NPR News: 04-21-2026 3PM EDT

Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad for peace talks with Iran has been delayed because the Iranians have not yet agreed to attend, and the clock is running out on a two-week ceasefire that President Trump says he will not extend. That development, along with a contentious confirmation hearing for the next Federal Reserve chair and a new criminal investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center, drove the afternoon’s news.

Vance’s Iran trip on hold as ceasefire deadline looms

Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to travel to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran, but those talks have been delayed. NPR’s Franco Ordoñez reported that Vance is instead attending policy meetings at the White House. The Pakistanis, who have been facilitating the talks, say the Iranians have not yet agreed to attend negotiations in Islamabad, and Vance and his team are unlikely to travel if they do not. The delay comes as the deadline to reach a deal rapidly approaches, at which point the agreed-upon ceasefire is expected to expire. President Trump told CNBC he does not want to extend the ceasefire and warned that the U.S. would be independent from the White House when it comes to setting monetary policy — a comment that appeared to be a non-sequitur in the context of the Iran question but underscored the broader uncertainty in Washington.