NPR News: 03-11-2026 9PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton, three commercial ships were struck around the strait of Hormuz setting one cargo ship on fire. More than a dozen vessels have come under attack around the strategic waterway. Since the war with Iran began a week and a half ago, which has brought shipping to a virtual standstill, NPR's Jackie Northam reports. Maritime monitoring agencies say fire broke out in the engine room of a Thai flag cargo ship after it was struck off the coast of Oman. Iran has claimed responsibility. Two other ships flying Greek and Japanese flags were also hit. US Central Command says it attacked Iranian mind-laying vessels around the strait of Hormuz, although it's unclear whether Iran has laid mines in the narrow waterway. Iran has warned vessels need permission to pass through the strait of Hormuz. Hundreds of oil tankers around the strait are idle because of the risk, sending the price of oil skyrocketing. President Trump promised to send naval escorts, but that hasn't happened yet. Jackie Northam in P.R. News.

1:05Ukraine has sent its security chief and military representatives to the Middle East to secure defense assistance in exchange for Ukrainian anti-drone expertise and supplies. And P.R.'s Joanna Kekisis reports from Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that his country has the greatest experience in downing Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones. He said countries buying interceptor drones realize they cannot operate them without Ukraine's help. Ukraine uses cheap interceptor drones to hunt and destroy Shahed's, which Russian forces regularly lob at Ukrainian cities. Zelensky said in exchange for interceptor drones and expertise, Ukraine would like supplies for Patriot Air Defense Systems, which destroy ballistic missiles. Joanna Kekisis and P.R. News, Kiev. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, says it's cracking down on scammers.

2:05P.R.'s Shannon Bond reports the big tech company has been criticized for making money off the ads. Meta says online scams are getting more sophisticated. They use AI to create convincing fake accounts and lure unsuspecting users into conversations. And they buy ads that sometimes impersonate celebrities or known brands. Meta says it recently took down 150,000 accounts connected to scam networks in Southeast Asia, which is a hub for organized scammers. Police in Thailand arrested 21 people involved in the scams. Meta says it's also working to increase the number of advertisers whose identity it verifies to reduce abuse. It says it wants 90% of ad revenue to come from verified advertisers by the end of the year, up from 70% now. Shannon Bond and P.R. News. The US stock market remained relatively calm today, even as the price of oil climbed again. This is NPR News from Washington. Two more members of the Iranian women's soccer team were granted asylum in Australia before

3:06their teammates departed, but one later changed her mind and will return to Iran. The pair was reunited with five players who were granted humanitarian visas a day earlier. The rest of the team left Sydney to return to Iran late yesterday. Texas plans to ban the sale of smokeable cannabis by the end of the month from member station KUT Nathan Bernier reports on newly adopted rules for the state's booming hemp industry. In Texas, cannabis with a low percentage of THC is considered to be legal hemp, but hemp also contains something called THCA, which converts to THC when smoked. Under the new rules, THCA is restricted to effectively banning cannabis flower and smokeable extracts in Texas. Heather Fazio with the Texas cannabis policy center says those products have been widely popular. We are wiping out 50% of the legal market and handing it over to the illicit market. Edibles will still be allowed, but Texas stores that sell them will see their annual fees go from $150 per location to $5,000. The new rules take effect March 31. I'm Nathan

4:11Bernier in Austin. King Penguins are adapting to climate change in a way that seems to help them breed successfully, which is unusual. Researchers tracked about 19,000 birds on a sub-antarctic island chain that found breeding is starting 19 days earlier than in 2000. That's led to a 40% jump in breeding success. That's a rarity in the natural world where warming often disrupts species. We're listening to NPR News from Washington.