NPR News: 03-05-2026 1PM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now – March 5, 2026, 1PM EST

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Episode Theme: Major US and international news updates within a fast-paced, five-minute segment.

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1. Congressional Debate Over Iran War Powers

[00:17 – 01:19]

• Main Point:
  The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a resolution that would restrict U.S. military actions against Iran without explicit congressional approval. The Senate previously rejected a similar resolution along party lines.

• Key Discussion:

  • Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) explained his opposition to the measure, emphasizing the importance of public opinion as a check on presidential power and cautioning against displaying congressional division during times of conflict.
  • Johnson underscored the need for unity, particularly in military operations:

    “What you don’t want to do in a terribly divided Congress is hold a vote that shows us divided. That would not be good in a war effort, not be good for our troops. It would not be good for success in the operations.” (Senator Ron Johnson, 00:43)

  • When questioned if votes should be avoided due to lack of national support, Johnson said:

    “Right now, somebody’s got to make the decision. That’s the commander in chief.” (Senator Ron Johnson, 01:13)

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2. EU–Gulf Cooperation Council Emergency Meeting on Iran

[01:19 – 01:53]

• Main Point:
  EU foreign ministers convened with Gulf states in Brussels over recent Iranian attacks using drones and missiles.

• Key Discussion:

  • EU Foreign Affairs Chief, Kaya Kallis, highlighted the damaging impact of Iranian drone and missile attacks on civilian and oil infrastructure in the Gulf region.
  • An unnamed EU official cited broader regional destabilization:

    “Iran is exporting the war, trying to expand it to as many countries as they can to sow chaos, and we are calling for stability...” (Unnamed EU Official, 01:40)

  • The EU is facilitating collaborations between Gulf nations and Ukraine to share defenses and insights on countering Iranian drones.

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3. Montana Senate Race Shake-Up

[02:10 – 03:01]

• Main Point:
  Montana Senator Steve Daines announced he would not seek reelection just before the state’s filing deadline, creating a significant shift in the upcoming Senate race.

• Key Discussion:

  • Daines stated:

    “Serving the people of Montana in the US House and the US Senate the past 13 years has been the greatest honor of my professional career.” (Steve Daines, 02:29)

  • Kurt Almy, a U.S. attorney appointed by Donald Trump and newly endorsed by both Daines and Trump, filed to run moments before the deadline.
  • Correction: NPR clarified that Almy is not the state attorney general; that role belongs to Austin Knudson.

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4. Lawsuit Over TikTok Sale to White House Allies

[03:01 – 04:10]

• Main Point:
  A new nonpartisan organization, the Public Integrity Project, is suing President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging the sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets to political allies contravened laws aimed at blocking Chinese influence.

• Key Discussion:

  • The lawsuit alleges the deal bypassed legal safeguards against data collection and propaganda by foreign-owned tech firms.
  • Filed on behalf of rivals in the social media sector; the White House and DOJ had no immediate comment, but President Trump maintained compliance with the law.

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5. Oklahoma Removes Transgender ID Protections

[04:10 – 04:39]

• Main Point:
  Oklahoma lawmakers eliminated administrative rules that allowed gender marker changes on driver’s licenses.

• Key Discussion:

  • Attorney Josh Payton, advocate for trans rights, voiced concern:

    “It should be an inherent right for people to change their... identification. This is a very significant blow to those rights.” (Josh Payton, 04:32)

  • Peyton argued the state’s move diverges from federal standards, with previous rules established for federal law compliance.

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6. Brief Business and Correction Updates

[03:01, 04:51]

• The Dow Jones fell nearly 1,000 points earlier, representing almost a 2% drop by report’s end.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “What you don’t want to do in a terribly divided Congress is hold a vote that shows us divided.” – Senator Ron Johnson (00:43)
• “Iran is exporting the war, trying to expand it...” – Unnamed EU Official (01:40)
• “Serving the people of Montana... has been the greatest honor of my professional career.” – Steve Daines (02:29)
• “It should be an inherent right for people to change their... identification.” – Josh Payton (04:32)

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:17 – House war powers resolution on Iran; Senator Ron Johnson’s comments
• 01:19 – EU and Gulf states emergency talks on Iranian attacks
• 02:10 – Senator Steve Daines’ retirement; Montana Senate race update
• 03:01 – Lawsuit over TikTok sale; business news; correction on Montana officials
• 04:10 – Oklahoma’s removal of transgender identification rights

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Transcript

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[NPR Host]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The House of Representatives is set to hold a vote this afternoon on a war powers resolution that that would halt U.S. attacks on Iran without congressional approval. Yesterday, the Senate voted down a similar measure, mostly along party lines. One of the lawmakers who voted against was Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. He spoke with host Steve Inskeep on NPR's Morning Edition.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

I think the primary restraint on any president of the United States is public opinion. What you don't want to do in a terribly divided Congress is hold a vote that shows us divided. That would not be good in a war effort, not be good for our troops. It would not be good for success in the operations.

[Steve Inskeep]

Did it with the Iraq war, both

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Iraq wars, well, there was overwhelming support for those. Probably shouldn't have gone to war at that point in time.

[Steve Inskeep]

Are you saying we should avoid a vote because the country is not behind the war?

[Senator Ron Johnson]

What I'm saying is right now somebody's got to make the decision. That's the commander in chief, Senator Johnson,

[NPR Host]

speaking with NPR's Steve Inskeep. Foreign ministers in the European Union held an emergency meeting today in Brussels with their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council about the Iran war. Here's NPR's RAPS.

[Kaya Kallis]

European Union foreign affairs chief Kaya Kallis said the two sides discussed the significant damage drones and missiles from Iran have caused to civilian and petrochemical infrastructure in the Gulf.

[Unnamed EU Official]

Iran is exporting the war, trying to expand it to as many countries as they can to sow chaos, and we are calling for stability and seeing what we can do to.

[Kaya Kallis]

Kalis said the same type of drones attacking the Middle east have for years attacked Ukraine. She said the EU is putting Gulf countries in touch with Ukraine's leadership to share notes on how to defend themselves from Iranian drone strikes. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin.

[NPR Host]

Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines has announced he will not seek reelection. He withdrew his bid yesterday, just before Montana's deadline for candidates to file for the November midterm election. Montana Public Radio's Shailey Rager has more.

[Shailey Rager]

Daines, who was heavily favored to win reelection, said in a statement that he's been wrestling with the decision for months.

[Steve Inskeep]

Serving the people of Montana in the US House and the US Senate the past 13 years has been the greatest honor of my professional career.

[Shailey Rager]

Montana Republican U.S. attorney Kurt Almy filed to run for U.S. senate just as Daines dropped out minutes before the candidate filing period closed. Daines immediately endorsed Almy. President Donald Trump appointed ALMY the state's U.S. attorney twice and endorsed his candidacy on Truth Social. Almy has not run for office before. For NPR News, I'm Shailey Raker in Helena.

[NPR Host]

Earlier, NPR misidentified U.S. attorney Almi as the state's attorney general. The state AG is actually Austin Knudson. At last check on Wall street, the Dow is down nearly 1,000 points. It's NPR. A new nonpartisan firm launched to fight public corruption is suing President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for allowing the sale of TikTok's U.S. assets to White House allies. The Public Integrity Project alleges flouted a law enacted to block China from using ByteDance's companies for mass data collection or promoting propaganda. The suit was filed on behalf of two US Retail investors in rival social media companies. There was no immediate comment from the White House or Justice Department, but President Trump has said the deal met the terms of the US's divestiture law. Republican states are pushing broader limits for transgender individuals with new momentum. From member station kosu, Sierra Pfeiffer tells us Oklahoma lawmakers have removed rules that allow people to change their sex marker on state driver's licenses.

[Sierra Pfeiffer]

Administrative rules allowed Oklahomans to change their gender marker on their driver's licenses. Now those rules have been removed by a House joint resolution signed by the governor. Attorney Josh Payton says he's been able to legally help more than 300 transgender Oklahomans amend their name and gender on official documents.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

It should be an inherent right for people to change their their their identification. This is a very significant blow to those rights.

[Sierra Pfeiffer]

Peyton argues the resolution differs from federal law laws he says the previous rules were added to comply with. For NPR News, I'm Sierra Pfeiffer in Oklahoma City.

[NPR Host]

The Dow's now down nearly 2%. It's NPR.

[Steve Inskeep]

Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.