NPR News: 03-09-2026 7PM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump says he'll accept the results of an investigation into an airstrike that killed more than 150 people at an Iranian girls' school. There's mounting evidence of U.S. involvement. Well, I haven't seen it. And I will say that the tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by, you know, is sold and used by other countries. You know that. During a news conference, Trump said the war is pretty much complete, though others in the administration have recently made contradictory statements. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conflict is only just the beginning. Trump says he launched the war preemptively to prevent Iran from attacking the U.S. and its allies, and that the country had a new site for developing nuclear weapons. And now he says he's undertaking the operation for other countries in the world, especially for those dependent on oil from the region. The price of oil and natural gas has fluctuated wildly during the 10-day conflict. Today, the price of crude oil surged to $120 per barrel, its highest since 2022, before falling back to $90 per barrel. Some analysts are concerned that the market continues to underprice the serious risk of a prolonged conflict in Iran The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is blocking around 20 percent of the world oil and liquefied natural gas NPR Camilla Domenoski reports Both sides in this conflict are attacking oil facilities and some Gulf oil fields have had to stop production because there is simply nowhere to put their oil without sending it through the strait. Aminabakar with the trade intelligence company Kepler says even global oil reserves can't easily correct the supply shock. The only thing that could really, you know, turn this around is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and flowing oil back up again from all these producers that curtailed. U.S. gasoline prices are up about 50 cents a gallon from before the attack and diesel rose even more sharply. Camila Domenoski, NPR News. The country's top disaster agency is shrinking dramatically. As NPR's Rebecca Herscher reports, new federal data shows FEMA lost nearly 500 workers at the beginning of the year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for the federal response to hurricanes, wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and other major disasters. The Trump administration is seeking to dramatically reduce the size of the agency by not renewing contracts for thousands of workers In January alone FEMA shrank by 499 people according to new data released by the government Office of Personnel Management About a third of those were emergency specialists who worked directly on helping disaster survivors Trump administration officials have repeatedly argued that the cuts will make FEMA more efficient. In the last year, the agency has struggled with longer-than-usual delays getting aid into the hands of disaster survivors. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News. U.S. stocks rose after a major reversal today. The S&P 500 gained more than three quarters of a percent. The Dow rose half a percent. This is NPR News. Russia's flag was raised at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade. After para-alpine skier Varvara Varanchikina won gold, Russian athletes are back competing under their own flag in the Winter Paralympics at Milan Cortina. Cortina after years of having to do so as a neutral athlete because of the country's doping violations and war in Ukraine. The live entertainment company Live Nation has reached a tentative settlement with the Department of Justice on its antitrust case, but not all 39 participating states have agreed to the terms NPR Isabella Gomez reports Live Nation reached this settlement with the Justice Department just days into a trial meant to break up the company and its subsidiary Ticketmaster Instead the company will allow amphitheaters across the country to work with competing promoters Those promoters can decide how to distribute up to 50% of tickets, and there will be a cap on ticket service fees for those shows. The Justice Department had alleged that Live Nation and Ticketmaster were monopolizing too many aspects of the live events industry, including ticketing, promotion, artist management and venue ownership. Despite news of a resolution to the federal case, 26 participating states and the District of Columbia say they reject the settlement and will move forward with a lawsuit. Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News. The L.A. City Council has designated the iconic home used in the Brady Bunch as a historic cultural landmark. The designation protects the beloved San Fernando Valley landmark from demolition. Its current owners open the now 5,000 square foot home for public tours at $275 per person. It's NPR. Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.