NPR News: 03-17-2026 11PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton has secured her party's nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, beating out two Democratic House members in a long list of others. That's according to the race now called by the Associated Press. From Member Station WBEZ in Chicago, Mariah Wouffle has more. Supporters are exuberant here at a watch party at a film studio on Chicago's West Side. Stratton had consistently pulled in second place to Congressman Roger Krishnamorthy, whose campaign spent $25 million on ads that have been airing since July. But Stratton had this notable last-minute surge in the polls with the help from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who threw in $5 million to help the group supporting the state's lieutenant governor. Stratton beat out nine candidates, including Congressman Robin Kelly. For NPR News, I'm Mariah Wouffle in Chicago at Stratton's Victory Party.

1:01The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, resigned to protest the war in Iran. NPR's Greg Meiery reports Kent was a staunch supporter of President Trump because Trump said he opposed Middle East wars. Joe Kent addressed his blunt resignation letter to President Trump in a post on X. He wrote, quote, "'Good conscience' support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. Kent is a former Green Beret deployed 11 times in the Middle East. His wife was a senior chief petty officer in the Navy. She was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019. When nominated for his position last year, Kent faced sharp criticism from Democrats, including Senator Patty Murray. She called Kent, quote, a conspiracy theorist who espouses white supremacist views. Greg Meiery, NPR News, Washington.

2:02Brent Crude Oil is now trading at just more than $100 a barrel, $30 higher before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran. NPR's Avra Bertrandi reports on the latest Iranian counter strikes in the Gulf. The UAE says Iranian drones attacked a major gas production plant in Abu Dhabi, forcing it to suspend operations. And for the third time, a key oil storage facility was hit in the Emirate of Fragera, sparking a fire there. The attacks have forced Gulf energy producers, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, to also suspend our hot gas and oil production. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is rerouting some oil exports through the Red Sea to bypass the state of Hamuz. Countries that rely on Arab Gulf states for energy are now rationing supplies. Pakistan has suspended schools and reduced working hours for some government offices. Bangladesh has similarly shuttered universities to conserve resources. Aebel Trawi and Pyrenees Dubai were reporting by Umkar Handakar in Mumbai. And this is NPR. The threat terror level at Tampa's McDill Air Force Base, the home of the U.S. Central

3:05Command, has been elevated to tonight to what's now called Charlie level, which means that terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely. Charlie is the second highest of the five levels of terrorism threats earlier in the day. It had been at the Bravo level, which means there was an increased more predictable threat. A new study of diet and disease finds that more ultra-processed food a person eats, the higher their risk of developing heart disease. NPR's Alison Aubrey has more on the association between processed food and cardiovascular problems. The study included more than 6,000 adults aged 45 to mid-80s and found that with every additional serving of ultra-processed foods, people reported as part of their typical diet, the higher the odds of a heart attack or stroke. Dr. Amir Haider of UT Southwestern authored the study. If you were in the top 20 percent of those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods, which was about nine servings per day, you had a 67 percent higher risk.

4:07The study looked at several ethnic groups, including Asian, black, and Hispanic participants. Dr. Amir Haider says prior research shows junk foods have been more heavily marketed toward minority populations, which is one factor that may help explain the more pronounced relationship with black Americans. Alison Aubrey, NPR News. Venezuela defeated the United States three to two in the final game of the pre-season world baseball classic tournament in a game that just ended in Miami. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News in Washington. Support for NPR. This week on up first, three weeks into the US and Israel's war in Iran, Israel says operations will continue for three weeks more, with global oil prices on the rise and tanker traffic in the state of Hormuz at a standstill. Join us each morning as we make sense of a relentless barrage of headlines and tell you what you need to know to start your day. Up first on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.