NPR News: 03-21-2026 12PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nur Rahm. Iran's state news agency is reporting that the U.S. and Israel have begun striking its Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in the central part of the country. The U.K. has accused Iran of recklessly lashing out after two ballistic missiles were fired at an important base used by British and American forces in the Indian Ocean. The missiles failed to reach Diego Garcia, the island's about 2,500 miles from Iran. John McDonald is a member of Parliament for the British Labour Party. He's concerned the violence will escalate. The problem with these wars is that it is those small steps that eventually get you onto an escalator into a serious conflict and that's what I'm worried about. For me, what's happening is that decisions have been taken by Trump and Netanyahu, which we're not part of. And as a result of that, they then expect us almost automatically to back them up.

1:01He spoke to the BBC. With oil shipments blocked at the Strait of Hormuz, gas prices are likely headed for $4 a gallon in the coming days. Already they're up a dollar from just a month ago, before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, NPR's Amy Hill has more. Gas prices are not at record highs, but the increase is the fastest ever, according to gas buddy. Patrick Dahan is their head of petroleum analysis. And he says with Iran's retaliatory attacks on sites across the Middle East, there is no quick fix. These things aren't rebuilt overnight. It can take time to resume output. So at this point, we likely are looking at an impact that could last beyond several months when it comes to natural gas, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel. The U.S. is a huge natural gas producer for industry and home heat, insulating it for now, but jet fuel prices have more than doubled. So airlines are charging more, and in some cases, eliminating underbooked flights. Amy Held, NPR News. Nearly two months of virtual learning ended just this week for students in St. Paul, Minnesota.

2:06The school district there offered online learning in response to the sweeping immigration enforcement surge in the state. NPR's Meg Anderson spent time there at one school to find out how the students are doing. More than a third of the students at the elementary school switched to online learning during the ice surge. NPR is not naming the school because the staff fears the federal government could target them. After weeks of online learning, the school year feels like it's starting all over again. And not every student came back. One family is now in El Salvador. Others are in Mexico. But many of the students who returned are relieved, like Camila, a fifth grader. It felt good because I got to see my friends again, and they helped me feel safer. She says it's starting to feel just a little bit like how it was before. Meg Anderson and Pierre News. This is NPR News in Washington. Meteorologists are predicting more rain this weekend in Hawaii. The state is already experiencing its worst flooding in more than 20 years.

3:08Authorities ordered evacuations north of Honolulu, affecting more than 5,000 people. Heavy rain is falling on places still saturated after a winter storm a week ago. Governor Josh Green says the cost of cleanup and repairs could exceed $1 billion. A convoy of humanitarian aid has set sail from Mexico to Cuba. After an energy blackout left the island in the dark for more than 24 hours this week. From member station, KJZZ, Nina Krivinsky has more. Cuba's electrical grid continues to crumble amid a U.S. energy blockade. The White House in January said it would put tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheimbom told reporters Mexico was looking for ways to provide Cuba with fuel without impacting her country. Mexico was one of Cuba's major oil suppliers before the U.S. ban. We always defend self-determination. It's the Cuban people who must decide how to govern themselves without foreign intervention.

4:10Mexico's Navy delivered more than 800 tons of humanitarian supplies to Cuba last month. For NPR News, I'm Nina Krivinsky and Eric Moseo, Mexico. The band is back together. The K-Pop Supergroup BTS held its first concert today in almost four years. Now that the musicians completed their mandatory military service. Their comeback concert was a thank-with-free, a thank-you for their fans. The band released its fifth album yesterday. I'm Nora Rom. NPR News in Washington. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.