NPR News: 03-30-2026 8AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, encore of a Coleman, President Trump says his administration

is in serious talks with a new Iranian regime he calls, quote, more reasonable.

Writing online this morning, Trump says if no deal is reached, and the state of Hormuz

is not open to immediately.

The U.S. will blow up all of Iran's electric-generating plants, oil wells, and carg island.

Trump is also threatening to possibly blow up all of Iran's desalination plants.

Trump will cut off water to millions of Iranian civilians.

But NPR's Emily Fang says Iran does not appear to be capitulating.

The storyline in all of this is that Iran's leaders are feeling confident enough that even

after weeks of heavy U.S. newsreel bombing, they're still negotiating aggressively with

the U.S. and they've also threatened deadly force if the U.S. deploys troops on the ground

in Iran.

And Piers Emily Fang reporting, Israel says it's widening its invasion of southern Lebanon

and striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.

Lebanese officials say at least 49 people were killed in Israeli attacks yesterday.

A UN peacekeeper was also killed, but NPR's Lorne Freyer says it is unclear by whom.

Video posted to social media shows a UN helicopter landing in southern Lebanon to evacuate

the wounded from a peacekeeping base there.

Indonesia says the peacekeeper killed was one of its citizens, and that three others were

wounded by indirect artillery fire.

The UN says it doesn't know the origin of that fire, Israel or Hezbollah, and is investigating.

UN troops have been stationed in southern Lebanon for decades to monitor cross-border conflict.

This month, Israel invaded again, killing more than 1,200 people and displacing more

than a million, according to Lebanon's government.

The World Health Organization says a paramedic was also among those killed Sunday in a strike

on an ambulance, and that a medical warehouse was also destroyed.

Lorne Freyer and P.R. News Beirut.

This week, TSA agents at U.S. airports across the country are expected to receive their

first paychecks in more than a month.

NPR's Windsor Johnston reports it could take a while before airline passengers stop waiting

in long lines to clear security.

Passengers have been facing long and unpredictable weights at security checkpoints, with some lines

stretching into airport parking lots.

The delays have been driven in part by TSA officers working without pay since mid-February,

leading to staffing shortages and hundreds of resignations.

Johnny Jones is with the union representing TSA agents.

Even though they're going to get paid, this is not going to make them whole because many

of my colleagues are deep in the hole.

And so we're advocating for a $10,000 bonus for all TSA officers.

President Trump signed an executive action, allowing the government to resume pay for roughly

50,000 TSA workers.

And so officials warned that it could take time for staffing levels at airports to recover.

Windsor Johnston and NPR News, Washington.

You're listening to NPR News.

The Bank of America has agreed to pay more than $72 million to survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's

sex trafficking ring.

The civil lawsuit alleged the bank enabled and profited from his crimes.

The Bank of America does not admit wrongdoing in this case and insists it did not

facilitate sex trafficking crimes.

But officials say the settlement will provide closure for victims.

Millions of people turned out on Saturday for the No Kings protests across the country.

St. Louis Public Radio's Brian Munoz was at the rally in that Missouri city.

This is our name here to our locket style.

Thousands of St. Louis area residents gather outside of the Union Station and down, for

the third No Kings protest of President Donald Trump's second term.

A choir demonstrators stand shoulder to shoulder while seeing songs to crying federal immigration

enforcement in the Trump administration.

Mary Ann Murrers lives in nearby university city and is a member of the choir.

I gotta find a way to express myself.

You know, I had to be a part of the movement.

It's energizing.

It kind of keeps me doing the real little bit I can to change things.

The 62 year old Murrers that she remains hopeful Democrats can take back seats during the

upcoming midterm elections.

For NPR News, I'm Brian Munoz in St. Louis.

NASA is preparing for a launch attempt on Wednesday of the Artemis 2 mission.

The four member crew is set to launch into space.

They'll spend 10 days on a journey that will take them around the moon and back to Earth.

This is expected to be the first time that astronauts have flown around the moon since

the 1970s.

I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.

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