Thousands of U.S. troops deploy to Middle East. And, the latest on DHS funding talks

Special Series Up First Newsletter All Up First Stories Up First Podcast Morning Edition LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio YouTube Music RSS link Sign up for the [TITLE] Newsletter Get perks with [Podcast Title]+ Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. President Trump is deploying thousands more American soldiers to the Middle East. At least 2,000 paratroopers have received mobilization orders, as confirmed by NPR. This move coincides with the president's ongoing focus on diplomatic talks with Iran to end the war, despite Iran so far denying negotiations are taking place. Trump said yesterday that someone who is representing Iran offered some form of "a very significant prize" related to the Strait of Hormuz, but details surrounding what the offer was remain unclear. The Lebanese flag is waved amid the rubble of a Lebanese Civil Defense post destroyed in an Israeli military airstrike in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, on Tuesday. Fabio Bucciarelli/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty hide caption Talks on funding the Department of Homeland Security have been on and off between the White House and Congress. But NPR's Barbara Sprunt says there appears to be a small glimmer of progress. This comes as lines at many airports are increasingly getting longer as Transportation Security agents continue to work without pay. The DHS, which includes TSA, has been shut down for over a month now. A whole industry of data brokers buys vast amounts of electronic information from cell phone apps and web browsers —- with the brokers providing bulk cell phone data to police departments and federal government agencies. The brokers give this data to these authorities in ways that can reveal personal details about Americans without a warrant. Privacy advocates believe Congress has a chance to close the well-known loophole around the 14th Amendment that allows for this form of government snooping. This opportunity arises as Congress prepares to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is set to expire on April 20. Stock market numbers are displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during afternoon trading on March 03, 2026 in New York City. Stocks tumbled with the Dow Jones losing over 400 points amid a possible prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption Stock markets have fallen due to the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran and its economic effects. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down around 9% since its February high, which hit about two weeks before the war started. That's not a crash or a bear market, which are markets that have fallen 20% from recent highs. But the market decline has pulled down the value of Americans' investments, from college to retirement plans. Here's what financial advisers suggest you do if you are concerned about the shaky market: Girls sit on a wall to get a good vantage point of people walking up the mountains with flaming torches and fireworks for Nowruz in Akre, the Kurdish region of Iraq on Friday. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption While the vernal equinox, which marks the start of spring, might be just another date for many people, Iranians celebrate it as Nowruz, the Persian New Year. In the Kurdish regions of the Middle East, Nowruz fundamentally expresses Kurdish identity. Over 30 million Kurds live in a contiguous area across Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, which is divided by external borders and historic internal differences. For decades, the ancient town of Akre, nestled against craggy mountains in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has been the focal point for Nowruz celebrations. There, Kurds gather to light flaming torches at sunset, carrying them up the mountainside to symbolize light defeating darkness. Take a look at how people celebrated the event this year. Dayton Webber, then 18, pictured at a baseball game in 2016. In the years before his arrest, he shared his experience playing sports — and turning pro in one of them — as a quadruple amputee. Kevin Sullivan/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images hide caption This newsletter was edited by Treye Green. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor