Live from NPR news in New York City, I'm Dua Halli-Sai-Cal-Tel.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn't denying the Pentagon is asking Congress for an additional
“$200 billion for U.S. military effort in Iran.”
The comments follow overnight Iranian counterattacks on a major oil field in Qatar, and Pierce Quilorn's reports. Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane began a news conference by paying tribute to the six-service men and women who died last week when two Air Force refueling tankers collided.
Hegseth went on to attack the media for negative reporting on the war against Iran, where Hegseth said the U.S. military continues to face only minor resistance as it systematically destroys Iran's Navy, Air Force, and missile production capability.
Hegseth did not dispute reporting that the Pentagon has asked Congress for roughly $200 billion
saying it was needed to replenish missiles and the expensive interceptors the U.S. and allies are using to intercept Iran's comparatively cheap drone weapons. Quilorn sent PR news.
“U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business about the U.S. strategy to stabilize”
the global economy during Operation Epic Fury as it relates to S.P.R. strategic petroleum reserve. The largest coordinated S.P.R. release in history, 400 million barrels, was approved for the last week, and some countries are going to do more. The U.S. could unilaterally do another S.P.R. release to keep the price down.
Benchmark crude oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel before pulling back.
This follows attacks on a major gas complex and cutter and other oil and gas refineries in the region. The federal Bureau of Investigations may be purchasing commercially available data that can be used to track American Slocation, as in Pierce, Jude Joffie Block reports that came out in a Senate Intelligence hearing today.
“Back in 2023, then FBI Director Chris Ray told Congress the FBI was no longer purchasing”
commercial databases that include location data from Internet advertising. At this hearing, Democratic Senator Ron White and Oregon asked current FBI Director Cash Patel if he could also commit to not purchasing American Slocation data. Patel did not. He did purchase commercially available information that's consistent with the Constitution
and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. White and says data purchases without a warrant are an end run around the Fourth Amendment and that's compounded by the potential to use AI to comb through private information, as spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment or clarify what data the FBI is buying. Jude Joffie Block and Pair News.
The world happiness report is out and it shows Finland remains the happiest land in the world, followed by other Nordic countries and Costa Rica in the top five. You're listening to NPR from New York. Gas prices continue to climb across the United States since the US is really worn around started nearly three weeks ago, averaging $3.88 for a gallon of regular, a gallon of diesel
is more than $5 according to AAA, drivers in California are paying the highest gas prices more than $5.5 for a gallon of regular. A new report finds majorities of nearly all religious groups in the US now support non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. The results are from the public religion research institute as in Pair's Jason D'Rose reports.
In the US, about 3/4 of white mainline Protestants, black Protestants, white Catholics and Hispanic Catholics, say they support laws that prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people. PRRI also found nearly 6 and 10 Hispanic Protestants show similar support. Even among traditionally conservative white evangelicals, 54% say they favor non-discrimination
protections, among other religions nearly 6 and 10 Muslims, as well as large majorities of Hindus, Jews and Buddhists agree with such protections, PRRI found Jehovah's Witnesses to be the only religious group without majority support for LGBTQ rights. Jason D'Rose and PR news Russian officials are confirming its trilateral peace talks with the US and Ukraine are on hold because of their own war.
The news comes as European leaders are pressing hungry to stop blocking an aid package that was previously approved for Ukraine in December. This is NPR News from New York.
