Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Trump signs order fast tracking review of psychedelics for mental health disorders

 

at 4/18/26 12:56pm

President endorses psilocybin and ibogaine: "Can I have some, please?"(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

— Photos: In this part of the world, nearly every pepper farmer is a woman

 

at 4/18/26 7:00am

A rare look at one of the world's most critical and understudied environmental crises. Southeast Asia produces more than half of the world's fish, yet its waters are among the most depleted and contested.(Image credit: Nicole Tung)

— Photos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis

 

at 4/18/26 7:00am

A rare look at one of the world's most critical and understudied environmental crises. Southeast Asia produces more than half of the world's fish, yet its waters are among the most depleted and contested.(Image credit: Nicole Tung)

— Opinion: Remembering Kevin Klose, former NPR president and broadcasting icon

 

at 4/18/26 6:00am

We remember Kevin Klose, former NPR president, who helped secure financial stability for the network while supporting and encouraging its journalism.(Image credit: Jay Paul)

— Tired of waiting for your EV to charge up? One Chinese company has a novel solution

 

at 4/18/26 5:31am

Chinese car company NIO is putting up EV battery swapping stations all around the world. NPR took a ride in one car for the experience.(Image credit: Tang Ke/VCG via Getty Images)

— Born in south Lebanon, displaced to Beirut, two grandmothers reflect on Israeli invasions

 

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They grew up amid olive groves in southern Lebanon. The son of one married the other's daughter. Now they're living temporarily in a vacant building in central Beirut, displaced many times. (Image credit: Claire Harbage)

— She invited her friends to come together to make her casket

 

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Friends gathered at a weaver's studio in Massachusetts to help MaddyChristine Hope Brokopp make her casket.(Image credit: Nic Neves)

— Caracas' iconic macaws threatened by vanishing palm trees

 

at 4/18/26 4:00am

In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, flocks of colorful macaws that once brightened city skies now face disappearing nest sites — and with them, a unique urban bond.(Image credit: Manuel Rueda)

— Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, as ceasefire nears its end

 

at 4/18/26 3:15am

Iran's military said on Saturday the Strait of Hormuz has "returned to its previous state." The announcement came after President Trump had said the blockade on Iranian ports would remain in place.(Image credit: Win McNamee)

— Uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz remains, as ceasefire nears its end

 

at 4/18/26 3:15am

Iran's military said on Saturday the Strait of Hormuz has "returned to its previous state." The announcement came after President Trump had said the blockade on Iranian ports would remain in place.(Image credit: Win McNamee)

— What's it like to negotiate with Iran? We asked people who have done it

 

at 4/18/26 3:01am

Experts who spent months negotiating a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran say mutual mistrust, starkly different negotiating styles, and the complexity of the issues make a quick deal unlikely.(Image credit: Farooq Naeem)

— A local judge. A brash 82-year-old senator. State leaders have decided redistricting

 

at 4/18/26 3:00am

An 82-year-old Virginia senator raising the stakes, an Indiana consensus builder and a Texas enforcer are among state officials who have shaped the course of the midterm redistricting race.(Image credit: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP; David A. Lieb/AP; Ryan M. Kelly/AP; Stephen Spillman/AP; George Hale/WFIU; Chris Samuels/Pool/The Salt Lake Tribune)

— Not just Trump: Redistricting race will hinge on what these state leaders did

 

at 4/18/26 3:00am

An 82-year-old Virginia senator raising the stakes, an Indiana consensus builder and a Texas enforcer are among state officials who have shaped the course of the midterm redistricting race.(Image credit: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP; David A. Lieb/AP; Ryan M. Kelly/AP; Stephen Spillman/AP; George Hale/WFIU; Chris Samuels/Pool/The Salt Lake Tribune)

— Sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless, a man's life is suddenly changed

 

at 4/18/26 3:00am

Jay found himself sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless, after attempting to break into a building on his college campus. A fellow inmate's unexpected words brought him comfort — and changed the course of his life.(Image credit: Irkham Khalid)

— Judge halts local TV giant Nexstar's takeover of rival Tegna until trial

 

at 4/17/26 8:24pm

U.S. Judge Trevor Nunley ruled that consumers could suffer irreparable harm if Nexstar integrated Tegna's stations into its own operations ahead of an antitrust trial.(Image credit: Joe Sohm/Visions of America)

— Deaths of migrants in ICE custody hit record high under Trump

 

at 4/17/26 6:39pm

Twenty-nine people have died in ICE custody since October, the start of the federal government's fiscal year, already surpassing 2004's toll of 28, the previous record, according to government data.(Image credit: Sergio Martínez-Beltrán)

— Animal activists celebrate their first global 'Sanctuary Day'

 

at 4/17/26 4:26pm

It's been 40 years since animal advocates founded a sanctuary for farm animals in New York and California, and they say April 17 is their first global sanctuary day.

— Gasoline could drop below $4 in coming days

 

at 4/17/26 12:47pm

Gasoline costs should start to fall soon, although a full recovery to pre-war prices is expected to take months. That's assuming that peace holds and traffic flows resume through the Strait of Hormuz.(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

— The Strait of Hormuz opens for commercial ships but the U.S. blockade continues on Iran

 

at 4/17/26 6:36am

Iran's foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz is open, following the start of an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. President Trump swiftly responded that the U.S. naval blockade on Iran will continue.(Image credit: Ibrahim Amro)

— The U.S. blockade continues despite Iran's announcement the Strait of Hormuz is open

 

at 4/17/26 6:36am

Iran's foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz is open, following the start of an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. President Trump swiftly responded that the U.S. naval blockade on Iran will continue.(Image credit: Ibrahim Amro)

As of 4/18/26 2:47pm. Last new 4/18/26 2:47pm.