Israel Bombs Beirut, Attacks In Michigan And Virginia, Housing Bill

0:02Ayesha Rascoe:Israeli forces struck central Beirut. They ordered people to evacuate parts of Lebanon's capital and conducted airstrikes on areas that weren't hit before. Israel's military chief says the operation in Lebanon will, quote, not be short. I'm Steve Inskeep with A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. Two acts of violence commanded attention on Thursday. A man drove a car into a synagogue in Michigan. And a shooting at a Virginia university left one victim dead and two injured. How were investigators thinking about those attacks? And the Senate passed the largest housing bill in decades, with both Republicans and Democrats, for the most part, on the same page.

0:40Ayesha Rascoe:It would ban large corporations from buying up single-family homes. Will it get the president's support? Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

0:54Ayesha Rascoe:This message comes from BetterHelp. This International Women's Day, let's celebrate the leaders, the caregivers, the hype friends. With all they handle, women need to care for themselves, and therapy's a great way to do that. Visit betterhelp.com slash NPR. Israel hit central Beirut last night as part of its renewed offensive in Lebanon after the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel. This has been a couple of nights of some of the fiercest fighting yet between the two sides since the beginning of the war in Iran. Israel says it will not stop until Hezbollah is completely defeated.

1:30Ayesha Rascoe:NPR's Adil Alshulchi is in Beirut. Adil, what happened last night?

1:35Steve Inskeep:So this was the third Israeli strike in central Beirut since the war in Iran began. But last night, it came with the first ever evacuation order for a part of central Beirut. The Israeli military told people within a 300-yard radius of a building in the Bashurad neighborhood to leave the area. Now, that neighborhood is a busy residential and commercial area about a kilometer from where I am. It's very close to the prime minister's office, the UN building, and some foreign embassies. And, you know, ever since I arrived two weeks ago, there's been this constant loud buzz of Israeli drones overhead.

2:11Steve Inskeep:But it stopped around 5.30 local time last night. We heard the fighter jets overhead, then a whoosh of a warning strike telling people that the real attacks were coming. Then we heard two big booms, explosions, one after another. Black plumes of smoke rose over the Beirut skyline, and the building targeted was damaged but not destroyed.

2:31Ayesha Rascoe:Has Israel said anything about why they carried out this attack?

2:34Steve Inskeep:So while we know that the Israeli military says it is targeting and killing Hezbollah operatives, we don't know what was being targeted in the building last night. But an official in the region, not authorized to speak publicly and speaking on condition of anonymity, told NPR the Israeli strike in central Beirut was symbolic, to send a message that Israel will not tolerate Hezbollah's fire much longer. You know, Hezbollah unleashed its heaviest barrage of rockets on Israel on Wednesday night. The Israeli military estimates that it included 200 rockets and Iran-fired ballistic missiles at the same time.

3:08Steve Inskeep:But the Israeli messaging is, look, we're not attacking Lebanese civilian infrastructure. like the electricity grid or the airport, like we've done in previous wars. So we are keeping boundaries with these warning strikes. Now, Lebanon and Israel, of course, have been at war for decades, don't have formal diplomatic relations. But the Lebanese president has recently called for direct talks with Israel to see an end to this war and has asked the international community repeatedly to help bolster its army to try to disarm Hezbollah, which outguns this state. Israel has not commented publicly yet, but the official told us Israel sees positive signs from the Lebanese government to crack down on Hezbollah.

3:47Steve Inskeep:So it wouldn't be too surprising if we do see talks at some point.

3:51Ayesha Rascoe:Okay, now we're seeing how this war is really displacing huge numbers of people, both in Lebanon and Iran.

3:57Steve Inskeep:So in Lebanon, almost a million people are displaced from South Lebanon and the suburbs in South Beirut, which are both considered to be Hezbollah's strongholds, but also densely populated with civilians. So Beirut has become even more densely populated as a result, and some of those displaced from the south are being struck again in central Beirut. The war has also killed over 700 people, according to Lebanese officials. And in Iran, the United Nations says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced since the war started, most of them fleeing from Tehran and other major urban areas towards the north of the country to look for safety.

4:32Ayesha Rascoe:That's NPR's Hadil al-Salchi in Beirut. Thanks for hanging in there and giving us this report.

4:37Steve Inskeep:You're welcome.

4:45Ayesha Rascoe:The FBI is investigating two attacks that both happened Thursday. In Michigan, an armed man drove a car into a synagogue. In Virginia, a man opened fire in a university classroom, killing one person and wounding two more. The FBI calls the Michigan attack a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community and calls the Virginia attack an act of terrorism. We begin with Alex McLennan of member station WDET in Detroit with details on the person accused of the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

5:17Rachel Martin:So last night, the Department of Homeland Security identified the alleged attacker who was killed during the incident. They say he was a 41-year-old naturalized citizen born in Lebanon. His name is Aman Mohamed Ghazali. NPR has confirmed that two of Ghazali's brothers were killed by an Israeli strike in Lebanon earlier this month. Also killed were his brother's two children. His parents were wounded and are in the hospital, but authorities say their investigation will take time and they have not yet shared a motive. Okay, so take us through what happened. So the shooting occurred a little afternoon yesterday.

5:53Rachel Martin:The Oakland County Sheriff said a vehicle crashed into Temple Israel, striking a security guard and knocking him over. There was an exchange of gunfire, which left Ghazali dead. Jennifer Runyon is special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit field office.

6:07Steve Inskeep:And I can confirm that we are leading the investigation right now as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

6:14Rachel Martin:After the vehicle crashed into Temple Israel, the synagogue filled with smoke. 30 first responders were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The security guard was also taken to the hospital.

6:25Ayesha Rascoe:And I saw that Temple Israel runs at an early childhood center during the day. Was that affected at all?

6:30Rachel Martin:No, all 140 students as well as their staff and teachers made it out of the building. Just six weeks ago, the FBI's Detroit office carried out an active shooter drill at Temple Israel. They say the lessons learned during that exercise came in handy yesterday. But this attack reminds locals of one carried out on a Mormon congregation in Grand Blanc about an hour away from West Bloomfield six months ago. That attack also began with a vehicle crashing into a house of worship.

6:59Ayesha Rascoe:Now we go to Steve Walsh in Norfolk, Virginia, with information on what happened at Old Dominion University. So from what we know, the shooter, 36-year-old Muhammad Baylor Jalaw of Sterling, Virginia, came into an ROTC classroom before 11 a.m. After shots were fired, members of the Reserve Officers Training Corps class wrestled him to the ground, and he was ultimately killed. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger says that Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw, the chairman of the Military Science Department, died in the shooting. Another victim was in serious condition, and a third victim was also wounded.

7:35Ayesha Rascoe:What's known about the suspected government? Well, he was a former member of the Virginia Army National Guard. He was given an honorable discharge in 2015. Over the next couple of years, he seemed to have been radicalized. He traveled to Nigeria and met with members of ISIL, the Islamic State group. They introduced him to someone in the United States who turned out to be a government informant. Among other things, Jalá told the informant that he contemplated doing something like the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, where 13 people died. At one point, he bought an assault rifle while being watched by federal agents.

8:11Ayesha Rascoe:Back then, he was never actually talking to ISIL. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq. In 2017, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison and five years supervised release. He was released in 2024. The FBI hasn't released a motive in the case. Asked why the FBI was investigating this as terrorism at a press conference, the special agent in charge pointed to his previous conviction and that witnesses say he yelled Allahu Akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is greatest. All right. Steve Walsh with WHRO, Alex McLennan with WDET. Thanks to you both.

8:51Ayesha Rascoe:Thanks.

8:51Rachel Martin:Anytime.

9:00Ayesha Rascoe:United States Senate passed the largest housing bill in decades on Thursday, and they did it with both Republicans and Democrats. The goal is to make American homes more affordable, including by banning large corporations from buying up single-family houses. Here to explain what's in the bill is NPR's personal finance reporter, Stephen Bissaha. So there are more than 40 provisions in this legislation, Stephen. Break down the main idea.

9:23Rachel Martin:Well, the big goal of the bill is to drive down housing costs by encouraging more home building. We are millions of homes short of meeting the demand in this country, and that drives up prices. The problem is the federal government doesn't have like one big lever it could pull to mandate more construction. This is really the wheelhouse of private voters working with local and state governments. Instead, this bill is an amalgamation of a bunch of different programs and incentives. Here's how the bill's co-sponsored Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren put it. Think of this bill like a giant meatball.

9:59Ayesha Rascoe:It's got a lot of different ingredients in it. But it's the fact that it's all there together is what makes it so delicious. All right. So what's an ingredient that makes it so delish?

10:12Rachel Martin:Well, one that will probably be really popular is a ban on institutional investors from buying up single family homes. These are groups that own 350 or more houses and rent them out. The idea is to stop them from competing with families who want to buy these houses.

10:28Ayesha Rascoe:Now, some people blame those investors for driving up prices because they can outbid families. Is that backed up by any research?

10:35Rachel Martin:The research on this is mixed. Large investors don't actually own that many homes across the country. In some cases, investors can actually help lower costs. They're not just buying up homes. They're building new ones to rent and rehabbing old ones that otherwise just fall out of the market. Now, the bill has some exceptions to allow companies to do just that, build and rehab homes. But they would have to sell these homes after seven years. And again, there's a lot more in this housing bill meatball, like making it easier for banks to invest more in affordable housing, streamlining the process of getting construction approved, and grants to encourage building.

11:14Ayesha Rascoe:Now, this bill passed the Senate with wide bipartisan support. A-9-10 was the vote. Still has to go to the House and eventually the president. Anything at all that could possibly stop this giant, delicious meatball, as Senator Warren describes it? Yeah, from rolling down the hill?

11:28Rachel Martin:Well, you know, there is some pushback on it. Not everybody likes how expansive it is. Like, I spoke with an economist at a libertarian think tank, the Cato Institute, and he argues that lawmakers are just turning to the same ingredients and solutions they have in the past, like those grants. And, you know, we still have a housing crisis. Now, the House passed a similar bill last month, but did not have that ban on large investors. That could be an issue. Industry groups warned that forcing investors to sell would discourage them from building in the first place. But the biggest X factor could be President Trump.

12:02Rachel Martin:He's supported getting something done on housing, but hasn't said where he lands on this specific legislation.

12:08Ayesha Rascoe:All right, that's NPR's personal finance reporter, Stephen Bissaha. I gotta get me some spaghetti now, Stephen, because of all the meatball talk. Make yourself a plate. Thanks, Stephen. Have a good one. All right, before we end the show, I want to shout out a review from a listener who admitted that for a long time, they thought the Up First hosts were Canadian because they kept saying A at the end of sentences until they actually realized everyone was just saying, my name, A. Martinez. That's true, eh? I had so much trouble when I walked through Toronto back in the day. Spitting my head thinking everyone was calling out my name.

12:38Ayesha Rascoe:Now, whether you've been with Up First since the very beginning or are new around here, please leave us a review. Your feedback helps us grow. So let us know what you think, eh? Wait, that's my name. Either way, we appreciate it.

12:55Ayesha Rascoe:And that's Up First for Friday, March 13th. I'm Amy Martinez. And I'm Steve Inskeep. Today's Up First was edited by Hannah Block, Cheryl Corley, Julia Redpath, Cara Platoni, Mohamed El-Bardisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hines, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Our executive producer is Jay Shaler. Join us tomorrow.

13:21Thank you.

13:51Ayesha Rascoe:.