War in Iran; N.C., Texas primaries; Clinton hearings : NPR
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Today’s best stories
The United States evacuated its diplomats to the Middle East and close some embassies today, as the war with Iran enters its fourth day. The United States is asking its citizens to evacuate from more than a dozen countries. Limited flights from the Middle East resumed yesterday, but hundreds of thousands of travelers remain stranded at the region’s air hubs. Israeli military planes strike Tehran in Iran and Beirut in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia. At least six American service members have died in combat. Trump said his administration expects the conflict to last “four to five weeks, but we have the capacity to last much longer than that.” The Iranian Red Crescent Society reports that at least 555 Iranians have been killed since the joint US-Israeli military campaign began on Saturday.
People search through the debris of stores and residences destroyed by an airstrike March 2 in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran responded by firing waves of missiles and drones into Israel and targeting U.S. allies in the region.
Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
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Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
- 🎧 Today, the Israeli military said it was ready to face weeks of war. A regional official, speaking anonymously, told NPR’s Daniel Estrin that Israel believes it can achieve its war goals in just two weeks. But Estrin says the messages regarding these goals are contradictory. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that the goal was regime change. By contrast, U.S. officials yesterday abandoned the idea that this war was about regime change.
- 🎧 Trump administration officials briefed key congressional lawmakers yesterday. about the war. Congress is expected to vote this week on measures that would limit the president’s ability to intervene further in Iran without congressional approval. NPR’s Barbara Sprunt reports First that lawmakers should vote largely along partisan lines, despite most Americans’ disapproval of the war. But Sprunt says there are some outliers. A small number of Republicans are considering curbing the president’s actions, while some Democrats fear the resolution will limit the flexibility needed to respond to real-time threats.
- ➡️ The recent conflict between the United States and Iran This is not the first time that the two nations have clashed politically and militarily. These are seven key historical points in their relationship since 1953.
- ➡️ The Trump administration’s justification for war tests the president’s “Make America Great Again” voters’ ideology of what “America First” actually means.
Today is the last day for voters to cast ballots in the North Carolina and Texas primaries. The results will help determine control of Congress in the fall and reveal what voters want for the second half of Trump’s second term. Both states hold costly Senate primaries that offer insight into each party’s direction. This is what you need to know.
- 🎧 Since both states were redistricted last year, there are even fewer competitive races at home than usual. Senate races are really where the fight is, says NPR’s Ashley Lopez.
- ➡️ Follow the results of the primary elections live for North Carolina, Texas and Arkansas.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to testify before the Senate today. The Department of Homeland Security was shut down for nearly a month after lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal and agree on changes to how immigration agents operate. Noem is expected to brief members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on how the funding pause is hurting Americans, including making air travel more difficult while Transportation Security Administration employees work without pay.
House Republicans released video of depositions of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. regarding the Epstein files. The Cluntons sat for hours last week for separate testimony behind closed doors after the committee threatened them with contempt charges. They both requested public hearings. During questioning, both Clintons denied knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes before he pleaded guilty in 2008 to Florida state charges of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.
Deep dive
A sign offers parking and charging facilities for electric cars at a Berlin business park in 2023. Evidence from the oldest generation of electric vehicles suggests that their batteries last longer than expected in the early days of the electric vehicle industry.
Odd Andersen/AFP
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Odd Andersen/AFP
In the early days of modern electric vehicles, drivers were concerned that electric vehicles would require costly battery replacement within a few years. Everyone knows the painful reality of a dying smartphone battery. Electric vehicle batteries were designed to last longer than smaller, cheaper batteries. Even though batteries come with warranties, these often expire before the car does. If a high-voltage battery fails halfway through a car’s life, drivers must replace it, costing between $5,000 and $20,000. But there is good news. As the electric vehicle fleet ages on the road, new data collected from tens of thousands of vehicles clearly shows that these batteries are lasting longer than expected.
- 🔋 Tests of electric vehicle batteries have underestimated their lifespan because real-world driving is smoother. Unlike testing, driving involves stopping and starting. Each start consumes a little battery power, while each stop allows a slight recharge.
- 🔋 Engineers who have developed modern electric vehicles have designed systems that actively manage temperature to improve battery life and software to continuously monitor battery health.
- 🔋 Electric vehicle owners can extend their battery life by parking their vehicle in the shade and reducing fast charging. Fast charging is the main stressor that can cause it to degrade faster than usual.
Image exhibition
People gather on Lake Mendota near an inflatable Statue of Liberty crown and torch during the Winter Carnival at UW-Madison Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kayla Wolf for NPR
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Kayla Wolf for NPR
Last month, Madison, Wisconsin hosted its 14th annual Frozen Assets Festival. During the winter months, the city, built on a thin strip of land between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, embraces its frozen lakes. People commonly engage in ice fishing, skating, ice sailing, and snowshoeing. Historically, people in the area valued ice for other purposes, such as ice harvesting. The frozen lakes were so important to the city that records of when the ice froze over each year go back more than 100 years. Today, people enter a contest to guess the day Lake Mendota will freeze over. Take a look at this year’s festival, which features kites, skydivers, ice hockey and the only 5K that takes place solely on ice.
3 things to know before you leave
Tomato clownfish, like the one seen here nestled in a sea anemone, lose all of their white stripes (the head bar) as they grow.
Camille A.Sautereau
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Camille A.Sautereau
- Tomato clownfish appear able to adapt when they lose their stripes, a new Biology PLOS reveals a study. The study suggests that young fish may change their physical appearance to help them find a foothold (or an anchor) in the local social hierarchy.
- Yesterday, the Supreme Court intervened in New York’s redistricting process, blocking a lower court ruling that likely would have turned a Republican congressional district into a Democratic one.
- This week, the Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles begins offering a rare look at its ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” scrolls. The collection of 19 manuscripts includes one manuscript dating back almost 3,500 years. (via LAist)
This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.
