NPR News: 03-02-2026 5PM EST

Life Kit can help you change your life in record time. In just about 20 minutes, a Life Kit episode gives you evidence-based tips you can put into practice that day. No fast-forwarding to get to the good stuff. Just smart, straightforward advice right away. Listen to the Life Kit podcast in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. The U.S. military death toll from the fighting in Iran now stands at 6, And the Iranian Red Crescent reports more than 500 people have died in the region as blasts in the surrounding area continue into a third day. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told reporters on Capitol Hill the military engagement initiated Saturday by the U.S. and Israel over Iran is far from over. I'm not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now. Someone was screaming, how long will it take? I don't know how long it'll take. We have objectives. We will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives, and we will achieve those objectives. The world will be a safer place when we're done with this operation. Will the operation include ground forces Rubio says President Trump has ruled nothing out in a military operation meant to obliterate Iran complete ballistic missile capabilities their attack drones and their navy President Trump has forecast the fighting will last four to five weeks. His latest remarks coming during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. NPR's Deepa Shivram tells us the president wants Americans to know why the assault was launched. Trump says there were, quote, grave threats posed to America in the Iranian regime. He says the U.S. warned Iran not to rebuild their nuclear capabilities and that Iran didn't listen to those warnings. Trump also says that Iran would have soon had missiles that were capable of hitting the U.S. An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people, our country itself. Trump claims the strike on Iran was the administration's, quote, last best chance at keeping Iran's nuclear capabilities in check and preventing Iran from investing in terror groups. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News. More than half a billion dollars in bets were placed on the site Polymarket tied to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. And some are drawing scrutiny for potential insider trading. NPR Bobby Allen reports One account under the name MAGAMyMan made more than in profits by placing bets on the prediction market site Polymarket that Iran supreme leader would be toppled this weekend Polymarket bets are made anonymously with cryptocurrency, so the identity and location of the trades can be hard to track down. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote on X, quote, It's insane this is legal, promising to introduce legislation to outlaw such betting. It's the latest instance of a trader seemingly with access to military secrets making money off confidential information. Under federal law, prediction markets on war and assassinations are illegal, but Polymarket operates an overseas platform outside the reach of regulators in Washington. Bobby Allen, NPR News. After some spikes on Wall Street, markets close the day relatively unchanged. This is NPR. Several international airlines are resuming a small number of domestic flights from the United Arab Emirates to get tens of thousands of travelers on their way home. Dubai officials are telling passengers to go to the airport only if contacted for flights. Foreign governments are urging citizens to shelter in place as evacuation plans are sorted. Drumbeats and chants rang out in Houston this weekend as hundreds of demonstrators celebrated the death of Iran supreme leader But as Houston Public Media Kyle McClendigan tells us reactions are mixed Along both sides of a busy street in uptown Houston participants waved Iranian lion and son flags alongside American and Israeli flags Roshia Kiani said she had fled Iran with her family as a child following the revolution. I've never been able to go there and see where my parents were born, where I was born, where my grandparents were because of the Islamic regime. And I'm hoping one day I will be able to go back to free Iran. While many of the demonstrators supported military intervention in Iran, local news outlets reported that other Iranian-Americans held anti-war demonstrations along the same Houston road the day before. For NPR News, I'm Kyle McLennigan in Houston. He marched for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr., ran for president, and continued on as leader of his self-styled Rainbow Coalition. Now the Reverend Jesse Jackson returns to his once-segregated home state of South Carolina for a final public farewell. He'll lie in state today at the Capitol in Columbia. Jackson died last month in Chicago at 84. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News. 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.