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By
Brittney Melton
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In the last 24 hours, unknown attackers hit three commercial ships carrying oil in the Strait of Hormuz. The key passageway for the world's oil, which is one of the hot spots in the U.S. and Israel's war in the Middle East, is now effectively closed. President Trump is urging ships to keep using the route and is promising protection, but has offered very little detail on how that protection will work.
Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, after attacks hit ships in the region. AFP via Getty Images hide caption
The Pentagon has launched a formal investigation into a missile strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed at least 165 civilians, many of them children. A preliminary assessment determined that the U.S. was at fault for the strike, which happened on the first day of the war.
The Trump administration is seeking to tighten rules for immigrants with temporary legal status seeking a commercial driver's license, citing several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers. Critics argue that these changes won't improve road safety. According to the Department of Transportation's estimate, the proposed regulations could force around 200,000 immigrants, including asylum-seekers and DACA recipients, out of the trucking industry.
An internal government watchdog and members of Congress are separately investigating new allegations of Social Security data misuse by a Department of Government Efficiency staffer. On March 6, the Social Security Administration's inspector general alerted House and Senate leaders about an anonymous complaint regarding potential data misuse by a former DOGE employee, according to a copy of the letter obtained by NPR. This week, congressional Democrats ramped up their investigation into DOGE's access to Social Security data after receiving whistleblower claims that a former agency software engineer retained databases containing personal information on nearly every American.
Commuters walk through Moynihan Train Hall in New York Penn Station in New York on March 9, 2026. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
While commuters race through New York's Moynihan Train Hall in Penn Station to get to their destinations, dancers are rehearsing down the corridor and posting their performances on social media. The passageway from track 5 to 21 is officially called the West End Concourse, but some call it TikTok Hall. For many dancers, the concourse has become a third space to practice their moves. Reporter Jeff Lunden noticed this unofficial dance studio on a recent trip and returned with his microphone to uncover the story behind it. Listen to discover why these performers find joy in dancing at the train station.
Andrea D'Aquino/For NPR Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
For decades, psychologists believed willpower would help people get better grades in school, establish healthier diets, gain successful careers and more. Hundreds of studies supported this idea. As a result, parents have taught their children to use willpower to resist modern temptations like fast food and video games. But new research suggests a simpler, more effective strategy.
Psilocybin mushrooms ready for harvest in a humidified chamber. Researchers have shown that a dose of psilocybin can help people quit smoking. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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