Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton.

Pakistan's prime minister is calling on the U.S. and Iran to accept a two-week ceasefire to give negotiations a chance.

The request came hours before President Trump's latest deadline for Iran to heed to his demands.

NPR's Dia Hadid reports.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahabar Sharif made the plea on X after President Trump threatened

that, quote, a whole civilization will die if Iran did not accept a deal that includes

reopening the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

Trump has repeatedly imposed deadlines like this, only to extend them, but he insists this one is final.

In his post, the Pakistani Prime Minister asks Trump to delay his deadline by two weeks

and asks Iran to open the Strait of Ramos for a corresponding period.

He says diplomatic efforts to end the war are progressing and urges both sides to, quote, allow

diplomacy to run its course. De Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai.

Todd Blanche has officially taken over as acting attorney general after President Trump's

ouster of Pam Bondi last week. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says he has no idea why Pam Bondi was week. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says he has no

idea why Pam Bondi was pushed out. And at a news conference, in response to a question about whether

he wants the Attorney General job permanently, Blanche said this. I did not ask for this job. I love

working for President Trump. It's the greatest honor of a lifetime. He said it would be an honor if Trump asks him to stay on as acting attorney general, and it would be an honor if Trump nominates him for the job full time. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say thank you very much. I love you, sir. Blanche also denied that the department has been weaponized to go after the president's perceived political enemies, despite several high-profile investigations of prominent Trump critics.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

The Artemis two astronauts have left the lunar sphere of influence, the region of space

dominated by the moon's gravity. As NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports, the crew spoke with some fellow space travelers today.

NASA arranged a ship-to-ship call between the astronauts' capsule named Integrity and the seven residents of the International Space Station.

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