Transcript
Windsor Johnston (0:01)
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The conflict in the Middle east is intensifying. Iran targeted the Oracle office building in Dubai overnight. NPR's Aya Batrawi reports. Tehran had vowed to strike the data center and other US Defense and tech companies in the Gulf in response to the assassination of its top leaders.
Aya Batrawi (0:23)
Authorities in Dubai say debris fell on the facade of Oracle's office building. The apparent overnight drone attack occurred when offices would normally be empty of personnel and no INJ injuries were reported. Iran says the attack is in response to the attempted assassination this week of former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi. Iran says he was severely wounded and his wife killed. Iranian media reported he'd been talking with Pakistani mediators on possible U. S Iran talks to end the war. The US And Israel have been coordinating most attacks on Iran, and it's unknown which carried out the attack on Kharazi. Iran's revolutionary guard named 18 US tech and defense companies as targets to further assassination attempts. The list includes Palantir, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Microsoft and others. Eyel Batrawi, NPR News, Dubai.
Windsor Johnston (1:07)
A group of roughly two dozen states has filed a lawsuit to block President Trump's latest executive order on voting. NPR's Miles Parks reports. The move attempts to add new restrictions to mail in voting.
Miles Parks (1:19)
This suit, filed by a group of Democratic states, is the third to be filed challenging the executive order after the Democratic Party sued on Wednesday and a coalition of voting rights groups sued on Thursday. The the Constitution is explicit in delegating power to run voting to the states, although Congress can step in to set national rules for federal elections as well. In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James referenced all that, saying no president has the power to rewrite the rules on his own. Numerous legal experts said they expect courts to swiftly block this order, as they did with Trump's order last March, which tried to add new restrictions to voter registration. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington.
Windsor Johnston (1:58)
It was a shortened trading week on Wall street, with markets close for Good Friday. NPR's Maria Aspen reports. The Dow, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 all posted losses.
Maria Aspen (2:09)
The war in Iran and the resulting energy crisis has had investors swinging from panic to relief and back again. Stocks had their best day of 2026 on Wednesday as investors hoped President Trump would do more to end the war. But then his address to the nation that evening left room for doubt and sparked another, if temporary, sell off. The war has already sent oil prices soaring and damaged some of the refineries and other infrastructure needed to produce more. Consumers are paying more at the gas pump, while companies are paying more for shipping and trucking. The longer the war continues, the longer this oil shock risks fueling inflation and wider economic damage. Maria Aspen, NPR News.