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NPR News Now

NPR News: 03-17-2026 3PM EDT

17 Mar 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

What recent events have escalated tensions between Israel and Iran?

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Iran has yet to formally respond to the assassinations of two of its highest-level officials since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the war. Earlier, Israel said it launched targeted strikes overnight and killed Iran's security and paramilitary chiefs. NPR's Carrie Conn has more.

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Israel's defense minister made the announcement saying both men were killed overnight, and he's instructed the military to continue, quote, hunting the leadership.

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Israel's military confirmed it had killed Golomresa Soleimani, the leader of the besieged paramilitary forces responsible for violently suppressing street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year, and that an Israeli airstrike killed Ali Laranjani,

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who it says had been in charge of directing Iran's military effort since Israel killed the supreme leader in the beginning of the war. The UAE Defense Ministry says it has, quote, engaged 10 ballistic missiles and 45 drones just in the early Tuesday hours. Kerry Khan, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

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Files released earlier this year show that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein often used offers of funding and philanthropy to draw people into his orbit. He was especially interested in funding science. Here's NPR's Katie Riddle. Epstein donated millions over a period of years to universities and researchers. While some institutions have updated their policies since then,

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There's no universal system of regulation for this kind of philanthropy. Rob Reich, a professor at Stanford University, studies the impact of philanthropy. There should be public transparency about the person or the foundation, the amount, and what the donor restrictions or intent were, so that conflicts of interest can be assessed by the relevant public audiences.

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Studies suggest philanthropy funds at least 10 to 20 percent of science research at U.S. universities. Katie O'Riddle, NPR News. Meanwhile, Attorney General Pambani is being subpoenaed by House Oversight Panel about the DOJ's investigations into Epstein and associates.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the White House is willing to make major concessions to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. He says they include hiking funding for body cameras immigration agents wear from $20 million to $100 million, as well as audits for noncompliance. Congressional Democrats have been pushing for sweeping immigration changes.

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The impasse over DHS funding continues to affect security screening and wait times at airports. Airline executives, including Delta's Ed Bastian, implore Congress to end the partial shutdown and get TSA agents paid again. It's

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