Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Dave Madingley.
President Trump is issuing a new threat to Iran after it attacked the world's largest
liquified natural gas complex in Qatar.
“The Iranian attack followed strikes by Israel on the South-Pars gas field in Iran a”
day earlier. Trump warned on social media if Iran were to attack Qatar's energy infrastructure again, the U.S. military would destroy the South-Pars gas field. Saudi Arabia says it was a drone that hit the Samref refinery at a port along the Red Sea, damaged assessments are underway there.
That refinery is a joint venture between Exxon Mobile and the kingdom's oil giant Saudi aramco. It produces more than 400,000 barrels of light crude oil each day.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is condemning an attack near an Iranian nuclear power
plant, and PR's jet from field has more. The attack took place on Tuesday evening, I.A.E.A. chief Rafael Mariano Grossi says a building on the side of Iran's Bashir nuclear power plant was struck by what was likely a groan.
“The power plant's operating reactor was not damaged and there were no casualties,”
but nevertheless he said an attack on an operating power plant was unacceptable. This is the redest line of all that you have in nuclear safety. If the reactor were to be struck he warned, it could spark a major nuclear incident in the region, Jeff Brumfield and PR News. The Federal Reserve is leaving U.S. interest rates unchanged, and PR's Scott Horsleep
says the Fed sites uncertainty about the war with the Iran, higher energy prices, and inflation pressures. The war with Iran has already triggered a sharp jump in gasoline and diesel prices, but Fed Chairman Jerome Powell says it's too soon to tell how big or lasting that effect might be.
Powell's term as chairman is said to expire in May, but President Trump's picture of a place pal has not been confirmed yet, so he may end up serving longer.
“If my successor is not confirmed by the end of my term as chair I would serve as chair”
a pro-tem until he is confirmed, that is what the law calls for, and it's what we're going to do in this situation. A Republican senator is blocking the confirmation of Kevin Worsh's Fed chair until the Justice Department drops his investigation of the Fed. The Federal Judge ruled that probe is simply a pressure tactic to get the central bank to
lower interest rates. Scott Horsleep and PR News was Washington. The Federal Reserve is sticking with its forecast of one quarter-point rate cut this year. The National debt continues to hit all-time highs, it now tops $39 trillion. The government accountability office says the rising debt level is making it more expensive
for Americans to borrow money, for mortgages and vehicles, and to pay for goods and services. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett says the war with the Iran has cost the U.S.
more than $12 billion so far.
The National debt hit $38 trillion last fall. This is NPR News. The cost of gasoline in the U.S. continues to go up amid the war with the Iran. Triple A says regular is now averaging $3.88 a gallon nationwide. The price rose another four cents since yesterday.
That cost has jumped about 28 cents a gallon in the last week. A new report finds majorities of nearly all religious groups in the U.S. now support non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. NPR's Jason D'Rose says the results are from the public religion research institute. In the U.S. about three quarters 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 six and ten Hispanic Protestants show similar support. Even among traditionally conservative white evangelicals 54% say they favor non-discrimination protections among other religions nearly six and ten Muslims as well as large majorities
of Hindus, Jews and Buddhists agree with such protections. PRRI found Johova's witnesses to be the only religious group without majority support for LGBTQ rights. Jason D'Rose and PR News. Hospital in Florida is suing a patient who it says was discharge five months ago, but refuses to leave her room. Tallahassee Memorial Health Care is asking a state judge for an injunction
ordering the woman to vacate. The lawsuit does not specify for what the patient was treated. It says doctors determined she no longer needed acute care services last October. I'm Dave Madingley in Washington.
