NPR News: 03-29-2026 2AM EDT

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman.

Millions of people turned out across the country Saturday for no King's protests, organizers

say they were more than 3,000 protests in all.

Here in Albany, New York police estimate crowds of between 3 and 4,000 people lined a portion

of central avenue.

Many were carrying signs and banners and others offering chance using bullhorns.

Everyone was smiling and enjoying a partly sunny but chilly afternoon among them was

Patty Gager of Glenmont, New York, who said she had to be there for her family.

So my grandsons don't have to go to war, hopefully.

I'm worried that they might have to go to war and I'm here, united with everyone to get

rid of someone that wants to be a King and here to fight for that and do my part.

Lebanese health officials say at least 47 people were killed Saturday in Israeli attacks,

including three journalists and nine paramedics.

UN officials and humanitarian groups are criticizing Israel's conduct as NPR's Lorne Fair reports

from Southern Lebanon.

The head of the World Health Organization calls it a tragedy.

Nine paramedics killed in five separate attacks on a single day.

He says health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and should never

be targeted.

Israel has intensified its attacks across Lebanon, mostly here in the south where Israeli

ground troops are moving northward to try to oust his Bala militants.

In one attack in Israeli military spokesperson says the target was journalists, accusing them

without providing evidence of propaganda for his Bala.

But Lebanon's health minister called it a double attack, with a second strike hitting

first responders who tried to rescue the victims.

Health officials say 51 Lebanese health workers have been killed by Israel so far this month.

Lorne Friar and PR News in Jazeen, Southern Lebanon.

The Trump administration is giving federal agencies more time to change the way they

produce statistics about race and ethnicity.

The data are used to redraw voting maps and enforce civil rights laws.

As NPR's Hanselow Wong reports, the changes were approved during the Biden administration.

The 2030 census and other future federal forms have been set to ask about race and ethnicity

in one question, instead of separating the two, while allowing people to check more

than one box.

And the boxes include a new one for Hispanic or Latino and another for Middle Eastern

or North African.

A category the U.S. government would no longer automatically classify as white.

Research shows that could allow many people to more accurately report their identities.

The White House's office of management and budget is now giving agencies one more year

to release plans about how they're going to adapt their surveys.

The move comes after an OMB official signal the Trump administration is considering rolling

back these changes to racial and ethnic data.

It's when the move's described in the conservative action plan project 2025, Hanselow Wong, NPR

News.

And you're listening to NPR News.

Police in Paris stopped what they believe is an attempted bombing early Saturday morning.

Officials say officers discovered two men trying to light an object outside a bank of

America building.

They arrested one of the suspects, but the other one managed to escape so far they have no

explanation for the incidents.

The University of Mississippi this week launched a first of its kind research center focused

on the risks of sports gambling as NPR's Windsor Johnston reports.

Betting has expanded nationwide since the 2018 Supreme Court decision that struck down

a federal ban.

Experts say sports betting has become easier than ever with mobile apps allowing users

to place wagers anytime, anywhere.

Kate Humble with the National Council on Problem Gambling says that accessibility is

changing how younger generations interact with gambling.

The brain is still developing at that age and making sure that they are able to conceptualize

that this is real money that they're playing with, especially in a generation that has grown

up with video games and gambling elements in those video games.

Humble says schools and lawmakers are still playing catch up as many states move quickly

to legalize sports betting without building strong safeguards for prevention or treatment.

Windsor Johnston and P.R. News.

Belgium scored four unanswered goals in the second half throughout the U.S. men's soccer

team Saturday 5-2 in a World Cup warm-up match in Atlanta.

Weston McKinney gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute.

It was his 12th international goal, but Belgium responded six minutes later with a tie-and-gold

just before the half and went on to dominate the second half.

I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.

Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast

app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org.

That's plus.npr.org.