Summary4 min read

NPR News Now — 12PM EDT, March 18, 2026

Host: Lakshmi Singh, NPR
Episode Theme: This episode provides a concise update on the top national and international news stories, including U.S. political developments, Middle Eastern conflict, legal actions against betting sites, market trends, and wildfire impacts in Nebraska.

1. Senate Confirmation Hearing: Mark Wayne Mullen for Homeland Security

[00:02 - 00:57]

Senator Mark Wayne Mullen is under consideration for Secretary of Homeland Security.
Before full Senate confirmation, Mullen must get a recommendation from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Senator Rand Paul.
- Paul and Mullen have a contentious history.
- Paul questions Mullen’s temperament and past comments, referencing a personal dispute:
  - Quote (Rand Paul, 00:30):
    “You told the media that I was a freaking snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.”
If confirmed, Mullen would replace Kristi Noem, who was fired after criticism of a $200M ad campaign and scrutiny over aggressive DHS immigration enforcement, including fatal incidents in Minneapolis.

2. Escalating Israeli-Iranian Conflict

[00:57 - 02:21]

Israel has conducted fresh airstrikes, killing Iranian officials.
- Iran's President confirmed the death of the intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, overnight.
- Mass funerals in Tehran for additional targets: leaders from Iran’s National Security Council and the Basij paramilitary police.
- NPR’s Carrie Khan reports from Tel Aviv:
  - Quote (Carrie Khan, 01:43): “Katz says the war is in a decisive phase and that, quote, no one in Iran has immunity. Everyone is a target.”
  - Live broadcast showed a massive crowd with coffins in Tehran, highlighting the public response and sense of crisis.
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accuses Khatib of orchestrating violent domestic crackdowns earlier in the year.

3. Ukraine and U.S. Military Aid Amid Conflict

[02:21 - 03:06]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expresses concern that:
- U.S. military support for the Middle East depletes resources meant for Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
- Quote (paraphrased, 02:21):
  - “Putin wants a...long war in the Middle East because he says it would mean higher energy prices, the depletion of U.S. reserves and a depletion of resources in Ukraine.”
Signals the interconnectedness of U.S. global military commitments and their implications for Ukraine.

4. U.S. Stock Market Update

[03:06]

The Dow Jones is down 470 points (about 1%) as of broadcast time.

5. Legal Action Against Betting Sites

[03:06 - 03:45]

Arizona prosecutors file criminal charges against prediction market sites Kaushi and Polymarket.
- Over 20 lawsuits argue the sites function as unlicensed gambling operations, not just “futures contracts.”
- Arizona’s attorney general accuses them specifically of illegal sports and election wagering.
- Notably, Donald Trump Jr. serves as an advisor to both companies; the Trump administration supports these markets.
- Kaushi's response:
  - Denies charges, claiming legality under federal jurisdiction due to the scale of their betting volumes.
  - Quote (paraphrased, 03:33):
    “Kaushi says the charges are seriously flawed and meritless.”
- This legal battle underscores tensions between state regulators and federal policy on online gambling.

6. Nebraska Wildfires – On-the-Ground Impact

[03:45 - 04:36]

Wildfires have burned more than 800,000 acres in western Nebraska.
Macy Byers reports on the hardship facing local farmers and ranchers:
- Rancher Owen Johnson recounts escaping with his livestock, but losing a stallion and a calf. He describes devastation and lack of grazing land.
- Quote (Owen Johnson, 04:11):
  - “If I had to turn my horses out and let them survive out here, they wouldn't. There's not enough grass left to feed them for a day. As far as you can see, it's just black. Everything's just black. Burned. Burned everything.”
- The fires have destroyed crucial infrastructure and grazing land, making recovery uncertain for many.
Fires continue to threaten livelihoods and the agricultural backbone of Nebraska.

Notable Quotes

Rand Paul, on Mullen's temperament [00:30]:
“I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.”
Carrie Khan, on Israeli strikes [01:43]:
“No one in Iran has immunity. Everyone is a target.”
Owen Johnson, Nebraska rancher [04:11]:
“As far as you can see, it’s just black. Everything’s just black. Burned. Burned everything.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:02 – Senate confirmation hearings for DHS
01:43 – Israel-Iran airstrikes and funerals
02:21 – Ukraine voices concern over U.S. aid
03:06 – Market update and betting site charges
03:55 – Nebraska wildfire aftermath

Tone

Brief, urgent, and fact-focused, reflecting the rapid-fire headline format characteristic of NPR News Now. Direct quotes from newsmakers and those affected by current events enrich the update with firsthand perspectives.

For full details and regular updates, listeners are encouraged to follow NPR News Now.

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Transcript12 lines

[00:02]
A
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Senator Mark Wayne Mullen is seeking U.S. senate confirmation to become the next secretary of Homeland Security. He first needs to secure the recommendation of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The panel's chairman is Rand Paul. The Republican and Mullen have had beef in the past. Paul reaffirmed that today in questioning whether Mullen has the temperament to lead the dhs.
[00:31]
B
You told the media that I was a freaking snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.
[00:57]
A
If confirmed, Mullen would replace Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Trump following criticism of a more than $200 million ad campaign in which Noem was featured. However, Noem's tenure was also overshadowed by widespread criticism of the DHS's immigration enforcement tactics, including confrontations that led to the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Israel says it has killed another high ranking Iranian leader. It is the latest in Israeli airstrikes targeting the country's top officials. Iran's president confirmed the killing overnight of its top intelligence minister on social media. Separately, thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran for a mass funeral of the heads of Iran's National Security Council and the powerful Basij paramilitary police. Here's NPR's Carrie.
[01:44]
C
Defense Minister Israel Katz says Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib was responsible for the regime's apparatus of repression and assassination and instrumental in the deadly crackdown on Iranian demonstrators earlier this year. Katz says the war is in a decisive phase and that, quote, no one in Iran has immunity. Everyone is a target. Meanwhile, mourners packed a huge Tehran square for the funerals of two leaders also killed by Israel. Live stream of the massive crowd carrying multiple coffins was broadcast on Iranian tv. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
[02:21]
A
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's worried the more weapons the United States uses to fight its war against Iran. The the fewer missiles available to help Ukraine defeat Russia. Zelensky tells the BBC Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a, quote, long war in the Middle east because he says it would mean higher energy prices, the depletion of U.S. reserves and a depletion of resources in Ukraine. U.S. stocks are trading lower this hour. The Dow Jones industrial average down 470 points, or roughly 1%. This is NPR News. Prosecutors in Arizona have filed criminal charges against the popular betting site Kyle Sheep nears.
[03:06]
D
NPR's Bobby Allen Kelshi and Polymarket apps where you can bet on just about anything, are facing more than 20 lawsuits over their legal status as a futures contract, not gambling sites. But now Arizona's attorney general is accusing Kaushi of operating an unlicensed gambling operation involved in criminal wagering on sports and elections. It's the latest sign of a growing rift between states and the Trump administration, which supports the prediction market industry. The Donald Trump Jr. The president's son, is an advisor to both Kaushi and Polymarket. Kaushi says the charges are seriously flawed and meritless. Kaushi says its billions of dollars in weekly bets fall under exclusive federal jurisdiction. Bobby Allen, NPR News.
[03:46]
A
Firefighters in western Nebraska are trying to contain four wildfires that have burned more than 800,000 acres. Macy Byers reports on how affected farmers and ranchers are coping.
[03:56]
E
Though his home was saved by firefighters, rancher Owen Johnson says corrals, fencing, sheds, dozens of hay bales burned when the wildfire swept through his property. He had to let his livestock loose to escape losing a stallion and a calf in the chaos.
[04:11]
F
If I had to turn my horses out and let them survive out here, they wouldn't. There's not enough grass left to feed them for a day. As far as you can see, it's just black. Everything's just black. Burned. Burned everything.
[04:24]
E
Johnson has no idea what it will take to recover. Across the four wildfires, loss of grazing land and farm structures have hit Nebraska ranchers hard. For NPR News, I'm Macy Byers in Lincoln, Nebraska.
[04:37]
A
You're listening to NPR News.
[04:40]
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