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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump will speak to the nation about the war in Iran shortly. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.
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The televised address comes a day after Trump reversed himself, dropping his demand that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He had threatened to, quote, completely obliterate Iran's civilian electric plants, oil wells and desalinization plants if Iran didn't open the strait shortly. But, but now he says the US Will be leaving Iran very soon. And if other countries want to get oil through the strait, they can, quote, fend for themselves. Trump says we're not going to have anything to do with it. With gas prices in the US breaking $4 a gallon, the president seems eager to find a way to end the war, even if many of his political objectives, including unconditional surrender, have not been met. Mara Liasson, NPR News.
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A federal judge has denied President Trump's effort to dismiss lawsuits against him stemming from the January 6th Capitol Rio. The ruling means civil cases seeking to hold Trump liable for the violence of that day will be allowed to move forward. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.
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President Trump was asking the court to toss civil lawsuits brought against him by police officers and Democratic lawmakers tied to the January 6th attack on the Capitol. But in his ruling, US District Judge Amit Mehta found that the evidence produced so far in the litigation indicates that President Trump's January 6th speech was political and and therefore not shielded from legal accountability. The content of the president's speech at the Ellipse that day, Mehta says in his ruling, quote, confirms that it is not covered by official acts immunity. The judge also denied the Justice Department's effort to end the case by arguing Trump was acting in his official capacity. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit in Texas that sought to allow churches to endorse political candidates. NPR's Jason DeRose reports. The Trump administration had agreed to settle the case.
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The case was brought by religious broadcasters who argue the ban infringes on their religious liberty. The Trump administration agreed to settle, saying the prohibition, called the Johnson Amendment, should not apply to endorsements made during religious services. That would have changed a 70 year old provision that says churches jeopardize their tax exempt status if they back specific candidates. But Judge J. Campbell Barker ruled that the plaintiffs had not filed the suit properly. However, since the Trump administration believes clergy should be allowed to endorse, it's unclear how or whether it will enforce the exist. Jason DeRose, NPR News, TMZ is turning
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its celebrity lens on Congress tracking lawmakers on spring break as a nearly six week Department of Homeland Security shutdown drags on viral videos of senators in airports, Las Vegas and Disney World have fueled backlash and intensified pressure on lawmakers to return. A bipartisan Senate agreement collapsed after House Republicans reject it. Now Republican leaders say they have another plan that they plan to advance in the coming days. This is NPR News from Washington. Hydrologists have measured Colorado's driest winter of snow moisture on record. That means water shortfalls are likely across Western states. It's even worse than what ranchers considered the bad drought years of 2002, 1981 and 1977. At this time, snowpack usually is at its peak in the Colorado Rockies. But high country ranchers say they're already having to think about how to get water and feed their cattle in the months ahead. A federal appeals court has rejected an attempt by Arizona Republicans to nullify a nearly million acre national monument near the Grand Canyon. Judges determined that none of the plaintiffs had standing in the case. Ryan Heintjes from knau reports.
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The 9th U.S. circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the arguments brought by the Arizona legislature, state treasurer and three local governments were speculative. The plaintiffs claimed President Joe Biden's 2023 designation of the Bajno Avjo Itak Kukveni ancestral footprint of the Grand Canyon National Monument would cause lost tax revenue, reduce land value and create higher energy prices. The area is culturally significant to numerous Northern Arizona tribes who worry about a possible surge in uranium mining claims if protections are lifted. Despite the ruling, conservationists say the monument is still under threat. For NPR News, I'm Ryan Hindjes in Flagstaff.
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Hershey says it will go back to using classic recipes for all Reese's products starting next year. The change comes after the grandson of Reese's founder criticized the company for shifting to cheaper ingredients in some items. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.