Loading summary
A
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. As a fragile two week ceasefire between the US And Iran continues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is now instructing his cabinet to open direct negotiations with Israel as soon as possible. The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and arranging peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon. That's as Iran restricted the Strait of Hormuz after saying that Israel was bombing Lebanon. And that was in violation of the two week ceasefire which both Netanyahu and President Trump dispute. As President Trump threatens to leave NATO over their refusal to engage in a war they said they had no say in, NATO's Secretary General Mark Ruda says some allies were slow, but in fairness,
B
they were also a bit surprised. To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time and
A
I understand it speaking at the Reagan Building in D.C. today. Meanwhile, he and Trump met at the White House yesterday. NPR's Franco Ordonez has more.
C
President Trump has raged against the alliance for declining to take part in his attack on Iran or helping secure the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that they failed his test to see if they truly backed the US after the meeting, Trump exclaimed on social media that, quote, NATO wasn't there when we needed them and they won't be there if we need them again. But he did not say he was pulling the US out of the alliance. Trump has long had a rocky relationship with NATO, but this war has really wrecked what foundation was left. And Trump's anger only intensified, calling NATO a paper tiger and attacking some leaders by name, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying he's no Winston Churchill. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
A
Some of the biggest names in the MAGA universe are clashing with President Trump over the war against Iran, and that's raising questions about deeper divides within the president's base. NPR's Elena Moore reports. The most striking examples came from Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
D
It's complicated. I mean, in their latest episodes, carlson, Kelly we're hearing them, you know, largely turn their criticism now back to the war itself and US Relations with Israel episodes since this ceasefire was announced. But their comments from before the ceasefire was announced still do feel important when you just think about how big their audience is and how strong their comments were.
A
NPR's Elena Moore. Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has a new AI model, but it's limiting its release. NPR Shannon Bond explains.
E
Anthropic says its new model, known as Claude Mythos Preview, is really good at identifying security flaws in software. It's so good, the company says it would be dangerous to roll it out to the general public because bad actors could use it to exploit those flaws. Instead, Anthropic is giving access to a group of more than 40 companies, from Google and Apple to cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. Anthropic says the model has already found thousand of vulnerability.
A
NPR Shannon Bond, this is NPR. The teenage birth rate in the U.S. fell by 7% in 2025. That's according to a report published today by the national center for Health Statistics. NPR. Selena Simmons Duffin reports. The teen birth rate continues to hit record lows every year.
F
According to the analysis of provisional birth Certificate data, nearly 126,000 babies were born to mothers aged 15 to 19 last year. The birth rate for that group dec. 7% from the year before. The report's lead author, Brady Hamilton, calls that drop extraordinary. He's a statistician demographer with the national center for Health Statistics.
B
These rates for the teens have dropped to historic levels and in fact, they've gone to historic levels year after year after year.
F
Last year, the teen birth rate was 11.7 births per 1,000 female teens. That's down from a rate of 61.8 in the early 90s. Selena Simmons Duffen, NPR News.
A
The most prestigious event in golf is underway in Augusta, Georgia, today, the 90th edition of the Masters. The world's top men's golfer, Scotty Schefferis, is playing. Scheffler Rather is playing along with defending champ Rory McIlroy, who will try to become only the fourth player to win back to back Masters. The last to do it was Tiger woods in 2002, but Tiger is not taking part in in this tournament after his DUI arrest last month. I'm Jeanine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.
G
Listen to this podcast sponsor, free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now +@plus.NPR.org that's plus.NPR.org.
Host: Jeanine Herbst (NPR)
Date: April 9, 2026
Episode Overview:
This episode covers major developments in global politics—including the US-Iran ceasefire, Israel-Lebanon negotiations, tense relations between President Trump and NATO, splits among right-wing US media figures over the ongoing war, the latest advances in AI security, record lows in US teenage birth rates, and a preview of the Masters golf tournament.
"NATO wasn't there when we needed them and they won't be there if we need them again." [01:22]
"He's no Winston Churchill." [01:40]
Summary:
This concise five-minute episode delivers crucial updates on Middle East conflict resolution efforts, escalating US-NATO tensions, splits in conservative US media, the cautious rollout of a powerful AI system, historic lows in teen births, and anticipates headline action at the Masters golf tournament.