Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
As the war in Iran continues for a fourth day, the death toll for U.S. forces is rising.
“The Pentagon says six service members have been killed.”
Meanwhile President Trump's reasons for attacking Iran continue to shift, and appears deep a shiver on reports, he now says it was proactive. Trump had previously said that the U.S. acted in Iran because Tehran's nuclear program was close to having missiles that could reach the U.S.
Now, he says he believed in Iranian attack was coming first, though he did not cite any
intelligence to that effect. "It was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack if we didn't do it. They were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that."
The U.S. struck Iran over the weekend after weeks of building up a large military presence
“in the region, even as negotiations to try to reach a deal with Iran were ongoing.”
Trump touted the success of the mission thus far, though he has not outlined how he sees the conflict ending, but he did say that "lots of people are coming forward to negotiate a resolution." Deepish Ivaram and PR news the White House Today's the last day of voting for a primary contest in Texas and North Carolina.
Both states have expensive and closely watched Senate races, and appears Ashley Lopez reports. Democrats face long odds in regaining a majority in the U.S. Senate, but both North Carolina and Texas are states the party is eyeing as potential pick-ups later this fall. In Texas, Republican incumbent John Corne and faces a challenge to his reelection from the states often in battle to attorney general Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt.
Congresswoman Jasmine Crocket and James Talerego are vying for the Democratic nomination.
“In North Carolina, there are contests for an open-sea currently held by Tom Tillis,”
who announced his resignation last year. The state's former Governor Democrat Ray Cooper is the front runner for the Democratic ticket and former R&C chair Michael Wattley is favored to win the Republican nomination, Ashley Lopez and PR news. Borders and Arkansas are also holding primary elections today.
World-oiled prices rose once again today as the war with Iran weighs on energy and financial markets, if you're Scott Horsley reports. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz south of Iran has come to a virtual standstill
about 20 percent of the world's oil typically flows through that narrow waterway.
Gasoline prices have also jumped topping $3 a gallon for the first time since early December. The more people have to spend on gasoline, the less they have to spend on everything else fears of a consumer slowdown are weighing on the broader stock market. Natural gas prices have also jumped, which will raise both heating and electricity costs even before the war started. Natural gas prices had climbed nearly 10 percent over the last
year and electricity prices have been rising at more than twice the rate of inflation. Scott Horsley and PR news Washington. Wall Street lower by the close the Dowd on 403 points. You're listening to NPR news. Commerce Secretary Howard Lotnick has agreed to testify before the Republican led House Oversight Committee over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
At a sanitary last month, he acknowledged visiting Epstein's island in 2012 after saying he entered their relationship after Epstein was convicted of soliciting an under-edge prostitute. The information came to light in the Justice Department's latest release of Epstein files. No date for the testimony has been announced. Retail giant target is once again reporting sluggish sales as its new CEO lays out plans to invest millions of dollars in updates to its
stores, hoping to draw back shoppers. And here's Alina Seljuk has more. For three years now, target has reported flat or falling sales each quarter, this time down two and a half percent. Here's Carol Sylvester chief merchandising officer addressing investors. Our performance over the last few years has not met expectations. And that is on us. But target is projecting a better year ahead with growing profits and more shoppers visiting.
The change new CEO Michael Fidelke is not an outsider, but a longtime company executive. And so far, he's laid off hundreds of corporate staff to streamline the ranks. And he plans
to spend $5 billion to overhaul target's operations, especially stores. Executives are promising
sharper designs, trendy or selections, and attractive prices, Alina Seljuk and Pierre News. And on Wall Street that I was down 403 points today after being down around 1,200 points earlier in the day. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
