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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Another round of airstrikes have been carried out on the US Embassy in Baghdad. The attack overnight hit a radar installation, according to Iraqi security sources. NPR's Dana Rapp reports. The strikes took place as the war in Iran enters its second week.
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Witnesses heard the explosion and saw smoke rising from the US Embassy in Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone. An Iraqi security official told NPR the airstrike hit a radar installation on the embassy compound. He asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The US Military had no immediate comment. Jane Araf, NPR News, Erbil. In the Kurdistan region of Iraq, French
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President Emmanuel Macron says he's spoken with leaders in Lebanon as tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah. He's calling for the militant group to halt what he describes as its escalatory actions. While urging ISRA to stop large scale military operations, France has offered to mediate negotiations to help ease the growing conflict. The French president also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr zelenskyy on Friday. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports. Zelenskyy says the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Russia would only fuel Vladimir Putin's war machine.
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Alongside Zelenskyy, President Emmanuel Macron said if Putin thinks the war in Iran will give him a respite, he wrong. Macron said France will never turn its back on Ukraine. Zelensky said the Trump administration's lifting of sanctions on Russia would give Putin at least $10 billion to continue his war. The Ukrainian president also spoke to students at a Paris university where he appeared relaxed and full of humor. He said Ukraine would provide Middle Eastern nations with the anti drone technology to defend themselves. Zelensky told the students, the worst thing in a war is to be alone. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.
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President Trump signed two executive orders meant to make housing more affordable by deregulating home construction. NPR's Stephen Bissaha reports.
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One of the orders is all about speeding up home building, namely through deregulation. It orders different agencies to review or eliminate requirements on things like energy efficiency for home construction and to streamline federal approvals around wetlands and stormwater requirements to make it easier to insure homes. Trump's second executive order also loosens up rules around mortgages, including making it easier for smaller banks to give out mortgages. There's also a lot of overlap with the Senate bill. Both use incentives to nudge state and local governments. Changes at that level over zoning rules and building codes can have a much bigger influence on home construction than decisions In Washington, Steven Besaha, NPR News.
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This is NPR News in Washington. A federal judge in Washington has blocked a subpoena tied to congressional testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell about renovations at a Fed building. The ruling is a setback for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, who launched the probe.
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This judge has put himself at the entrance door to the grand jury, slamming that door shut, irrespective of the legal process.
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In his decision, Judge James Boasberg said there's no evidence the Fed chair committed any crime, adding the only apparent offense was displeasing President Trump. A Jewish school in Amsterdam has been hit with an explosion. Terry Schultz reports. The attack came a day after a fire at a synagogue in nearby Rotterdam.
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Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema says the overnight blast is a cowardly act of aggression toward the Jewish community and says her city must be a place where Jews can live safely. The explosion caused minor damage to the exterior of the school. Security had already been scaled up at Jewish institutions around the Netherlands due to the fire at a synagogue Friday in Rotterdam and an explosion at a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, on Monday. Halsema says she'll add further protection. Now videos are circulating on social media with the Islamic movement Harikara Shahb Alyamin Al Islamiyah claiming responsibility for all three incidents. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Yetin says in a social media post, the safety of Jewish institutions has our full attention. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz.
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This is NPR News in Washington.
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This is Ira Glass of this American Life. Do you know our show? Okay, well, either way, I'm going to tell you about it. We make stories that hopefully pull you in at the beginning with funny moments and feelings and people in surprising situations. And then you just want to find out what is going to happen and cannot stop listening. That's right. I'm talking about stories that make you miss appointments. This is American Life. Wherever you get your podcasts.