"Line from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's running the White House briefing this hour.
“Reporters are peppering him with questions about the U.S. and Iran's dueling blockades”
in the straight-of-hormous. Rubio defends the administration's attempt to guide commercial ships through the strategically important global oil shipping route. "This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation.
And what that means is very simple.
There's no shooting unless we're shot at first.
We're not attacking them, but if they are attacking us, so they're attacking a ship, you need to respond to that. You're not going to let some fast boat come up on the ship and shoot it up." Rubio is a first to fill in for White House press secretary Caroline Levitt, who's on maternity leave.
He engaged with reporters from a broad range of news organizations and at times, joked with the media over his attempt to stick to White House briefing protocol. Rubio also repeatedly credited President Trump on foreign policy matters.
“Rubio is one of the key members of this administration widely viewed as a likely contender”
for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Vice President J.D. Vance is another. Vance was voting today in Ohio's Republican primary for governor.
He's also scheduled to visit Iowa.
In the fallout of the war and rising fuel prices, air travels getting more expensive, and pierced even Bazaar has that story. In international flight, on average, cost about $150 more than it did a year ago. Some flights and destinations are up a lot more, like a ticket to London going up about 350 bucks.
This is also causing some in the United States to change their travel plans. Lee Collins was flying back to Atlanta after visiting family in DC and said he is not planning a summer vacation trip. "As of now, no, no, no, no, no, cause like a hedgehog of the very expensive. It's going to be a staycation this year."
Airfare hikes are due to the price of jet fuel and nearly doubling since the start of
“the year due to the war against Iran and its proxies.”
Steve and Bazaar and PR news.
Civil rights organizations have filed a new class action lawsuit to pause a 2023 Texas Immigration Enforcement Law from taking effect next week. Texas Public Radio's Mutti Annavato reports. What's known as Senate Bill 4 makes entering Texas illegally from another country, a state-level crime.
It then allows local and state law enforcement to arrest, detain and remove individuals suspected of doing so. The law is set to go into effect May 15 after surviving previous challenges in court. The Texas Civil Rights Project, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups, argue as before, is unconstitutional since immigration enforcement is solely under the jurisdiction
of the federal government. They also say the law will lead to the separation of families, racial profiling, and turn police and judges into immigration agents. I'm Mariana Varro in San Antonio. From Washington, this is NPR News.
Georgia officials are attempting to block the justice department from getting hold of the full roster of thousands of volunteers and staffers who work the 2020 election the present Trump alleges was rigged against them. The DOJ's request when public yesterday when Fulton County officials filed a motion challenging the subpoena.
Pennsylvania is suing the Artificial Intelligence Company character AI alleging that the chatbot has been illegally practicing medicine, and PR's John Ruich with more. Pennsylvania says an investigation found that AI chatbot characters on character AI claimed it to be licensed medical professionals. It says some acted like psychiatrists available to discuss mental health symptoms.
In one case, the state says a chatbot falsely stated it was licensed in Pennsylvania, and even provided an invalid license number. According to a Gallup poll last month, a quarter of Americans have used an AI tool or chatbot for health information or advice. The lawsuit alleges that the company is engaging in the unauthorized practice of medicine.
It's seeking a court injunction against the practice. Pennsylvania's Department of State Secretary Al Schmid says they'll continue to take action to protect the public from misleading or unlawful practices, whether they come from humans or emerging technologies. On Ruich and PR News
It's May 5th, Sincle the Myo, marking the anniversary of Mexican troops 1862 victory over invading French forces at the Battle of Webla, not to be confused with Mexican independent state, which is in September. In the U.S. Community's stage Sincle the Myo Parades, Renactments Blood Parties, and other festivities to celebrate Mexican culture.
This is N.P.R. News. Each story you hear on planet money starts with a question. What happens if we refund tariffs? Why are grocery so expensive? And N.P.R. we stand for your right to be curious, because the forces shaping our world
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