NPR News: 03-20-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. President Trump said on social media tonight he's considering winding down military efforts in the Middle East. But earlier in the day, his administration deployed more warships and another 2,500 Marines to the region nearly three weeks into the war, the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran. Iran has been firing on energy sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states and effectively closed off the strait of Hormuz, choking off oil supplies and disrupting the global economy. Trump is calling on other countries to police the strait. Trump has said this week that the U.S. didn't need help securing the strait, while also accusing other countries of not helping.

1:01The average price of regular gas in the U.S. is now $3.91, NPR's Camila Domenoski reports internet search data shows more people are considering electric vehicles. Since the start of this month, the war in Iran has pushed gasoline prices up sharply. And on the autosite Edmonds, the share of shoppers considering electric vehicles grew about 15% to its highest level all year. Now searching for a vehicle is not the same as buying one, there are lots of factors in a purchase. I've enjoyed the director of insights at Edmonds. The answer to $5 gallon gas is not buying a $50,000 car, but it's definitely something that you should put in your consideration set. But analysts say if prices remain high, it can push shoppers to put a higher value on fuel savings as they choose vehicles. Camila Domenoski NPR news. In the computer server maker, Super Micro plummeted today, this after a company co-founder and two others were charged with exporting banned AI servers to China. NPR's John Ruich has more.

2:02The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York says Super Micro, co-founder Willie Leah and a company contractor were arrested. A third person is still at large. The indictment says they conspired to violate U.S. export controls. The government bans the sale to China of certain cutting-edge microchips used in artificial intelligence. The Department of Justice says the three people and co-conspirators used brokers and a company in Southeast Asia to ship banned U.S. chips from Taiwan to China. The Southeast Asian company bought $2.5 billion worth of servers containing the chips between 2024 and 2025. The company says in a statement it was not named as a defendant and the conduct of the individuals alleged in the indictment violates company policies and compliance rules. John Ruich NPR News Surging oil prices shook stock markets again today as hopes collapsed for a possible cut to interest rates later this year by the Federal Reserve. This is NPR News. Jehovah's Witness leaders are modifying their rules on blood transfusions by letting

3:05members choose whether to store and reuse their own blood for medical care. They've maintained a ban on using others' blood and transfusions. More members say the change is an improvement but won't benefit people who lose blood in emergencies. Marshall Arts and Action star Chuck Norris has died at the age of 86 Steve Futterman reports. Norris's path to Hollywood star them began as a Marshall Arts Instructor. Among his clients and acquaintances were big-name stars, none bigger than Bruce Lee, who put Norris in his 1972 film The Way of the Dragon and featured him in the legendary fight scene between the two. By the 1980s, with roles in the Delta Force and missing in action, Norris was himself a star. Reaction to his death has come from around the world, including a number of his fellow action film performers, Sylvester Stallone described him as all American in every way. And Jean-Claude Van Dam, who appeared with Norris in The Expendables 2, said the two knew

4:06each other for decades he called him a friend. For MPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. The zoo in Warsaw, Poland has created a new emergency hospital for birds. When someone brings in a wounded bird and places it in a metal box at the zoo entrance, nearby vets get a signal. Staff rush the bird into the hospital, making a diagnosis and start treatment. The zoo's bird hospital has operated since 1998 and treats about 9,000 birds a year. The zoo says many injuries come from human-made hazards and climate change. This is NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Subaru. The all-new 2026 Subaru Outback features bold new styling and standard symmetrical all-wheel-drive plus safety features like standard eyesight driver assist technology. Discover the all-new Outback at Subaru.com slash Outback.