NPR News: 03-12-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton, a man armed with a rifle rammed his truck into a synagogue in suburban Detroit. The FBI says it's investigating it as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. As Russ McNamara from Detroit Public Radio reports, the attacker is dead. What motivated him is still unknown. There was an exchange of gunfire at Temple, Israel, and West Bloomfield Township, however the only injury was a security guard who was trucked by the vehicle. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard says he had been working with local police in preparation for a potential attack at area synagogues since the start of the war with Iran. We've been talking for two weeks about the potential satellite this happening, so there was no lack of preparation. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer called the attack heartbreaking and that quote, Michigan's Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace. For NPR News, I'm Russ McNamara in Detroit. A shooter killed one person and wounded two others at Old Dominion University in Norfolk,

1:03Virginia. He's been identified as its former Army National Guard's been Muhammad Baylor Jollow. FBI Special Agent Dominique Evans says an ROTC student subdued him and police found him dead at the scene. There were students that were in that room that subdued him and rendered him no longer alive. Jollow pleaded guilty in 2016 for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and was released from prison in 2024. Oil prices surged again today, touching $100 a barrel and then dropping back a bit as Iran maintains an effective closure of the vital strait of Hormuz Waterway. NPR's Greg Meiery reports that more ships have also come at her attack. The U.S. military says it sunk most of Iran's navy, yet Iranian threats and attacks are still keeping oil tankers from traveling through the strait of Hormuz off its southwest coast.

2:04Gregory Brue is with the Eurasia Group, a political consulting firm. We are currently experiencing what is the largest oil supply disruption in history. The straight is just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, which means Iran can strike ships from its own territory. Several have been hit over the past two days. President Trump has hinted that the U.S. Navy may start escorting oil tankers, but so far the ships are on their own. Greg Meiery, NPR News, Washington. The Trump administration is suing California over the state's nation-leading vehicle emission standards. This comes amid a steep rise in gas prices due to the Iran war. California already has the highest gas prices in the nation due to taxes and environmental regulations. The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle over the state's efforts to curb pollution from cars that poses risks to the climate and public health. This is NPR News. In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad

3:05bill to try and make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable. It would regulate corporate investors while reducing other regulations, and it would expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. Now heads back to the House, which passed a separate version earlier this year. A strong El Nino weather pattern could be on the way this summer, NPR's Rebecca Hirscher reports that would drive up global temperatures later this year. El Nino happens when the water in the eastern Pacific is warmer than usual. It causes global average temperatures to rise slightly. When you combine that with the much larger warming effects of humans burning fossil fuels, you often get record breaking heat. A long strong El Nino in 2023 and 2024 led both of those years to shattered global temperature records. Now, federal forecasters say it's likely El Nino will return between June and August. That would also affect regional weather patterns in the U.S. The South generally sees more rain and lower temperatures in years when El Nino is active,

4:07and El Nino also makes it more difficult for hurricanes to form in the Atlantic. Rebecca Hirscher and P.R. News. A sly red fox somehow slipped onto a cargo ship that traveled from Southampton, England to New York. He's now in the Bronx Zoo's cares. It's not clear how he got onto the ship full of automobiles. A long-term home will be found once he clears some more health screening. The species widespread in Europe, Asia, North America, and parts of Africa. Worries about the war with Iran sent socks sinking today. This is NPR News from Washington. This week on the NPR Politics Podcast. The war on Iran is rippling through the global economy, and we're unpacking what that could mean for this November's midterms. Plus, detailed reporting on the tactics ICE is using to surveil American citizens. Listen this week on the NPR Politics Podcast. On the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.