Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
The man accused of attempting to attack Trump administration officials during this weekend's
“White House correspondent's dinner made his first public appearance today, Cole Allen appeared”
in federal court in Washington, D.C. and P.R.s. at Jacqueline Diaz has more. The suspect appeared in front of a judge in D.C.'s federal court wearing a blue prison uniform. 31-year-old Cole Allen answered some questions from the judge, but otherwise stayed pretty quiet. He is now officially facing multiple charges related to the thwarted attack at the White House
correspondent's dinner. That includes one charge of attempting to kill the president of the United States. Allen's next court appearance is Thursday. In the meantime, he is being held without bond. Jacqueline Diaz and P.R. News.
The Trump administration's ambassador to the UN says Iran should not be allowed to use the straight of Hormuz as a bargaining chip, and P.R.S. Michelle Kalman reports on a high-level meeting on the subject in the Security Council.
“U.S. Ambassador Mike Walts says the straight of Hormuz is too important to the global economy”
to be choked off or attacked by those he calls "tubit pirates." This straight is not Iran's to wield like its own vote and draw bridge. It is not Iran's hostage, it is not Iran's bargaining chip, it is not Iran's toll road. Russia's ambassador says it's not pirates threatening maritime security, but Western countries with what he calls their lawless actions, including sanctions and seizing vessels.
China's ambassador says the root cause of the blocked straight of Hormuz is what he calls the illegal military actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. Michelle Kalman and P.R. News the United Nations. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has announced plans for a new congressional map that could send more Republicans to DC, Douglas Sol from member station WUSF reports.
DeSantis unveiled the map to Fox News. It could make four more Florida districts Republican leaning, leaving the state with 24 GO PCs and four Democratic ones.
“Democrats warn it goes against state protections against partisan gerrymandering.”
They also say it could backfire, creating more competitive districts. Florida lawmakers gathered Tuesday in a special session DeSantis is called for them to consider redistricting. Mid decade redistricting took off after President Trump began pushing Republicans in several states to redraw their maps with the goal of gaining more seats in Congress.
In response, some Democrat-led states are also trying to redistrict. Legal challenges on both sides are playing out. For NPR News, I'm Douglas Sol, in Tallahassee. Heavy rain slowed the progress of two wildfires in southern Georgia over the weekend, allowing crews to make some headway in containing the blazes that have destroyed more than 100 homes,
but officials say it wasn't nearly enough to put the fires out, and crews responded to 10 new blazes throughout the droughts of Trick and State. This is NPR News. A man admitted today to playing a role in the killing of Jam Master J of Run DMC. It comes nearly 25 years after the rap star was shot to death.
J Bryant pleaded guilty to a federal accomplice to murder charge, telling a judge that he helped other people get into a building so they could ambush the DJ born Jason Maizel. Bryant didn't name the other people with whom he acted, a jury in 2024 convicted to other men, but a judge later cleared one of them.
Researchers say they have found the first direct evidence that seeds sense sound in nature,
and it may help them grow. NPR's Amy Held reports. As those who sing to their plants may suspect, they really can pick up on sound. MIT engineers experimented with rice seeds in water, finding those exposed to rain-sound germinated 30-40% faster than others in identical conditions with no drips, whether in
water or on the ground rain drops generate a sound wave. That vibration researchers hypothesized could shake seeds out of a dormant state, stimulating them to germinate. During rain-sensing seeds at an advantage, those close enough to the surface to respond may also be at the best depth to take in the moisture and grow.
The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports, Amy Held and PR News. A lobster fishing boat off the coast of Cape Cod caught a split color lobster earlier this month. The half-black and half orange lobster was donated to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium where
it'll be available for public viewing, odds of a lobster splitting colors are about 1 in 50 million.
This is NPR News from Washington. Every story from shortwave and PR Science podcast starts with a question. Like, why do we have nightmares? How does AI affect my energy bill? At NPR, we are here for your right to be curious about the world around you.
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