NPR News: 03-28-2026 12PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nur Rahm. Houthi rebels in Yemen who are backed by Iran launched a missile towards Israel today. Their first such strikes since the war in Iran began one month ago. The Israeli military says it intercepted the missile. In Washington, the House Armed Services Committee held a closed-door briefing on the war this week. Congressman Adam Smith is the ranking Democrat on that panel. He says he doesn't think President Trump will be able to achieve his goals in Iran including ending Iran's ballistic missile program. We do not have the military capacity to completely eliminate Iran's ballistic missiles. These targets are harder than they look. Yes, we can significantly degrade it. Is it a third? Is it a half? Is it 75 percent? Even the most wildly optimistic supporters of this war acknowledge that maybe 75 percent is achievable. And if they've got 25 percent, we're not even talking about drones yet. It's much harder to eliminate drones.

1:01Iran will still have the capacity to attack us. He spoke to NPR's Weekend Edition. Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at an airbase in Saudi Arabia. NPR's Jane Iran reports 12 U.S. service members were wounded in the attack. Five of them. Seriously. Iran fired multiple missiles and dozens of drones in the attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base. And what appeared to be a significant breach of U.S. air defenses according to military experts. Reuters quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying, in addition to injuries, several U.S. refueling tankers were damaged in the attack. Iran released Chinese satellite photos of what appeared to be burning aircraft at the base. It's at two of the tankers, which refuel fighter jets in the air, were destroyed, and others damaged. Iran launched the attack after Israeli strikes on the country's biggest steel plants. Jaina Raff and Pyrenees, among. Demonstrations against President Trump are expected in cities and towns across the country

2:03today. Organizers expect more than 3,000 rallies nationwide. Bruce Conviser reports. In New York, at least eight demonstrations are expected across the city's five burrows. Organizers and protesters are alarmed by what they say is President Trump's attempt to establish authoritarian rule. Critics say Trump's attempt to eliminate vote-by-mail would disenfranchise countless voters, and they say his failure to get congressional approval for his war in Iran violates the constitution. This will be the third no-king's demonstration since President Trump returned to office in January 2025. Organizers say more than 300,000 turned out for the last no-king's rally in New York back in October, and they expect more this time. Most full organizers estimate more than 7 million took to the streets nationwide. For NPR News, I'm Bruce Conviser in New York. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. The partial government shutdown continues. The Senate passed a bill that would restore money to the Department of Homeland Security,

3:08but not to immigration and customs enforcement. Democrats say they won't restore its budget without restrictions on how ICE agents enforce immigration laws. But the House rejected that version, and Congress is now on a two-week break. Yuma County, Arizona, has prided itself as the place labor icon Cesar Chavez was born and died. But now, sexual abuse allegations tied to Chavez have caused a debate over whether a local school should still bear his name. Cisco Starcazer from Member Station K.A.W.C. reports. In San Luis, the Gatson School District is considering renaming two Cesar Chavez facilities. But some community members are pushing back. At a public hearing, Ana María Guillén said, action speak louder than words. You could even say he gave his life for us, but Luis Aareola disagrees. The District Governing Board said it may take action at a later date.

4:09But for San Luis, Chavez's legacy is deeply personal and now deeply contested. For NPR News, I'm Cisco Starcazer in San Luis, Arizona. The Swiss food giant Nestleys said today it's investigating a chocolate heist. It says someone made off with a truck full of Kit-Kat bars, 12 tons, more than 413,000 of them. The truck had set off with its cargo from Italy, but never made it to Poland. Kit-Kat issued its own statement saying the criminals have exceptional taste. I'm Nur Rahm, NPR News. Listen 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.