NPR News: 03-10-2026 10PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. It's day 11 of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The U.S. destroyed several Iranian naval vessels today, including 16 mine layers near the critical strait of Hormuz. Iran has ruled out diplomatic talks and has attacked oil infrastructure in the region, leaving global financial markets on edge. The Trump administration again promised the most intense strikes yet, as NPR's Greg Meiery explains. Reports out of Iran, again cite large explosions in and around the capital, Tehran. We don't have specifics, but the U.S. has been hitting an average of 500 or so targets in Iran every day. For its part, Iran carried out more air strikes in Israel and several Gulf countries. There were reports of deaths and injuries to civilians. The Pentagon says 140 U.S. troops have been wounded. Most are minor injuries, but eight are severely injured. And as we've reported previously, seven service members have been killed.

1:00NPR's Greg Meiery reporting, China says it's evacuated thousands of its citizens from the Middle East and Iran, and NPR's Emily Fang reports the scale of the evacuations underlies the closer ties China's been building up with countries in the region. Over 10,000 Chinese citizens were brought out of Gulf countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, according to a Chinese ministry spokesperson. More than 3,000 Chinese citizens had to be evacuated out of Iran, mostly overland through Azerbaijan. With scores of flights canceled in the region, Beijing had to work with Chinese airlines to boost special evacuation flights out of the Gulf, where China has pursued close economic and security ties with Gulf countries. Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, said earlier this week that the U.S. Israeli war with Iran should not have happened, and he warned against what he called the quote, law of the jungle coming back. Emily Fang, in pure news. A congressional report published today finds that overpayments in private Medicare plans

2:02have raised costs for all seniors in the system by billions of dollars. As NPR's Salinas Simmons Duffin explains, criticism of the plans has grown in the last few years. The Joint Economic Committee in Congress estimates that overpayments to insurance companies that run Medicare Advantage has cost American seniors billions. Specifically, in 2025, seniors paid $13.4 billion in higher premiums for doctors' office visits and outpatient services. More than half of those enrolled in Medicare are in one of these private plans. Republicans in Congress were long champions of the model, but bipartisan criticism has been growing, because Medicare Advantage actually costs the government about 20 percent more per person than traditional Medicare. Salinas Simmons Duffin and P.R. News, Washington. U.S. stocks held steadier today as Wall Street waited for the next signal, and with the war with Iran may end. This is NPR News. Afghanistan's government has rejected U.S. allegations that it detains foreigners to

3:06obtain leverage over other countries. The State Department designated Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention yesterday, accusing the country of engaging in hostage diplomacy. The U.S. gave the designation to Iran a day before launching strikes a week and a half ago. Actors featured in viral videos made by the White House are pushing back against how they're being used to promote the war in Iran, and P.R. Zaneta Ulubi has more. One of these videos, titled Justice the American Way, has gotten hundreds of thousands of views on social media. Wake up, daddy. We'll come home soon. Strengthen on our strength and honor. It's a mash-up of a real war footage with clips from movies like Iron Man 2, Top Gun, and video games such as Halo. The voice actor who says finishing the fight is Steve Downs. He is demanded to be removed from a video he described in a social media post as, quote, juvenile and disgusting war porn. Another actor, Ben Stiller, also publicly requested the White House to remove a clip from this movie Tropic Thunder. Stiller said, quote, we never gave you permission and have no interest in being part of your propaganda

4:10machine. War is not a movie. End quote. Netta Ulubi and P.R. News Italy has bought a rare portrait by Baroque painter Karavaggio for nearly 35 million dollars, one of the largest investments ever for a single artwork. The portrait painted around 1598 to pick some afeo Barbarini who later became Pope Urban the 8th. The painting will now enter Rome's Palazzo Barbarini permanent collection. This is 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, T's and C's apply.