NPR News: 03-20-2026 8AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, Ankurva Coleman, Israel says it has launched fresh air strikes in Iran. There are reports of explosions in Iran's capital, Tehran. And Pierre's Kerry Khan says Iran has also fired on its Arab neighbors. Dubai reporting heavy explosions there as its air defense systems engaged in coming missiles and drones. An oil refinery in Kuwait was also hit today. And Qatar officials tally damage estimates from an Iranian strike to a major natural gas complex there. They say it will top $20 billion in loss revenue. And Pierre's Kerry Khan reporting. Meanwhile the Pentagon has acknowledged an American F-35 fighter jet made an emergency and unplanned landing after a combat mission in Iran. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly says the jet was hit by enemy fire and that the pilot is stable after requiring stitches. Mexico's president says her country is examining how to resume exports of fuel to Cuba.

1:00That's as the island struggles with energy shortages. The U.S. effectively began blocking fuel shipments to Cuba earlier this year, primarily oil tankers from Venezuela. That was to pressure the Cuban government. That has now led to power blackouts on the island, Katie Silver has more from Mexico city. Claudia Shainbaum says Mexico is sovereign to have a trade agreement with any country in the world and that it can provide humanitarian aid to Cubans who are quote suffering so much. The long time allies stop selling fuel to Havana in February. Earlier this week the Caribbean islands electricity grid collapsed. Shipping data suggests it has only received two small vessels of oil imports this year. Meanwhile a fuel tanker carrying Russian gas is reportedly en route to Cuba, expected to arrive on Monday. For NPR News, I'm Katie Silver in Mexico City. In reviewing statements from lawsuits against the Trump administration NPR's found people in Illinois, Oregon, and Minnesota who say immigration officers took what appeared to be DNA samples after arresting them.

2:04NPR's Meg Anderson reports they said they were arrested while protesting the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics. The federal government is allowed to take the DNA of people at arrests. In fact a homeland security spokesperson told NPR that federal law enforcement is required to collect samples from anyone they arrest. But Orange Kerr, a law professor at Stanford University, says the fear is what happens if a federal officer arrests someone for something they're legally free to do, like peacefully protesting. It turns out the officer was wrong, but the DNA test has been conducted. What then? Kerr says it's unclear whether or how someone could get those records erased in that scenario. It's also unclear where the DNA samples of protesters are ending up, or how they'll be used. DHS did not respond to NPR's questions about that. Meg Anderson and Pair News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Trump administration has approved an enormous consolidation for local TV markets in the

3:06US. Broadcast TV station owner Nexdark can purchase the local TV stations controlled by its rival Ignat. If this deal is completed, Nexdark would own nearly 260 stations across the US, but a group of Democratic attorneys general says it's suing to block that sale. Long lines are still being reported at major airports across the country. TSA officers are still not getting paid because of the partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security. Many agents are calling out. Chicago's Shad Aquarium has nursed a special kind of reef fish for the first time. Are Daniel reports this may offer clues for supporting other marine populations in captivity? The Warty Frogfish has real Pokemon energy. The pair in the Aquarium are bumpy and yellow with splashes of red. In September, the female released a raft of tens of thousands of translucent eggs. The Aquaris took them behind the scenes and worked to get the light, temperature, and

4:08diet just right. As the larvae developed, their ranks thinned, ultimately just one larva transitioned into a juvenile, a pea-sized version of the adult. Senior Aquaris Jenny Richards named it Domino. He's kind of hiding, but he's in that purple plant. We're definitely a little attached to the baby. Richard says this effort could help with raising other species for conservation purposes and to support commercial and recreational aquaculture. For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel. This is NPR.