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Today’s top stories

The U.S. conducted strikes on Iran last night after an American helicopter was downed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. President Trump blamed Iran for the incident. Starting at 5 p.m., the U.S. strikes targeted “Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. Central Command said. CENTCOM described the action as a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” and added that U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against any further Iranian threats. Trump said it was necessary to retaliate against Iran to uphold U.S. credibility. Iranian officials say they did not target the U.S. helicopter and suggested it went down in an accident. The troops on the downed helicopter were unharmed.

• 🎧 NPR correspondents in the region report that air raid sirens sounded across Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan overnight as Iranian missiles targeted U.S. military bases. The Iranian foreign minister issued a statement saying that attacks or threats would not go unanswered. NPR’s Franco Ordoñez says there is a real danger of Iranian retaliation against the strikes, which could spark a cycle of responses and counter-responses, each time growing more dangerous. The U.S. strikes complicate Trump’s negotiations with Iran, especially if tensions can’t be contained. Trump said yesterday that the U.S and Iran were just days away from a deal. After weeks of hearing the same thing, Americans are having a harder time buying into his messages on the conflict as gas prices and electricity costs continue to rise, Ordoñez says.

Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina held their primaries yesterday, determining their candidates for several key matchups for the November general elections. In Maine, voters chose Democrat Graham Platner to challenge long-time Republican Sen. Susan Collins for the state’s U.S. Senate seat. Here are Maine’s primary election results.

• 🎧 Democrats are focused on gaining control of the Senate this November, and defeating Collins would be crucial in accomplishing that goal, NPR’s Saige Miller says. While Collins isn’t a Trump loyalist, her affiliation with the Republican Party could be detrimental because of Trump’s unpopularity both nationally and within her state. Platner believes his platform and personal transformation can resonate with voters, but he has faced many questions since launching his campaign in August. Recently, The New York Times reported that former romantic partners called Platner toxic and disrespectful to women. In the past, Platner’s history may have led him to withdraw from the race. But Miller says the current political landscape is different, and many politicians have been able to weather scandals these days.
• ➡️ In Nevada, Democratic voters have selected two-time state Attorney General Aaron Ford as their party’s nominee to face off against incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. See more results from Nevada’s primary here.
• ➡️ In South Carolina, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson are headed into a gubernatorial primary runoff in two weeks to determine the Republican candidate, after neither secured a majority. Trump backed Evette in the race. Here are the results from South Carolina’s primary.
• ➡️ Here are North Dakota’s primary election results.
• ➡️ For a look at upcoming state primaries, special elections and the general election, check out NPR’s 2026 election calendar.

The House narrowly voted yesterday to allocate roughly $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, concluding a 115-day standoff over immigration policy. The spending measure includes $38 billion for ICE, about 3.5 times the previous annual budget approved by Congress. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk and is set to fully finance these operations for the remainder of his term, adding to the tens of billions already approved last year.

• 🎧 The historic investment in Trump’s immigration agenda ensures there will be more resources to enhance the administration’s efforts to increase arrest and deportation rates, NPR’s Ximena Bustillo says. The measure has no provisions for how much must be spent within a certain timeframe. Immigration advocates warn that regular appropriations bills often include provisions that would require DHS to report to Congress or the public on spending, program updates and demographics of those detained. This measure doesn’t have any of those requirements. Democrats were unable to secure a mandate for immigration officers to wear body cameras, provisions on warrants needed to enter homes or limitations on face coverings.
• ➡️ ICE denies having a protester database. But in a previously unpublicized letter to Congress, recently-departed acting ICE director Todd Lyons said the agency collects data on people suspected of potentially unlawful activity, which could include protesters. NPR is the first news organization to review the letter, which is dated April 21.

Bill Gates is set to appear before members of Congress today to answer questions about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as part of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation. Gates has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. The closed-door interview will not be recorded, but the Republican-led committee plans to release a transcript in the days afterward, similar to what it did after former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified. The Microsoft co-founder is among many influential figures mentioned in Justice Department documents about the disgraced financier. Appearing in the files does not necessarily imply criminal wrongdoing.

Today’s listen

This week, The Last Ship becomes the first musical to be staged at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The show is inspired by rock star Sting’s childhood spent in the shadow of a shipyard. When it first opened on Broadway in 2014, the musical struggled at the box office and received sharp reviews. In the renewed version, Sting takes on the lead role of foreman Jackie White, delivering his now raspy voice. He is joined on stage by his frequent collaborator, reggae star Shaggy. Sting says he first had the idea for this show in 1990, when he returned to his community of Wallsend, England, and found that the shipyard was closing down just as his parents were dying. Much of the music and lyrics are drawn from Sting’s 1991 album The Soul Cages, and weave elements of his family’s story into ballads, Celtic folk music and classical recordings that his mother collected. Listen to snippets of the musical and read more about Sting’s inspiration for the story.

Living better

Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.

Remote work has increasingly become more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. But it could be taking a toll on people’s mental health. A new study indicates work-from-home practices have made workers more socially isolated, anxious and depressed compared to those who work in-person in offices and other settings. Researchers found that people in remote roles are spending more hours alone during workdays and have increased their visits to mental healthcare providers. Here’s a look at what experts say about the findings:

• 💻 Remote workers spent 58% more hours alone than those in non-remote jobs. These workers also saw a 72% increase in the likelihood of spending their entire day without any human contact.
• 💻 The rise in symptoms of emotional distress has been found to be worse for remote workers who live alone.
• 💻 As organizations begin to bring employees back to the office, employers should ensure that those who come in have other co-workers present, says Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, who wasn’t involved in the study.

3 things to know before you go

1. NASA yesterday named four astronauts who are scheduled to fly on the Artemis III mission as early as next year. This mission is a crucial test flight to prepare for a human landing on the lunar surface.
2. A trust fund that helps pay Social Security benefits is expected to run out of money in 2032, three months earlier than what was predicted last year.
3. After years of declines, new federal test scores show younger students are making gains in reading and math.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.