Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey.
The White House says Special Envoy Steve Wittkov and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are planning to travel to Pakistan Saturday for a new round of direct talks with Iran. Vice President fans had been the lead U.S. negotiator, but is not planning to travel this weekend.
Iran's sub-tiplamat says he is also heading there. Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Pete Heggsett is urging European countries to join the U.S. effort to open the Strait of Hormuz and PR's Quill Lawrence reports it could
“take six months to clear the key waterway.”
At a news conference, Heggsett repeated President Trump's threat to destroy any Iranian small
boats laying mines in the narrow straight through which about 20 percent of the world's oil
passes. We would welcome a serious European effort to do something about this straight and this passage considering its their energy capabilities that are most at stake. But since oil is globally traded, the blockade is driving up prices worldwide. On Thursday, Trump said the U.S. is using mine sweepers in the region, but there are no
known U.S. mine sweepers there. Heggsett dodged a question about Pentagon estimates that it could take six months to clear the Strait. Quill Lawrence and PR news The Food and Drug Administration is speeding up its review of psychedelics for treating mental
health. Today, the agency said it is giving priority staff at us to several psychedelic drugs, which
“companies have been studying for depression and PTSD, and PR's will stone has more.”
Three companies are submitting drug applications to the FDA to offer psilocybin the active ingredient in magic mushrooms for treating depression.
The third is for a drug that's similar to MDMA, which has shown promise for PTSD.
FDA is giving out special vouchers that are intended to expedite the agency's review of the drugs. It does not mean the drugs are FDA approved yet. This comes on the heels of an executive order from President Trump that directs federal health agencies to prioritize research on psychedelics.
Scientific interest in these drugs for treating mental health has grown substantially in the last few years, though an effort to get MDMA approved for treating PTSD fell short in 2024. Will stone and PR news. In American Soldier involved in the military operation to capture Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro was in court today.
Several officials say, again, in Ken Van Dyke, used his insider information to in more
“than $400,000 on the online prediction side polymarket.”
The case is drawing attention to polymarket, the use of which is actually banned in the United States, but polymarket is accessible with a virtual private network or VPN, which disguises when where someone is based, and PR's Bobby Allen has more. The Trump administration has dropped investigations into polymarket that were started under President Biden, and while polymarket's main competitor Calshy is subject to more
rules by being regulated by the federal government, Trump officials don't seem to bothered by polymarket operating overseas. In fact, Donald Trump Jr. the President's son is an adviser and investor in polymarket. He's a study published this week, found youth suicides declined since the launch of the United States suicide in crisis lifeline in 2022, and PR's Ritu Chattergy reports.
15-34-year-olds fell by 11% between July 2022 when United launched and December 2024. That translated to more than 4,300 fewer suicide deaths during this time period compared to what scientists would have expected based on trends in prior years. Hannah West Laoski is chief advocacy officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
This is the first time we've had validation that United is truly having an impact in all
of the work and investment around building out 98, maybe turning the tide on a suicide crisis in our country. States like Virginia and Rhode Island with a highest uptick in calls to 98, so a larger decline in youth suicides, 18% compared to 11% decrease in states like Alabama and Texas, which had lowest uptick in calls.
The findings are published in JAMA, Ritu Chattergy and PR News. Canada is seeing a surge in applications for citizenship from Americans. After Canadian law changed in December, loosening the requirements. It opened citizenship to anyone who can prove they have a Canadian ancestor, not just a parent. Under the new law, descendants of Canadians are now considered citizens, but they must
provide proof to obtain a certificate of citizenship. Asian lawyers in the US and Canada say they've been overwhelmed by clients seeking help submitting proof. This is NPR News in Washington. This week on the NPR Politics podcast, for decades, the Southern Poverty Law Center has
tracked and even infiltrated hate groups. But the Justice Department now alleges the way they funded that work amounted to bank fraud. Is it an honest pursuit of justice or just the latest example of the Trump DOJ targeting the president's political opponents?
