NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-30-2026 2AM EDT

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump told reporters on Air Force One Sunday that the war in Iran could end soon. The two countries have had indirect talks on the Trump administration to send a number of demands to Iraq. But as NPR's Emily Fang tells us, Iran has pushed back on the U.S. demands, which could mean the war may go on for some time. So when Iran rejected the U.S. proposal to end the war earlier, it put forth its own five demands. And those include the U.S. paying war reparations to Iran and also ensuring the U.S. will never attack. Iran again. And then this weekend, although this is not an Iranian government official speaking, a hardline Iranian newspaper that is funded by the Office of Iran's Supreme Leader, published nine more demands in order to end the war. And among those are dismantling military bases the U.S. uses in the Middle East. That's NPR's Emily Fang. TSA workers could see their first paychecks in more than a month as soon as Monday, despite the partial government shutdown. NPR's Eric McDaniel reports. A White House memo directs DHS to move money around to pay

60,000 TSA employees. But the core fight remains. Democrats in Congress are withholding money from all of DHS, including TSA, in hopes of changing how immigration agents can conduct themselves. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has, so far, refused to take up a unanimous Senate deal that funds all non-immigration functions at DHS as these negotiations continue. Democratic representative Adam Smith said on Fox News Sunday that Johnson is making a mistake. We can have that debate and fund TSA if Mike Johnson would just let us vote on what every single senator supported. With Trump in their corner, though, House Republicans haven't shown any signs of budging. Eric McDaniel and PR News, Washington. The European Union is trying to improve

enforcement of deportation of people whose claims for asylum have been rejected. As Terry Schultz reports, the EU's legislature has taken a step towards setting up detention centers outside the block. EU leaders call them return hubs. Sites where European governments could deport people with rejected asylum claims who can't immediately be sent back to their home countries. The European Parliament backed the plan last week after the largest center-right political group voted with far-right parties, some members of which openly advocate an ICE system similar to that of the U.S. Now negotiations are underway with the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, and among the 27-member countries to finalize the legislation.

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands are among the countries negotiating with primarily African countries to host the sites. The International Rescue Committee calls the vote and historic setback for refugee rights. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. Pope Leo the 14th used his Palm Sunday homily to say God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. The Pope made his remarks before followers in St. Peter Square. His words seem pointed particularly at the Iran War,

where a number of U.S. military leaders have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation vanquishing its foes with military might. You're listening to NPR News. NASA is preparing to send four astronauts on a mission that could take them around the moon. As NPR's Neil Greenfield-Boys reports, officials say everything is on track for a launch attempt on Wednesday. The Artemis 2 astronauts are in pre-flight quarantine at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mission commander Reid Wiseman told reporters that it's surreal to see the massive 322-foot-tall rocket standing on the launch pad.

You look at the size of this vehicle and you know it's going one place. It is going to space and it is going to go there in a hurry when those engines light, this thing is moving out. Their test flight is expected to last 10 days. First, while their Orion capsule is in orbit around Earth, they'll check out its communications, life support, navigation, and propulsion. If their spacecraft all looks good, they'll go on a looping trip around the moon before coming back to splash down in the Pacific. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News. Project Hail Mary was flying high again at box offices this weekend. The sci-fi adventure movie brought in another $54.5 million at North American theaters. It's grossed $300 million worldwide in two weeks on the big screen. The animated Disney and Pixar movie, Hoppers, remained in second, adding $12.2 million to its total. Gopher Gary Woodland had a strong finish Sunday, winning the Houston Open by five strokes over Nikolai Hodgegard. He finished with a five-foot putt on the 18th green and ended with a three under 67.

The win was his first since winning at Pebble Beach in 2019. It also makes him eligible for the Masters Tournament two weeks from now. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.