NPR News: 03-04-2026 4PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is defending recent U.S. airstrikes on Iran, saying they were necessary to stop what he describes as a dangerous and destabilizing regime.
You see it as well as I do. You see the tremendous progress that's being made. Their missiles are being wiped out rapidly. Their launchers are being wiped out. They're attacking their neighbors. They're attacking their in some cases allies or not so long ago allies, And, you know, it's really a nation that was out of control and they would have used it on us if we let them, if we waited any longer.
The administration says Iran's ballistic missile program and naval fleet has been devastated. It also says American and Israeli warplanes could soon gain total control over Iranian airspace.
What recent actions did President Trump take regarding Iran?
Iran has been carrying out retaliatory missile and drone strikes across parts of the Middle East, targeting allied sites in several Gulf countries. The Trump administration says it's arranging military and charter flights for Americans stranded in the Middle East. The White House says it's also updated its information line. NPR's Tovia Smith reports thousands of U.S. citizens are frustrated the government isn't doing more to help facilitate evacuations.
Evelyn Mushi was headed from Chicago to a family reunion in Bali with a connection in Abu Dhabi. That would turn into days of frustration and fear for the 52-year-old. I saw in the air missiles and lights and all that. So everyone got on their knees and started praying. Mushy says she saw flights arranged for other foreign nationals, but she was just getting messages imploring Americans to depart now.
Yeah, but how? Where do you leave? Where? What do I do?
Administration officials say free charter flights will soon begin from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. They say they've been in touch with thousands of stranded Americans, but progress is slow because of airspace closures. Tovia Smith, NPR News.
The Senate is preparing to vote on a war powers resolution that would limit President Trump's ability to continue military action against Iran. The measure would require congressional approval for further U.S. involvement in the conflict. President Trump says he will soon make an endorsement in the GOP Texas Senate primary. Long-serving incumbent John Cornyn is headed for a runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports.
The race between Cornyn and Paxton will be decided in a May 26 runoff, but if President Trump has his way, the race will effectively be over ASAP. In a true social post, Trump says that the race, quote, must stop now and that he will soon endorse one of the candidates and ask the other to drop out. Some of the urgency comes from the results of the Democratic primary, where James Tallarico won his party's nod with a big tent approach that likely makes the race more competitive. Stephen Fowler, NPR News.
This is NPR. A blackout hit the western half of Cuba today, leaving millions of people in Havana and surrounding areas without power. It's the second major outage to affect the island in the past three months. Authorities say the cause of the blackout is not immediately clear. A Texas biotech that wants to bring the woolly mammoth and other extinct species back to life is dismissing doubts and criticism from independent scientists. NPR's Rob Stein has more.
Officials at Colossal Biosciences defended their controversial goals while giving NPR a rare look inside the company's new Dallas laboratory. That's where Colossal scientists are analyzing DNA from the woolly mammoth and other extinct species in the hopes of resurrecting the animals. That goal has drawn skepticism from many scientists. They doubt it's possible and worry it might be dangerous if it were. But Ben Lamb, Colossal's co-founder and CEO, dismisses those concerns.
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