NPR News: 03-29-2026 9AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. U.S. sailors and Marines have arrived in the Middle East as Iranian officials report airstrikes hit several areas overnight. NPR's Emily Fang reports Tehran is now threatening to target American universities in the region after a prominent Iranian campus was bombed over the weekend. The USS Tripley, carrying 3,500 U.S. Marines and sailors has arrived in the region that the U.S. military will not say where and how they might be deployed. Social media videos from across Iran showed strikes hitting all over the country. And Israel's military said it had completed what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting weapons production and storage sites in Iran. Iran claimed U.S. and Israeli strikes hit a Tehran University. And in a statement in Iranian media, Iran's revolutionary guard corps threatened American campuses in the Middle East and retaliation. Iran continues to fire drones and missiles at Middle Eastern countries with Kuwait, saying

1:00it was intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday. Emily Fang and Pyrrhen News Van Turkey. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan says it's reached a deal with Iran to allow an additional 20 ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The BBC's Carolyn Davis reports. We've obviously seen some ships being able to pass through the strait since the conflict started, but obviously very, very few. The Foreign Minister is talking about this being a harbinger of peace, saying that this will help usher stability into the region. And that's possibly a bit premature, but what I imagine Pakistan will be hoping was that this is an indication that Iran is allowing some ships to pass through. So is this the start of a turning point? That's the BBC's Carolyn Davis reporting from Islamabad. For the first time in six weeks, TSA agents are expected to be paid as soon as tomorrow. President Trump ordered DHS to find funds while Congress remains at a stalemate.

2:00But NPR's Amy Held reports it's unclear what if any immediate impact this will have on hours long airport security lines. President Trump ordered TSA workers be fully compensated without specifying where the funds will come from, possibly in violation of the Constitution, which says Congress decides spending their own vacation till mid-April. Experts say it may be too little too late anyway. TSA workers have no guarantee about their next paycheck. Hundreds have already quit. The national absentee rate is about 12% as high as 40 in some airports, amounting to travel nightmares. Melissa Gates was trying to reach Baton Rouge from Houston and realized, blatantly, she should have just driven. I'm going to miss my flight. So I guess I'm going to spend the night. Also, unaddressed in Trump's memo, tens of thousands of other DHS workers from FEMA and the Coast Guard. They still won't get paid. Amy Held and P.R. News. This is NPR News in Washington. Indonesia says it's banning children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms.

3:07Lawmakers say it's an effort to protect them from online harm. The new rule could affect about 70 million young people blocking access to sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. People say the moved targets risks like cyberbullying, scams, and addiction. Celebrations broke out Saturday night at the University of Illinois after the men's basketball team earned its first trip to the Final Four in 21 years. Illinois Public Media's Reginald Hardwick reports. Students climbed on top of the University of Illinois famed Alma Mater statue wearing orange and clutching newspapers that read Final Four on the front page. Freshman Dylan Zorbo's was among those celebrating. I know. I feel so lucky. This is awesome. In the second half, Illinois and Iowa exchanged leading game 13 times. But the Align Eye pulled ahead beating Iowa 71 to 59, fulfilling a wish for head coach Brad Underwood.

4:07You dream about this as a kid and I dreamt about doing it at Illinois and there's been no other thing for me. Illinois will head to Indianapolis next Saturday for their first Final Four game since 2005. For NPR News, I'm Reginald Hardwick in Urbana. Hundreds of employees at one of the U.S. Navy's biggest shipbuilding contractors have voted to approve a deal with bath ironworks ending a week-long strike. The four-year agreement goes into effect immediately. This is NPR News in Washington. This message comes from Prolon, feeling heavy and depleted. Prolon's five-day fasting mimicking diet aims to make it easy to reset your body habits and energy, developed at USC's Longevity Institute. The goal of Prolon's nutrition program is to rejuvenate you from within by working at the cellular level to support fat loss, glowing skin and sharper focus. With 15% off, plus a bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com slash NPR.