NPR News: 03-18-2026 2AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. Iran now confirms that its top security leader, Ali Lajanjani and one other leader were killed during an Israeli air strike Tuesday. NPR's Kerry Khan and Tel Aviv reports that Lajanjani was believed to have been directing a war effort since Israel assassinated the Supreme Leader in the first hours of the war. It was widely believed that Lajanjani was running Iran. He was also involved in talks with the Trump administration before the war. Here's Zayed Rad al-Hussein. He's a former Jordanian diplomat and president of the International Peace Institute. He says he was surprised Lajanjani was targeted. Because he seemed to be the one person whose international community could talk to her. And now with him apparently having been killed, it's difficult to see who one speaks to in the IRGC. The IRGC being a powerful branch of the Iranian security apparatus. NPR's Kerry Khan, a former official in the ex-serien dictator Bashar al-Assad's government, has

1:06been convicted in U.S. court of torture and immigration fraud. A jury handed down the verdict after a nine-day trial in Los Angeles. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. The jury found Samir Usman al-Sheikh guilty of four counts of torture as well as immigration offenses. The now 73-year-old was in charge of a notorious Syrian prison in Damascus from 2005 to 2008. Witness testimony in other evidence presented a trial. Showed al-Sheikh personally ordered inmates to undergo torture, including beatings with fists and cables. Evidence also indicated inmates were hung from the ceiling by their wrists for extended periods of time. And prosecutors showed al-Sheikh lied about his role in the torture at the prison when he applied for his visa to come to the U.S. in 2020 to become a permanent resident and later a U.S. citizen. Sentencing will take place later this year. Ryan Lucas and PR News, Washington. The Senate is beginning a marathon debate on what the administration is calling the Save America Act. As NPR's Barbara Sprott reports, the election bill is the top priority of President Trump's.

2:08The Senate voted to begin debate 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 Sprott and PR News, the Capitol. Illinois's lieutenant governor, Julie Ann Stratton, has been declared the winner in the Democratic primary in the election held Tuesday night for the U.S. Senate seat to succeed the retiring senator, Dick Durbin, and from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. As Cuba's widening economic turmoil worsened Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the country's current leadership and its political and government systems cannot fix the

3:12country's problems and the nation he said needs dramatic change. Cuba is now in the midst of a third major blackout since December amid the loss of critical oil from Venezuela as the U.S. conducts an energy blockade. The United Farm Workers' Society will not participate in activities this month honoring its co-founder and the famed Union Leader Caesar Chavez. The Union says it's become aware of sexual abuse allegations against Chavez who died in 1993. NPR's Adrienne Florida reports. In a statement, the UFW said it had been made aware of, quote, deeply troubling allegations that Chavez had abused young women and girls. The Union did not say how it learned of these allegations, but said they're serious enough that it's seeking more information and wants to help possible victims. NPR has not independently verified the allegations against Chavez. In the 1960s, he became a national leader for farm workers and civil rights. In a separate statement, the Cesar Chavez Foundation said, quote, we're deeply shocked

4:14and saddened by what we're hearing. Though details of the allegations have yet to emerge, fallout has been swift in California, Texas, and Arizona. Events honoring Chavez's birthday March 31st have been canceled or renamed. It was a mixed day on Wall Street, the Dow was down, the Nasdaq, and the X and P rub fractionally. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News in Washington. Support for in, 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 dot NPR dot org. That's plus dot NPR dot org.