NPR News: 03-17-2026 7PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. The director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, has resigned to protest the war in Iran. Ampere's Greg Meyri reports Kent had been 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, I cannot in 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.

1:03Greg Meyri, NPR News, Washington. Persians are marking their new year with an ancient tradition dubbed the Festival of Fire. But this year, after a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests and amid U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, Iranians say they're scared to celebrate. Ampere's Emily Fang has more. The Festival of Fire is celebrated with firecrackers, bonfires, and dancing. This year, some Iranians are managing to get texts out of Iran, despite in your total government blackout of the country's internet and phone lines. And they say a powerful paramilitary group, the besiege, is warning people to stay home for the holidays. One shopkeeper in Tehran sent text to NPR saying he's too scared to visit a friend for the Festival, fearing detention, and newly set up paramilitary show points. And a young woman in Tehran wrote to NPR saying she'd bought firecrackers and was planning to set them off in defiance of the informal ban on celebrating. Emily Fang, NPR News, Istanbul.

2:03The Senate is beginning a marathon debate on what the administration is calling the Save America Act. NPR's Barbara Sprint reports the elections bill is a top priority of President Trump, and it's unlikely to pass. The Senate voted to begin to bat an exercise that may take several days or even longer. The legislation would require proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote. President Trump has said he won't sign most other bills until Congress passes this legislation. Republicans need support from Democrats in order to reach the 60 vote threshold to get the bill over the finish line. Democrats do not support this bill. Non-citizens cannot legally vote in federal elections, and officials and other experts say instances of them doing so anyway are rare. Barbara Sprint and Piers News, the Capitol. U.S. Future's contracts are trading lower at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The major heat wave is headed to the southwest.

3:03Phoenix is expecting highs above 100 degrees, which will be the hottest march temperatures ever recorded there. From Member Station KJZZ, Catherine Davis Young has more. Meteorologist Sean Benedict with the National Weather Service says Phoenix has only ever hit 100 degrees in March one time before. But this week, multiple days are likely to reach 105 or hotter. So not even just touching one under, we're pushing well past it. Phoenix typically doesn't have its first 100 degree day until May. This week would be the earliest the city has ever reached the triple digits. A strong high pressure system is driving the extreme heat across the west. The climate research organization Climate Central reports the record-shattering temperatures have been made much likelier due to human-caused carbon pollution. For NPR News, I'm Catherine Davis Young in Phoenix. Thousands of flights are canceled or delayed after powerful storms swept through the upper Midwest and the East Coast.

4:05The flight tracking site, flight aware, says more than 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled today and 7,000 others have been delayed. And while travelers are facing long delays at airports as more TSA workers call out sick, they're working without pay as the partial government shutdown continues with funding for the Department of Homeland Security blocked in a dispute over its immigration tactics. Wall Street was hired by the closing bell today, the Dow up 46, NASDAQ up 105, S&P 500, up 16. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.