NPR News: 03-07-2026 7PM EST

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. The Lebanese government says it wants to crack down on the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and restore power back to its own army. Israel began a ramped-up military campaign in South Lebanon against Hezbollah after it launched rockets into northern Israel last week. Lebanese officials say nearly 300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war in Iran began and says over 100,000 displaced people are in shelters. MPR's Hadil Al-Shulchi has more from Beirut. In a rare move, Justice Minister Adel Nassar has proposed to charge the leader of the militant group Hezbollah with, quote, dragging Lebanon into war and tampering with security. That's according to a Lebanese government official who was not authorized to speak to the media. While the Lebanese cabinet did not take any action, this is the sharpest rebuke a Lebanese member of government has made against Hezbollah. Last week, the government banned all Hezbollah military activity and issued arrest warrants for the members who launched rockets into Israel. Lebanon leaders say they trying to rein in Hezbollah and make clear that the government speaks for the country Hadil Al NPR News Beirut In New York a man was found guilty in a plot to kill President Trump and other prominent U.S. officials on the orders of Iran. And Pierce Jacqueline Diaz has more. A federal jury in Brooklyn found Asif Merchant guilty of planning to hire hitmen, steal documents, and kill American politicians. Federal prosecutors said the scheme was backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Merchant, who is a Pakistani national, received spycraft training from Iran around 2022, and was sent to the U.S. in 2024 to execute his scheme to kill President Trump and former President Joe Biden. But he didn't get far in his grand plan before law enforcement learned of the plot. Merchant could now face life in prison. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News. In southern Michigan and Oklahoma, search crews are looking through the debris after suspected tornadoes killed at least six people last night, injuring more than a dozen. Photos and videos on social media show flattened homes and buildings along with downed trees The National Weather Service teams are evaluating the damage and working to confirm the tornadoes The severe weather threat though continues with strong thunderstorms possible from Texas to the northeast. National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Orovek. The greatest threat right now is probably across the lower lakes, parts of Ohio, northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania. And then there's a lesser threat as you extend southwest through the Ohio Valley and into the lower Mississippi Valley. But temperatures are getting warmer. Temperatures above normal are forecast for much of the country this weekend. Some places could see record-tying or record-breaking highs today. You're listening to NPR News. Americans trust career scientists at federal health agencies more than the leaders of those agencies, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz. And Pierre-Selena Simmons-Duffin reports that's according to a new poll that's out this week. As President Trump's Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has clashed frequently with the career scientists he oversees and medical organizations According to the survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania two of Americans have confidence in career scientists while only 38 have confidence in Kennedy. There was an even bigger gap with organized medical groups. Kennedy recently changed the childhood vaccine schedule to stop recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly objects to that change, and the survey found people are more likely to accept their advice on this vaccine over Kennedy's by nearly four to one. Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR News. Overnight, much of the U.S. will set their clocks ahead one hour for daylight saving time, meaning most people will lose an hour of sleep. This lasts until we go back to standard time, and that happens in November. Two states don't observe, Arizona and Hawaii, along with the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Meanwhile, 19 states approved permanent daylight saving time, meaning no clock changes for their residents, but current federal regulations limit their decision to year-round standard time only. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.