Tension In Two Ceasefires, Navy Secretary Out, Trump's Slumping Approval
4/23/202613 min
Iran seized two cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz as both the U.S. and Iran claim control of the waterway. The White House insists the ceasefire, which Iran has not officially acknowledged, is holding. In Lebanon, a journalist was killed in an Israeli strike even as Israel and Lebanon meet in Washington today to extend their truce.
The Secretary of the Navy is out with no explanation, the latest in more than 30 high-level departures at the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the war in Iran enters its eighth week.
And with the midterms are six months away, President Trump's approval rating on the economy has dropped to 30 percent, the Iran war is two weeks past his own deadline, and his tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Ruth Sherlock, Andrew Sussman, Rebekah Metzler, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Lindsay Totty.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:00) Tension In Two Ceasefires
(05:18) Navy Secretary Out
(09:05) Trump's Slumping Approval
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMichelle Martin· Host0:00
[intro jingle] Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The White House says it's not a ceasefire violation because neither of them was American or Israeli. Meanwhile, a journalist was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon even as ambassadors meet today to extend their ceasefire. I'm Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. The Secretary of the Navy is out. It's the latest in more than 30 high-level dismissals at the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And this one comes as the war in Iran is in its eighth week. Is this level of turnover a problem? And the president's economic approval rating is on a downward turn. The Iran war is two weeks past his own deadline. His tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court, and the Republican redistricting push could backfire, too. We'll examine President Trump's political position ahead of fall's midterm elections. Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day.
Speaker 10:53
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Michelle Martin· Host1:21
Iran has tightened control on the Strait of Hormuz while the US continues to claim success in its blockade of Iranian ports in the strategic