NPR News: 03-17-2026 10AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kurova Coleman. Israel says it is killed Iran's top security chief Ali Laranjani. Laranjani was a former nuclear negotiator and a close ally of Iran's late supreme leader. Separately, the Israeli military also says it has assassinated the leader of Iran's main paramilitary force. Some Western nations are warning that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon could lead to a humanitarian crisis. Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK have issued a statement warning of a prolonged conflict. Lebanon says Israeli strikes have displaced more than a million Lebanese, or about 20 percent of the population. And Piers-Hadil Al-Shelce reports from Beirut. Israeli military says it has begun what it called, quote, limited and targeted ground operations against Hisbullah and troops are going deeper into parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon has also issued new evacuation orders for people in the south, raising fears there because that was a move Israel used in Gaza, where many Palestinians weren't allowed to

1:02go back to their homes. While there was no official reaction from Lebanese officials, Lebanese President Josef Aron has been calling for direct talks with Israel. Ron Durmer, a confidant of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed that he's been appointed to lead potential negotiations with Lebanon. Hadil Al-Shelce and Piers News, Beirut. Docs opened higher this morning as the price of diesel fuel topped $5 a gallon. And Piers got hoarsely reports that Dow Jones' industrial average rose more than 400 points in early training. The price of diesel fuel has jumped more than $1.25 since the U.S. launched its war against Iran a little over two weeks ago if sustained those higher diesel prices could raise the cost of transporting lots of other products. That could complicate the Federal Reserve's efforts to curb inflation. Federal policy makers begin a two-day meeting here in Washington today. In addition to price pressures, the Fed is keeping a close eye on the weakening job market. U.S. employers cut 92,000 jobs last month as the unemployment rate inched up to 4.4%.

2:03The Central Bank is expected to hold its benchmark interest rate steady at the conclusion of its meeting tomorrow. Scott Horsley in Piers News, Washington. A federal judge has blocked important parts of the Trump administration's changes to vaccine policies that stems from a lawsuit filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. They oppose health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the administration's decision to slash the number of recommended vaccines for children. Dr. Amesh Adaljim is with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Even though this judge has made the right decision, the whole vaccine ecosystem is completely disrupted and people don't trust the CDC now because it's under the thumb of RFK Jr. So I don't know how they can repair the ACIP. The ACIP is the advisory committee on immunization practices. The Trump administration says it will appeal the judge's ruling. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. President Trump will welcome Ireland's prime minister to the White House today, the Irish

3:04T-Shuck, Michal Martin. It's a tradition on St. Patrick's Day for the T-Shuck of the Republic of Ireland to pay a visit to U.S. leaders. And we'll also go to Capitol Hill today for a luncheon. A new poll by the National Alliance for Mental Illness or NAMI finds that one in four employees have considered quitting their job due to mental health impacts of work. And Piers-Ritu Chatterjee has more. Three out of four respondents think mental health is an appropriate topic for the workplace, and yet nearly half are worried about being judged for sharing their mental health problems. Mike Delp is Director of Workplace Mental Health at NAMI. Most people in our study this year so that they are more comfortable talking about their ethnicity, their gender identity, sexual orientation, physical health, religion, spirituality, than talking about their mental health. Employees think managers play a key role, but Delp says less than 30% of managers have been trained to support mental health conversations.

4:05We know that workplaces can be a really vital place to impact mental health in a way that supports individuals, families, the organization itself, but that ripples out to communities. Ritu Chatterjee and Piers News. Unionized meat packers in Colorado have gone on strike. They're picketing the largest meat company in the world, JBS. About 3,800 workers are on the picket line. They're demanding wage increases that they say, keep up with inflation. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News from Washington. At this year's Oscars, one battle after another took home the award for best picture, Michael B. Jordan won for lead actor, and the telecast had plenty of jokes at Timothy Shalamay's expense. Listen to a recap on pop culture happy hour via the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.