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Today’s top news
In the past 24 hours, unknown attackers have attacked three commercial vessels carrying oil in the Strait of Hormuz. A key route for the world’s oil to one of the hot spots in the US-Israel war in the Middle East is now effectively shut down. President Trump is urging ships to continue using the route and promising protections, but has offered very few details on how those protections will work.
Commercial ships are pictured offshore in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday following attacks on ships in the area.
AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 The US and Israel may soon reach a point While Iran has a limited number of viable targets for its bombing campaign, NPR’s Greg Maire says First up. Oil price has risen to $100 per barrel today. Maire says Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz to inflict as much economic pain as possible and again deter future US and Israeli attacks.
- 🎧 Yesterday, the International Energy Agency announced that member countries Release 400 million barrels from their strategic oil reserves. It is the largest crude oil release the IEA has ever coordinated. Of those, 172 million will come from the US over the next week to four months. Former Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore tells NPR’s Tamara Keith that the president’s conflict with Iran is minor, gas prices will soon drop and voters will either forgive or forget. But rising fuel costs could make other essentials more expensive for consumers, Keith says. This could become a political challenge for Republicans in the midterm elections, where affordability is a key issue.
Pentagon launches formal investigation into missile attack on Iranian girls’ school It killed at least 165 civilians, most of them children. A preliminary assessment determined that the US was at fault for the strike, which occurred on the first day of the war.
- 🎧 If the US role is confirmed, the attack would be one of the highest civilian death tolls by the US In just one incident in 35 years, says NPR’s Kat Lansdorf. Iran has released pictures of parts of a missile it says hit a school. These parts belong to the US-made Tomahawk missile. While only a few countries, including the US, use Tomahawks, recently, Trump suggested the missiles were “generic” and could have been fired from Iran. But the U.S. is the only actor using tomahawks in the conflict, experts told NPR.
The Trump administration is trying to tighten the rules for immigrants with temporary legal status to get commercial driver’s licensesCiting several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers. Critics argue that these changes will not improve road safety. The Department of Transportation estimates that the proposed rules could force nearly 200,000 immigrants out of the trucking industry, including asylum-seekers and DACA recipients.
An internal government watchdog and members of Congress are separately investigating new allegations of Social Security data misuse By the staff of the Department of Government Efficiency. On March 6, the Social Security Administration’s inspector general alerted House and Senate leaders to an anonymous complaint about potential data abuse from a former DOGE employee, according to a copy of the letter obtained by NPR. This week, Democrats in Congress stepped up their investigation into DOGE’s access to Social Security data after receiving whistleblower claims that a former agency software engineer maintained databases containing the personal information of every American.
Ask today
Passengers walk through the Moynihan train hall at New York Penn Station on March 9, 2026 in New York.
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
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Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
As passengers run through New York’s Moynihan train hall at Penn Station to get to their destinations, dancers are rehearsing in the corridors and posting their performances on social media. The passage from tracks 5 to 21 is officially known as the West End Concourse, but some call it TickTock Hall. For many dancers, the concourse is a third place to practice their moves. Reporter Jeff Lunden spotted this unofficial dance studio on a recent trip and returned with his microphone to uncover the story behind it. Listen to find out why these performers are happy to dance in a train station.
Living well
Living Better a Special series About what it takes to be healthy in America.
For decades, psychologists believed that willpower helped people get good grades in school, establish a healthy diet, pursue a successful career, and more. Hundreds of studies have supported this idea. As a result, parents have taught their children to use willpower to resist modern temptations such as fast food and video games. But new research suggests a simpler, more effective strategy.
- 🍟 Successful people did not have good willpower. Instead, they designed their lives to limit temptation.
- 🍟 Parents can create distraction-free times and spaces for children and teach them how to implement this strategy.
- 🍟 To help children form their preferences, you can provide them with many opportunities to enjoy healthy choices. For example, if you want your child to read more, keep books in the car.
3 things to know before you go
Psilocybin mushrooms are ready for harvest in a humid chamber. Researchers have shown that doses of psilocybin can help people quit smoking.
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John Moore/Getty Images
- A study suggests that the psychoactive substance in the magic mushroom has an effect on people trying to quit smoking. Research compares the substance to nicotine patches.
- Exonerees in Michigan created the Exonerees app to help newly exonerated individuals. Features of the app include navigating the process of obtaining necessary documents, such as birth certificates, and providing a peer support network. (via Michigan Public)
- NPR’s Jennifer Pak takes readers to Shanghai’s Jade Buddha Temple for this week’s Far-Flung Postcard. She demonstrates a way to appease the Heavenly General Tai Sui who clashes with those born in the Year of the Horse.
Edited this newsletter Suzanne Nguyen.
