NPR News: 03-23-2026 6PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump says the U.S. is negotiating with Iran to end the war. Iran has not confirmed that. As NPR's Maria Aspen reports, the announcement sent U.S. stocks surging as oil prices dropped. The Dow and Nasdaq both closed up more than one and a quarter percent. Wall Street has been swinging sharply up and down this year, especially since the war with Iran sent the price of oil soaring. Consumers are paying more at the pump. while investors are worried that the oil shock will reignite inflation. President Trump's announcement sent oil prices falling, giving investors hope that the economy can avoid a long-term energy crisis. Stocks rose broadly, led in part by the airlines and cruise ship companies that use a lot of oil. Yet U.S. markets are still in the red for this year, and Wall Street remains on edge. Goldman Sachs says the U.S. is now at a greater risk of recession in the next 12 months due to the surge in oil prices. Maria Aspin, NPR News. Six months after President Trump sent a multi task force to fight crime in Memphis White House officials visited the city today to tout its success As Christopher Blank with member station WKNO reports overall crime in Memphis is down about 43 percent compared to last year, according to local law enforcement data. The Trump administration surged thousands of federal personnel in September from more than 30 agencies, including the National Guard. You have now developed a reputation as a city that's coming back stronger than any city in the country because of what's happened with crime. Local officials and Democrats have warily praised the extra resources, but they've criticized the administration's emphasis on immigration arrests and the visibility of National Guard troops. The president announced that these troops and other guards people deployed in U.S. cities will now receive the same military benefits as active duty troops. For NPR News, I'm Christopher Blank in Memphis. The Supreme Court may be poised to toss out a Mississippi law that allows some mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day. NPR's Ashley Lopez reports justices heard arguments in a case that has the potential to make mail-in voting harder for some voters ahead of this year's midterms. 14 states plus D.C. and some U.S. territories count mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day as long as they postmarked on time The Republican National Committee argues this is an illegal practice because Congress set an election day They argued that means that all voting and receipt of ballots end that day However, Mississippi officials argued voters submitting their ballot in the mail by election day complies with federal statute, even ballots that aren't received by officials until after election day. Members of the court's conservative majority appeared to be skeptical of this argument, though two of the six were tougher to read. Liberal members of the court suggested, however, that it is up to Congress to set rules on how states run elections. Ashley Lopez, NPR News. This is NPR News from Washington. Some journalists at Voice of America are suing the Trump administration, alleging that it wants the government-run outlet to produce propaganda. Last week, a federal judge ordered hundreds of journalists back to work at VOA, which has been operating with a skeleton staff for the past year. The new lawsuit says that the administration is trying to control what it reports. The administration says taxpayer funds must support work that reflects what it calls U.S. interests. Preservation groups are suing the Trump administration over planned renovations. As NPR's Anastasia Tsiolkas reports, the organizations are asking for compliance with historic preservation laws The coalition is also asking the president and his handpicked board to secure approval from Congress before moving ahead with the Kennedy Center renovation which is set to start after July 4th. The American Institute of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and others filed suit in a federal district court. They cite the demolition of the White House's East Wing as an example of how they say Trump is reshaping the landscape of the nation's Capitol. The White House responded in a statement, quote, President Trump is committed to making the Trump-Kennedy Center the finest performing arts facility in the world. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue. Anastasia Tsilkas and Pierre News. Three kittens were rescued in Los Angeles after someone reported meowing coming from under the hood of their car. Animal care workers found the three kittens taking shelter in the engine compartment. The cats were unharmed, a little dirty, and a little exhausted. The S&P 500 rallied more than 1% today. This is NPR News.