NPR News: 03-19-2026 1PM EDT

Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua Halisai-Kao-Tao.

While hosting Japan's first female prime minister at the White House, President Trump said

he's not putting troops on the ground in the Middle East.

Iran is a serious threat to the world, to the Middle East and to the world, and everybody

agrees with me.

I think virtually every country agrees with me on that.

So I wanted to put out that fire, and I said, you know, when we do that, oil prices

will go up, the economy will go down a little bit.

I feel it would be worse, much worse, actually.

I thought it was a chance it could be much worse, it's not bad, and it's going to be over

with pretty soon.

Through an interpreter prime minister at Sennhei, Takauuchi said the global economy will

experience a huge hit because of the war in Iran, but she expressed faith in Trump.

I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.

The meeting's intended focus, China and business deals has been overshadowed by the Iran

War.

Joe Kent, the counterterrorism official who quit his job over the war against Iran, tells

a high-profile critic of the conflict, Tucker Carlson, while he did so, and Piers-Alena

Moore reports.

Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is casting doubt

on key arguments the White House made for attacking Iran, saying the country did not pose

an immediate threat to the U.S. and was not close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.

They weren't three weeks ago, and this started, and they weren't in June either.

June, referring to the U.S. military strike on Iran's nuclear sites, Kent has faced

blowback in the past four conspiratorial comments, including about the January 6 attack on

the Capitol.

But Kent's comments here may be giving voice to a fraying part of the Maga coalition,

who feel Trump promised one thing, no new wars, and are getting the opposite.

Alena Moore and Piers News.

Most people who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces have had

to cut household expenses this year to help manage higher cost.

And by Selena Simmons' death and reports, that's according to a new survey published

today.

Congress let extra premium subsidies expire this year.

So costs are much higher for the millions of people enrolled in ACA plans, including

Ken Warner and his wife, Parvin Vora, and Manchester, Connecticut.

In 2025, we were paying 630 per month, and now we're over 2,500.

The new survey from nonpartisan health research organization, KFF, asked ACA enrollees about

how they've managed these higher costs.

Here's KFF pollster Ashley Kerzinger.

More than half said that they're cutting back on some sort of household spending.

That includes cutting back on groceries, or may be finding an extra job or working more

hours.

Warner says he may have to take money from retirement savings.

Selena Simmons' death and Piers News.

And this is NPR from New York.

Spring break travelers have already witnessed long lines at airports across the country,

with some people experiencing our long delays due to staffing problems.

The Transportation Security Administration says it has received record numbers of

employees calling out sick, leading to more travel disruptions across the country.

New report finds older Americans own a bigger share of real estate wealth than ever before.

The shift comes as younger people struggle in the housing market, as NPR's Jennifer

Lutton reports.

Homeowner's age 70 and above now own just over a quarter of real estate wealth, about

the same as middle aged people, whose share has declined.

That's according to a new analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin.

Those in between the two groups, ages 55 to 69, own the most real estate wealth.

Redfin finds the older baby boomers are the only group that's seen steady housing gains

for nearly four decades.

Ganger generations have all seen their share of real estate wealth stagnate or shrink amid

rising home prices and mortgage rates.

The tough market has also made it hard to downsize, and that's left many older people reluctant

to give up their homes.

Jennifer Lutton in Pairnews, Washington.

Record triple-digit temperatures are being set this month as an estimated 41 million people

are experiencing heat alerts from California's Desert Community to Arizona.

Meanwhile cold, arctic air remains in the Midwest and the Northeast because of what's known

as the polar vortex.

I'm Doha Lisa Keltaugh and Pairnews.

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