NPR News: 04-07-2026 6PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Pakistan's Prime Minister is calling on the U.S. and Iran to accept a two-week ceasefire to give negotiations a chance. The request came hours before President Trump's latest deadline for Iran to heed to his demands. NPR's Diya Hadid reports. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif made the plea on X after President Trump threatened that, quote, a whole civilisation will die if Iran did not accept a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. eastern time. Trump has repeatedly imposed deadlines like this only to extend them, but he insists this one is final. In his post, the Pakistani Prime Minister asks Trump to delay his deadline by two weeks and asks Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period. The U.S. diplomatic efforts to end the war are progressing and urges both sides to, quote, allow diplomacy to run its course. Diya Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai. Todd Blanche has officially taken over as acting Attorney General after President Trump's ouster of Pam Bondi last week. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says he has no idea why Pam Bondi was pushed out. At a news conference in response to a question about whether he wants the Attorney General job permanently, Blanche said this. I did not ask for this job. I love working for President Trump. It's the greatest honour of a lifetime. He said it would be an honour if Trump asks him to stay on as Acting Attorney General and it would be an honour if Trump nominates him for the job full time. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say thank you very much. I love you, sir. Blanche also denied that the department has been weaponized to go after the president's perceived political enemies despite several high-profile investigations of prominent Trump critics. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The Artemis II astronauts have left the lunar sphere of influence, the region of space dominated by the moon's gravity, as NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boise reports the crew spoke with some fellow space travelers today. NASA arranged a ship-to-ship call between the astronauts' capsule named Integrity and the seven residents of the International Space Station. Integrity, this is the International Space Station. How do you hear? A International Space Station at Jessica, we have you loud and clear. How about us? As Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman speaking with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir on the station, they chatted as the station orbited about 250 miles above Earth. The Artemis astronauts are on track to return Friday with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Nell Greenfield-Boise, NPR News. Used car prices are spiking again. According to Cox Automotive, the average wholesale cost of a used car was more than $20,000 in March. That's up from under $13,000 in April 2020, though still less than the high of $25,000 set in 2022. It's NPR. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is proposing a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter this weekend. Zelensky expressed doubt that Russia would accept the offer. US-led peace talks have made no progress as attention is focused on Iran. Britain has blocked Kanye West, now known as Yay, from entering the UK after anti-Semitic commentaries made. NPR's Fatima Al-Qasab reports this follows controversy over his scheduled appearance at a music festival in London this summer. The UK government said it had made the decision to block West from travelling to the UK. On the grounds his presence in the UK would quote, not be conducive to the public good. The rapper has made several anti-Semitic remarks in recent years, last year selling swastika t-shirts on his website. He has since apologised for the comments, attributing them to his bipolar disorder. But his scheduled appearance as the headline act of London's wireless festival prompted widespread outrage. The festival, scheduled for July, has now been cancelled altogether. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said West should never have been invited to perform and that his government would not stop fighting the poison of anti-Semitism. Fatima Al-Qasab, NPR News, London. A judge has dismissed PETA's lawsuit over the health of French bulldogs and some other popular dog breeds. The animal rights groups sued against the American Kennel Club of promulgating unhealthy standards for French bulldogs, Chinese sharpies, doxons and pugs. The club rejected the claims and said it prioritizes canine health. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Visit us at npr.org.