NPR News: 03-01-2026 5AM EST
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
What events led to the assassination of Iran's supreme leader?
Large crowds of Iranians took to the streets in Tehran and other cities across Iran overnight celebrating news that the country's supreme leader had been killed during a day of coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. His daughter and grandchild were also killed. NPR's Jackie Northam reports the Ayatollah's death represents a historic shift for Iran's regime.
Ayatollah Khamenei held a tight grip on power since 1989 and was unwavering in his antipathy to the U.S. and Israel. Khamenei lacked religious credentials when he became supreme leader, but was cunning and able to outwit other senior political figures in the Islamic Republic and build up his power base to become the longest-serving leader in the Middle East. Khamenei's close ties to the Revolutionary Guards allowed Iran's military to develop a vast commercial empire in control of many parts of the economy. Khamenei also built up Iran's defensive policies, such as developing proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas and its huge arsenal of ballistic weapons. As Supreme Leader, Khamenei also had the final word on anything to do with Iran's nuclear program.
Jackie Northam, NPR News. The United Nations is condemning the attacks on Iran and calling for an immediate return to negotiations. During an emergency session at the U.N. on Saturday, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the strikes were a matter of global security because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
To disrupt the machinery that arms proxy militias and to ensure the Iranian regime never breaks ever can threaten the world with a nuclear weapon.
The U.N. Secretary General says the world must be pulled back from the brink, warning that everything must be done to prevent further escalation of the fighting. Hundreds of protesters tried to overrun the U.S. consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi. NPR's Diya Hadid reports at least six people were killed in the clashes.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was revered by many Shiites as a supreme leader of a Shiite-majority nation and as a spiritual leader in his own right. So as news of his assassination spread, Pakistani media reports that protesters converged outside the U.S. consulate in Karachi, a city with a sizable Shiite population. Reuters reported the protesters breached the outer wall of the highly secure complex. Multiple videos shared on social media of the protest, filmed at different angles and at different times, show some of the protesters using metal rods to smash one structure.
Dia Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
How did Ayatollah Khamenei maintain power in Iran?
The federal housing agency HUD wants new restrictions on rental aid. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports a proposal could impose full-time work requirements and a time limit of just two years.
The proposed rule is not a mandate. It would allow local housing authorities and private landlords to impose the requirements if they choose. Elderly and disabled tenants would be exempt. It's part of a push by HUD Secretary Scott Turner to promote what he calls self-sufficiency. Supporters also say there are such long waiting lists for rental aid, it's more fair to spread it around. Critics of the proposed rule say most people who can work already do, they just don't make enough to pay market rate rents. A few places have experimented with time limits, but dropped them because as the cutoffs approached... They worried they'd be pushing people into homelessness. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.
The U.S. Supreme Court takes up a case Monday that pits marijuana users against federal gun laws. Gun control groups are siding with the Trump administration in defending a law that bars regular marijuana users from legally owning firearms. On the other side, the ACLU and the National Rifle Association are pushing back against the law. The case comes after the Supreme Court's ruling in 2022 that expanded gun rights. The justices ruled that any firearm restrictions must be firmly rooted in the nation's history and tradition. I'm Windsor Johnston, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.
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