NPR News Now - NPR News: 03-23-2026 1PM EDT

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump says the U.S. and Iran are talking and could meet soon about ending the war. Before leaving West Palm Beach for Memphis today, Trump pushed back against arguments that he should not have gone to war because Iran did not pose an imminent threat. I think that Iran, if we didn't bomb them with the B2 bombers, now that set them back, but if we didn't hit them with the B2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon within. Two weeks to a month. Trump addressing reporters earlier today, NPR has not independently verified reporting that U.S. Iran talks may be taking place indirectly. But as NPR's Daniel Lestrin tells us, Axio cites an unnamed U.S. source in reporting Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan have been passing messages between the U.S. and Iran's former minister over the last two days. It is the first indication we have that the U.S. and Iran might be holding indirect talks about ending the war.

and the question is, are these talk serious or is there something else here at play? Iran's foreign ministry is saying that the president's statements are part of efforts to reduce energy prices. And indeed, we saw oil prices drop after Trump made this announcement. NPR's Daniel Lester now like oil and gasoline, the cost of fertilizer has spiked since the start of the war with Iran. From member station KCUR, Frank Morris has more. Farmers plant major crops like corn and soybeans in the spring. But first, they put down lots of nuts. nitrogen fertilizer, chiefly urea.

Urea is made with natural gas, and almost half the world's exports of it typically shipped through the Strait of Ramos. Eurea prices have shot up by almost a third since the strait closed. Josh Linville, Vice President of Fertilizer at Stonex, says it's his nightmare scenario. It would be this exact event during this exact time of year. It doesn't get much worse than what we're dealing with today. The Fertilizer Institute predicts American farmers will be short perhaps two million tons of EREA this spring and grow less food because of it.

For NPR News, I'm Frank Morris. Trump's ordered hundreds of federal immigration agents to U.S. airports to help TSA agents who are not getting paid because the Department of Homeland Security is largely shut down. Here's NPR's Luke Garrett. White House Borders'R. Tom Homan is in charge of the operation. He tells CNN, ICE agents will likely guard airport entries and exits, and he thinks ICE will leave the security line to Transportation Security Administration workers. The union that represents TSA officers blasted the ICE deployment.

Here's union policy director, Jacqueline Simon. It will be easier for somebody with malintent to get through a security checkpoint with an untrained ice agent there instead of a trained transportation security officer. Homan said ICE agents will continue their immigration enforcement mission while at airports. But in a statement, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said ICE agents will take orders from TSA. And the federal agents at Atlanta's airport are, quote, not intended to. to conduct immigration enforcement activities. That's Luke Garrett. It's NPR.

A growing number of people are on GLP1 drugs seeking to lose weight. However, many are not getting counseling about how their diet also needs to change while they take the medication. NPR's Yucinaguchi has new details. Ideally, GLP1 drugs enable people to change their diet for the better. That means eating more protein to combat muscle loss that occurs on the drugs. High-fiber foods are necessary because the medicine's slow digestion, potentially causing blockage in the gut. In reality, however, many do not alter their eating habits because they're able to lose weight

anyway. Or some skip meals and eat more rich foods which can cause side effects like nausea or stomach problems. Nutritionists say changing one's diet is crucial, especially since data show about half of people quit GLP-1s within a year, then rapidly regain weight. Yuki Noguchi and PR News. The public's expected to soon learn the outcome of landmark trials at pit social media giants against users

who allege the company's platforms are harmful to young people. One trial in New Mexico focuses on whether META misled users about how safe its platforms are for children, closing arguments scheduled today. Another is playing out in California where a Los Angeles jury is deciding whether META and Google-owned YouTube are liable for a 20-year-old woman's addiction to social media. Tech executives have argued

they have worked to build in protections against harmful content while remaining transparent about limitations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average now up 632 points or 1.3%. It's NPR.