NPR News: 03-19-2026 1PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua Halisai-Kao-Tao. While hosting Japan's first female prime minister at the White House, President Trump said he's not putting troops on the ground in the Middle East. Iran is a serious threat to the world, to the Middle East and to the world, and everybody agrees with me. I think virtually every country agrees with me on that. So I wanted to put out that fire, and I said, you know, when we do that, oil prices will go up, the economy will go down a little bit. I feel it would be worse, much worse, actually. I thought it was a chance it could be much worse, it's not bad, and it's going to be over with pretty soon. Through an interpreter prime minister at Sennhei, Takauuchi said the global economy will experience a huge hit because of the war in Iran, but she expressed faith in Trump. I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world. The meeting's intended focus, China and business deals has been overshadowed by the Iran

1:02War. Joe Kent, the counterterrorism official who quit his job over the war against Iran, tells a high-profile critic of the conflict, Tucker Carlson, while he did so, and Piers-Alena Moore reports. Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is casting doubt on key arguments the White House made for attacking Iran, saying the country did not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. and was not close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. They weren't three weeks ago, and this started, and they weren't in June either. June, referring to the U.S. military strike on Iran's nuclear sites, Kent has faced blowback in the past four conspiratorial comments, including about the January 6 attack on the Capitol. But Kent's comments here may be giving voice to a fraying part of the Maga coalition, who feel Trump promised one thing, no new wars, and are getting the opposite. Alena Moore and Piers News. Most people who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces have had to cut household expenses this year to help manage higher cost.

2:03And by Selena Simmons' death and reports, that's according to a new survey published today. Congress let extra premium subsidies expire this year. So costs are much higher for the millions of people enrolled in ACA plans, including Ken Warner and his wife, Parvin Vora, and Manchester, Connecticut. In 2025, we were paying 630 per month, and now we're over 2,500. The new survey from nonpartisan health research organization, KFF, asked ACA enrollees about how they've managed these higher costs. Here's KFF pollster Ashley Kerzinger. More than half said that they're cutting back on some sort of household spending. That includes cutting back on groceries, or may be finding an extra job or working more hours. Warner says he may have to take money from retirement savings. Selena Simmons' death and Piers News. And this is NPR from New York. Spring break travelers have already witnessed long lines at airports across the country,

3:06with some people experiencing our long delays due to staffing problems. The Transportation Security Administration says it has received record numbers of employees calling out sick, leading to more travel disruptions across the country. New report finds older Americans own a bigger share of real estate wealth than ever before. The shift comes as younger people struggle in the housing market, as NPR's Jennifer Lutton reports. Homeowner's age 70 and above now own just over a quarter of real estate wealth, about the same as middle aged people, whose share has declined. That's according to a new analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin. Those in between the two groups, ages 55 to 69, own the most real estate wealth. Redfin finds the older baby boomers are the only group that's seen steady housing gains for nearly four decades. Ganger generations have all seen their share of real estate wealth stagnate or shrink amid rising home prices and mortgage rates.

4:07The tough market has also made it hard to downsize, and that's left many older people reluctant to give up their homes. Jennifer Lutton in Pairnews, Washington. Record triple-digit temperatures are being set this month as an estimated 41 million people are experiencing heat alerts from California's Desert Community to Arizona. Meanwhile cold, arctic air remains in the Midwest and the Northeast because of what's known as the polar vortex. I'm Doha Lisa Keltaugh and Pairnews. Listen to NPR News Now, sponsor free with Amazon Music Unlimited. Get started on the Amazon Music App, or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get NPR Plus at plus dot NPR dot org.