NPR News: 04-22-2026 7PM EDT

Iran has carried out attacks on at least three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, NPR’s Jackie Northam reports, escalating tensions in the critical waterway after President Trump extended a ceasefire with Tehran. Iran responded by calling the ceasefire “meaningless” unless the U.S. lifts its blockade of the strait, which Iran views as an act of war. Suzanne Maloney, an Iran specialist at the Brookings Institution, told NPR it would be “untenable” for Iran to maintain control of a waterway through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil used to pass before the war.

War Powers Votes and Political Fallout on Capitol Hill

Democrats in Congress are forcing a series of war powers votes aimed at putting Republicans on record regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran. Representative Baldwin, one of several Democrats leading the effort, argued that despite the ceasefire, the fallout from the conflict continues to build. She noted that President Trump had said the war would be over “in a matter of days,” but that has not materialized. Only Kentucky GOP Senator Rand Paul defected from his party to join Democrats who have argued for an end to what they describe as a costly and unpopular conflict. While most Republicans remain loyal to Trump, some have warned their position could shift as the war drags on.

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