NPR News: 03-04-2026 10AM EST

0:00the U.S. launches a military operation against Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. On State of the World, we'll bring you the latest on the operation, as well as reaction from the region and around the globe. Listen to State of the World on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kurova Coleman. Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett spoke at the Pentagon this morning. He says the U.S. and Israeli forces continue to strike targets across Iran. NPR's Greg Myrie says the two countries are dividing targets between them. The U.S. has really been focused on the southern coast of Iran. It's been using long-distance missiles and other weapons to hit targets along the coast, but he said as the U.S. gains more control, it will send planes over in Iran and move deeper inland, Israel has been hitting Iran's leaders in Tehran,

1:01in that area and also in Western Iran. So it showed a little bit of the division of labor there. NPR's Greg Myrie reporting stocks opened higher this morning as crude oil prices start to level off. NPR Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones industrial average rose about 70 points in early trading. Kurova prices have jumped more than 10 percent since the U.S. and Israel launched their attack on Iran over the weekend. Most of that jump came Monday and Tuesday. Prices appear to be stabilizing with Brent Krewd now trading above $80 a barrel. President Trump is hoping to restart tanker traffic through the straight-of-four moves just south of Iran by offering navy escorts through that critical choke point. U.S. gasoline prices continue to climb, they're up about 20 cents a gallon on average over the last couple of days. Triple A says the price of diesel fuel now tops $4 a gallon if that sustain. It could raise the cost of everything that travels by truck or train. Asian economies are heavily dependent on imported oil. Asian stocks were down overnight. Scott Horsley in Pairnews, Washington.

2:01The Pentagon says U.S. forces along with troops from Ecuador have launched military operations in that South American country. John Bartlett reports the Pentagon says it is against designated terrorist organizations. The U.S. military's southern command said its raids were aimed at tackling illicit drug trafficking in a country which has become a hub for the global cocaine trade. Ecuador's president, Daniel Norboa, who was a close Trump ally, said the U.S. was among regional allies taking part in a new phase of Ecuador's war on the drug cartels, which handled around 70 percent of the world's cocaine. The southern command, reflecting the Trump administration's commitment to tackling drug trafficking, said it was taking decisive action to confront NARCO terrorists. It's accused of inflicting, quote, terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere. For NPR News, I'm John Bartlett in Santiago, Chile. In the Texas Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate, the Associated Press has called the race for state Senator James

3:03Taloriko. He defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. He's opponent in the general election has yet to be decided. In Cumbin, Texas, Republican Senator John Cornyn will go to a runoff election in late May. It will be against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. You're listening to NPR. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Nome testifies before a House Committee today This testimony comes as her agency is still partially shut down. New York City is a step closer to universal child care. Bruce Convisor reports the mayor and New York's governor have announced free care is being extended to younger children. Beginning in September, New York will provide 2,000 child care spots for two-year-olds. The children benefiting come from neighborhoods and economic need in four of the city's five boroughs. Mayor Zora and Mamdani thank Governor Kathy Hocal for the state's $73 million contribution to the program. He said they plan to increase the number of open spots to 12,000 in September 2027 when the state's contribution will jump to 425

4:08million. Mamdani, who has elected last November-wants universal child care across the city by the end of his first term. Hocal, who's up for re-election next November-wants universal child care across the state by the end of her second term should she be re-elected. Friend PR News, I'm Bruce Convisor in New York. Billionaire Elon Musk is scheduled to take the witness stand today in a civil trial in California. He is accused of making false statements to shareholders that cratered the stock price of social media platform Twitter. Musk bought Twitter in 2022. He renamed it X. The purchase price was $44 billion. Shareholders accused Musk of speaking badly about Twitter in order to make the sale price cheaper for him to purchase the company. Elon Musk has denied the allegations. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News from Washington.