Americans skeptical of the Iran war, poll says. And, DOJ gives guns back to felons

## Summary
LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio YouTube Music RSS link Americans skeptical of the Iran war, poll says. And, DOJ gives guns back to felons March 11, 2026 7:12 AM ET By Brittney Melton Intense Strikes On Iran, Trump Approval Poll, Georgia Special Election Runoff Listen · 14:10 14:10 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed < iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-113261/nx-s1-mx-5744522-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Good morning. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images 🎧 The internet across Iran has been cut, and many people are afraid to share their experiences due to potential government retaliation, NPR's Aya Batrawy tells Up First . However, Batrawy says there is no way to independently confirm this claim. 🎧 Trump is suffering politically due to the U.S.' involvement in the war with Iran, according to a new NPR/PBS/Marist poll.

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Americans skeptical of the Iran war, poll says. And, DOJ gives guns back to felons
March 11, 2026
7:12 AM ET
By
Brittney Melton
Intense Strikes On Iran, Trump Approval Poll, Georgia Special Election Runoff
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·
14:10
14:10
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Today's top stories
The U.S. and Israel's war on Iran has
entered Day 12
with no end in sight.
The Trump administration yesterday promised its
most aggressive strikes on Iran
, while Israel intensified its offensive in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Iranian government announced that it now considers banks and economic centers in the Middle East potential targets. Iranians revealed that one of their banks has already been targeted.
Mourners carry the casket of a person killed in recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes for burial at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery on the southern outskirts of Tehran, Iran, on Monday. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, sparking swift retaliation by Iran with attacks across the region.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
🎧
The internet across Iran has been cut, and many people are afraid to share their experiences
due to potential government retaliation, NPR's Aya Batrawy tells
Up First
. People escaping Tehran through the Turkish border tell NPR they left because the sky is red from bombs, and multi-story buildings lie in ruins. There is still no word from Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Batrawy says
reports suggest he was injured
in the attack that killed his father, who was the former supreme leader. However, Batrawy says there is no way to independently confirm this claim.
🎧
Trump is suffering politically due to the U.S.' involvement in the war with Iran, according to a new NPR/PBS/Marist poll.
NPR's Domenico Montanaro says that of the nearly 1,600 people surveyed, only 36% approve of Trump's handling of the war, while 56% of respondents oppose it. Trump's overall approval rating stands at 38%. It's even lower with regard to the economy. At 35%, it's his worst rating to date. Despite these scores, eight in 10 Republicans still back Trump's economic policies and his approach to Iran. While some MAGA influencers criticize the war, they don't represent the majority of Republican voters. Montanaro says that the poll most notably reveals that
independents have shifted to align
more with Democrats on various issues, including Iran.
📷
As the conflict continues into its second week
, take a
look at these striking scenes
from Iran, Israel, Lebanon and other flashpoints.
Yesterday's special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress heads to a runoff
after none of the 17 candidates surpassed 50% of the vote. Trump-backed district attorney Clay Fuller
will face Democrat Shawn Harris
in the runoff. Harris raised more than $4 million and significantly overperformed compared to when he challenged Greene two years ago. But the GOP still holds the upper hand in the red district.
🎧
Trump remains the GOP's most popular figure, but Republican voters increasingly recognize
that his picks are
not the only option
, NPR's Stephen Fowler says. After the special election, Trump's campaign political director, James Blair, posted that all Trump-endorsed candidates won or advanced to a runoff. This was true in North Carolina, Texas and Arkansas, but many races were uncontested or lacked serious challengers. Michael Whatley, who Trump handpicked to lead the RNC and represent the party in the top Senate race, only received 60% in the primary.
Nearly half of Americans support deploying the National Guard to monitor polling places
in the November midterm elections. It would be illegal for the federal government to mandate this. But state governors can legally use them to support elections in many capacities. A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released today
found that 46% back the idea
, while 54% oppose it.
Last month, the Department of Justice quietly released the names of 22 individuals and announced that their federal gun rights had been restored.
Most of them had decades-old felony convictions. One person was an exception and had a much more recent charge. Republican Arizona State Sen. Jake Hoffman was indicted in 2024 for being a fake elector in 2020. Trump pardoned Hoffman in November. The restorations are part of a broader DOJ initiative to revive a program that allows individuals with certain felony convictions to
regain their Second Amendment rights
if they are no longer deemed public safety threa

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can reduce the risk of addiction , according to a study in The BMJ .

### Implications
- Trump-backed district attorney Clay Fuller will face Democrat Shawn Harris in the runoff.
- Michael Whatley, who Trump handpicked to lead the RNC and represent the party in the top Senate race, only received 60% in the primary.
- His body will lie in state in Columbia and then be transferred to Chicago for a celebration of life ceremony.
- That interaction will stand out for me, along with many of the stories people told about how Jackson impacted their lives.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers npr, iran, trump topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1513.