NPR News: 04-09-2026 7PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. A federal judge says the Defense Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with the New York Times earlier this month in deciding that the Pentagon's new credential policy violated journalist constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Today, he ruled the Pentagon had tried to evade his ruling by putting in new rules that expel all reporters from the building unless guided by escorts. Friedman called the Pentagon's actions a blatant attempt to circumvent a lawful order. President Trump posted on social media tonight that Iran is, quote, doing a very poor job of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, NATO's Secretary General says he had a candid conversation with Trump and says he understands some of Trump's concerns about the alliance. But he's also making the case that the U.S. is better off as part of it, and PR's Michelle Kellerman reports. President Trump calls NATO a paper tiger and says he was testing the alliance when he asked for help to open up the Strait of Hormuz. A test, he says, NATO failed. He's also complained about Spain and others not allowing the U.S. to use bases in the war in Iran. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the alliance is providing a massive amount of support. Some allies were a bit slow, to say the least. In fairness, they were also a bit surprised. Trump did not inform allies before launching the war. Rutte was speaking at the Ronald Reagan Institute, named for the former president who was a strong proponent of the Transatlantic Alliance. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. Eligible men between the ages of 18 and 25 will automatically be registered into the U.S. military draft pool starting in December. That's a change from the current requirement to self-register into the selective service system. The military has not held a draft since 1973 during the Vietnam War. There are more deaths in immigration detention this fiscal year than in the last two decades. 27 people have died in ice custody since October, according to data reviewed by NPR. NPR's Sergio Martinez-Baltran reports. The latest death occurred last week at the Miami Correctional Center in Indiana. A Vietnamese man was found unresponsive, according to the Department of Homeland Security. One of the facilities with numerous deaths is Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. Out of three deaths there, one was ruled a homicide by local authorities. The H.S. ruled another death there, a suicide. At the time, a company specialized in supply chain management was running the facility. Acquisition logistics had never run a center before, but it secured a $1.3 billion contract. The H.S. canceled the contract last month. Sergio Martinez-Baltran, NPR News, Austin, Texas. U.S. stocks rose today even though oil prices did too. This is NPR News from Washington. The Trump administration is proposing cuts to federal funding for tribal colleges and universities for the second year in a row. In his budget request, President Trump is seeking to eliminate funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts and reduce support for dozens of other tribal colleges and universities. Global leaders say the funding is part of the country's treaty and trust responsibilities to tribal nations. A new analysis finds that emperor penguin species is at risk of extinction. NPR's Nate Roth reports melting sea ice and changing food availability are causing their decline. The world is getting warmer thanks to human activities and temperatures at the poles are rising significantly faster than the global average. Hotter temperatures means less sea ice. And for emperor penguins, which rely on sea ice for breeding in his places to rest, it means fewer penguins are surviving. Twice in recent years, the ice has broken up early, causing thousands of chicks to drown in the frigid water. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature says emperor penguins are now considered to be endangered. Antarctic fur seals as well. Scientists involved in the analysis say urgent action is needed to reduce climate warming pollution. Nate Roth, NPR News. Scientists have found evidence that a sea creature from 300 million years ago previously thought to be the world's earliest octopus is actually a nautilus relative. A university of redding zoology lecturer found that the fossil had too many teeth to be an octopus. It had puzzled scientists for years because it's much older than the next earliest known octopus. I'm Ryland Barton and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. 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.