"Live," from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi saying.
In remarks, just moments ago, at the White House, President Trump says we don't need NATO, but they should be there for us on Iran, as coming after he posted on Truth Social today that most NATO allies have informed the United States they don't want to get involved in the U.S. war. Trump says he's not surprised.
European countries have raised concerns about being drawn into the war if they deployed
“warships to help keep the state of Hormuz, a key oil-shipping waterway open.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces are confirming strikes in Iran have killed two of Iran's highest
level officials, since the assassination of Ayatollah Al-Ali Khomini, on the first
day of the U.S. Israel war against Iran. The latest assassinations include security chief Ali Laryjani, and Piyar Sadial Al-Shalchee has more on the other official killed. "Israeli military is also confirming the death of Rulamra Zasoleh Mani, who was the head of the besiege forces.
Now that's the militia responsible for violently cracking down on the street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year. It killed thousands of those protesters, and it's estimated that the militia is made up of a million members." NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchee reporting.
The Senate is expected to start debating the Save America Act today. It's President Trump's top legislative priority, and his NPR's Robert Sprintelz, as the eventual vote, is expected to fail.
“Among its provisions is a requirement for voters to prove U.S. citizenship and present”
photo ID at the polls. Democrats say this would make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. President Trump has vowed not to sign any other legislation until the Save Act passes. After a procedural vote, Republicans are expected to draw the process out for several days of debate to keep the issue front and center.
Democrats will likely use their floor time to criticize the legislation. The whole exercise could last days. Eventually, debatable end, and the bill will need 60 votes to pass. 60 votes for Republicans don't have. Barbara Sprint and Pyrenees, the Capitol.
A new report from Realtor.com says that renting a home in February was the cheapest it had been in four years, and we are seeing Bassaha report some of the steepest drops and rent prices came in the Senate. Austin, Texas, was once the poster child for skyrocketing rents.
“But rent in the metro area is down with a $300 since it's 2022 peak.”
Joe Burner is the economist with Realtor.com. He credits a boom of new apartments in Austin, and a lot of the sun belt.
When you ask the economists how to bring prices down, we always say, add supply, and we're
showing that that works in some of these metrics. These are four vacant apartments. Burner says renters wanting to save should move or negotiate. So renters market in a lot of these places, so use that to your advantage and negotiate whenever possible.
The national median rent for a two-bedroom in February was $1,850. It's NPR News. America's democracy is at its lowest level in decades. That, according to a leading report, on global democracy that has just been released. NPR's Frank Langford has details.
The Vietnam Institute puts out an annual report measuring the health of democracy across the globe.
It found that last year, America's democratic ranking fell from 20th to 50th first out
of 179 countries, settling in between Slovakian Greece. Staff in Lindbergh, the Institute's founding director, cited many reasons why. It's a very rapid and aggressive concentration on power in the presidency, encroaching and taking powers from the leddy slature, along with attacks on media freedom and freedom of speech.
NPR says there's at least one bright spot, elections have been free and fair, but he doubts Trump will accept a defeat in the midterms, NPR reached out to the White House for comment, but is yet to hear back. Frank Langford and PR News. Cuba is trying to recover from an electricity blackout that through millions of people
into the dark because of an aging electrical grid that collapsed. Meanwhile, President Trump again threatened Cuba with the possibility of, as he put it, a friendly takeover, without mentioning President Trump's name, Russia's Foreign Ministry pledged long-term support to Cuba. The color green might be popping up across the U.S. more than usual today than again,
it is St. Patrick's Day. A lot of people are marking the occasion with parades, pub crawls, and general community decked out in green. It's NPR News. Listen to this podcast, sponsor free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast
that by subscribing to NPR News now plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.
