NPR News: 03-21-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Britain says Iran launched an unsuccessful missile attack at a joint British and American base in the Indian Ocean. It appears Ruth Sherlock has more. In a statement to NPR, the British Ministry of Defense accused Iran of lashing out across the region after it said Iran had made a failed attempt to strike at Diego Garcia military base. It's unclear how close the missiles came to the base, located on the Chegos Islands in the Indian Ocean, some 2,500 miles away from Iran. The base has long been strategically important for the US, which has used it in military operations from the Vietnam War to the invasion of Iraq and in other more recent conflicts. The British government has said US bombers can use some British bases, including Diego Garcia, for operations to prevent Iran attacking ships in the strategic strait of Hurumur's Waterway, Ruth Sherlock and Piony's. The Senate's holding a rare weekend session, debating the Republican Save America Act,

1:04which has new requirements for voter registration and requires photo IDs at the polls, but don't regret, say, federal law already blocks non-citizens from voting. They're also debating ending the DHS shutdown. DHS have blocked efforts to fund the whole agency without reforms to ICE, but they say they want TSA workers paid. Travelers are facing long security lines at some US airports as the partial government shut down drags on. And if you're Shannon Bond, has more. A shortage of TSA screening staff who are working without pay means long wait times at airports and cities like Houston, Atlanta, and New York. Officials say that could get worse if a funding deal isn't reached soon. And Henderson is a travel expert at the website, The Point Sky. He recommends checking your airport's website for estimated security wait times before leaving home. Knowledge is power. You should know what's going on at your local airport. And he says, no matter what the estimated wait is, you should budget some extra time at the airport and write down your airline's customer service number in case you need to

2:06rebook. Shannon Bond and Piony's. Hawaii is getting hit with its worst flash flooding in more than 20 years, as officials tell people in flooded areas to evacuate. Muddy flood waters from heavy rains that fell on soil already saturated from downpours from a winter storm a week ago, inundated streets pushed homes off their foundations and swallowed vehicles, Governor Josh Green. This is the largest flood that we've had in Hawaii in 20 years. The largest flood since the flood manoa back when we had the enormous rains back in the early 2000s. Over the 230 people have been rescued on a Wahoo, a 120-year-old dam is in danger of failing. Though officials say water levels there have been receding, the danger though comes if more rain falls. Green says the flooding could result in around $1 billion in damages. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A new study finds that humans and animals have shared acoustic tastes.

3:07Animals make a lot of sounds to attract mates, and scientists know that some are more effective than others. Take the Pacific Field Cricket. That call is less appealing to other crickets than this one. And it turns out, according to the new study published in the journal Science, it's more appealing to people too. Scientists had more than 4,000 volunteers listen to pairs of calls from 16 different species and pick which ones they preferred. Like do you prefer this song, Sparrow? Or this one? And they found that overall, humans agreed with the animal's preferences. Suggesting, we share a sense of beauty with the natural world. Nate Rott and PR News. The NCAA is suing draft kings for trademark infringement. It's seeking an emergency restraining order against the sports betting company to stop the use of registered trademarks that are associated with its basketball tournaments.

4:10That includes March Madness, Final Four, and Suite 16. It wants to avoid any appearance of being part of gambling. Draft kings says its use is not a trademark violation, but it's protected under the First Amendment. The NCAA says it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sports books, sponsorships, band sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro bets. You're listening to NPR News.