UFC Event Planned at White House

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. President Trump Thursday said the U. S. cancelled planned military strikes against Iran because a peace agreement he said is imminent. However, he said a naval blockade will remain in effect until the agreement is finalized. NPR's Marl ison reports the president has made similar claims for several months the war is close to ending. For months, since the war began at the end of February , President Trump has constantly been saying both that a peace agreement was at hand or alternatively he's about to bomb Iran so hard their civilization will be wiped out and never be restored. It just keeps on going like groundhog day. He's literally promised that a deal is near dozens of times. When asked if negotiators have secured an agreement on the possibility of Iran not having a nuclear weapon, the president responded, yes, conceptually there' confs beenirm noation from Horran if an agreement is close at hand. Congress has approved roughly seventy billion dollars to fund immigration enforcement through the rest of President Trump's term . This, despite objections from Democrats who tried to block more money for ICE and the border patrol. NPR's Sam Gringlass has more. The two hundred and fourteen two hundred and twelve House vote caps a month long debate over immigration policy sparked when officers killed two U. S. citizens in Minneapolis . Democrats secured none of the additional reforms they were demanding in wake of the shootings, like requiring officer worn body cameras . While Republicans used a special budget maneuver to skirt Democrats and fund ICE and border patrol not just for this year, but until twenty twenty nine. Democrats and even some Republicans worry the unorthodox move allows the agencies to avoid congressional oversight. That's because they won't have to come back to Congress for more money for three years. Last year, Republicans used this same tool to send Ice and Border Patrol tens of billions of dollars with few strings. Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington . New Mexico officials say they're aggressively working to quarantine an infection of the New World screw worm after it was confirmed in a dog this week. It's the second state to confirm the fly , Daniel Monteo of Member Station KUM in Albuquerque has more. Officials declared an emergency and set up a twelve mile infested zone around the affected location in Eunice, which sits on the border with Texas. That's where the first U . S. case of the worm in sixty years was detected just four days earlier. Dr. Sammy Hollock, New Mexico State veterinarian, says state officials will continue to inspect animals and educate locals on what to look for. The main thing is to try to determine how this case got there and that's the goal right now so that we have a better understanding of what's going on. The parasite lays its eggs in a wound on an animal and its larvae feed on living tissue le.ast At seven cases have been confirmed since june third. For NPR news, I'm Daniel Montagnio in Albuquerque. On Wall Street Thursday, the stock market index is all closed higher at NPR . A massive UFC cage fighting event is set to take over the White House over the weekend . A towering temporary structure of light speakers and wiring called the claw is near the south lawn. UFC is known for its brutality, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio says it's part of America's soft diplomatic power calling UFC the United Nations of Fighting, NPR's Michelle Kelliman reports. In a room full of international diplomats, Secretary Rubio signed a sports diplomacy agreement with Dana White, who heads the ultimate fighting championship. The UFC is staging a fight in a towering octagon on the White House lawn this weekend, and Rubio says world leaders are clamoring to attend. The number of foreign leaders that want to come to this is unbelievable. It's to the point where we may have a diplomatic crisis because it's like, you know, we can't bring everybody . He also got laughs when he said that perhaps the Trump administ ration will keep the octagon for weekly fights between people in politics to quote settle our scores that way. Michelle Kelliman PR News the State Department . The National Weather Service says there's a fifty percent chance of rain Sunday in the DC area . With a Friday federal court deadline looming, the Kennedy Center Board of Directors Thursday night launched a last minute attempt to keep President Trump's physical name on the