NPR News: 03-10-2026 12PM EDT

0:00Lie from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. For 10 nights now, the U.S. and Israel have been locked in war with Iran. For nearly two weeks, the war has escalated across the region. More than 1,000 lives have been lost the majority in Iran, according to local officials. The U.S. has lost at least seven servicemembers in combat. But the Trump administration maintains the U.S. is winning this war to eradicate Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said as much to date, as NPR's quill Lawrence reports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Kane said targeting Iran's defense industrial base continues. Kane said that 50 Iranian ships have been destroyed in an effort to protect navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for worldwide oil exports. In the past day, President Trump has said both that the war is mostly complete, and also that it could go on for some time. U.S. officials have been consistent that there will be no protracted nation-building effort

1:04like the U.S. tried for decades in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth said Iranian missile and drone capabilities were severely diminished. But even as he spoke, air-raid sirens were heard in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, sending people running to shelters. Quill Lawrence and PR News. As for the war's economic impact, the cost of gasoline continues to climb NPR Scott Horsley reports prices have jumped more than 50 cents a gallon since the start of the war. The average price of gasoline rose by another six cents a gallon overnight. AAA puts the national average at $3.54. It was right around $3.00 a gallon before the U.S. launched its war against Iran. Diesel prices have jumped even more sharply to an average of $4.78. Sales of existing homes perked up a little bit last month. The National Association of Realtors says sales rose 1.7 percent in February. The average sales price was $398,000. The average mortgage rate last week was 6 percent. Scott Horsley in Pair News, Washington. The Food and Drug Administration is approving the drug lukovorin as a treatment for an ultra-rare

2:08genetic disorder. This comes after the administration touted the drug as a potential autism treatment last fall. Here's NPR Sineelupkin. The FDA approved lukovorin to treat a genetic condition that causes seizures and developmental delays. It is the first treatment approved for a type of cerebral folate transport deficiency, the FDA said. The disease affects less than 1.1 million people. The drug company GSK said in September that it would apply to expand the drug's label to include this use at the FDA's request. To make its decision, the agency relied in large part on a systematic review of existing medical literature instead of new clinical studies. An agency official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the FDA initially looked at whether lukovorin could be used to treat autism spectrum disorder, but the data was insufficient. Sydney Lupkin and Pair News. This is NPR. California Congressman Kevin Kylie says he is switching his political affiliation from Republican to independent.

3:08He represents the state's third congressional district spanning most of the California Nevada border and includes all or parts of 10 counties. After two terms, Kylie faces a tough re-election race after congressional boundaries and the Democratic-leaning state were redrawn in response to redistricting in GOP-leaning states. Kylie has said he will still caucus with U.S. House Republicans. The digital safety company securely says students in 1300 schools across the country are already using AI chatbots in the classroom and P.S. retouchattergy with details. Kylie analyzed 1.2 million conversations between students and AI platforms on school-issued devices in 39 states. 80% of these chats were educationally appropriate, but 20% violated safety guardrails set up by individual school districts. That includes the 2% of conversations involving topics of self-harm, violence and bullying

4:10says securely CEO Tammy Winkup. Students have already added AI into their digital diet on topics around wellness, on topics around self-harm, on topics around bullying and violence. These chats lead to wellness alerts to school districts for appropriate follow-up actions. Read the strategy and pair of news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up nearly 200 points. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.