Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held.
Gulf States are reporting new missile and drone attacks today as Iran widens its campaign,
“and says people should evacuate from three major ports in the United Arab Emirates.”
Israel has announced new missile strikes on Iran today as Tehran targets the world's oil supply. President Trump is calling on other nations to help protect a vital waterway for oil passage, but as NPR's a reservoir as Vani reports the response so far has been fairly muted. Since the start of the war, Iran has blocked some oil tankers and attacked cargo vessels
trying to pass through the straight, which has led to a huge spike in global oil prices. Nearly a fifth of the world's oil supply typically passes through this vital oil export route. The water's off Iran's coast have become a strategic battleground in the war, the U.S. bombed military targets on Iran's Hark Island Saturday.
Trump said the U.S. might hit the island again, quote, "just for fun, if Iran continues interfering with ships passing through the straight of Hormuz, our reservoirs of NPR News
“or Beal and the Kurdistan region of Iraq."”
Israeli forces have killed the Palestinian couple and their two young children in the occupied West Bank, and PR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. Palestinian health officials report the couple in their mid-30s and their five and seven-year-old sons were all shot in the face and head. The Palestinian Authority official news agency said the families' car came under fire as they
were driving home from shopping for new clothes for an upcoming Muslim holiday. In a statement, the Israeli military says troops were in the West Bank to arrest militant suspects when a car accelerated toward forces who opened fire, killing the four Palestinians, and that the circumstances were under investigation. Palestinian health officials say Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 13 Palestinians
in the West Bank since the U.S. has rarely wore any Iran began. Daniel Estrin and PR News, Tel Aviv.
“The Treasury is set to receive a $10 billion fee charged by the Trump administration”
for brokering a deal to sell TikToks U.S. business. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports the payment is drawing more attention into how Trump is using the presidency for "deal-making".
The $10 billion represents about 70% of TikTok's U.S. valuation, typically bankers who
complete large deals receive more like one percent, and the deal to sell off most of TikTok's Chinese investment only occurred to comply with a law Congress passed. So in some sense, it's a fee for brokering a deal to comply with the law. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of the TikTok deal are longtime Trump allies, like Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, which is a lead investor in the new TikTok entity.
The fee, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is being defended by the White House as a fair payment for saving TikTok. In September, Trump said the public would soon learn about quote, "atremendous fee." Bobby Allen and PR News. This is NPR News.
Airlines CEOs are saying enough. One month into the partial U.S. government shutdown that seen some 50,000 airport security officers work without pay, lines lengthening, and some checkpoints closing. The heads of American United Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and Alaska Air have sent an open letter to Congress calling on lawmakers to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security,
and to prevent such a stalemate from happening again. Without a deal, disruptions are expected to get worse as the spring travel season gets underway. The 46th annual Golden Raspberry's or Razi Awards have announced their choice for worst film of the year. NPR's Bob Mandelo has details on this Oscar weekend tradition. With tongue-planted firmly in cheek, the Golden Raspberry's announced something of a sweep,
awarding five Razi's to a social media slash surveillance camera version of the Invaders for Mars story, War of the World. And you're telling what they're surprised of?
No sir, I've never seen anything like this.
This War of the World, which earned a four out of a hundred on Rotten Tomatoes, took worst picture, worst remake rip off, worst screenplay, worst director, and worst actor for its rapper star Ice Cube. "Get away from that!" In years past, the Razi's have mocked prestige films and blockbuster's from Mommy Darius to the
final Twilight Louis, but this year, they're punching down in July, Amazon released War of the World's Direct to Video, from Mandelo and PR News. Tonight, the Oscars get underway in LA. It's the '98th Annual Academy Awards. This is NPR News.
