NPR News: 04-19-2026 2AM EDT

A ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is at risk after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and fired on at least two ships. In Lebanon, a French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack on UN peacekeepers, though the ceasefire there remains in place. Meanwhile, a rare mass shooting in Kyiv killed six people, President Trump signed an executive order to expand access to psychedelic drugs for mental health treatment, and Virginia voters are heading to the polls for a congressional redistricting referendum that could shift the state’s political balance.

Strait of Hormuz closure and Lebanon ceasefire tensions

Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, following its forces firing on at least two ships, has put the U.S.-Iran ceasefire in jeopardy. The move comes as the broader regional ceasefire framework remains fragile. In Lebanon, a French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack on UN peacekeepers in the southern part of the country. NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf, reporting from Beirut, described the two ceasefires as “very much intertwined,” warning that if one falls apart, the other is likely to follow. Despite the attack, the ceasefire in Lebanon is still holding, and Lonsdorf noted that the atmosphere on the ground feels less tense—her Uber driver, for example, said it was his first day back driving since the war began becau