NPR News: 03-28-2026 5PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. The Pentagon says the U.S. has triply carrying the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa Japan has arrived in the Middle East. The ship is carrying around 3,500 sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft along with amphibious assault and tactical assets. It's not clear what their mission will be yet. This is the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have now entered the widening Middle East war, launching a missile toward Israel today. It's the first time the rebel group has fired since the war started. Israel's military says it was successfully intercepted. The Houthi's attack opens another front in the war that's now moved into its second month. NPR's Karrikhan has more. Up until Saturday's missile launch, the Iranian-backed Houthis had stayed out of this war, but a Houthis spokesman says the tax will continue until, quote, the aggression on all resistant front stops. The Yemen-based rebels were active during Israel's war in Gaza firing on cargo ships in the

1:02Red Sea and disrupting global commercial traffic. Iran hit multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday. Israel's military says Iran is increasingly using cluster bombs, designed a detonated high altitude. The munition disperses multiple smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel's multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area. Dozens of countries have signed on to a cluster munitions treaty ban, except Iran, Israel, and the U.S. Karrikhan and P.R. News, Tel Aviv. Organizers say more than 3,000 no-kings rallies are taking place around the country this weekend as demonstrators protest President Trump and his policies, including the war on Iran, immigration tactics, and the rising cost of living. It's the third no-kings protests since Trump took office again, and millions of people are expected to attend. Demonstrations kicked off in Minnesota, where two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by ice agents as they protested.

2:03Dormaya Vance from Member Station WABE in Atlanta has more from one of the protests in Georgia. Crowds gathered near the Georgia State Capitol with several decorative protest signs and flags. College student Aiden Gray says he wanted to be a part of this weekend's protests because it's a way for his voice and others to have a sense of power. Our voice is whole power, and to stand up against tyranny and stand up against a government that is actively oppressing immigrants, a government that is violating the rule of law. Using our voice is one of the biggest things that we need to do right now. Demonstrators voice their stances on issues like women's health and immigration, with chance in music while marching along at Lennon's downtown streets. Brim PR News under my events in Atlanta. And the No Kings protests also took place across the sea in London, Paris, and Rome. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. It was an extremely warm winter in the Western United States.

3:04NPR's Rebecca Hirscher reports many states set new records. The contiguous US was nearly five degrees Fahrenheit hotter this winter compared to the country's average winter during the 20th century. That's according to the latest climate information released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Nine states had their warmest winters ever recorded, going back to 1895, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma. Three of those states smashed their previous record by more than two degrees. Forecasters say 2026 is very likely to clock in as one of the seven warmest years for the planet as a whole. The Earth is rapidly warming up because humans are burning fossil fuels, which release pollution that traps extra heat in the Earth's atmosphere. The Department of Veterans Affairs is using a new electronic health record system that

4:07will roll out to states over the next several months, with Michigan the first to switch. Officials say physical records can make it tough to utilize new coverage to prove exposure to chemicals from burn pits and agent orange. This new record system will keep them all in one accessible place, but officials do say the initial transition could cause some delays. I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. 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.