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By
Brittney Melton
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Iran is permitting some ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but most oil and gas tankers remain trapped. President Trump has repeatedly insisted that Iran wants a deal to end the war, yet he has deployed thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East. The president has also warned of the U.S. taking potential actions to seize or destroy Iran's oil and Khrag Island, home to Iran's main oil processing facility. As the fighting continues, NPR confirmed that more than a dozen U.S. service members were injured and two E-3 Sentry aircraft were damaged in an Iranian strike on a Saudi Arabian air base on Friday.
A member of police special forces stands guard on top of a vehicle in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption
Transportation Security officers started receiving their first paychecks yesterday after more than 40 days of the Department of Homeland Security being shut down. However, the partial government shutdown is not over yet and uncertainty looms about when they will receive their next paycheck.
DHS has lifted its ban on reviewing asylum applications. The processing hold will remain for 36 countries labeled as "high risk" and subject to travel restrictions to the U.S. In November 2025, the Trump administration halted processing for some 4 million asylum applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The decision for the pause came as part of a slew of restrictions on immigration after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C.
Nuthawut Somsuk/Getty Images Finding the silver lining can feel futile at times, but optimism can come in handy regardless of your situation. Unlike pessimism, which helps humans survive by imagining worst-case scenarios, optimism can more effectively solve problems in the modern world, says behavioral scientist and psychologist Deepika Chopra. Plus, Chopra says the best part is that anyone can train themselves to see the glass as half full. Take this quiz to find out your level of optimism, then learn how to train yourself to become more optimistic with these strategies:
For more of the science behind optimism and manifestation, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
On Tuesday March 24, 2026, 2026 Grammy award winners Aura V. and Fyütch (Harold Simmons II) enjoy a morning musical practice session in their home recording space. They sing their hit "Harmony". Photo by Dee Dwyer for NPR Dee Dwyer for NPR hide caption
In February, 8-year-old Aura V and her dad, Harold Simmons II, who uses the stage name Fyütch, made history. They won a Grammy for Best Children's Music Album for Harmony, making Aura the youngest-ever individually named Grammy winner. The album's 13 songs, which took over two years to write and record, follow themes of love, positivity and inclusion. Simmons says he wanted the album to capture the life he wanted to model for his daughter while "making dope beats." But what does life look like for the young girl after winning the Grammy? NPR spoke to her about her life now. Listen to her story and snippets from the album.
Statues of d'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers in Condom, France. Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption
This newsletter was edited by Yvonne Dennis.
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