NPR News: 03-02-2026 6PM EST

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Kivone. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the current war with Iran needed to happen. He's on Capitol Hill today to make the administration's case, although the Trump administration did not see congressional approval before strikes on Iran. NPR's Michelle Kellman has more. Secretary Rubio says the U.S. has a clear goal in mind to eliminate the threat of Iran's short-range ballistic missiles and its naval assets. And he says there was an imminent threat. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties. He says the U.S. hopes the Iranian people can overthrow the government, but the objective of the U.S. mission, he says, is to deny Iran the ability to threaten the region with missiles. And he says it was important to take this action when Iran was at a weak point. Michelle Kellman and P.R. News, the State Department.

1:01In Lebanon, at least 52 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes over the past day, the health ministry there says. The strikes follow a Hezbollah attack last night, creating a crush of people searching for somewhere safe to stay. From Beirut, NPR's Jawad Ris Khaled describes the scene. Israeli air strikes on Lebanon continue today, following Hezbollah's attack last night. Families fled towards safer areas. Some found space in shelters. As those filled up, others came here. On one stretch of Beirut's seaside promenade, one of the few truly public spaces in the city. This place families have laid out mattresses and blankets on the wide walkway by the Mediterranean, where people usually come to walk and watch the waves. Bags and pillows sit beside them, some men smoke bubbly bubbles. For now, this section is a temporary refuge. It's a cold winter night with damp sea air coming in from the water. They didn't come for comfort. They came because it feels safe and because it's available. Jawad Ris Khaled, NPR News, Beirut.

2:04Limited commercial flights out of the Middle East resume today, but as NPR's Joel Rose reports, many travelers remain stranded. Tourists and business travelers hunkered down in hotels and airports across the Middle East, a waiting word on when airports would reopen and flights can return to a normal schedule. That includes Kristi Elmer of New Hampshire, who traveled to Dubai last week for business meetings. We're waiting to fly out. Our flights keep getting canceled, so we've had flights booked every day for the week. The airport in Dubai, which is one of the busiest in the world, said operations had resumed with a, quote, small number of flights. Airlines canceled more than 3,400 flights across the Middle East on Monday alone, according to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24, bringing the total number of cancellations since the war began to nearly 10,000. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The Dow ended the day off 73 points, the S&P 500 basically unchanged. This is NPR News. More evidence is in that colorectal cancer is a growing problem, especially among younger

3:07adults. An American Cancer Society report says it is now the top cancer killer for those under 50. NPR's Yuki Naguchi reports. colorectal cancer used to be considered an older person's disease, but that's rapidly changing. There's an especially rapid rise in rectal cancers, driving up rates among young adults, who are also less likely to get screened and catch their disease at a treatable stage. By comparison, both incidents and mortality for those 65 and older is decreasing. About half of colorectal cancer cases are thought to be driven by lifestyle. Colinoscopy screenings are recommended at age 45, only about a third of people between ages 45 and 50 get screened. Yuki Naguchi and NPR News. Energy markets were roiled today after Iran media reported the commander of Iran's revolutionary guards declared the straight of war moves closed and that any ship trying to pass should

4:12be set on fire. More than 6% in European natural gas futures are spiking more than 40% in the wake of the shutdown of a major supplier of ship-borne gas due to the fighting. 20% of global oil supplies flow through the straight of war moves and the move threatens to significantly raise crude prices. I'm Louise Skivone, NPR News, Washington. 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.