NPR News: 03-04-2026 10PM EST

0:00Support for NPR and the following message come from ID Tech. ID Tech is a summer camp for ages 7 to 17 with over 50 courses like battlebots, AI, coding, game design and more. Visit idtech.com and use code idtech to save $150. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Senate has voted down a resolution that would require congressional approval before the Trump administration makes any further attacks on Iran. The House has expected to vote on a similar measure tomorrow. It demonstrated early Republican support for the conflict, though it has no clear U.S. exit strategy. The U.S. and Israel continue to intensify the bombing campaign of Iran and its forces today. A U.S. submarine has sunk in Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. President Trump says the military is targeting Iran's nuclear program and leadership. So we're in a very strong position now and their leadership is just rapidly going.

1:00Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead. The UN Refugee Agency estimates 100,000 people fled Tehran in the wars first two days. Traffic through the strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf remains at a near standstill. That effective closure of the vital waterway is keeping some 20% of global oil and natural gas from reaching buyers. Global oil prices are up about 10% from before the war, and PR's Camilla Domenoski reports. Oil prices are not as high as they could be. Markets seem to think a quick end to the conflict is still possible. If it's not over soon, the disruption will be profound. Helima Croft is the head of commodity strategy at RBC Capitol Markets. We're now facing what looks like the biggest energy crisis since the oil embargo in the 1970s. The Trump administration is offering tankers naval escorts and U.S. government-backed insurance if they're willing to defy Iran's closure and risk the strait. One shipping CEO said in a statement email to NPR that normal flows won't resume until companies believe the strait is, quote,

2:07genuinely safe. Camilla Domenoski, NPR News. Seven of the country's largest tech companies have signed a pledge to keep AI from raising electricity prices. Executives went to the White House today and agreed to cover the costs for the electricity and infrastructure needed for data centers. NPR's Stephen Basaha reports the companies also plan to build their own power plants. The companies that signed the pledge are some of the leaders in AI, like Google, Meta, and Open AI. The data centers they're building across the country have also sparked fears of rising energy prices. Google President Ruth Perott said the company plans to grow the nation's power capacity without driving up the costs for everyday consumers. We're committed not only to pay for 100% of the energy we use, but very importantly, the infrastructure to support that growth, whether or not we end up using that energy. The pledge is not legally binding. State governments have been passing and considering their own laws to drive prevent data centers from raising power bills. Stephen Basaha, NPR News. Google is among NPR's financial supporters.

3:09The U.S. Stock Market rebounded today after oil prices stopped spiking and reports gave encouraging updates on the economy. This is NPR News. A federal judge has ruled that companies that paid President Trump's tariffs are due refunds. Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade wrote that all importers of record are entitled to benefit after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's power to issue tariffs using an emergency power. The ruling offers some clarity about the refund process, which the Supreme Court didn't mention in its decision. A report released today by the Rhode Island Attorney General documents decades of sexual abuse and the diocese of Providence, and failures to bring those priests to justice from Ocean State Media David Wright reports. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Narona's 300-page report documents an all-too-familiar pattern, priests accused of abuse shuffled from parish to parish by local bishops. Bishops knew. Bishops knew. And did nothing. Worse than nothing, they transferred priests.

4:14According to the report, compiled from church records dating back to 1950, the diocese transferred 31 priests to new jobs at least five times each. In response, the bishop of Providence said that the diocese adopted new safeguards decades ago and that there are no credibly accused clergy in active ministry. For NPR News, I'm David Wright in Providence. College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz has died. He led Notre Dame to a national championship in one 249 games over 33 seasons. He was the first and only coach to lead six different teams to bowl games. Lou Holtz was 89 years old. This is NPR News. This message comes from Jerry. Noticing your car insurance rate creep up, even without tickets or claims, you're not alone. That's why there's Jerry. Jerry handles the legwork by comparing quotes side-by-side from over 50 top insurers so you can confidently hit buy.

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