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Chapter 1: What recent events have intensified the conflict in the Middle East?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The conflict in the Middle East is intensifying. Iran targeted the Oracle office building in Dubai overnight. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports Tehran had vowed to strike the data center and other U.S. defense and tech companies in the Gulf in response to the assassination of its top leaders.
Authorities in Dubai say debris fell on the facade of Oracle's office building. The apparent overnight drone attack occurred when offices would normally be empty of personnel and no injuries were reported. Iran says the attack is in response to the attempted assassination this week of former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi. Iran says he was severely wounded and his wife killed.
Iranian media reported he'd been talking with Pakistani mediators on possible U.S.-Iran talks to end the war.
Chapter 2: How are U.S. and Iranian tensions affecting global security?
The U.S. and Israel have been coordinating most attacks on Iran, and it's unknown which carried out the attack on Harazi. Iran's Revolutionary Guard named 18 U.S. tech and defense companies as targets to further assassination attempts. The list includes Palantir, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and others. Aya Batrawi, NPR News, Dubai.
A group of roughly two dozen states has filed a lawsuit to block President Trump's latest executive order on voting. NPR's Miles Parks reports the move attempts to add new restrictions to mail-in voting.
This suit filed by a group of Democratic states is the third to be filed challenging the executive order after the Democratic Party sued on Wednesday and a coalition of voting rights groups sued on Thursday. The Constitution is explicit in delegating power to run voting to the states, although Congress can step in to set national rules for federal elections as well.
In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James referenced all that, saying, quote, Numerous legal experts said they expect courts to swiftly block this order, as they did with Trump's order last March, which tried to add new restrictions to voter registration. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington.
It was a shortened trading week on Wall Street, with markets closed for Good Friday. NPR's Maria Aspin reports the Dow, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 all posted losses.
The war in Iran and the resulting energy crisis has had investors swinging from panic to relief and back again. Stocks had their best day of 2026 on Wednesday, as investors hoped President Trump would do more to end the war. But then his address to the nation that evening left room for doubt and sparked another, if temporary, sell-off.
The war has already sent oil prices soaring and damaged some of the refineries and other infrastructure needed to produce more. Consumers are paying more at the gas pump, while companies are paying more for shipping and trucking. The longer the war continues, the longer this oil shock risks fueling inflation and wider economic damage. Maria Aspin, NPR News.
This is NPR News. Women's college basketball is set for its national championship game with South Carolina and UCLA battling for the title. Steve Futterman reports from Phoenix.
In the first semifinal, South Carolina handed undefeated UConn its first loss of the season, 62-48. In the other semi, UCLA beat Texas 51-44. The most memorable moment on semifinal night came just off the court when UConn coach Gino Auriemma and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley exchanged angry words just as the game was ending.
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