NPR News: 03-07-2026 9PM EST

0:00LifeKit can help you change your life in record time. In just about 20 minutes, a lifeKit episode gives you evidence-based tips you can put into practice that day. No fast forwarding to get to the good stuff. Just smart, straightforward advice right away. Listen to the LifeKit podcast in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Drones and missiles were launched across much of the Middle East today, as the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran enters into its second week. Israeli fighter jets pounded targets in Iran's capital, and fierce carry-con has more from Tel Aviv. Israel's military says it has dealt serious blows to Iran's air missile and drone system. They say they've been hitting targets throughout the country, and particularly in the capital Tehran. We have seen a decrease in the number of air-raid sirens in Israel signaling incoming missiles or drones from Iran. But I have to tell you, overnight and throughout the day, there was still more than a handful of sirens sending residents into the bomb shelter.

1:04And that's where I am right now. Entrier is carry-con reporting. Israel also hit Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group is based. Meanwhile, Iran continued to fire drones and missiles into multiple Gulf states. Death toll throughout the Middle East is rising. Iranian Red Crescent says more than 1300 have been killed in Iran. And as the national average price for a gallon of regular gas rises, it's up more than 40 cents from a week ago, according to AA. President Trump says he's not worried, and here's Tamar Keith has more. Trump often boasts about low gas prices, a key part of his plan to address affordability. But since the U.S. war with Iran began, gas prices have risen to their highest levels since Trump returned to office. A board Air Force One, Trump was asked if he is worried about gas prices. And he said no. This is an excursion. We figured oil prices would go up. We said well, they'll also come down. They'll come down very fast. And we will have gotten rid of a major cancer on the face of the Earth.

2:06We will have taken out a cancer. Trump, who repeatedly referred to the war as an excursion, had just left the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers killed in the war. Tamar Keith and PR News Seven big tech companies are pledging to keep energy costs down amid the AI data center boom. And amerzbach from Mountain West News reports critics say the agreement with the Trump administration is non-binding. Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI all took the right-payer protection pledge. They promised to pay for the energy infrastructure needed to power their data centers to not pass on cost to households. A big concern for voters. Energy Justice Program Director at the Center for Biological Diversity, Gene Sue says it's good the Trump administration is acknowledging the affordability problem. But there is no actual guarantee, no enforcement mechanism to actually make sure that big tech follows through on those promises. Sue says she wants to see rate-payer protections mandated by law, along with limits on data center carbon emissions.

3:13For MPR News, I'm Hannah Merzbach in Jackson, Wyoming. You're listening to MPR News from Washington. A sapling from Britain's famous Sycamore gap tree, it's also known as the Robin Hood tree, has returned to its native landscape in Northern England two and a half years after it was illegally cut down. Vicky Barker has more from London. The sapling was planted by the ruins of Sighedanum Roman Fort at the eastern end of the ancient fortification of Hadrian's Wall. That's about 35 miles from the location of the original tree which stood about midway along the wall. But it's where long distance walkers hiking all 73 miles of the trail begin or end their journey, which the community group that campaigned for the sapling hopes will add extra meaning to their achievement. Two men are serving four-year sentences for cutting down the iconic tree, an act which sparked international grief and outrage, and one for which they've never apologized.

4:15For MPR News, I'm Vicky Barker in London. The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to designate the so-called Brady Bunch House in the San Fernando Valley as a historic cultural monument. The vote grants landmark protections to the house that was used for the exterior shots of the popular TV sitcom that ran from 1969 to 1974. The interior scenes though were shot on a sound stage, with sets that bore no resemblance to the actual property, but did become a photo op magnet for Brady Bunch fans. The landmark status does protect the home which was built in 1959. I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. You can send, spend, and receive an up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get Wise, download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com, TZNC's Apply.