Friday morning news: March 20, 2026

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

Iran update / Pentagon $200b request » Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem that Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production have been devastated.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking Hebrew]

He said Iran can no longer make new ballistic missiles, and it can no longer refine uranium.

The prime minister delivered a portion of his remarks in English, explaining the goal:

NETANYAHU: Removing both of these threats before they're buried deep underground and become immune from aerial attack.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has yet to confirm his claim on uranium enrichment.

He also addressed claims by some that Israel coerced the United States into launching military strikes against Iran.

NETANYAHU:  Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on. President Trump always makes his decisions on what he thinks is good for America.

Netanyahu also said Israel's military won't strike any more Iranian oil and gas infrastructure per President Trump's request. This comes after Wednesday's strike on the South Pars field.

Hegseth remarks » Hours earlier, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said he’ll be seeking more funds from Congress for the war in Iran, even as the administration says it likely won’t last much longer.

HEGSETH:  It takes money to kill bad guys. So we we're going back to Congress and our folks there to, to ensure that we're properly funded.

Hegseth said the mission is to eliminate grave threats in Iran and then leave. No nation building or quagmires as with some wars of years past.

Trump and Japanese PM  »  President Trump on Thursday hosted a special guest at the White House yesterday. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

A major topic of discussion, the ongoing conflict with Iran. Speaking through an interpreter, the Japanese prime minister agreed that Iran is a potential threat.

INTERPRETER: Japan condemns Iran's actions, such as attacking the neighboring region, and also the de facto or effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump pressed the prime minister to get Japan to commit to assist the U.S. in securing the Strait of Hormuz. The president pointing out that 90 percent of Japan's oil flows through the strait:

TRUMP: Look I expect Japan to step up because you know we have that kind of relationship. And we step up for Japan. We have 45,000 soldiers in Japan. We spend a lot of money on Japan.

Some awkward moments. A reporter asked the president why he didn't give Japan and other U.S. allies prior notice before Operation Epic Fury began. In response, Trump referenced a darker chapter in U.S.-Japan relations.

TRUMP: We didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, okay? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor, okay, right?

The December 7th, 1941 Japanese bombing of the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii killed more than 2,300 Americans.

Mullin's nomination advances » Senator Markwayne Mullin is a step closer to becoming the next Homeland Security secretary. The Senate Homeland Security Committee advanced his nomination on Thursday.

AUDIO:  On this vote, the yays are eight, the nays are seven, and the motion to report the nominee is agreed to.

That will now go to a full vote on the Senate floor, possibly next week.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters argued:

PETERS:  The department and the American people deserve a leader who is steady and proven under pressure, not just someone better than the very low bar set by his predecessor.

But GOP Senator James Lankford says Mullin is exactly the kind of leader the department needs.

LANKFORD:  If you wanna sit down and talk about an issue, he's glad to be able to talk about it and to be able to work it out and has very good relationships in the house and in the Senate.

President Trump removed Kristi Noem as DHS chief roughly two weeks ago.

The nomination vote comes as DHS is still operating under a funding lapse now more than a month old.

Federal probe of states that require ins cover abortions » The Office for Civil Rights at the Health and Human Services Department is opening investigations into 13 states for allegedly coercing health care entities to pay for abortions. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Federal investigators say laws that require insurance plans to cover abortion may violate the Weldon Amendment. That provision bars states from discriminating against health care providers that decline to cover, pay for, or refer for abortions.

Investigators say the states have effectively coerced health care entities into funding abortion coverage against their beliefs.

The Biden administration had asserted that the Weldon Amendment did not apply to employers or insurance sponsors. But the Trump administration reversed that.

Each of those 13 states has 20 days to respond.

All of the states in question have Democratic governors, except for Vermont.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Jobless claims drop » New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week to 205,000. That was better than analysts expected and near historically low levels. The Labor Department reported Thursday that claims dropped 8,000 from the previous week, below the 215,000 analysts had forecast.

The healthy weekly figures contrast with February's weaker monthly jobs report.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged, citing deep uncertainty over the war's economic impact, though Chairman Jerome Powell said the US economy is strong.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Katie McCoy is here for Culture Friday. Plus, treating mental illness holistically.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.