war more than a month ago, hundreds of ships were not eager to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The big concern is safety. There were still regional attacks. It's uncertain if Iran has cleared mines in the water and a threat broadcast to the ships from Iran itself. If anyone tries to transit without permission, they will be destroyed out. The White House says the president is aware of reports that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz and disputes them while also saying that would be completely unacceptable. Jackie Northam, NPR News. Israel says the ceasefire does not apply to Hezbollah in Lebanon where more than a million people have been displaced. Israel's military said today that it carried out airstrikes on more than 100 targets in Lebanon in about 10 minutes. NPR's Lauren Freyers in Beirut. Lebanon's health minister says hundreds are dead and injured. The Red Cross says 100 ambulances are out in Beirut alone trying to rescue people. Hospitals are asking for blood donations. Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for areas in Beirut's southern suburbs this morning, but not for areas in central Beirut where I am. A posh area along Beirut's Corniche waterfront was struck today, which has not been a target before. That blast hit near the residence of the speaker of Lebanon's parliament. NPR's Lauren Freyre reporting. Artificial Intelligence Company Anthropics spat with the Pentagon, hasn't stopped the company from moving ahead. It's out with a new AI model and it's limiting the release to a select group of tech and cybersecurity companies. NPR's Shannon Bond reports Anthropics says the model could power damaging cyber attacks. Anthropics says its new model, known as Claude Mythos Preview, is really good at identifying security flaws in software. It's so good, the company says, it would be dangerous to roll it out to the general public because bad actors could use it to exploit those flaws. Instead, Anthropics is giving access to a group of more than 40 companies, from Google and Apple to cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. They'll use the model to shore up their defenses and patch holes. Anthropics says the model has already found thousands of vulnerabilities, including in every major operating system and web browser, some of which had gone undetected for years. Shannon Bond, NPR News. March has been the hottest month on record for the continental U.S. in 132 years, according to federal weather data. NOAA reports that March's average temperature was 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 9.35 degrees above the 20th century norm. This surpasses the previous record set in March of 2012. This is NPR News. Mexican President Claudia Schaenbaum has announced plans to tap into unconventional natural gas deposits to reduce reliance on foreign energy. She avoided using the term fracking, instead suggesting a more sustainable extraction approach. Mexico is the largest buyer of U.S. gas, and Schaenbaum is pushing for increased energy sovereignty. She's pledged to expand renewable energy while supporting state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos. On New York's Long Island, there's a major breakthrough in a decades-old murder investigation. The man charged in the Long Island serial killings has changed his plea to guilty for seven murders and admitted to an eighth Desiree Diorio from member station WSHU reports. Former New York City architect Rex Huerman told a state court judge Wednesday he killed and in some cases dismembered eight women. Their scattered remains were discovered around Long Island as far back as 1993. Ray Tierney is the Suffolk County District Attorney. He says the plea doesn't mean the investigation is over. You know, there are still bodies on that beach. There are still bodies in Suffolk County. There's no rest for the weary. We are going to continue to work with our partners and to try to obtain closure for as many families as we can. Huerman faces three consecutive life sentences plus a hundred years at his sentencing hearing in June. For NPR News, I'm Desiree Diorio on Long Island. On this day in 1820, the Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos. It likely dates to the 2nd century B.C. This is NPR News from Washington. This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy David, his entire life took a sharp, unexpected and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize that it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right, because the monkey pressed the button. Sprising stories every week wherever you get your podcasts.