Scott Simon

And that's up first for Saturday, March 21st, 2026.

I'm Scott Simon.

Here in the studio is our director, Andy Craig, and our technical director, David Greenberg.

And he had engineering support from Jay Sizz, Simon Janssen, and Zoe Vangenhoven.

And tomorrow on the Sunday story, how a push to remove trans troops is affecting active duty service members and mission readiness.

The situation in Iran is going very well.

A lot of big hits today, a lot of big wins today.

And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News.

Also, three separate incidents of political violence in the last eight days against protesters in New York, a synagogue in Michigan, and at a Virginia university.

Are there any links between them?

So please stay with us.

We've got the news you need to start your weekend.

The death toll is rising, with the latest number out of Iran at more than 1,300 people killed, according to Iranian officials.

And an Iraqi security official, unnamed because he's not authorized to speak publicly, tells NPR that an airstrike hit a radar installation at the U.S.

embassy in Baghdad.

NPR's Carrie Khan is in Tel Aviv.

Carrie, thanks for being with us.

And let's begin.

What do we know about strikes on that Iranian island?

The intensity of the war and the rhetoric remain heightened in the region.