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This message comes from Grammarly. From emails to reports and project proposals, it's hard to meet the demands of today's competing priorities without some help. Grammarly is the essential AI communication assistant that boosts your productivity at work so you can get more of what you need done faster. Just a few clicks can tailor your tone and writing so you come across exactly as you intend. Get time back to focus on your high impact work. Download Grammarly for free@Grammarly.com podcast that's Grammarly.com
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podcast live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Iran state media report that an American F15 fighter jet has gone down in that country. A US official who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed these reports to NPR. The official says that a surge is underway by U.S. forces. Explosions are reported in Iran as the U.S. and Israel continue to strike the country. Iran is choking off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump wrote online today that with a little more time, we can easily open the Hormuz Strait, take the oil and make a fortune. But he said something quite different this week in his national address. He told other countries they need to take care of the Strait. NPR's Jackie Northam reports. Iran is now saying it will start charging the ships that sail through it.
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An Iranian lawmaker says the fee for a ship to pass through the Strait of Hormuz could cost up to $2 million. It will invol government to government negotiations, getting permits and transiting through Iranian territorial water. The toll system is still being formalized and currently appears ad hoc. Analysts say some ships, including those from India, Pakistan and China, have worked out deals diplomatically. Iranian owned and flagged vessels won't be charged and any ship with links to the US Or Israel will not be allowed to pass full stop. Analysts say it's unlikely a toll system similar to the Suez Canal would get regional buy that. Opening the strait through diplomacy is still the best answer. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
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President Trump is asking Congress for one and a half trillion dollars in defense spending. It is the largest increase ever in modern history. It comes as the Trump administration pursues the war in Iran. Also this morning, President Trump says there's a new White House fraud task force. It will mostly focus on Democratic led states. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports.
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Trump called Vice President J.D. vance, who's leading the task force, the fraud czar. He added that while the task force will look for fraud nationwide, it would focus primarily in blue states, led by, in Trump's words, crooked Democrat politicians Trump then listed California, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine and New York as examples. He also explicitly called out Minnesota for having a large Somali population. Trump created the task force in mid March. He has made combatting fraud a central part of his political message ahead of November's midterms. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House.
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It's not clear if Congress will soon resolve its impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security. In an executive order, President Trump moved some money within the agency to pay TSA workers. Jill Dijanovich is a TSA agent and union representative. She says not all officers have gotten all their back pay. We're scared because we don't know how long this was going to last. Hundreds of TSA agents have quit. This is NPR. The Labor Department says 178,000 new jobs were created in March. That's a lot more than the 60,000 jobs economists had predicted. The unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.3%. The report is based on data from early March. It may not fully reflect the effects of the war against Iran. If you don't like your username on Gmail, you may soon be able to change it. NPR's John Ruich reports. This would be the first time since Google launched the email service in 2004.
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Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, tweeted about the new feature. 2004 was a good year, but your Gmail address doesn't need to be stuck in it, he wrote. The company has been planning the new policy since last year, and according to a statement online, it's pretty easy to change your Gmail address. You can do it right in the personal info section of your account. Once you change your username, Google says the old one will still be there as what they call an alternate account. In other words, you'll still get emails sent to your old Gmail address. This will come as a relief to some. The inability to change usernames has been a source of frustration for a slice of the 3 billion users Google says rely on Gmail, like people who may have signed up years ago with usernames that are inaccurate now or inappropriate or just cringeworthy. John Ruich, NPR News.
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Forecasters say a late wintry storm is bringing heavy snow, sleet and a lot of ice to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Today, northern Michigan and Wisconsin could see up to half an inch of ice. Wall street is closed today for the Christian observance of Good Friday. You're listening to NPR.