NPR News: 03-21-2026 12AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Iran is threatening to strike recreational and tourist sites around the world in retaliation for the continuing attacks on that country by the U.S. and Israel. And while President Trump has posted on social media that he's considering winding down the military operations in Iran, the U.S. military is now deploying three more warships to the Middle East, along with more than 2,000 Marines. President Friday gave an assessment of how the fighting is going. We're doing extremely well in Iran. The difference between them and us is they had a navy two weeks ago, they have no navy anymore. It's all at the bottom of the sea. Israel says it's killed more top officials in Iran, including the spokesman for Iran's revolutionary guard, also known as the IRGC. Iran's Supreme Leader hasn't been seen publicly for some time. The statement attributed to him calls for revenge. NPR's Karykhan has more on that story.

1:01The spokesman for the revolutionary guard corps Ali Mohamed Noyanee was killed in an overnight Israeli strike on Friday, according to Israel's military. Israeli officials say he was the IRGC's main propagandist. Just before his killing, Noyanee issued a statement denying Israel's prime ministers claim that Iran's missile production had been decimated. Noyanee said even during war, Iran was having no problems producing and stockpiling missiles. It appears he was killed after the statement was issued by state media. Karykhan and P.R. News, Tel Aviv. On Wall Street stocks were down again Friday because of fears that the war in Iran is escalating. As NPR's Raphael Nam reports, investors are now preparing for much longer conflicts. In the U.S. and Israel started attacking Iran at the end of last month, investors crossed their fingers and hoped the war would end quickly. But three weeks later, investors are starting to get deeply concerned, as the war rages

2:03on. The straight of her moves remains virtually shut, which means that critical supplies of energy and other vital shipments like fertilizer are not getting through. That's raising big concerns about inflation, and that the global economy is going to be hit by an energy crisis. All three major indexes dropped and have now fallen for four consecutive weeks. Raphael Nam in P.R. News. The Nasdaq closed down 443 points or 2%. The Justice Department Friday filed another lawsuit against Harvard University, this time it's accusing the school of failing to address anti-Semitism on campus. The government wants to freeze existing grants and recover money already paid to the university. Harvard says it's committed to fighting bias and accuses the government of violating the school's first amendment rights by trying to limit campus activism. You're listening to NPR News. Czech officials say a warehouse fire at a drone technology company may have been an arson

3:06attack linked to terrorism. The plant 60 miles east of Prague makes drones used by Ukraine's armed forces in its fight against Russia. The fire has been extinguished, and police say there's no danger to the public. A confoy of humanitarian aid has set sail from Mexico to Cuba after an energy blackout left the island in the dark for more than 24 hours this week. From the frontarist desk in Erimoseo Sonora, KJZ's Nina Krovinsky has more. Cuba's electrical grid continues to crumble amid a U.S. energy blockade. The White House in January said it would put tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Shambam told reporters Mexico was looking for ways to provide Cuba with fuel without impacting her country. Mexico was one of Cuba's major oil suppliers before the U.S. ban. We always defend self-determination. It's the Cuban people who must decide how to govern themselves without foreign intervention. Shambam said Mexico's Navy delivered more than 800 tons of humanitarian supplies to Cuba

4:09last month. For NPR News, I'm Nina Krovinsky in Erimoseo, Mexico. After 99 years producing hourly newscast, CBS Radio is being closed. In an announcement Friday, the network said the last hourly newscast will be broadcast in May. The network began broadcasting in 1927, and now has heard on some 700 stations across the country. The network was the home of fame broadcaster Edward Armero, who gave reports from rooftops during the London Blitz early in World War II. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News. Welcome 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.