NPR News: 03-02-2026 7PM EST

Hey, it's Tanya Mosley, co-host of Fresh Air. Don't miss my interview with actor Kate Hudson. We talk about her music career, motherhood, and of course, her breakout role. Penny Lane, man, show some respect. You can find my interview on the Fresh Air podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. War in the Middle East widened today with waves of attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran. and Iran striking back on targets in the Gulf as far afield as Cyprus. The Lebanese militia Hezbollah has also entered the fight, launching its first attacks on Israel in more than a year. NPR's Jaina Raff has details from Amman. Well, there are tens of thousands of displaced here. The Lebanese government closed schools, turning them into shelters, with residents evacuating Beirut's southern suburbs as well as South Lebanon. and Paris Jawad Rizkallah spoke with one man who said he left before dawn as soon as he heard the Israeli airstrikes hitting Dahya, the Beirut suburb where Hezbollah has a large presence. He said it the second time he and his family had been displaced The last time was two years ago when the shelters were full and they slept in the streets NPR Jane Aroff Secretary of State Marco Rubio is challenging lawmakers who say President Trump decision to attack Iran was illegal because he did not get approval from Congress Rubio briefed top lawmakers on Capitol Hill today. NPR's Sam Gringless has more. The Secretary of State met with a bipartisan group of more than a dozen congressional leaders, including the so-called Gang of Aid, who Rubio called just before the strikes. We've complied with the law 100%, and we're going to continue to comply with it. But we did notify members of Congress. We just can't notify 535 people. That's not possible. But most Democrats, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a few Republicans, dispute the administration's assertion that an imminent threat justified action without authorization. That briefing raised many more questions than it answered. Lawmakers are set to vote later this week on resolutions to curb continued military action against Iran. Even if they do pass, they're unlikely to overcome a presidential veto. Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington. Global crude oil prices are up. About 8 percent natural gas prices in Europe have spiked much higher than that. As NPR Kamila Dominovsky reports tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has halted due to the risk of attacks About a fifth of global oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz and even more than a fifth of the world liquefied natural gas or LNG used for heating and electricity Despite threats Iran has never closed the Strait before Claudio Gallimberti is with Reistad Energy. We have not seen anything like this in pretty much the history of the Strait of Hormuz. Higher oil and natural gas prices will drive up costs for gasoline, electricity and inflation overall. The U.S. is the world's top oil producer and the number one exporter of LNG, so higher prices are a boon to some U.S. companies. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News. Wall Street, the Dow ended the day off 73. The Nasdaq gained 80, and the S&P 500 basically unchanged. This is NPR. The family of Baltimore native Henrietta Lacks settled their second lawsuit with a major biotech company. Her cells have been used to develop major medical breakthroughs. We get details from WYPR's Scott Mascione. The Lacks family have settled their lawsuit with Novartis, marking another win for the descendants of a black woman whose cells were taken and used for scientific research without her consent. The Lacks family settled with Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2023. The amount of both settlements has not been released. Henrietta Lacks was receiving medical care for cervical cancer at a segregated ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 when doctors took samples from her tumor The doctors found they could replicate her cells outside of her body, the first discovery of its kind. Since then, more than 100,000 scientific publications and numerous medical innovations have originated from the use of these cells. Lax's family was never compensated for her contribution to medical science. For NPR News, I'm Scott Mascione in Baltimore. Near daybreak tomorrow morning, you might be able to see a total lunar eclipse. The Earth will be between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow that covers the full moon. Early morning shafts of sunlight filtering through the Earth's atmosphere are expected to make the moon look red. The lunar eclipse will be visible from North America, Central America, and the western part of South America. The late Catherine O'Hara won Best Female Actor for her comedy series work in the studio last night at the 32nd Actor Awards. She died unexpectedly from a blood clot last month. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for international people using money around the globe. You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart. Get WISE. Download the WISE app today or visit WISE.com. T's and C's apply.