NPR News: 03-05-2026 7PM EST

0:00This message comes from Subaru. The all-new 2026 Subaru Outback features bold new styling and standard symmetrical all-wheel drive plus safety features like standard eyesight driver assist technology. Discover the all-new Outback at Subaru.com slash Outback. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump says the United States is successfully destroying Iran's military capabilities. The president provided an update on the conflict during an event at the White House today and PR's Danielle Kurt Slaibin reports. Trump said he had a message for Iranian military and police. You're going to have a chance after all these years to take back your country except immunity. We'll give you immunity and we'll be giving you really the right side of history because that's what it is. So you'll be perfectly safe with total immunity or you'll face

1:01absolutely guaranteed death. And I don't want to see that. Earlier in the day, Trump told several news outlets he wants to have a hand in deciding who the next Iranian leader would be. At the White House event, Trump also hinted at future US actions in Cuba but gave no details. Danielle Kurt Slaibin and PR News the White House. Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome has been fired after weeks of increasing bipartisan scrutiny. President Trump announced today that she'll be replaced by Senator Mark Wayne Mullen. NPR Sam Greenglass reports the Oklahoma Republican is a vocal defender of Trump in Congress. Mark Wayne Mullen is a relatively fresh face in the Senate. He got there in 2023 after a decade in the House. As a member of the Cherokee Nation, he's the first tribal citizen in the Senate in years. Mullen does not have a background in Homeland Security. His career before politics was in construction and ranching and professional mixed martial arts fighting. He now serves on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which is in the middle of the standoff over funding for

2:06the department Mullen has been asked to lead. DHS is shut down as Democrats push for changes on how immigration officers operate. Sam Greenglass and PR News, Washington. Travel industry leaders are urging Congress to end the stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. NPR's Dolrose reports the groups warned the partial government shutdown could slow air traffic during the busy spring break season. The head of the U.S. Travel Association, Jeff Freeman, says airport security workers deserve to get paid as they show up to work through the partial government shutdown. They're doing their job and they're not getting paid. It's not just unfair, it's reckless. DHS has been shut down for nearly three weeks after lawmakers failed to agree on changes to how immigration officers operate. That means about 50,000 employees at the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration, are working without pay. Travel and aviation industry groups worry that those officers will call out sick and start working second jobs just as travel volume picks up

3:07in March and April. Dolrose, NPR News, Washington. At the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 784 points. This is NPR News. Millions of people across Western Cuba remain in the dark after a blackout hit the island this week. State Meteor Report, one of its largest thermoelectric power plants where a shutdown sparkly outages down, officials say it may stay that way for at least three more days. The Winter Olympics may be over, but their legacy lives on. On the Billboard singles chart, NPR Steven Thompson explains. This week's pop charts demonstrate that there's more than one way to make a song a hit. When figure skater Alyssa Liu won gold twice last month, her fame skyrocketed. Near the end of the Winter Olympics, Liu performed in a non-competitive gala, skating to the song Stateside by Pink Pantherous, featuring Zara Larson.

4:10Liu's performance went viral, and now Stateside takes a huge leap up the Billboard Hot 100, climbing from number 41 to number 13. The song's chart success can be directly linked to the timing of the Olympic figure skating gala, which makes Alyssa Liu not only a two-time gold medalist, but also a taste maker. Steven Thompson, NPR News. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office in California says pop singer Britney Spears was arrested after a traffic stoplight last night. The Grammy-winning artist emerged from a year's long conservatorship in 2021 and has since spoken publicly about legal battles with family and struggles with mental health. Officials have not said what charges Spears may face. This is NPR. Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all,

5:10on the web at TheSchmitt.org.