NPR News: 03-19-2026 6PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton, NPR has learned that President Trump's Board of Peace has given Hamas a formal proposal to lay down its weapons. The proposal calls for Hamas and all other militant groups in Gaza to decommission their weapons as NPR's Daniel S. reports from Jerusalem. The demilitarization proposal was handed over to Hamas last week. That's according to a senior U.S. official, another official in the Middle East, and a third person briefed on the matter. They spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly. A Hamas official denied having received a proposal. One person briefed on the proposal called it a comprehensive framework for Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza to decommission their weapons, so the new transitional Palestinian leadership would be responsible for all weapons in Gaza. The person said if Hamas accepts the proposal, it would ensure large-scale reconstruction in Gaza, and that Hamas is expected to respond to the proposal in about a week's time after the Muslim-Eed holiday.

1:01Daniel Astran, NPR News, Jerusalem. This Senate is one step closer to confirming President Trump's new choice to run the Department of Homeland Security, Oklahoma Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullin, as NPR's Elena Moore reports. The Senate Homeland Security Committee has voted to advance Mullin's nomination, with eight lawmakers voting for and seven against. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to vote yes, and the only Republican on the panel to vote no, committee chairman Rand Paul of Kentucky. During Mullin's committee hearing on Wednesday, Paul questioned whether he was the right person to lead DHS, zeroing in on Mullin's temperament and frequent use of violent rhetoric. Mullin walked some of that rhetoric back and distanced himself from the administration on some hard-line immigration enforcement policies. His nomination now proceeds to the Senate floor for a vote, but it's unclear when that will happen. Elena Moore and P.R. News. TSA officers are still working unpaid through the now 33-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, though some are calling in sick, creating major lines outside airport

2:05terminals. Stocks fell again today following attacks on energy facilities in the Middle East to the Dow dropped nearly half a percent. As NPR's Rafael Non-Reports investors are worried that the war with Iran will lead to a global energy crisis. The attacks on gas sites in Iran and Qatar are racing fears about the impact on energy supplies, prices for oil surged initially, although they eventually retreated a little, while all three major stock indexes fell for a second straight day. The Trump administration is trying to calm investors, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the U.S. is considering lifting sanctions on some Iranian oil. The problem is that investors are not seeing a clear path to end the war in Iran, and the longer the war goes on, the bigger the consequences for the global economy, especially in terms of inflation, Rafael Non-Reports in P.R. News. This is NPR News from Washington. Attorney General in eight states and direct TV are suing to block the merger of next

3:06star and its rival, Tegna. The Democratic leaders argue that the creation of a broadcast behemoth would result in higher prices for consumers and further losses in the already struggling local news market. An auction of Arctic drilling rights on the nation's largest track to federal land broke records this week, totaling nearly $164 million, Alaska Public Media's Liz Ruskin reports. The government announced bids on more than a million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. Some bids were on land that had previously been off limits to protect caribou, migrating birds, and the hunting rights of Arctic villagers. Two environmental lawsuits are pending in federal court. Bidding was heavy near Willow, conical Phillips's mega drilling project already underway. One Alaska economist says companies were more eager to bid now that National Energy Policy no longer promotes a transition away from fossil fuels. The administration also plans a lease sale this year to the east in the Arctic Refuge.

4:09For NPR News, I'm Liz Ruskin. The latest world happiness report found that Finland is the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row. Other Nordic countries like Iceland, Denmark, and Sweden ranked in the top 10. The report also says that across the world heavy social media use has contributed to a stark decline in the well-being among young people. We found that the effects are particularly wearing in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe. This is NPR News from Washington.