Today marks the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. On April 26, 1986, technicians conducting a test inadvertently caused the fourth reactor to explode, causing the world’s worst civil nuclear disaster. Soviet authorities suppressed all news of the disaster.

Gasoline prices have risen sharply since before the war in Iran, costing drivers across the U.S. about $38 more per month. Utah, Idaho, and Tennessee are among the states with the highest percentage increase in cost. ampr.gs/4vKT395

Iran's foreign minister leaves Pakistan, then Trump cancels U.S. delegation's travel www.npr.org/2026/04/25/n...

At a time when many Americans are already experiencing tighter budgets, Trump's reckless war in Iran has increased prices at the pump—with no relief in sight.

Victory favors those who follow the science.

Today is Earth Day. People use Earth Day to raise awareness of environmental issues and offer solutions.

The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran may be remembered in the U.S. as a reckless war of choice that imposed enormous costs on Americans. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving her post amid an internal investigation brought on by complaints about misconduct by the secretary while in office. www.npr.org/2026/04/20/n...

On April 19, 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to be officially timed to run the Boston Marathon. She registered as K.V. Switzer and was given bib number 261, but early in the race, when her gender became apparent, race official Jock Semple tried to pull Switzer off the course.

Iran's official news agency, IRNA, said the government had declined to join the second round of U.S. peace talks in Islamabad. www.npr.org/2026/04/19/n...

Happy Superman Day.

On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter from the Birmingham jail defending the ongoing civil rights protests confronting segregation, racial violence, and those who would preserve that status quo.

The ongoing war of words between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV is unparalleled in modern history. It's not new for popes to speak out on political issues, historians of religion say, but Trump's insults toward the pope are without precedent. www.npr.org/2026/04/15/n...

Believing that "something decisive and great must be done" to save white supremacy and the states' rights on which it depended, the mentally unstable actor John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln on April 14 while he was at the theater.

Pope Leo XIV said he is undeterred by criticism from President Trump and will continue speaking out against war, emphasizing peace, dialogue, and cooperation between nations. www.npr.org/2026/04/13/n...

Fighting assault allegations, Rep. Swalwell suspends his bid for California governor www.npr.org/2026/04/12/n...

On April 12, the world celebrates the International Day of Human Space Flight. It commemorates the flight of Yuri Gagarin on the Vostok 1 spacecraft. In 2024, it will be 63 years since Gagarin’s journey into space.

On April 12, 1955, the polio vaccine was announced.

Hungarian voters turned out in the greatest numbers since the fall of communism in the 1990s to turn away from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, with exit polls indicating possible "super-majority" victory for Péter Magyar's Tisza movement. www.npr.org/2026/04/12/n...