NPR News: 03-11-2026 3AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. The Trump administration is seeking to reassure the public about prices at the pump amid the joint U.S. Israeli air war over Iran. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levin. Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than they were prior to the start of the operation. U.S. military says it has eliminated 16 Iranian mind-laying ships near the strategic straight-of-war moves, through which 20 percent of the world's oil is shipped. The military's announcement came after President Trump warned Iran against laying minds in the strait. Serious storm damage is being reported in parts of Illinois and Indiana. The Illinois State Police says there is major damage from a reported tornado on the south side of Kankaki City. In Indiana State Police, a multiple homes were destroyed in the community of Lake Village. The artificial intelligence company and Thropick says billions of dollars in revenue could

1:04be at stake in its fight with the Pentagon, and Thropick's suing to block the defense department's designation of the AI company a supply chain risk. NPR's Bobby Allen reports the company says that designation is far reaching effects. And Thropick says some of its current and future work could be in jeopardy if the Pentagon labeling it a supply chain risk remains. The stand-up is over-anthropic refusing to allow its powerful AI models to be used for autonomously lethal weapons and surveilling American citizens. It is the first time the U.S. government has designated a non-eversarial country with a label, which is usually used against firms that could sabotage American interests, like China's Huawei. While it's $200 million contract is a fraction of anthropics $19 billion in annual revenue, the company says being on a federal blacklist will spook some customers to the tune of billions of dollars. The Pentagon says AI companies cannot dictate how the government will deploy its technology, especially in wartime operations. Bobby Allen and PR News. Now, Alabama's governor is bearing the life of a man set to be executed this week for a murder in which he did not pull the trigger.

2:06NPR's WL8 reports that Charles Burton will now spend the rest of his life in prison. Sonny Burton now 75 was facing execution Thursday for his role in a 1991 murder during a robbery at an auto-part store, while another man killed a customer. Matt Schultz is Burton's attorney. And Sonny Burton has apologized for his role in that offense. But Sonny Burton himself did not pull the trigger, nor did he even see the shooting take place. The shooter died in prison, serving life without parole while Burton remained on death row. Alabama governor Kayi V cited the disparate punishments in commuting Burton's death sentence to life without parole. He called it unjust for one participant in the crime to be executed while the trigger man was not. Debbie Elliott and PR News. And you're listening to NPR News. The race to replace Marjorie Taylor, green in Congress is heading to a runoff. No candidate was able to break the 50 percent threshold to avoid the runoff in Georgia's

3:1114th Congressional District. The top two vote getters and Tuesday's special election will face each other next month. Trump and Doris Republican, Clay Fuller and Democrat Sean Harris. YouTube is now the world's largest media company, according to research company Moffit Nathanson, as in PR's Chloe Veltman reports. YouTube made around $62 billion in revenue last year, according to parent company Alphabet. Moffit Nathanson says it edged out Disney's media business, which generated nearly $61 billion in 2025. YouTube is now valued at roughly $500 billion. Its closest competitor is Netflix, which has a market cap of over $400 billion. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos gave a nod to YouTube's massive growth in a speech last month. YouTube is not just cat videos anymore. YouTube is TV. Moffit Nathanson says, despite that climb to the top, YouTube's revenue growth has actually declined a little, rising 14 percent in 2025, compared with 19 percent in 2024.

4:12YouTube did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment. Chloe Veltman, MP on News. The financial markets in Asia largely steady in Wednesday trading following a retreat in oil prices. Japan's Benchmark Nikkei gained 1.3 percent in Hong Kong's stock slip, while the Shanghai Composite edged up in the U.S. and investigators are waiting for a February inflation data to do out later today. I'm Giles Snyder, NPR News. 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.