FBI investigates attacks in Michigan and Virginia. And, Senate passes housing bill

## Summary
LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio YouTube Music RSS link FBI investigates attacks in Michigan and Virginia. And, Senate passes housing bill March 13, 2026 7:45 AM ET By Brittney Melton Israel Bombs Beirut, Attacks In Michigan And Virginia, Housing Bill Listen · 13:18 13:18 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed < iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-113573/nx-s1-mx-5746548-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Good morning. Today's top stories Israel launched attacks on central Beirut last night , intensifying its offensive in Lebanon after the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel. Hussein Malla/AP hide caption toggle caption Hussein Malla/AP 🎧 Israel issued its first-ever evacuation order since the war in Iran began for a 300-yard radius of a building in the Bachura neighborhood of Beirut, NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi tells Up First .

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FBI investigates attacks in Michigan and Virginia. And, Senate passes housing bill
March 13, 2026
7:45 AM ET
By
Brittney Melton
Israel Bombs Beirut, Attacks In Michigan And Virginia, Housing Bill
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·
13:18
13:18
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Today's top stories
Israel launched attacks on central Beirut last night
, intensifying its offensive in Lebanon after the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel. The exchange marks some of the fiercest fighting between the two sides since the beginning of the war in Iran. Today, U.S. Central Command confirmed that at least
four crew members were killed
when a refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Yesterday, Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei,
issued his first message
, vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
People inspect the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Hussein Malla/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Hussein Malla/AP
🎧
Israel issued its first-ever evacuation order since the war in Iran began
for a 300-yard radius of a building in the Bachura neighborhood of Beirut, NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi tells
Up First
. The Israeli military claims it is killing and targeting Hezbollah operatives, but the specifics of what was targeted in that building last night are unclear. An official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the strike was symbolic and was meant to send the message that Israel would not tolerate Hezbollah's fire much longer. The Lebanese president has recently called for direct talks with Israel to end the war and asked the international community to help bolster its army to try to disarm Hezbollah. Israel hasn't commented publicly, but the official told NPR that Israel
sees positive signs from Lebanon
to crack down on Hezbollah. Al-Shalchi says it wouldn't be surprising if talks happen soon.
The FBI is investigating two separate attacks that happened yesterday.
In Michigan, an armed man
rammed a car
into Temple Israel synagogue. In Virginia, another
man opened fire
in a Reserve Officers' Training Corps classroom at Old Dominion University, killing one and wounding two others.
🎧
Security officers exchanged gunfire with the alleged suspect in Michigan, who was found dead.
Authorities identified him as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. He was a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon. NPR has confirmed that an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed two of Ghazli's brothers and two of his brother's children earlier this month. His parents were wounded and are in the hospital. Authorities have not yet shared a motive for the attack and say that their
investigation will take time
, according to Alex McLenon of NPR network station WDET.
🎧
Authorities identified the Old Dominion University shooter as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, from Sterling, Va.
Members of the ROTC class wrestled him to the ground, and he was ultimately killed. Jalloh was honorably discharged from the Virginia Army National Guard in 2015. Steve Walsh of NPR network station WHRO says he seems to have been radicalized in the following years. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and five years supervised release in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq. He was released in 2024. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism,
citing his previous arrest
and witness reports of him yelling "Allahu Akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is Greatest."
The Senate yesterday passed the largest housing bill in decades
with an 89 to 10 vote. The bipartisan legislation
aims to improve housing affordability
and availability by deregulating, expanding existing programs and banning large corporations from buying single-family homes, with few exceptions.
🎧
The bill, which has over 40 provisions, aims to drive down housing costs by encouraging more homebuilding
, NPR's Stephan Bisaha says. The nation is millions of homes short of meeting the demand, but Bisaha explains that the federal government doesn't have a "big lever" it can pull to mandate more construction. So the legislation is an amalgam of different programs and incentives that co-sponsor Sen. Elizabeth Warren describes as a "giant meatball." It includes a popular provision banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes. While people blame these investors for driving up prices by outbidding families,
research on thi

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- The Israeli military claims it is killing and targeting Hezbollah operatives, but the specifics of what was targeted in that building last night are unclear.
- Researchers found that bots "under-triaged" in 52% of emergency cases, treating the ailment as less serious than it was. 🗨️ Health care can be difficult to afford and access, which is why consulting AI can often be better than the alternatives, says Robert Wachter, a doctor at UC San Francisco. 🗨️ Adam Rodman, a hospitalist who researches AI programs, says a good time to use AI is before or after seeing a doctor to become more informed about your condition.
- Weekend picks Abi Inman/NPR Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend: 🍿 Movies: In Hoppers , a young woman uses mind-hopping technology to inhabit an animatronic beaver with the hope of saving a beloved glade from serious risk of destruction by way of the town's slimy mayor. 📺 TV: MGM+'s American Classic is a hidden gem, says NPR TV critic David Bianculli.

### Implications
- Authorities have not yet shared a motive for the attack and say that their investigation will take time , according to Alex McLenon of NPR network station WDET. 🎧 Authorities identified the Old Dominion University shooter as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, from Sterling, Va.
- The song appears on her sixth album, Middle of Nowhere, releasing May 1.
- I will reach that perfect score soon.
- In the meantime, it is your turn to aim for a flawless result. 3 things to know before you go NASA employees brief the media on Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. about the delayed Artemis II mission.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers npr, israel, hezbollah topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1437.