NPR News: 03-16-2026 10PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. EU Foreign Ministers met in Brussels today about the escalating war in Iran, saying despite President Trump's demands for help in opening the Strait of Hormuz, they won't be sending ships saying the war isn't theirs. Oil and gas traffic in the strait is at a standstill, reiling energy markets and gas prices. Terry Schultz has more from Brussels. Well, EU Foreign Ministers seem to all be on the same page here, and that page is not the one Donald Trump wants them on. The EU already has a naval mission in the region, Operation Aspides. But this is primarily focused on protecting navigation in the Red Sea. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kayakullis put on the table some options for expanding the mandate of this operation to possibly guarding ships in the Strait of Hormuz as well, and the consensus was, no. Terry Schultz reporting, EU leaders say they're working toward a swift resolution that brings security and stability back to the region. Iran's threatening to take out satellites and media infrastructure associated with a

1:03Persian-language news organization based in London. Empire's Arzuz Resvani has more. In comments broadcast on state media channels, a spokesman for Iran's Joint Military Command accused Iran International of attempting to quote wage psychological warfare against the Iranian people. Turkmenistan and Monaco hosts satellites that carry the channel's broadcasts. Iran International has critically covered news and developments in Iran since it was launched in 2017. The outlet regularly broadcasts messages and interviews with prominent dissidents, activists and opposition leaders. Many Iranian households tune into the channel via illegal satellite dishes that security forces sometimes confiscate. Sources inside Iran tell NPR that since the start of the war, Iranian authorities have been jamming signals to try to prevent people from watching the channel. There have long been questions about whether the channel is funded or supported by Saudi Arabia. Arzuz Resvani and NPR News Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

2:04President Trump says his administration is an ongoing talks with Cuba and that he thinks he'll have, quote, the honor of taking the country. It's not clear if he meant that diplomatically or militarily. And here's Deepah Shiverham has more. In an event in the Oval Office, Trump called Cuba a quote failed nation. He said taking the country would be a quote big honor. Trump has been saying for weeks that Cuba needs to make a deal with the U.S. or face consequences similar to the ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. After seizing Maduro, the U.S. imposed a blockade on Cuba's oil supply from Venezuela. The island is facing a collapsed power grid and growing protests. Deepah Shiverham and NPR News The White House. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. The partial government shutdown now in its second month means TSA workers, the ones who

3:06check travelers and bags, are working without pay. Aaron Barker is a union representative for TSA workers. This is they want to be paid like other federal workers are during the shutdown. Many are coping with eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators, and overdrawn bank accounts. Every available financial option has been exhausted. Yet, these officers are still coming to work to protect the traveling public. Speaking there outside Atlanta's Hartzfeld airport. Every Tennessee teen sued Elon Musk's XAI for allowing someone to make nude and sexually explicit images of them when they were minors. And here's who she none has more. According to the civil complaint, the perpetrator used photos when plaintiffs sent to him, as well as photos in a yearbook and on social media, to make images and videos in which the plaintiffs appear to be nude. He then used the material he generated to trade for more child sexual abuse material in online communities.

4:08The plaintiffs alleged, partly based on law enforcement assessment, that the model the perpetrator used was made by XAI. The class action lawsuit is the first suit filed by minor victims of CSAM against X. Since its image generation tool, GROC, produced millions of sexualized images late last year and early this year. What's in that? MPR News. You as futures contracts are trading lower at this hour, Dow futures are down about two tenths of a percent. You're listening to MPR News from Washington.