NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-27-2026 1AM EDT

Episode Date: March 27, 2026

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Live from NPR news, I'm Jail Snyder. The European Union's top diplomats says if Washington wants a war in Iran to end, it needs to put pressure on Russia. Terry Schultz reports the EU officials' comments come amid new reports that Moscow is providing Tehran with weapons to use against the U.S. The European Union's foreign policy chief,

Gai Akalas, says the wars in Ukraine and Iran are interlinked, and that Russia is a common threat in both. She urged the Trump administration to do more, to convince Russia to stop its war on Ukraine, noting that the Kremlin is also acting against Americans with substantial assistance to the Iranian regime. Russia is helping Iran with intelligence to target Americans, to kill Americans. And Russia is also supporting Iran now with the drones so that they can attack neighboring countries and also U.S. military bases.

Kulles was speaking at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France, where support for Ukraine was a top agenda item. In PR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. President Trump says he's extending a deadline to strike Iranian power plants on social media Thursday. Trump said he is extending that deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6th. Trump says talks with Iran are going well, but Iran says a U.S. ceasefire proposal is one-sided and unfair. President Trump says he's going to sign an executive order to pay TSA agents. NPR's Tamara Keith.

Reports that airport security workers are about to miss their second. and pay check because of the Homeland Security shutdown. On social media, Trump announced he would sign an order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security to pay TSA agents, quote, in order to address this emergency situation and to stop the chaos at the airports. However, no such order has so far been signed. And it's not clear it would be legal, since Congress holds the power of the purse and hasn't yet approved funds for the department as Democrats hold out for reforms to ICE immigration enforcement tactics. Hundreds of TSA agents have quit during the shutdown, and many more are calling out from work, causing very long lines at some airports. Tamara Keith, NPR News.

Our brother and sister have been charged after an explosive device was found earlier this month outside a gate at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Greg Keough is a federal prosecutor for the Middle District of Florida. He says Alan Chang fled to China with his sister, Anne Mary. He remains in China, but his sister was arrested upon her return to Florida. Kio says she's being charged as an accessory to the crime for allegedly selling the car used to drop off the device. The bomb is placed on the 10th. They left on the 12th. On the 11th, they attempted to destroy evidence by selling the automobile involved to CarMax. The authorities say Alan Chang actually planted the device and made a 911 call saying there was a bomb at the base. You're listening to NPR News. A widely available substance has surged in recent years to dangerous effects.

NPR's Ping Huang reports on the increase and reported cratum poisonings. In the past 10 years, there's been a 1,200% increase in calls coming into U.S. poison centers involving cratum. Originally, cratom is a plant from Southeast Asia used for pain relief and its psychoactive properties. In the U.S., the term encompasses a variety of pills, teas, and synthetic properties. products, which are widely available in convenience stores and smoke shops. The National Poison Data System recorded more than 3,400 reports related to Cratum use last year. Most cases involved adults in their 20s and 30s, though cases have gone way up for those in their 40s and 50s. Many resulted in serious medical outcomes and required hospitalization. The research is published

in the CDC's Mobidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Cratum is not federally regulated, though the Food and Drug Administration recommends that some highly potent forms of it should be. Ping Huang and PR News. Philadelphia, Philly's third baseman, Alex Baum, is suing his parents for millions of dollars. Boom filed a lawsuit in Philadelphia this week, accusing his parents of siphoning large amounts of his money into a financial account they managed for him and then using some of the money to pay their own expenses. Baum says his parents refused to give him access to the account, so we'll provide information about them. Stocks in Asia mixed in Friday trading. Japan's benchmark in N.K. is down, but stocks in mainland China are

advancing as oil prices remain above $100 apparel. I'm Jail Snyder. M.P.R. News.