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Live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran remains in place despite the latest attacks between the two countries. U.S. central Command says three Navy destroyers came under Iranian missile and drone attacks, as well as fire from small boats yesterday as they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. None of the ships was hit. American forces then targeted two Iranian ports along the strait in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm. The Court of International Trade is dealing another setback to President Trump's tariff policies. As NPR's Scott Horsley reports, the court says the president was wrong to impose a blanket 10% tariff on most US imports.
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President Trump ordered these new tariffs to replace an earlier round of import taxes that were struck down in February by the US Supreme Court. But the Court of International Trade says these new tariffs are also unlawful. Trump relied on a statute that authorizes tariffs only under certain conditions, and two out of three judges concluded those conditions don't currently exist. It's not clear how wide reaching this decision will be. For now, it applies only to two importers who challenge the tariffs. Along with the state of Washington, the administration is already in the process of refunding tens of billions of dollars collected under the original tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, and it continues to explore other options to impose new tariffs. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
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A council of disaster experts appointed by President Trump is recommending major changes to the Federal Emergency management agency. Here's NPR's Rebecca Hersher.
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The council was created by President Trump in the early days of his second term. The president has repeatedly called for FEMA to be eliminated, but the council recommends investing in the agency to make it easier for disaster survivors to get help. That includes housing for people whose homes are destroyed in hurricanes, wildfires and other events. The council does not Recommend Cuts to FEMA's workforce. In recent weeks, the agency has reversed Trump administration policies that previously cut thousands of jobs at fema. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.
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The National Weather Service says at least three tornadoes, perhaps more, were responsible for the widespread damage to hundreds of homes in Mississippi on Wednesday night. The storms left at least 17 people injured in central and western parts of the state. No fatalities were reported. Lawmakers in Tennessee have approved a new congressional map in response to a ruling from the US Supreme Court last week. The state's Republican led House and Senate approved the changes amid days of vocal protests from Democratic state legislators. The new map carves up a majority black district in Memphis. The map was redrawn after the nation's high court ruled Louisiana's congressional map, reworked in 2020, relied too heavily on race. The Supreme Court ruling weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. This is NPR News from Washington. The National Transportation Safety Board has released a report into the deadly crash of a China Eastern airlines flight in 2022. The NTSB says both engines on the Boeing 737 were intentionally shut down amid a struggle in the cockpit. That's before the airliner slammed into a mountain. That crash killed all 132 people aboard. Investigators released their findings based on data from the jet's flight data recorder in response to a public records request. Chinese investigators have yet to release their final report into the crash. Scientists are reporting progress in efforts to protect the endangered Devil's Hole pupfish at Death Valley national park in California. Here's NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce.
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After two earthquakes shook up the waters of Devil's Hole, its pupfish population plummeted. Only 20 fish were left. Wildlife officials debated what to do just as the federal workforce was experiencing mass firings and a government shutdown loomed moving quickly. Biologists took some pupfish from a backup population that had been established in captivity over a decade ago and released them into Devil's Hole. Those fish survived, babies started appearing, and biologists later added in some additional captive bred fish. This spring, an official count found 77 devil's hole pupfish swimming around their rocky fishbowl in the desert. Nell Greenfield Boyce, NPR News.
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I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News, in Washington.
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Host: Dave Mattingly (NPR)
Date: May 8, 2026
This concise five-minute newscast covers key national and international headlines, featuring updates on U.S.–Iran tensions, legal setbacks for President Trump’s tariff policies, proposed FEMA reforms, tornado damage in Mississippi, changes to Tennessee’s congressional district maps, new findings on a tragic airliner crash in China, and conservation success for an endangered fish species in California.
This NPR News Now episode offers a brisk, fact-rich digest of the morning’s most important news, blending national policy, court decisions, weather disasters, political controversy, air safety investigation, and notable progress in wildlife conservation.