NPR News: 03-03-2026 5PM EST

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. As the war in Iran continues for a fourth day, the death toll for U.S. forces is rising. The Pentagon says six service members have been killed. Meanwhile, President Trump's reasons for attacking Iran continue to shift. NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports he now says it was proactive. Trump had previously said that the U.S. acted in Iran because Tehran's nuclear program was close to having missiles that could reach the U.S. Now, he says he believed an Iranian attack was coming first, though he did not cite any intelligence to that effect. It was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack. If we didn't do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. The U.S. struck Iran over the weekend after weeks of building up a large military presence in the region, even as negotiations to try to reach a deal with Iran were ongoing. Trump touted the success of the mission thus far, though he has not outlined how he sees the conflict ending. But he did say that, quote, lots of people are coming forward to negotiate a resolution. Deepa Shivaram NPR News the White House Today the last day of voting for primary contests in Texas and North Carolina Both states have expensive and closely watched Senate races And here Ashley Lopez reports Democrats face long odds in regaining a majority in the U.S. Senate, but both North Carolina and Texas are states the party is eyeing as potential pickups later this fall. In Texas, Republican incumbent John Cornyn faces a challenge to his reelection from the state's often embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and James Tallarico are vying for the Democratic nomination. In North Carolina, there are contests for an open seat currently held by Tom Tillis, who announced his resignation last year. The state's former governor, Democrat Ray Cooper, is the frontrunner for the Democratic ticket, and former RNC chair Michael Watley is favored to win the Republican nomination. Ashley Lopez, NPR News. Voters in Arkansas are also holding primary elections today. World oil prices rose once again today as the war with Iran weighs on energy and financial markets. M.P.R. Scott Horsley reports. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz south of Iran has come to a virtual standstill. About 20 percent of the world oil typically flows through that narrow waterway Gasoline prices have also jumped topping a gallon for the first time since early December The more people have to spend on gasoline the less they have to spend on everything else Fears of a consumer slowdown are weighing on the broader stock market Natural gas prices have also jumped, which will raise both heating and electricity costs. Even before the war started, natural gas prices had climbed nearly 10 percent over the last year, and electricity prices have been rising at more than twice the rate of inflation. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. Wall Street lower by the close, the Dow down 403 points. You're listening to NPR News. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. At a Senate hearing last month, he acknowledged visiting Epstein's island in 2012 after saying he ended their relationship after Epstein was convicted of soliciting an underage prostitute. The information came to light in the Justice Department's latest release of Epstein files. No date for the testimony has been announced. Retail giant Target is once again reporting sluggish sales as its new CEO lays out plans to invest millions of dollars in updates to its stores hoping to draw back shoppers And Piers Alina Seljuk has more For three years now, Target has reported flat or falling sales each quarter, this time down 2.5%. Here's Kara Sylvester, chief merchandising officer, addressing investors. Our performance over the last few years has not met expectations, and that is on us. But Target is projecting a better year ahead with growing profits and more shoppers visiting. The chain's new CEO, Michael Fidelke, is not an outsider but a longtime company executive. And so far, he's laid off hundreds of corporate staff to streamline the ranks. And he plans to spend $5 billion to overhaul Target's operations, especially stores. Executives are promising sharper designs, trendier selections, and attractive prices. Alina Seluch, NPR News. And on Wall Street, the Dow was down 403 points today after being down around 1,200 points earlier in the day. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.