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Today’s top news
The US and Israel are at war over Iran Entered the 12th day There is no end in sight. The Trump administration promised its most aggressive attacks on Iran yesterday, while Israel intensified its offensive in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Iranian government announced that it was considering banks and financial centers among potential targets in the Middle East. The Iranians revealed that one of their banks had already been targeted.
Mourners carry the coffin of a man killed in the latest US-Israeli airstrikes to be buried at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery on the southern outskirts of Tehran, Iran, on Monday. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, sparking swift retaliation from Iran with attacks across the region.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
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Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 Internet has been cut across Iran and many people are afraid to share their experiences Because of potential government retaliation, says NPR’s Aya Batrawi First up. People fleeing Tehran across the Turkish border tell NPR they left because the sky was red from bombs and high-rise buildings were in ruins. Still no word from Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Batravi says reports suggest he was injured in the attack that killed his father, a former supreme leader. However, Batravi says there is no way to independently confirm this claim.
- 🎧 According to a new NPR/PBS/Marist poll, Trump is suffering politically as the US becomes embroiled in a war with Iran. Only 36% of nearly 1,600 people polled by NPR’s Domenico Montanaro approve of Trump’s handling of the war, while 56% of respondents disapprove. Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 38%. It is even less so when it comes to the economy. At 35%, this is his worst rating to date. Despite these scores, eight in 10 Republicans still support Trump’s economic policies and his approach to Iran. While some MAGA influencers criticize the war, they do not represent the majority of Republican voters. Montanaro says the survey’s key finding is that independents have shifted to align more with Democrats on a variety of issues, including Iran.
- 📷 The conflict seems to have continued into the second weekTake a look at these remarkable scenes from Iran, Israel, Lebanon and other flashpoints.
Yesterday’s special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Green in Congress goes to a runoff Then none of the 17 candidates crossed 50% of the votes. District Attorney Clay Fuller, a Trump supporter, will face Democrat Shawn Harris. Harris raised more than $4 million and performed significantly better than when he challenged Greene two years ago. But the GOP still prevails in red districts.
- 🎧 Trump remains the GOP’s most popular figure, but Republican voters identify with the most Their options aren’t the only ones, says NPR’s Stephen Fowler. After the special election, James Blair, Trump’s campaign political director, posted that all candidates endorsed by Trump had either won or advanced to a runoff. This was true in North Carolina, Texas, and Arkansas, but many races were uncontested or lacked serious challengers. Michael Whatley, Trump’s pick to lead the RNC and represent the party in the top Senate race, received just 60% in the primary.
Nearly half of Americans support deploying the National Guard to monitor polling places It would be illegal for the federal government to mandate it in the November midterm elections. But state governors can legally use them to support elections in many capacities. A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released today found 46% support the idea, while 54% oppose it.
Last month, the Justice Department quietly released the names of 22 individuals and announced that their federal gun rights had been restored. Most of them had criminal convictions dating back decades. One person was exempt and had the most recent charge. Republican Arizona State Sen. Jake Hoffman was indicted in 2020 for voter fraud in 2024. Trump pardoned Hoffman in November. The reinstatements are part of a broader DOJ initiative to revitalize the program, which allows individuals with certain felony convictions to regain their Second Amendment rights.
Film show
People Learn and Play American Mahjong at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC Meeting in person to play mahjong is growing in popularity along with interest in the game.
Mansi Srivastava for NPR
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Mansi Srivastava for NPR
More people across the US are showing interest in the centuries-old tile game mahjong and creating community connections in the process. The game was first introduced to the nation in the 1920s, involving tiles that players must place in specific combinations. Over the past year, Mahjong has grown in popularity, especially among Gen Z and Millennials. The trend is driven by social media content focused on the game and the history of the game. NPR saw the interest firsthand at Sunday afternoon’s meeting at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, see photos from the gathering. You can hear people at the event discuss why they enjoy the game or read the transcript.
Behind the story
by Cheryl CarleNPR’s Midwest Bureau Chief on the National Desk
As his body lies in state at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 2, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina, Rev. A portrait of Jesse Jackson is next to the flowers. Born in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson died on February 17. His body will lie in state in Columbia and then be transferred to Chicago for a celebration of life ceremony.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
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Sean Rayford/Getty Images
I covered Jesse Jackson for many years, including his 1988 run for president. So it was somewhat surreal to see this giant of the civil rights movement encased in a glass-topped casket as he lay to rest. Jackson’s mentor, Rev. In an interview with Al Sharpton, he mentioned what I’ve been thinking — how ironic and fitting that one of the last leaders of the civil rights era died on February 17th, the 100th anniversary of Black History Month.
Thousands of people paid their respects for many days. Jackson’s sons and daughters lined up to greet the mourners. His daughter Jacqueline – rarely seen in public – grabbed my hand and held it tighter as I started to walk away. There are moments as a reporter when the official moment becomes personal. That conversation stood out to me, along with the many stories people told about how Jackson impacted their lives. Later at her father’s funeral, Jacqueline talks about feeding Jackson in his last days. How he taught her to read and write when she was homeschooled. The activist who traveled the country and the world calling for change was sometimes called Reverend at home but more often called Dad.
His funeral was attended by many dignitaries, political and religious leaders, entertainers and friends of Jackson. The breadth of Jackson’s influence was apparent. There were three former US presidents: Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Two African presidents: Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s a moment to accept the fact that the man of “history that happened” is no longer with us and that a new history must be made as others, including his son Joseph Jackson, CEO of the Rainbow Push Coalition, continue Jackson’s fight for civil rights and human rights.
3 things to know before you go
Christina Chang on February 26, Ore. Gemma holds a carpet python during snake yoga at HISSS in Portland.
Celeste Noche for NPR
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Celeste Noche for NPR
- Forget dog or goat yoga. Reindeer Yoga is also old news. A Portland, Ore., classmate ante with the ultimate unexpected animal classmate: snakes.
- GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic may reduce the risk of addiction, according to one study BMJ. The medical journal reports that the drug can help people with a history of substance use disorder avoid overdoses, drug-related hospitalizations, drug-related deaths or suicide attempts.
- A study published in the journal the nature This suggests that rising seas could affect 132 million more people than previously thought.
Edited this newsletter Suzanne Nguyen.
