NPR News Now - NPR News: 04-13-2026 2AM EDT

Episode Date: April 13, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump says the U.S. Navy will begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Central Command says it will begin on Monday morning. NPR's Joe Hernandez reports that Trump's decision follows the collapse of peace talks with Iran in Pakistan this weekend. In a post on social media, President Trump accused Iran of extortion and said the U.S. blockade would prevent any vessels from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump made the announcement after a U.S. delegation led by Vice President, President J.D. Vance failed to reach a deal with Iran to end the war. Trump said in an interview on Fox News that the negotiations had broken down because of Iran's nuclear ambitions. They want to have nuclear weapons. They're not going to have nuclear weapons. I've been saying that for 30 years. I would never allow that to happen before I was in politics. And that country will

not have nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. The managing director of the International Monetary Fund says the Iran War is causing widespread pain throughout the world economy. And Kristina Georgieva says the major problem is the price of gasoline. But other commodities are also being affected. People are hurting. They're hurting because of sheer lack of quantities. If you are in the Philippines, you're queuing the same way people were queuing here in the 70s.

to fill your tank. They are hurting because they may be in need of helium for semiconductors. George Eva was speaking Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban lost his re-election bid to former ally Peter Major. Esmey Nicholson has our reports. Speaking to supporters surprisingly early on election night outgoing Prime Minister Victor Orban said he had congratulated the victorious party. That party is Tisa and its leader,

45-year-old Peter Magia, who addressing a crowd of thousands on the banks of the Danube, called for unity, saying let this be a victory for all Hungarians. Maggia's victory was hard won in an electoral system that over the past 16 years, Orban had stacked in his favour, from gerrymandering to controlling the media.

As Brussels now looks forward to working with a more pro-European leader, Moscow and the current White House administration have lost in Orban a key ally in Europe. For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Budapest. Representative Eric Swalwell says he's suspending his campaign for California governor. He made the announcement Sunday in a social media post, saying that he's deeply sorry for mistakes and judgment that he's made in the past. Allegations of sexual misconduct with a former staffer were made public on Friday. He says those allegations are false.

Listening to NPR News. President Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo the 14th on Sunday night in a social media post. He said the U.S.-born Pope is not doing a very good job and is a very liberal person. Trump is responding to comments made by Leo earlier this weekend when he said a delusion of omnipotence is fueling the war in Iran. Trump later posted a photo, suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ. President Trump has fired the entire board of the San Francisco Presidio Trust. That's the federal agency running the Presidio National Park. B. John Siavowski from KQED has more.

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that all six trustees were terminated last week. Lisa Petri is a spokesperson for the trust. She says the park will continue to operate normally. Trump signed an executive order last year cutting any federal funding to the trust. the trust, but Petrie says it has been self-sufficient since 2013. The trust's website says it raised nearly $60 million in net income just last year. No word yet on when the board will be filled. For NPR News, I'm Bijan Sivoshi in San Francisco. The latest Super Mario movie took the top spot once again in the movie theaters. The Super Mario Galaxy movie brought in $69 million in domestic

tickets sales this weekend for a two-week total of $308 million. Internationally, the movie has brought in $629 million. The sequel cost $110 million to produce. Project Hail Mary landed in second. The sci-fi flick added another $24.6 million to its total. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.