Live from NPR News in Washington, on Corva Coleman, Iran's Foreign Minister s...
is fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic.
“It's been closed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.”
He says shipping has to be coordinated with Iranian authorities. But NPR's Quil Lawrence reports, President Trump, says the U.S. is still blockading Iranian ports. The U.S. has been and is still blocking ships from exiting or entering Iranian ports, which is to strangle Iran's economy, and that blockades are an act of war.
But in this case, it's a negotiating pressure tactic, as well. And yesterday's Pentagon news briefing, Secretary of Defense Pete Heggs has said the blockade is the polite way to go with this. But he mentioned the other way, which would be bombing Iran's civilian infrastructure, which could be a war crime.
NPR's Quil Lawrence reporting. The news about the Strait came as dozens of world leaders held a meeting today in Paris. Putin's Prime Minister says the leaders want to create a defensive force to help protect shipping in the Strait. Trump administration officials are pitching Congress on the largest defense budget request
in U.S. history. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports the $1.5 trillion request does not include costs from the war with Iran. The administration is also on track to ask Congress for a supplemental war-funding plan that
could near the $100 billion mark that a McCullum-Top Democrat on a House Defense
Appropriation Subcommittee told Army officials this week they need a full picture to conduct oversight.
“That's the only way we can do our job properly to do the oversight that we are tasked with.”
To be clear, the size of the request for defense spending is shocking. Trump officials are calling the $1.5 trillion defense budget request so far a paradigm-shifting investment. Many Republicans are receptive to the plan to increase U.S. military capabilities, including new ships, planes, drones, and munitions, plotted cellys, and PR news.
A federal judge says above-ground construction on the new White House Ballroom Project must stop until congressional lawmakers approve it, and appears on Stasiat Sookas has more. The judge, Richard J. Leon, is continuing to block the Trump administration from building a 90,000-foot ballroom on the side of the White House's former East Wing until the new addition is approved by Congress.
In his ruling, Judge Leon wrote, quote, "National Security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity." But the judge is allowing the White House to proceed with below-ground work on a bunker and other quote, "National Security facilities on the construction site."
“The judge also paused his order until April 23, giving the White House time to file a new”
appeal. But he also wrote, quote, "I have no desire or intention to be drew-gooned into the role of construction manager," Anastasiat Sookas and PR News. "You're listening to NPR." There's a winner in a special election for a New Jersey congressional seat, Democrat
Analylia Mahia beat Republican Joe Hathaway in yesterday's vote. The seat was previously held by Democrat Mikey Cheryl, who became New Jersey's governor. Unionized workers at South Korea's largest conglomerate Samsung Electronics are threatening to strike. And PR's Anthony Q and reports from Seoul, the Samsung Workers want a bigger cut of the company's
massive recent profits. Union leaders say they expect some 40,000 workers to join a rally for higher wages next week. In fact, doesn't work, workers could go on strike next month, which they warned could cost Samsung up to around $20 billion in lost revenues.
High demand and high prices for memory ships used in AI servers, helped Samsung's profits
jumped by 755% to $38 billion in the first quarter of this year on revenues of about $90
billion. Unionized workers won 15% of operating profits to go into their performance-based bonuses. Samsung's management mean while sought a cordon junction this week to prevent the strike. But they claim they're not trying to violate workers' right to strike. They're just trying to prevent disruptions to production.
Anthony Q and PR News, Seoul. Hopefully, O is in Cameroon as part of his 10-day visit to Africa. He celebrated mass today, Cameroon's main port city on the Atlantic, Duola. The Vatican is estimated, well over half a million people might come for the mass, but said today, 120,000 people attended.
CEO has made a number of critical remarks on his trip, especially opposing war. This is NPR. You know, every day on up first NPR's golden globe nominated morning news podcast, we bring
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