NPR News: 03-09-2026 5PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton, oil prices soared and then resettled today as the Iran war intensifies threatening production in shipping in the Middle East. The war has affected infrastructure critical to the production and movement of oil and gas. The conflict is effectively closed. The strait of Hormuz, a conduit for about 20 percent of the world's oil and natural gas. And as NPR's Aya Batrowi explains, oil fields have cut back output as storage fills up. But it wasn't only Mustafa Khameini who lost his father and that attack he also reportedly lost his mother, his wife and a son and other relatives. So he comes to this post in the regime's eyes not only as the son of martyrs and the father and spouse of martyrs, but also as someone known to have closed ties to powerful branches of security like the paramilitary Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which immediately pledged its obedience to him and urged the nation to close ranks around him. NPR's Aya Batrowi reporting, Lebanon says it wants direct negotiations with Israel to reach a ceasefire.

1:01The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the regional conflict when it launched rockets into northern Israel. Nearly 500 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes according to health officials and PR's Hadil al-Shalchi reports. Lebanon's president Josef Al-Nkalt for direct negotiations with Israel and an immediate halt to Israeli strikes according to a statement posted on social media. He also called on the international community to provide, quote, necessary logistical support to the Lebanese army in order to support disarming Hezbollah. Owen said that the direct negotiations with Israel would be under international supervision. The Israeli government did not immediately comment. The Lebanese government has been distancing itself from Hezbollah as the U.S. and Israel bomb Iran. It has banned all Hezbollah military activities and issued arrest warrants for those who launched the rockets at Israel. Hadil al-Shalchi and PR news, Beirut. Two Pennsylvania men were arraigned on federal terrorism charges today after allegedly throwing

2:02explosive devices at a crowd of protesters in New York City over the weekend. Officials say the 18 and 19-year-olds were inspired by the Islamic State Group and PR's Brian Mann reports. The five-count indictment charges Amir Balat and Ibrahim Qayumi with providing support for a foreign terror organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. Officials say the men told police they were inspired by ISIS and hoped to carry out an attack more deadly than the blast at the 2013 Boston Marathon. Jake Clayton is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. These were ISIS-inspired actions and it is chilling that they wanted to do something more than the Boston Marathon, more than three deaths. Balat and Qayumi allegedly threw explosive devices at anti-Muslim protesters Saturday. They've yet to enter pleas on the charges and are being held without bail. Brian Mann and PR news, New York. U.S. stocks rose after a major reversal today, the S&P 500 gained more than three quarters of a percent. It's NPR. Uber is launching a feature that will allow female riders and drivers across the U.S.

3:05to be matched with other women. It's an expansion of a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its ride-hailing platform. The announcement comes despite a class-action lawsuit in California found by Uber drivers who argue that it's discriminatory against men. Students in 1300 schools are already using AI chatbots according to digital safety companies securely. As NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports, a small percentage of students are engaging with AI chatbots about self-harm and violence. The analyzed 1.2 million conversations between students and AI platforms on school-issued devices in 39 states. 80 percent of these chats were educationally appropriate, but 20 percent violated safety guardrails set up by individual school districts. That includes the 2 percent of conversations involving topics of self-harm, violence and bullying says securely CEO Tammy Winkup. Students have already added AI into their digital diet on topics around wellness, on topics

4:10around self-harm, on topics around bullying and violence. These chats lead to wellness alerts to school districts for appropriate follow-up actions. Ritu Chatterjee and Pair News About two dozen couples have taken part in the UK wife-carrying race. Many contestants use the Estonian hold where the rider hangs upside down. The sports link to an old Finnish legend and a couple from Finland where crowned the winners and won a barrel of local ale. This is NPR News from Washington. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime Membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.