NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-05-2026 12AM EST

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. With the conflict in the Middle East now in a sixth day, an effort to rein in President Trump's authority to wage war failed on Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans blocked a war powers resolution Wednesday. NPR's Claudia Grisales. Largely along partisan lines, the vote failed by 47 to 53. We only saw one Republican join. Most Democrats to vote yes on this measure. that was Rand Paul of Kentucky. He's been a co-sponsor on several of these resolutions. And Democrats also saw a defection as Pennsylvania, Senator John Federman agreed with most Republicans voting the measure down.

The House is to vote on its own war powers resolution Thursday. Defense Secretary Pete Heggsett says an American submarine fired on and sank an Iranian naval vessel in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka and rescue teams recovered more than. than 80 bodies and rescued more than 30 people, more remain missing. NPRS Dia Hadid reports the incident puts other countries in an awkward place diplomatically. Initially, there was confusion. This is Indian broadcaster and DTV. It is getting more and more intense and more and more bizarre. But within hours, Hesketh said this. It was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The attack occurred close to Sri Lanka. That island is close to India's southeastern tip.

analysts say it's unclear if either country was forewarned, and they say it's particularly embarrassing for India, because the Iranian vessel had departed from an Indian port, meaning this happened on India's watch. So far, India hasn't commented on the incident. Sri Lanka's government says it doesn't want to become a victim of this conflict. Dear Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai. Now to California, where schools are seeing a lot of turmoil this year. school educators went on strike last month, and as Farida Javala Romero reports from member station KQED, teachers and other districts from Los Angeles to West Sacramento, are also weighing work stoppages. Common teacher concerns are pay and benefits. A majority of school funding comes from the state,

but enrollment is declining in most districts, and state funding, which is tied to student attendance, isn't keeping up with costs. David Goldberg, is president of the California Teachers Association. There's an interesting dynamic in California where we have both locally negotiated contracts, but we also have a dire need for state funding. So it's kind of really put the focus on both. The union worked with members to ensure several labor contracts

expired around the same time. Goldberg hopes the coordinated strategy gets the attention of state lawmakers and the governor. For NPR News, and Farida Jabala Romero in Oakland, California. This is NPR. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted Wednesdays to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi. Lawmakers in both parties want Bondi to testify in oversight's investigation into the late-convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi has come under fire for her handling of the Epstein files. On a party-line vote, a Senate committee has advanced President Trump's controversial nominee to be the nation's next public. lands chief. NPR's Kirk Sigler reports at former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pierce has called for selling the public lands he's poised to manage. Selling federal public lands stirs bipartisan backlash here in the West where much of the land is open to the public. In his confirmation hearing, Steve Pierce said his prior support of those sales was in his past and he promised he wouldn't push to roll back protections for national monuments. Conservationists and some local officials like Taos New Mexico town councilman Darian Fernandez aren't buying it.

I'll give him credit that at least he understands that his record is bad enough that now even he's trying to run from it. Pierce is President Trump's second nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management in this term. His first, a Colorado oil and gas lobbyist withdrew last year after comments surfaced she'd criticized his role in the January 6th insurrection. Kirk Sigler in PR News. Shares open sharply higher in Asia following Wednesday's rebound on Wall Street. South Korea's benchmarked Kaspi is up 9% after its worst plunge ever the day before.

In Tokyo, Japan's Niki is up 2% after uncertainty about the war in the Middle East rattled financial markets this week. I'm Jail Snyder, NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart, get wise. Download the Wise app today or visit wise.com. T's and Cs apply.