NPR News: 03-16-2026 9PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.
What are the current concerns regarding the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran?
Fears of a global energy crisis are growing as the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran continues. Since the war started more than two weeks ago, Tehran has effectively stopped shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and that has dramatically increased the price of oil. President Trump says he's asked roughly a half-dozen other countries to to send warships to reopen the strait to oil traffic. So far, none have committed, and others say it's not their war. But despite his repeated requests today, he says the U.S. doesn't need them.
We don't need anybody. We're the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world. We don't need them. But it's interesting. I'm almost doing it in some cases, not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react.
Iran's foreign minister says the strait is open to all ships except U.S. and Israeli vessels. Gas prices continue to rise across the country, with the national average now up nearly 80 cents a gallon from a month ago. And Pierce Camilla Dominovsky reports we could see gas prices rise even more.
Crude oil prices have been volatile over the last couple of weeks, rising and falling. But prices at the pump have only gone in one direction, up. Diesel prices are up even more sharply, rising well over a dollar from before the Iran war began. Higher prices put pressure on households directly when they buy gasoline and indirectly as higher diesel costs push up costs for farming, construction, trucking, and all forms of shipping. Meanwhile, the switch to summer gasoline, which cuts down on pollution and warm weather, could also help push prices higher in the coming weeks. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News.
The Pentagon says the number of U.S. service members who've been injured in the war has risen to around 200 with at least 13 deaths. Iran's U.N. representative told the Security Council last week that at least 1,300 civilians have been killed. And as the war in Iran continues, millions of dollars in bets on military strikes are being placed on the site Polymarket. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, some traders are now threatening a reporter covering the conflict in an effort to influence coverage to maximize profits.
Times of Israel military correspondent Manny Fabian recently reported on an Iranian missile strike that hit Israel. Gamblers on Polymarket were wagering millions on whether it would be a drone or missile attack. Polymarket traders contacted Fabian, pressuring him to change a detail in his story so they could win their bet. Some even made death threats. One wrote, quote, you will pay the full price for your irresponsible act, which Fabian reported to Israeli police. As prediction markets boom in Trump's second term, Polymarket has welcomed bets on war and military strikes. Such markets are illegal under federal law, but Polymarket's biggest site operates overseas, accessible in the U.S. only by virtual private networks.
Bobby Allen, NPR News.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's sweeping and controversial vaccine policy changes for children. Judge Brian Murphy says Kennedy unlawfully altered the vaccine policy and improperly changed the vaccine advisory panel. Kennedy cut the number of immunization shots recommended for children, including for flu, hepatitis A, and rotavirus, among others. He also dismissed all 17 advisory panel members from the CDC last year, installing new ones, many of whom are vaccine skeptics. The board of the Kennedy Center officially voted today to close the center for two years for renovations.
The Washington, D.C. Arts Complex will shut down after a July 4th celebration. Empire's Anastasia Silukis has more.
The voting board members were all picked by President Trump, who now serves as the chairman of the Kennedy Center. The two matters they approved were already publicly announced by the president. As Trump said in comments to the press before the meeting...
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