Loading summary
A
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. Iran shot down two US Aircraft in separate attacks on Friday, making this the first time US Aircraft have been taken down in the five week old war. One plane was a single seat aircraft, the A10 known as the Warthog. The US says the pilot was rescued. The second plane is an Air Force F15E fighter that has two pilots. One pilot has been rescued. A search is underway for the second airman. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman says the attacks show Iran's military is still capable of fighting back.
B
The challenge is getting to a point where Iran is no longer a military threat, but that seems elusive. The US And Israel continue to bomb military sites in Iran. There's more than 17,000 targets have been hit to date, but the regime is still in place despite the now nearly five weeks of attacks on the country.
A
At this point in the war, 13 U.S. service members have been killed. The White House is asking Congress for the large defense budget in modern US history, $1.5 trillion. It comes amid the more than month long war with Iran. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports.
C
This spending boost would be paired with a requested $73 billion in cuts to domestic spending, according to a budget summary from the White House. The annual budget request represents a blueprint of the executive branch's priorities, though Congress ultimately sets spending levels. Trump outlined his priorities during a closed press lunch this week with religious leaders.
D
It's not possible for us to take care of day, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can't do it on a federal. We have to take care of one military protection. We have to guard the country.
C
The White House posted a video of the event before deleting it. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News.
A
The White House Unemployment dropped slightly in March as businesses added more jobs than economists had expected. NPR's Scott Horsley has the story.
E
U.S. employers added 178,000 jobs in March, offsetting big job losses in February. Health care saw the biggest gains, adding 76,000 jobs. About half of that reflects people who returned to work after a February strike. Construction companies, restaurants and factories also added jobs in March, while the federal government continued to lose workers. Revised figures for the two previous months were mixed. Hiring was stronger than first reported in January, but February's job losses were bigger as well. The unemployment rate inched down in March to 4.3%. That was largely because almost 400,000 people dropped out of the workforce. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
A
Amazon said Friday it will add a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge to sellers because of higher fuel prices as a result of the war. It'll take effect April 17th. UPS, FedEx and the Postal Service have also imposed surcharges. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. President Trump Friday signed an executive order that the White House says is needed to regulate college athletics. It puts limits on name, image and licensing agreements for players. It also limits the number of times an undergraduate student athlete can enter the transfer portal. It caps the number of years a player can participate in college sports to five years. However, the executive order is expected to be challenged in court. The BBC has released two long lost episodes of the cult TV series Doctor who. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. The 1965 episodes were found in a private collection.
F
In the Nightmare Begins, William Hartnell as the Doctor gleefully incapacitates an uninvited guest on his spaceship, the tardis.
G
What is it? Oh, it's a little invention of mine.
D
I call it the magnetic Chair. It has a force field strong enough to restrain a herd of elephants.
F
The series story arc focuses on the threat of the Daleks, terrifying robots hell bent on conquering the universe.
D
One man remains. Find and destroy him. I obey.
F
The nonprofit group Film Is Fabulous found the episodes in a private collection late last year. The BBC archives then restored the reels. In the 1960s and 70s, broadcasters often deleted master tapes of shows to Save storage space. 95 Doctor who episodes are still missing today. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.
A
At the NCAA women's basketball tournament, UCLA to play South Carolina for the championship. The Bruins defeated Texas. South Carolina defeated UConn. This is n are support.
G
This message comes from US bank simplify how you do business with Business Essentials, a powerful combination of no monthly maintenance fee checking and card payment processing. Deposit products are offered by U Bank national association member FDIC.
Host: Dan Ronan | Source: NPR News Now
Duration: 5 minutes
In this fast-paced update, NPR News Now delivers the major headlines and key developments from around the globe as of April 4, 2026. The episode focuses on the ongoing US-Iran war, significant political and economic updates from Washington, the latest in employment figures, new surcharges impacting consumers and businesses, historic finds for Doctor Who fans, and NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament news.
[00:00 - 00:57]
Notable Quote:
“There's more than 17,000 targets have been hit to date, but the regime is still in place despite the now nearly five weeks of attacks on the country.”
— Tom Bowman [00:36]
[00:57 - 01:51]
Notable Quotes:
“This spending boost would be paired with a requested $73 billion in cuts to domestic spending...”
— Danielle Kurtzleben [01:15]
“We have to take care of one military protection. We have to guard the country.”
— President Trump [01:33]
[01:51 - 02:40]
Notable Quote:
“Health care saw the biggest gains, adding 76,000 jobs. About half of that reflects people who returned to work after a February strike.”
— Scott Horsley [02:00]
[02:40 - 02:57]
[02:57 - 03:35]
[03:35 - 04:29]
Notable Moments:
“I call it the magnetic Chair. It has a force field strong enough to restrain a herd of elephants.”
— William Hartnell as The Doctor [03:49]
“One man remains. Find and destroy him. I obey.”
— Daleks [04:02]
[04:29 - 04:40]
With NPR’s signature concise, factual delivery, this episode offers a brisk but comprehensive snapshot of critical global and national happenings—highlighting the gravity of international conflict, US political maneuvering, evolving economic pressures, pop culture milestones, and major sports events.