NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-01-2026 5AM EDT

Episode Date: April 1, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump will address the nation tonight on the conflict with Iran. The speech is expected to outline the next steps in the U.S. response. The White House says Trump may signal a possible end to the fighting in the coming weeks. The address comes as tensions remain high despite signs of potential de-escalation. The White House says it's planning to move the headquarters of the U.S. Forest Service from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City. NPR's Kirk Sigler reports it's part of a plan to move many research stations away from western states. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rawlins says moving the agency west to Utah will put its chief in operations leaders closer to the land they manage. The choice of Utah has raised eyebrows among conservationists because its leaders have long pushed for selling federal land or transferring it to states. There also isn't a lot of forests there compared to, say, West Coast states where the administration is closing regional offices and scientists. research stations. It's not clear if this will face legal challenges. During the first Trump administration, the White House tried to move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction, Colorado, which was mostly reversed under President Biden. Kirk Sigler,

NPR News, Boise. A group of states is preparing to challenge President Trump's executive order aimed at overhauling federal election rules. The order calls for a national database of eligible voters and tighter restrictions on mail-in voting. Trump says the measure is legal. fully-proof, but election experts and voting rights advocates argue it's unconstitutional and are moving to block it. Arizona's Secretary of State, Adrian Fontates, calls the move an overreach. It is unconstitutional. It is unprecedented and it is just wrongheaded for a president of the United States to pretend like he can pick his own voters. That's just not how America works. Arizona is among more than two dozen states. The Justice Department has sued over access to voter data.

American journalist has been kidnapped in Iraq. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. The State Department says the freelancer had been warned about threats. The Almonitor News Organization says one of its contributors, American Shelley Kittleson, was abducted in Baghdad and Iraqi authorities are searching for her. In a post on social media, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, Dylan Johnson, says the State Department, in his words, fulfilled it. its duty to warn this individual of threats against them. He says the Iraqis have arrested one individual believed to be involved who has links to an Iranian-backed militia. One U.S. official says in a statement that the journalist was contacted multiple times with warnings of the threats

against her, including last night. Michelle Kellerman NPR News, the State Department. On Wall Street, Dahl Futures are up 258 points. This is NPR News. NASA's Artemis 2 mission will launch today from the Kennedy Space Center. For astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian will launch into orbit and head toward the moon, traveling thousands of miles beyond it, before looping back. The nearly 10-day mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Three fired FBI agents are suing to get their jobs back. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports the agents say they were targeted for investigating President Trump's efforts

to overturn the 2020 election. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by three former FBI agents, Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman, and Blair Tolman, who are Bureau veterans with years of experience. They were fired last year as part of what the lawsuit calls a retribution campaign against FBI employees who worked on Trump investigations. The suit is the latest to be filed by fired FBI agents, but this one could have a broader impact

because it is seeking to represent a proposed class of at least 50 FBI. employees who have been fired under the Trump administration for what the lawsuit says are similarly improper reasons. Ryan Lucas NPR News, Washington. Tiger Woods says he'll step away from golf to seek treatment after his SUV crash in Florida. Woods was arrested last week on suspicion of driving under the influence. He pleaded not guilty. Authorities say he had pain medication in his possession at the time of the accident and showed signs

of impairment. Stocks across Asia closed. sharply higher today, Japan's NICA average gained more than 2,600 points. I'm Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.