NPR News: 05-04-2026 4AM EDT

Dan Ronan· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. President Trump has announced what he calls Project Freedom to assist ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz to leave the waterway safely. The effort is scheduled to start today. Meanwhile, no new face-to-face negotiations to end the war are scheduled. Suzanne DiMaggio is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She's conducted unofficial negotiations with countries that have no diplomatic relations with the United States, including Iran. She told NPR there is a possible solution to end the war.

Suzanne DiMaggio· Soundbite0:36

I think there's a potential way forward here, and that would be, um, for the U.S. to announce the end of a blockade, and the Iranians in turn, or perhaps simultaneously if that could be negotiated, would declare the strait as open and commit to the negotiating process.

Dan Ronan· Host0:57

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in critical condition. NPR's Rob Stein reports.

Rob Stein1:05

In a post on X, Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodwin says the former New York mayor is in critical but stable condition. Goodwin did not release any additional information, but Goodwin said Giuliani is, quote, "a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he's fighting with that same level of strength." In a post on Truth Social, President Trump called Giuliani