NPR News: 03-18-2026 12AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. Iran now confirms that its top security official, Ari Larjeetani and one other leader were killed during an Israeli air strike on Tuesday. NPR's Kerry Khan and Tel Aviv reports he was believed to be directing Iran's effort in the war since Israel assassinated the Iranian Supreme Leader in the first hours of the war. He is Ali Larjeetani and he is a long career in the Iranian political upper echelons. He was the speaker of the parliament among other appointments and was a top adviser to the assassinated Supreme Leader and after Israel killed the leader, it was widely believed that Larjeetani was running Iran. He was also involved in talks with the Trump administration before the war. Iran has been hitting back today, sending missiles and drones into both Israel and the neighboring Gulf states. In a speech today at the United Kingdom's parliament, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

1:00issued a clear message to President Trump. The U.S. he said needs Ukraine to help fight the war in the Middle East. NPR's Lorne Freyer reports from London. The UK parliament speaker, Lindsey Hoyle, introduced Zelensky with a phrase that means glory to Ukraine. Slava Ukraine, Mr. President, the floor is yours. Zelensky told members of parliament that Russia and Iran are collaborating on drone technology. The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred and that is why they are brothers in weapons. Zelensky said Ukraine is capable of producing 2,000 interceptor drones per day and can supply half that amount to its allies. His UK visit comes amid fears that the Iran war is boosting Russia's economy with oil revenue and diverting global attention and resources away from Ukraine's defense. Lorne Freyer and PR News London. The head of the U.S. Postal Service says that agency is on track to run out of money in

2:00less than a year and may have to stop delivering the mail. As NPR's Hansi LaWong reports, the Postmaster General is asking Congress for help. Tens of millions of households and businesses rely on the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail and packages six days a week to every address in the country. But the Federal Agency generally receives no tax dollars to keep running, relies instead on stamps and service fees. With fewer people relying on U.S. P.S. then in past decades, Postmaster General David Steiner is telling a House Oversight Subcommittee that U.S. P.S. is on track to run out of cash to pay its workers and vendors in about a year. So far, mail deliveries have not stopped because U.S. P.S. has been able to borrow $15 billion from the U.S. Treasury and hold off on paying some pension obligations. Steiner is asking Congress to change laws to allow the Postal Service to borrow more money and reform how it pays for retirement benefits for postal workers. Hansi LaWong and Pair News. On Wall Street, stocks were mixed. The Dow was up the Nasdaq was down. The S&P was flat. You're listening to NPR news. The terror threat at Tampa's McDill Air Force Base, the home of U.S. Central Command,

3:05was elevated to tonight to what's called Charlie Level, which means a terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities could be likely on the base's Facebook page. It said Israel said that its level was raised so the military could implement deliberate security measures proactively. While historic storms dropped feet of snow over the Upper Midwest, people in the Southwest are preparing for record-breaking heat. Daniel Montoya, from a conversation KU&M reports, the New Mexico Department of Health has issued a heat illness advisory in response to an unprecedented heat wave. The temperature in Albuquerque is expected to go from 76 degrees on Monday to 91 by Saturday, almost two months earlier than the typical first 90-degree day, which would be an all-time, much record high for the retirement march and would be to by six degrees. That's Clay Anderson, a senior forecaster at the National Weather Service. Even though the highs or numbers New Mexicans are used to seeing every summer,

4:06Anderson says temperatures that get this high this quickly, especially this early in the year, could catch people off guard before the body has had time to become acclimated to the heat. For NPR News, I'm Daniel Montonio in Albuquerque. Flight cancellations and delays are stacking up in security lines at airports are getting longer. This is TSA agents have not been paid and are working without pay for more than a month because of the partial government shutdown. More than 1,100 flights were canceled on Tuesday, 8,700 were delayed. I'm Dan Roman, NPR News in Washington. So 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.