NPR News: 04-28-2026 2PM EDT

This NPR News Now broadcast from April 28, 2026, rounds up developments across U.S. politics, investigations, global economics, energy markets, the auto sector, and health science, with no single dominant theme tying the items together.

Kimmel Joke Sparks Calls for Firing After Assassination Attempt

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel defended a joke he made days before the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where a gunman opened fire nearby in an apparent assassination attempt on the president. Kimmel stated on his show that his quip was "not by any stretch of the definition a call to" violence. A man has been charged in the incident, which occurred two days after Kimmel's comment. The White House, President, First Lady, and presidential communications director Stephen Chung have demanded ABC and Disney fire Kimmel, with Chung posting on X that he "should be shunned for the rest of his life." The backlash underscores heightened sensitivities around public commentary amid security threats at high-profile events.