NPR News: 03-19-2026 10PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton, an American F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing after a combat mission in Iran, NPR's Quill Lawrence reports the pilot was wounded by enemy fire but is in stable condition. U.S. Central Command acknowledged that the F-35 made a safe but unplanned landing and said the incident is under investigation. But a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to NPR that the F-35 fighter was hit by enemy fire and that the pilot is stable after requiring stitches. It's the first known instance of Iran's anti-aircraft defenses damaging a manned American plane. This news broke hours after Secretary of Defense Pete Hexas said Iran's air defenses have been, quote, flattened. Still, Iran is not shot down a single U.S. or Israeli pilot over nearly three weeks of war and thousands of bombing sorties over Iranian airspace. Quill Lawrence NPR News. NPR has confirmed that President Trump's Board of Peace has given Hamas a formal proposal to lay down its weapons that's according to a senior U.S. official not authorized to speak

1:04publicly. The proposal calls for Hamas and all other militant groups in Gaza to decommission their weapons as NPR's Daniel Estran explains. We have been hearing for many months that maybe Hamas would be asked to, for instance, gradually give up its heavy weapons and only later give up its rifles, its personal firearms. This person seems to be saying that this proposal is for it to give up all of its weapons all at the same time and not just Hamas, but also new militias that have formed in Gaza during the war, anti-Hamas militias that some of them Israel armed throughout the war. NPR's Daniel Estran reporting. Shocking revelations are prompting a reckoning over the legacy of Sayzar Shavez. Communities are canceling Shavez day events and reconsidering how he's remembered. The Texas Newsroom's Lucio Vasquez spoke to historians who say this could be an opportunity to refocus on the broader farm worker movement. For decades, Caesar Chavez has been revered as a central figure in the fight for farm worker

2:07rights. But new reporting that corroborates allegations of sexual assault and child rape is reshaping how that legacy is viewed. Cynthia Orozco is a historian with the League of United Latin American citizens. She says the moment calls for a shift in focus beyond Chavez himself. Let's celebrate the farm workers, the farm worker movement, and let's celebrate the Lotus Werta and let's celebrate the women who are now speaking out. Orozco says movements are built by people, not just leaders, and that this is a chance to recognize contributions that have often been overlooked. For NPR News, I'm Lucio Vasquez. Oil prices climbed again because of the war with Iran, sending stock markets lower around the world. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. is now near $4. This is NPR News. The latest World Happiness Report found that Finland is the happiest land of the world for the ninth year in a row. The report also says that heavy social media use has contributed to a stark decline and

3:11well-being among young people. It found that the effects are particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe. Uber is investing over a billion dollars in Rivian automotive to make autonomous vehicles as the California-based electric vehicle company builds its Georgia plant, Marlon Hyde, with Member Station WABE, has more. Uber is getting ready to launch 50,000 of its own robot taxis. The rideshare giant says it will begin deploying driverless vehicles in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, then expand to 25 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2031. To start, the company would buy 10,000 fully autonomous vehicles from Rivian. The EV Maker plans to start producing its R2 electric SUVs this year. As it continues to build its long-delayed Georgia facility, roughly 40 minutes east of Atlanta. Uber's initial $300 million investment is still subject to regulatory approval.

4:13A year after his death, an AI version of Val Kilmer, will co-star in an independent film called as Deep as the Grave. The producers St. Kilmer had signed on to perform the movie before his death. Kilmer's estate gave permission for his digital replication and is being compensated for it. Kilmer died last April from pneumonia at the age of 65. This is NPR News from Washington. According 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.