NPR News: 03-08-2026 9PM EDT

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. The Pentagon says another U.S. military service member has died from wound-sustained during Iran's initial rather counterattack a week ago. That brings the number of U.S. troops killed in action so far in the war with Iran 27. Senkham says the service member was seriously wounded in the attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and I'd last night. Yesterday, a dignified transfer of the other six service members was held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. In Iran, a panel of senior clerics has named a new Supreme Leader to lead the country. NPR's Jackie Northern reports the choice signals continuity for Iran's hardline regime.

1:03A panel of 88 clerics chose overwhelmingly to make Mojtaba Hamanei Iran's new Supreme Leader. He's a 56-year-old son of the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hamanei, who was killed in an Israeli air strike at the start of the war. The younger Hamanei is considered a hardliner who is closely associated with a violent crackdown on protesters during the 2009 so-called Green Revolution. Hamanei is close with the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Garg Corps. It has pledged its support for the new Supreme Leader. Pro-regime state TV showed images of large crowds celebrating the news. Last week, President Trump said Hamanei was a lightweight and an unacceptable choice to lead Iran. Israel has vowed to target him. Jackie Northam, NPR News. This is the war now in its second week, widens in the Middle East. The U.S. has struck Iran again today. Israel hit an oil storage facility while Iran hit a desalination plant in Bahrain.

2:04President Trump is facing a lot of economic headwinds as the 2026 midterm election year gets underway. Crude oil prices are trading over $100 a barrel today as the war in Iran impacts oil production and distribution. And U.S. futures contracts are down sharply. If yours moralize, then has more. Despite President Trump's claims that the U.S. economy is roaring like it's never roared before, job creation is down. The February Jobs report showed that the U.S. economy shed 92,000 jobs last month. Oil prices are up. The stock market is down. And in special elections this cycle so far, democratic candidates keep winning despite their parties historic unpopularity. Still, the President continues to take big risks, including pursuing a war that majorities of American voters oppose. Less than 40% of Americans tell pollsters they approve of the war in Iran. Denying President Trump, the rally around the flag effect, presidents usually enjoy at the beginning of military conflicts.

3:04Mara Laisen, NPR News Crude oil prices up 20 points at $109.90, Dow futures are down almost 2%. Asian markets are also trading lower than the UK and Japan down 6%. You're listening to NPR News. A federal judge in Oregon has dismissed the last of two civil lawsuits against J.H. Baxter, a company that ran a wood treatment plant in Eugene. From Member Station KLCC, Brian Vol has more. Late plaintiff Miles Hart filed suit against his former employer in 2021, alleging the company violated environmental practices leading to complaints about toxic fumes. But with J.H. Baxter largely insolvent, Hart says, There's nothing to gain. It was just beating a dead horse, you know, it just was going nowhere. Company President Georgia Baxter crowds served 90 days last year for violating the Federal Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, then lying about it to regulators. She and the company paid a $1.5 million fine.

4:06The other lawsuit ended with four plaintiffs getting $200,000, the Baxter plant is now a superfund site. For NPR News, I'm Brian Vol in Eugene. Oh, and it's one, two, three. What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Country Joe McDonald, whose anti-war anthem struck a chord has died. He performed at Woodstock, leading a crowd of some 400,000 through a satirical cheer before singing his satirical anti-war song. I feel like I'm fixing to die. Country Joe and the fish was one of the first bands to rise from the psychedelic rock scene in the Bay Area in California. After the band broke up in 1970, he had a long solo career. His family says he died from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 84 years old. 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.

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