NPR News: 03-04-2026 12AM EST

0:00This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at MintMobile.com slash switch. Taxes in fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Live from MPR News, I'm child Snyder. The Republican Senate primary race in Texas is headed to a runoff. According to the Associated Press, neither Senator John Kornin nor his opponents were able to clear the threshold required for an outright win. MPR is actually Lopez reports. Kornin, who was first selected to the Senate in 2002, was unable to get more than 50% of the vote in his primary race. His most formidable challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was a very close second in the race. Paxton is a controversial figure in the party who is weathered various legal issues during his decade-long career as the state's top law enforcement official. However, Paxton is a favorite among parts of the Republican base and argues that he is more aligned with President Trump.

1:01However, Kornin has consistently voted with Trump through the years. The runoff for this already expensive race is scheduled for May 26. Ashley Lopez and P.R. News. On the other side of that primary Democrats are deciding between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state representative James Tallahbrico. That race at the moment too close to call. The election in Texas, as well as in Tuesday's primary in North Carolina, the first to use new House maps after the nationwide redistricting fight. In North Carolina, a Marquis Senate matchup has been said former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Wattley will face off in November. With the war in the Middle East widening, the Trump administration's justification for attacking Iran is shifting in Pierce, Frank, or Adonius. I think that's part of the problem because the White House has just has all these confusing mixed messages. I mean, Trump also pointed to the number of protesters being killed as rationale for going to war. He's also talked about the ballistic missile program and the threat against U.S. troops

2:02and allies in the region. And today, he said if they didn't do what they're doing right now, Iran would have started a nuclear war. Of course, as we reported many times, this is the same program, nuclear program that Trump said was obliterated a few months ago. The Georgia father gave his teenage son the A.R. style rifle used in the 2024 Appalachia High School shooting has been found guilty of all charges. The shooting that four people dead, nine others injured, Shaman Kruz from Member Station W.A.B.E. reports. Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children. Gray had testified in his own defense that, never in a million years, did he think the rifle he bought in hopes of bonding with his son would be used to carry out an attack? But prosecutors argued Gray received sufficient warning over the years that his son needed mental health attention and never got it for him.

3:02Gray will be sentenced at a later date. It's one of the latest cases of parents across the country who have been charged after their children were accused in fatal shootings. For NPR News, I'm Shaman Kruz in Atlanta. This is NPR. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Knome was on Capitol Hill Tuesday, appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee where she defended her agency amid a backlash over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. It was her first congressional hearing since two protesters were killed in Minneapolis in January, and it came amid the shutdown of her department. Democrats have refused to agree to new funding without changes in immigration enforcement practices. Funding laps last month, but most immigration enforcement and national security operations are deemed essential and continue. About 50 people gathered uptown Charlotte last night to protest against U.S. attack on Iran and its involvement in the Middle East of his many years of member station WFAE reports.

4:06This does with banners that are read, stop the war. Zack Thomas is with the party for socialism and liberation. We've seen decades of pointless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now they're trying to start one in Iran. Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel carried out strikes in Iran. Thirty-year-old Adanaka Patterson is against the war. And I'm just against Trump and I'm against just everything that's really generally happening. The protest has said they plan to continue demonstrating as the war develops. For MPR News, I'm Al Vismanayesi in Charlotte. With the war widening in the Middle East, a sell-off on global stock markets has extended into another day, South Korean shares have plunged more than 8 percent. I'm child Snyder, this is MPR News. This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, Mint Mobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month.

5:08Shop plans today at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three month five gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra see Mint Mobile for details.