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Chapter 1: What are the U.S. and Iran discussing in Oman?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. U.S. and Iranian officials are due to hold another round of talks aimed at keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The talks to be held today in the Gulf state of Oman come ahead of President Trump's visit to the region this week. Here's NPR's Jackie Northam reporting.
This is the fourth round of talks between Iran and the U.S. since mid-April. An earlier one set for last weekend was postponed at the last minute for what Oman said was technical reasons. President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is due to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakci to discuss Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief and uranium enrichment.
Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for civilian use. President Trump has indicated he's willing to give negotiations with Iran a chance, but has not ruled out military strikes if the nuclear talks fail. The president is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates this week. Jackie Northam, NPR News.
Chapter 2: Why are U.S.-China tariff negotiations significant?
More tariff negotiations between the U.S. and China are set for today in Switzerland. The two sides met for hours yesterday in Geneva. No major breakthrough was announced. As Pope Leo XIV delivers his first Sunday blessing today, he has begun publicly talking about his agenda.
NPR's Jason DeRose reports from Rome on remarks he made to Catholic cardinals before they began departing from the Vatican.
Chapter 3: What is Pope Leo XIV's agenda?
The Pope told cardinals that he chose the name Leo because of a previous Leo, Leo XIII, and his encyclical Verum Novarum. That document offers expansive social teaching on economic justice and human dignity, specifically related to the Industrial Revolution. The current Pope Leo says a similar challenge is emerging today due to artificial intelligence.
He also told cardinals that he envisions a church that listens to the voices of lay Catholics. That approach follows in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis, who convened synods to hear the voices of people in pews from around the world. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Rome.
Chapter 4: Why was Newark's Mayor arrested?
Newark, New Jersey Mayor Roz Baraka calls his arrest outside an immigration detention facility in his city on Friday a distraction from the Trump administration's mass deportations without due process. And he's challenging those who call it a political stunt.
I didn't wake up that morning yesterday thinking I was going to go to jail. So I don't know what that is. If I wanted to go to jail, I could have easily went any morning that I was down here.
Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing after he accompanied three Democratic members of Congress who tried to enter the facility to conduct an oversight visit. In a statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood by the House members and said the charge against Baraka should be dropped. A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department told CNN there will likely be more arrests.
And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. The Tufts University doctoral student, who was held for more than six weeks at a Louisiana immigration detention center, is back in Boston. Rumeza Ozturk told reporters at Logan Airport that she's looking forward to getting back to her studies. A federal judge found Ozturk raised substantial claims that her rights were violated.
He ordered her release pending a final decision. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia's call for direct talks is a positive sign, saying on social media that Moscow is finally engaging. Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to meet if Russia confirms a ceasefire to begin tomorrow.
Instead, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is proposing direct talks in Istanbul to begin Thursday without preconditions. A newly rediscovered pilot of the children's cartoon series Thomas and Friends is publicly available for the first time. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports on the 1988 episode narrated by Ringo Starr that's been released on YouTube.
The pilot has been restored and digitised in honour of the 80th anniversary of the first Thomas Books appearance in 1945. Titled Down the Mine, it tells of Thomas' hubristic attempt to chuff past a danger sign.
There's no danger, there's no danger. Look out, shouted his driver. Come back. Fire and smoke, said Thomas.
I'm sunk. A producer of the series, which ran from 1984 until 2021, told the BBC his team recently stumbled across old film cans containing the footage shot in 35mm film in a storage unit. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.
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