NPR News: 04-13-2026 11AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. About an hour ago, the U.S. Navy was to start blockading the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway to the Persian Gulf. It was being controlled by Iran. This has given Iran effective control over much of the world's crude oil supply. Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran fell apart over the weekend. These were supposed to shore up the shaky ceasefire. President Trump says the U.S. will eliminate any Iranian ships that come near the blockade. The ceasefire does not apply to Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Israel continues to hit southern Lebanon, forcing well over a million Lebanese to flee. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu crossed into southern Lebanon yesterday. NPR's Lauren Freire reports he said Lebanese citizens in the region will not be allowed to return home. Netanyahu's defense minister was there with him as well, said the goal is to do to Lebanon what Israel did to Gaza. He said they're destroying homes so that Hezbollah cannot use them. And the Lebanese government says Israel has already destroyed around 40,000 homes in the past 35 days. And Piers Lauren Freire reporting. In the U.S. increasing gas prices have drivers accelerating their efforts to try to find savings. And Piers Amy Hald reports motorists are finding them at gas stations on Native American reservations. In the month after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, U.S. gas prices soared 21 percent. That's the biggest increase in the government's decades of tracking. Now I'm on the hunt. Jenna Lewis says she drove nearly a half hour to the Tulalip Reservation north of Seattle to save 55 cents a gallon. It's worth it to fill up once a week. That'll get me through the week. It's one of hundreds of reservation gas stations across the U.S. with many offering some of the cheapest fuel prices because they're not subject to state taxes. Those range from nine cents a gallon in Alaska to as high as 71 cents in California across the 35 states with federally recognized Native American tribes. Now gas apps are sending more bargain hunters to their pumps. Amy Hald, NPR News. Many Hungarian Americans have cheered the voting defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over the weekend. As NPR's Frank Langford reports from San Diego, some say the loss has lessons for the U.S. I was chatting with Anna Haidu and fellow Hungarian Americans by phone when they heard Orban had conceded. That's incredible. This gives hope to our generation that we can actually make change and democracy is not dead. Political scientists say Orban crafted an authoritarian playbook that tilted the electoral playing field to keep his party in power. Haidu, an administrative assistant in La Jolla, said Hungarian voters overwhelmed that playbook. They were the ones who finally had the courage to speak up and show up. The turnout was the largest since Hungary became a democracy more than three decades ago. Frank Langford, NPR News, San Diego. This is NPR. The Pentagon says U.S. troops fired on two boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Saturday in two separate strikes. The Pentagon says five alleged drug traffickers were killed and one survived. The U.S. has been attacking boats in the region since last September and has killed more than 150 people. California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell says he is suspending his campaign for California governor. This follows news reports Swalwell is accused of sexual misconduct and sexual assault against women. He has denied the allegations. Congressional redistricting is a major issue in Virginia ahead of next week's statewide vote. John Kalil of VPM News has more. Virginians are voting on a measure that could result in a four seat gain in Virginia's congressional delegation for Democrats. That could make House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, Speaker of the House. Here he is outside of Richmond. April 21st. Are you ready to stop the maga power grab? Are you ready to take back our country in November? And here's House Speaker Mike Johnson in the Shenandoah Valley the day before. 250 years ago Virginians put in place the foundations for the most extraordinary experiment and self-governance in human history. Virginia once again has the responsibility and the privilege to defend that great nation. Virginia could be one of the last states to act in the national redistricting frenzy kicked off by Trump. For NPR News, I'm Chad Kalil in Henrico, Virginia. The WNBA will hold its annual draft tonight. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington. So want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon Prime members can listen to NPR News now, sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get NPR Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.