Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.

The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continues.

13 ships so far have turned around at the direction of the U.S. fleet off the Strait of Hormuz.

And here's Quill Lawrence has more.

At a news conference, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane,

and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, said since the blockade began on Monday, ships have made what they called the wise choice of turning around when confronted.

The U.S. military has been broadcasting this message to any vessel coming from or heading to Iranian ports.

Do not attempt to breach of blockade. Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure, transiting to or from an Iranian port. Turn around and prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply with this blockade, he will use force. Higgseth also criticized the U.S. media for coverage of the war, calling reporters unpatriotic and comparing them to the biblical Pharisees who persecuted Jesus Christ. Quill Lawrence NPR News. In his first appearance on Capitol Hill this year,

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his record in running the Department of Health and Human Services.

Empires Will Stone reports Kennedy testified in two different House hearings today.

Kennedy listed his agency's accomplishments on issues like drug price negotiations and new

dietary guidelines. Meanwhile, Democrats grilled him on the $16 billion in proposed cuts and the

agency's efforts to weaken the vaccine schedule. In one exchange, Representative

Linda Sanchez asked him about the death of an unvaccinated child in Texas from measles.

Do you agree with the majority of doctors that the measles vaccine could have saved that

child's life in Texas? It's possible, certainly. News broke during the hearing when President

Trump announced he was naming

Dr. Erica Schwartz to head the CDC. Schwartz served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard

and Deputy Surgeon General in the First Trump administration. Will Stone and PR News.

Amid the ongoing dispute between Pope Leo and the Trump administration over actions in Iran, a new poll

finds an increasing number of Americans say President Trump isn't especially religious.

And here's Jason DeRose has more on the findings from Pew Research.

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