Middle East At War, Congress Briefed On War, Texas and North Carolina Primaries

Summary

NPR Up First: "Middle East At War, Congress Briefed On War, Texas and North Carolina Primaries"

Date: March 3, 2026
Hosts: Amy Martinez, Layla Fadel
Correspondents: Daniel Estrin, Barbara Sprunt, Ashley Lopez

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Episode Overview

This episode of NPR's Up First focuses on three major news stories: the expanding war in the Middle East involving Israel, Iran, and now Lebanon; U.S. congressional responses and debates over presidential war powers; and high-stakes primary elections in Texas and North Carolina that could offer insights into broad political trends for the upcoming midterms. The episode features on-the-ground updates, analysis from NPR correspondents, and notable perspectives from key political figures.

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1. Middle East War Expands: Israel, Iran, and Lebanon

(00:02 – 05:29)

Key Developments

• Warnings for Americans: The State Department is urging Americans in the Middle East to evacuate due to intensifying hostilities.
• Widening Conflict: Israel has launched airstrikes into both Iran and Lebanon. Iranian retaliation includes strikes on U.S. positions and allies in the region, marking a dangerous expansion of the conflict.
• Ground Troops in Lebanon: Israel confirms deployment of troops just inside southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah incursions.
• Unusual Escalations: Qatar shot down Iranian warplanes—the first instance of a Gulf Arab state engaging Iranian aircraft.

Notable Insights from Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv

• Israeli Military Targets in Iran:
  "Yesterday, Israel focused on targeting regime symbols in Iran, so it bombed the Iranian intelligence ministry headquarters, the state broadcaster, the presidential office, the building of the National Security Council." (01:57)
• Focus on Missiles:
  "Today, Israel's military says its focus is on Iran's missiles and missile launchers. And already Israel says it has destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles and dozens of missile launchers." (02:16)
• Duration of Conflict:
  • President Trump suggests war could last "four or five weeks or maybe even a little bit longer."
  • Israeli military preparing for prolonged conflict, but an official claims goals could be achieved within two weeks (02:48).
• Regime Change Confusion:
  • Israeli PM Netanyahu stated on Fox News, "regime change is the goal," yet U.S. officials downplay this, stating regime change “would be nice,” but is not a stated war goal (03:13).
  • Daniel Estrin notes, "On the ground in Iran, we are not seeing Iranians under bombardment, pouring into the streets, protesting against their government..." (03:25).
• US Messaging Shifts:
  President Trump initially urged Iranians to "stay sheltered" and later encouraged them to "take over their government," signaling mixed messages (03:52–03:59).
• Regional Impacts:
  • "Hezbollah and Lebanon opened fire at Israel and Israel is striking back."
  • "What is happening in the Gulf, however, is huge. Iran is pounding U.S. positions in the Gulf. Several U.S. service members have been killed...Qatar says it shot down Iranian warplanes." (04:10–05:15)
  • Watching closely if additional Gulf Arab countries get directly involved.

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2. Congressional Briefings and the Debate Over War Powers

(05:30 – 09:06)

Congressional Briefings and Reactions

• Briefing Led by Secretary of State Rubio:
  "Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the US attacked Iran because Israel was going to attack Iran and Iran would retaliate." (00:13, restated at 06:10)

• Speaker Mike Johnson (House Republican):
  "They gave us operational details. They gave us the rationale for what was done. And I was very satisfied with the briefing." (05:41)

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat):
  "That briefing raised many more questions than it answered." (05:50)

• Senator Mark Warner (Democrat, Senate Intelligence):
  "Now, a week ago, it was about the Iranian nuclear capacity. A few days later, it was about taking out the ballistic missiles. It was then about regime change. And now we hear it's about sinking the Iranian fleet." (06:50)

Legislative Situation

• Measures to Limit Presidential Authority:
  Both House and Senate are preparing votes on proposals to rein in the president’s unilateral war powers—requiring Congress’ express approval for further military intervention in Iran.
• Partisan Divide:
  • Votes are expected to be mostly along party lines, though there are a few crossovers: "A small number of Republicans who say they'll vote to curb the president's actions, and some Democrats who say that the resolution could actually restrict the flexibility that's needed to respond to threats in real time." (07:35)
• Historical Context:
  • Continuing trends of executive overreach in military matters.
  • Previous similar resolutions (e.g., Venezuela) have failed.

DHS Shutdown Connected

• The Department of Homeland Security remains shut down, complicating counterterrorism efforts. Republicans argue for immediate funding, while Democrats are holding out for changes to immigration enforcement (08:28).

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3. Texas and North Carolina Primaries: Early Indicators for the 2026 Midterms

(09:15 – 12:42)

Why These Races Matter

• Few competitive House races due to recent redistricting, so the Senate primaries are particularly telling about party direction.
• The contests serve as litmus tests for both Democrats and Republicans at the onset of the midterm cycle.

Texas Senate Primary

• Democratic Race:
  • Jasmine Crockett (Congresswoman):
    "She's been known for, like, verbally sparring with Republicans in the House...Crockett has positioned herself as a fighter." (10:06–10:32)
  • James Talarico (State Lawmaker):
    • Known for flipping a Republican district, references Christian faith in his campaign outreach—seeking to appeal to independents and conservatives.
    • "I think just in terms of personalities and the way these two candidates talk are pretty different, but I don't think what they are actually saying is all that different, because when it comes to most issues and policies, Crockett and Talarico largely agree." (10:36–11:09)
• Republican Race:
  • Sen. John Cornyn (incumbent):
    • Criticized by opponents as representative of an older, less-Trump-aligned conservatism, though he "often points out that he votes with Trump consistently."
  • Ken Paxton (Attorney General):
    • Facing legal troubles but remains popular, echoing Trump’s claims of political persecution.
  • Wesley Hunt (Congressman):
    • Polling in third, but strong enough that a runoff is likely.

North Carolina Senate Primary

• Open Seat:
  • Incumbent Thom Tillis (GOP) retiring after criticizing Trump—another example of party orthodoxy enforcement in the Trump era.
• Key Candidates:
  • Democrat Roy Cooper (former Governor):
    • "Got a lot of name recognition and has proved he can win statewide multiple times." (11:56–12:38)
  • Republican Michael Watley (former RNC Chairman):
    • Leading GOP candidate.
• Implications:
  • "If Democrats want to win back power in the Senate, this is one of their better shots as well as a must win for them." (12:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On shifting war aims:
  • Sen. Mark Warner: "A week ago, it was about Iranian nuclear capacity... It was then about regime change. And now we hear it's about sinking the Iranian fleet." (06:50)
• On political divides in the war briefing:
  • Speaker Mike Johnson: "I was very satisfied with the briefing." (05:41)
  • Sen. Chuck Schumer: "That briefing raised many more questions than it answered." (05:50)
• On Israel's war aims:
  • PM Netanyahu (via Daniel Estrin): "We're going to create the conditions first for the Iranian people to get control of their destiny, to form their own democratically elected government, which will make Iran a different Iran altogether." (03:13)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• Middle East Update with Daniel Estrin: 01:35–05:25
• Congressional Briefing & War Powers Debate: 05:30–09:06
• Texas and North Carolina Primaries Overview: 09:15–12:42

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains NPR’s signature concise, objective yet accessible tone, highlighting complexity and nuance in geopolitical and domestic politics without alarmism but with clear concern about ongoing conflicts and political polarization.

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Conclusion

This episode of Up First delivers succinct, high-impact reporting on the major stories of the moment: a rapidly escalating war in the Middle East with reverberations for U.S. foreign policy and regional stability, rising tensions within U.S. governance over war powers, and pivotal state primaries hinting at shifts within both political parties as the country heads toward consequential midterms.

Transcript

[Amy Martinez]

The State Department warns Americans across the Middle east to depart.

[Layla Falden]

Now Israel is sending troops into Lebanon. As the scope of the war grows, Israel and the US Say they are prepared for weeks of fighting.

[Amy Martinez]

I'm Amy Martinez. That's Lay La Fadell. And this is up first from NPR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the US Attacked Iran because IR Israel was going to attack Iran and Iran would retaliate.

[Mike Johnson / Chuck Schumer / Marco Rubio (various political figures)]

We went proactively in a defensive way to prevent them from inflicting higher damage.

[Amy Martinez]

He gave a briefing to Congress before they prepared a vote on a measure to curb the president's war powers.

[Layla Falden]

And it's primary day in Texas and North Carolina to closely watched Senate races could tell us where both parties are headed in November's midterms. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

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[Planet Money Host]

Greenland has said it is not for sale. Denmark has said it can't even legally sell Greenland. And whether Trump can or will or should try to control or purchase a territory that does not want to be sold is one question. But on Planet Money, we are more interested in how we even got to this moment and how we might gracefully

[Daniel Estrin]

get out of it.

[Planet Money Host]

Listen to Planet Money on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amy Martinez]

The war in the Middle east continues to expand.

[Layla Falden]

Israeli warplanes this morning are striking Iran and Lebanon, and the US Is calling on its citizens to evacuate more than a dozen countries across the region as Iran retaliates.

[Amy Martinez]

NPR's Daniel Estrin has been in Tel Aviv covering the war since it began this weekend. Daniel, are a few days in. What stage is everything in right now?

[Daniel Estrin]

Well, yesterday Israel focused on targeting regime symbols in Iran, so it bombed the Iranian intelligence ministry headquarters, the state broadcaster, the presidential office, the building of the National Security Council. Today, Israel's military says its focus is on Iran's missiles and missile launchers. And already Israel says it has destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles and dozens of missile launchers in Iran. And you really see a huge drop in the number of missile attacks on Israel, which could be because of all that degraded infrastructure. It also could be because Iran may be rationing its munitions, gearing up for a long war.

[Amy Martinez]

Now, President Trump spoke yesterday about maybe this lasting what, four or five weeks or maybe even a little bit longer. What's it looking like there? I mean, what are people thinking about how long this might last?

[Daniel Estrin]

Well, the Israeli military today said is preparing for weeks of war. I spoke with an official in the region who spoke on condition of anonymity, who told me Israel thinks it can achieve its war goals in two weeks total. But the question of war goals is a key one. We are hearing a lot of mixed messages about the goals. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on Fox News yesterday saying regime change is the goal.

[Mike Johnson / Chuck Schumer / Marco Rubio (various political figures)]

We're going to create the conditions first for the Iranian people to get control of their destiny, to form their own democratically elected government, which will make Iran a different Iran altogether.

[Daniel Estrin]

U.S. officials, however, are walking back the idea that this is a regime change war. They're saying only that that outcome would be nice on the ground in Iran. We are not seeing Iranians under bombardment, pouring into the streets, protesting against their government, trying to take it over. And Israel today said it's not planning to send ground troops to to Iran. So there is a question of whether regime change or allowing the conditions for Iranians to overthrow their government, whether that's possible.

[Amy Martinez]

And didn't President Trump just a few days ago tell people in Iran to stay sheltered, to not go out quite yet? I do remember him saying that, right?

[Daniel Estrin]

That's right. Yeah. Bombs will fall. And then afterwards he called on Iranians to take over their government. And now we're hearing a very different message from the U.S. yeah.

[Amy Martinez]

And then of course, the war is also expanding all over the region.

[Daniel Estrin]

Yeah. Hezbollah and Lebanon opened fire at Israel and Israel is striking back. Israel also says it's sending ground troops across the border into Lebanon, just along the border to patrol that border to prevent Hezbollah infiltration. I should say this is very low grade warfare so far between Israel and Hezbollah. We're not seeing Israel taking out major Lebanese infrastructure. You know, the US Supports the Lebanese government. Hezbollah fire is not at its most intensive. What is happening in the Gulf, however, is huge. Iran is pounding U.S. positions in the Gulf. Several U.S. service members have been killed. The U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia was hit by Iranian drones and causing minor damage there. Qatar says it shot down Iranian warplanes. This is the first known instance of Iran sending warplanes to toward Qatar. And the first instance we know of a Gulf Arab country actually attacking Iranian aircraft. That is an expanded role for a Gulf Arab country. What Qatar did attacking Iranian warplanes. And so now we're going to be watching for whether Arab countries being attacked by Iran now will actively join the war.

[Amy Martinez]

SNPR'S Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thanks.

[Daniel Estrin]

You're welcome.

[Layla Falden]

Trump administration officials briefed top lawmakers in Congress on Monday about the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

[Amy Martinez]

Reactions split along partisan lines. Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson.

[Mike Johnson / Chuck Schumer / Marco Rubio (various political figures)]

They gave us operational details. They gave us the rationale for what was done. And I was very satisfied with the briefing.

[Amy Martinez]

And here's Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

[Mike Johnson / Chuck Schumer / Marco Rubio (various political figures)]

That briefing raised many more questions than it answered.

[Amy Martinez]

Now, this comes as both chambers are expected to vote on measures to limit the president's ability to intervene further without congressional approval.

[Layla Falden]

Here to talk through this is NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. Hey, Barbara.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Hey, Leila.

[Layla Falden]

Okay, so let's start with the briefing. What did we learn?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Well, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the reason for the attacks was what he called an imminent threat to the United States.

[Mike Johnson / Chuck Schumer / Marco Rubio (various political figures)]

We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.

[Layla Falden]

Now, we just heard from Senator Schumer that the briefing raised more questions than answers for him. What else are Democrats saying?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Well, one thing that really stood out to me was hearing from Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on Senate intelligence, after the briefing. He came out and he said that he thinks the administration has kept shifting. The reason as to why this happened.

[Mike Johnson / Chuck Schumer / Marco Rubio (various political figures)]

Now, a week ago, it was about the Iranian nuclear capacity. A few days later, it was about taking out the ballistic missiles. It was then about regime change. And now we hear it's about sinking the Iranian fleet.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Warner and other Democrats have made a point of acknowledging the human rights abuses and nuclear ambitions of the Iranian regime, but say the administration hasn't given sufficient justification for this military action or explained what their plan is going forward.

[Layla Falden]

Now, the constitution that gives Congress the power to declare war, but in practice perspective, presidents increasingly have very minimally consulted Congress on military operations. How is that dynamic playing out this week?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Yeah, I mean, this is a bigger theme of the seeding of ground from the legislative branch to the executive branch. And although President Trump is ramping that up, it's certainly not new. And this week, the House and Senate are expected to vote on measures to require congressional approval for more military operations in Iran. And it may feel a little like deja vu because back in January, there was a separate war powers resolution to pull back intervention in Venezuela that failed. The resolution this week faces similar challenges. We expect the votes will largely fall along partisan lines, despite broad disapproval from Americans more generally about this war. But there are some outliers here on the Hill. A small number of Republicans who say they'll vote to curb the president's actions, and some Democrats who say that the resolution could actually restrict the flexibility that's needed to respond to threats in real time.

[Layla Falden]

And this is all happening as the Department of Homeland Security is still shut down. What's the latest there?

[Barbara Sprunt]

Well, negotiations are slow. Not much progress seems to have been made since there was this shutdown in mid February. We'll hear from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem today and tomorrow on the Hill, some Republicans are actually tying this to Iran. They say that, you know, because counterterrorism falls under the broad mandate of dhs, Congress should fund the department as soon as possible. But I haven't seen any movement from Democrats indicating that that is forthcoming. They are still pushing for changes to Immigration Enforcement.

[Layla Falden]

That's NPR's Barbara Sprunt. Thank you, Barbara.

[Barbara Sprunt]

Thank you.

[Layla Falden]

Voters in Texas and North Carolina are weighing in on some of the first contests of this year's midterm elections.

[Amy Martinez]

Today is the last day of voting in those states. Both have expensive and closely watched Senate primary races that can tell us a lot more about direction of each party.

[Layla Falden]

Here to talk to us about all this is NPR's political correspondent Ashley Lopez. Good morning, Ashley, Good morning. Why is there so much attention on these two Senate seats?

[Ashley Lopez]

I mean, a big reason why is that there aren't really that many competitive House races. That's true most years. But because both these states redistricted last year, there are even fewer competitive seats this time around. So the Senate races are really where the fight is and ultimately where you can maybe draw some insights into what voters in each party may be looking for at the start of this midterm season.

[Layla Falden]

Okay. Let's start with Texas, where both parties see the Senate contest as a kind of litmus test. What should we know about the Democratic race?

[Ashley Lopez]

Sure. So the front runners in that race are Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, who is a state lawmaker from the Austin area. Going into this, Crockett was perhaps the most well known candidate of the two in her time in Congress. She's been known for, like, verbally sparring with Republicans in the House. A common complaint about the Democratic Party from its base voters is that party leaders have been weak in their response to Trump since he took office again. And Crockett has positioned herself as a fighter.

[Layla Falden]

Okay. Crockett has Positioned herself as a fighter. And Talarico.

[Ashley Lopez]

Yeah, well, Talarico said he sees himself as a fighter, too, but his style is definitely different. When he was first elected to the Texas House, he flipped a traditionally Republican seat. And a big part of how he campaigns is trying not to alienate independent and even conservative voters. In some cases, he's a seminarian, so he invokes his Christian faith a lot, which could appeal to some voters Democrats don't typically speak to. So I think just in terms of personalities and the way these two candidates talk are pretty different, but I don't think what they are actually saying is all that different, because when it comes to most issues and policies, Crockett and Talarigo largely agree.

[Layla Falden]

Okay, let's turn to the Republican side of this incumbent. Senator John Cornyn is running for reelection. What kind of argument are his opponents making?

[Ashley Lopez]

Yeah, so this primary is centered around the question of which Republican is the most Trump aligned. Cornyn was elected in 2002, which his opponents say make him like a conservative from a different time. Although Cornyn often points out that he votes with Trump consistently. Ken Paxton, Texas's Attorney General for the past decade, is his most formidable opponent. And he has been mired in legal troubles for years, but he has said that, like Trump, most of that has been political. The other Republican running is Congressman Wesley Hunt, who has been polling third in the race, but garnering enough support that, I mean, it is likely this race could head to a runoff.

[Layla Falden]

Okay, let's quickly talk about North Carolina. What should we watch out for there?

[Ashley Lopez]

So this is an open seat in the Senate being vacated by Thom Tillis. Tillis has been one of the few elected Republicans in Congress who has openly criticized Trump. In response, Trump had threatened to get someone to primary Tillis, but the senator chose to retire instead, which, I mean, at this point has become a common story in the Trump era. So this has presented Democrats with a decent shot of flipping a Republican seat. The front runner is former Governor Roy Cooper. He's got a lot of name recognition and has proved he can win statewide multiple times. The front runner for Republicans is former RNC Chairman Michael Watley. The last time a Democrat won a Senate seat in the State was in 2008. So it's been a while. But if Democrats want to win back power in the Senate, this is one of their better shots as well as a must win for them.

[Layla Falden]

That's NPR's political correspondent, Ashley Lopez. Thank you, Ashley.

[Ashley Lopez]

Yeah, thank you.

[Layla Falden]

Before you go, if you want more of our coverage and analysis, behind the news. Download the NPR app where you can listen to our radio show Morning Edition. And if you want more NPR content, please consider joining the community of public radio supporters today by signing up for npr. Your money goes to supporting reporters on the ground in your community and around the world. And that's up first for Tuesday, March 3rd. I'm Layla Falden and Ami Martinez.

[Amy Martinez]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Miguel Macias, Kelsey Snell, Padma Rama, Mohamed El Bardisi and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Ana Perez and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hynes. Our technical director is Carly Strange. And our supervising senior producer is Vince Pearson. Join us again tomorrow.

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