Today's Top Stories from NBC News

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2026

In today's newsletter: Videos and satellite images show Iran's drone strikes puncturing U.S. and allied defenses. The Michigan synagogue car-ramming suspect bought $2,000 in fireworks before the attack. And reining in data centers has sparked rare cross-party agreement in statehouses.

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

Videos and satellite images show Iran's army of drones puncturing U.S. and allied defenses

As the U.S. and Israel bombard Iran with strikes, the Islamic Republic is retaliating by utilizing its arsenal of missiles and cheap exploding drones.

Footage from over 30 open-source videos and satellite images verified by NBC News show Iranian drone strikes and interceptions by the U.S. and allies across seven countries. Apparent targets include military bases, transportation hubs, energy infrastructure and diplomatic centers. The videos reveal a pattern of inadequate protection for strategic locations targeted by the drones from the outset of the war.

The drones' versatility may allow Iran to prolong the war by straining enemy resources, experts say. The technique, popular among cash-strapped states, challenges the economics of warfare by forcing targeted countries to use expensive munitions for interceptions.

Iran pioneered the technology and sold it to Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Read more on Iran's drone strategy.

More Iran news:

All six U.S. crew members were confirmed dead after their refueling plane crashed in Iraq.

Iran threatens to strike oil facilities after the U.S. hits military targets on Kharg Island, a critical fuel hub.

The Iran war's looming economic threat: Higher food prices.

Formula 1 is expected to cancel races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia over security concerns.

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▼ Top Stories

Michigan synagogue car-ramming suspect bought $2,000 worth of fireworks before attack

Two days before federal authorities say Ayman Mohamad Ghazali carried out Thursday's antisemitic terror attack at a synagogue outside Detroit, he allegedly walked out of a fireworks store with more than $2,000 worth of explosives.

Ghazali allegedly rammed a pickup into Temple Israel, setting off a fire at the synagogue where a preschool attended by more than 100 children was in session.

It's not clear if the fireworks purchased were used in the attack, and the company, Phantom Fireworks, said a $2,000 purchase is not inherently noteworthy. Investigators are looking into Ghazali's possible ties to suspected members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Jewish leaders said they knew an attack like this was possible — which is why they were prepared resulting in no fatalities inside the Michigan synagogue.

At some point, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, an official said.

More about the attack here.

And a convicted ISIS supporter who shot multiple people at Virginia's Old Dominion University was sold a stolen handgun by a man who was previously investigated for possible firearms crimes, federal authorities said.

Meanwhile, Trump blamed "the genetics" of assailants in a string of recent attacks across the country.

Reining in data centers has sparked rare bipartisanship in statehouses

A rare source of bipartisanship has broken out in state capitols across the country: tackling data centers.

Legislators in red, blue and battleground states alike are rushing to figure out how to regulate the construction and energy consumption of the data centers fueling the AI boom. This year alone, state lawmakers have proposed more than 300 bills designed to address these challenges.

Some legislators are seeking to implement moratoriums on data center construction to decrease utility costs and study their impacts on communities, while others have attempted to add reporting requirements or curb the amount of electricity and water these centers need to function. Most proposals from both Democrats and Republicans have so far seized on rising utility costs by framing the issue as one related to affordability, particularly heading into the midterms.

Why the issue is falling outside of partisan lines.

More politics news:

A federal judge blocked the subpoenas against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, citing "essentially zero evidence" in a probe purported to be about the management of the central bank's renovation.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirms talks with the U.S. as the country grapples with a lack of fuel following the Venezuela raid.

The House Oversight Committee is seeking testimony from the prison guard on duty when Jeffrey Epstein died.

Some Republicans warn Trump's SAVE America Act is doomed to fail as the Senate tees up a vote for next week.

Multiple Republicans in Congress posted openly anti-Muslim statements in the wake of the Iran war.

Asylum-seekers increasingly face detention while their cases proceed, in a major departure from previous practice.

▼ Staff Pick

The San Antonio Spurs' sixth man is a real-life cowboy who wears actual spurs

In December, the San Antonio Spurs played the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup, a new midseason tournament in which each player on the winning team receives a payout of more than $500,000. During the telecast, the sideline reporter relayed that Spurs forward Keldon Johnson planned to buy a llama with his winnings.

At halftime, the reporter interviewed Johnson, and he said, with a grin, that the Spurs needed to "continue to play together … and the llama will be within reach."

So when the Spurs came through New York on a road trip, I spoke to Johnson at length about his love of hunting and fishing, the ranch he bought outside San Antonio, the farm animals he raises there — and yes, the llamas, plural. He told me two are en route to his ranch now.

Johnson: the Spurs' sixth man, their resident cowboy, and the rare player on their team who wears, well, actual spurs.

—Tim Rohan, sports reporter and editor

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▼ Quiz Time

Which of the following had the lowest approval rating in a recent NBC News poll?

ICE
AI
The Democratic Party
Iran

Find out the answer and test your knowledge of this week's most-read stories. (The answer to the question is also at the bottom of this newsletter.)

TAKE THE NEWS QUIZ

▼ Read All About It

A Utah measles outbreak is speeding up but there are few changes to daily life as local health officials plead with residents to get vaccinated.

New cholesterol guidelines advise doctors to begin screening and treating people in their 30s, long before the risks of a heart attack and stroke become significantly higher.

The nonprofit behind the "Sesame Street" brand wants to end its decades-long partnership with SeaWorld in a lawsuit alleging unpaid royalties and breach of contract.

A Georgia prosecutor dismissed vehicular homicide charges against a high school student who fatally struck his math teacher during a prank last week.

Tottenham Hotspur, a rich and storied British soccer club, is facing the unthinkable: Demotion to a lower league.

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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Marissa Martinez. The answer to the quiz question above is ... D) Iran.

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