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Today’s top stories
Fighting between the U.S. and Iran resumed after Iran launched missiles at U.S. forces in the Middle East yesterday, just before 6 p.m. ET, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. intercepted all missiles. U.S. and Saudi forces responded with attacks on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, marking a rare show of force from Saudi Arabia in this conflict. The escalation in violence happened on the same day President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy at the White House. Netanyahu wanted to use his meeting with the president to mend the U.S. and Israel’s rocky relationship.
President Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
- 🎧 Five months into a war Israel and the U.S. launched together, both sides face conflicting priorities, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. Israel wants to continue fighting to address security threats from Iran and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel does not want Trump to sign any agreement that would hinder its ability to defend itself, Ordoñez says. Trump supports maintaining Israel’s security, but seeks a swift end to an unpopular war. He also wants to open the Strait of Hormuz and tackle rising gas prices. Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution tells Ordoñez that Trump and Netanyahu have a cooperative relationship, complicated by the fact that neither side knows how to end the conflict.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to testify today before a Senate committee as part of ongoing investigations into the origins of COVID-19. The hearing follows years of debate over whether COVID-19 originated from a Chinese lab. The current scientific consensus is that the virus spread naturally from an animal source to humans. Ahead of the hearing, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., released diary entries that he says Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist during the COVID-19 pandemic, wrote between December 2019 and December 2022. Paul posted more than 1,000 pages of entries over the weekend, took them down on Monday and then reposted them yesterday with redactions. Paul posted on social media that the diary entries showcase a disconnect between Fauci’s private writings and what he told the American people. Fauci’s legal team wrote a letter to Paul last month saying that the senator was waging a “years-long public crusade” against Fauci.
Federal Reserve policymakers are meeting today to discuss interest rates. Kevin Warsh, who became Fed chairman two months ago, said earlier this month that he and the rate-setting committee are committed to bringing prices under control. In June, committee members indicated that their next move would likely be a rate hike. But inflation eased somewhat last month, which could lead the Fed to maintain current rates for now.
The water quality in Iowa has become so concerning that it could affect the November midterm election for governor. Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the U.S., according to the latest report from the Iowa Cancer Registry — and rates continue to rise. Discussions about how the state’s water quality may be contributing to cancer rates have become a political talking point. Both gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn, say more needs to be done to improve the state’s water. They have largely focused on voluntary and incentivized measures to improve water quality, but some farmers say these approaches are insufficient. While farmers are not endorsing either candidate in the race, they have agreed to meet with both Sand and Lahn to discuss the problem.
Today’s listen
Conductor Dalia Stasevska takes great pride in her Ukrainian heritage, which is why she put her heart and soul into her new album, Ukrainian Mixtape. The album shines a light on composers that even some Ukrainians aren’t particularly familiar with. It took her more than a year to pull together the five pieces and composers. She cites Ukraine’s tragic history and 350 years of systemic cultural destruction as the reason behind why these composers have been neglected in the West and Ukraine. Their music wasn’t promoted, and many died in prison or spent years behind bars. These struggles fueled Stasevska’s project. Listen to snippets of the album and read more about how she hopes the music will help Ukrainians heal and take pride in their heritage.
Picture show
TOPSHOT – This photograph shows the building of a painting company destroyed by a wildfire in a business park in Biscarrosse, southwestern France on July 28, 2026. The fire that broke out on July 23, 2026, near Biscarrosse in the Landes region of southwestern France has been “contained,” France’s President announced on July 27.
The Landes de Gascogne forest, home to maritime pines and a vital “lung” for the timber industry, has seen 42,000 hectares burn near Bordeaux. Forests are catching fire all the more easily because European vegetation and soils have been very dry for monthsa drought exacerbated by climate change and recent exceptional heatwaves. (Photo by Philippe Lopez / AFP via Getty Images)
PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images
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PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images
Wildfires in Spain and southwestern France have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and holiday spots this summer. The wildfire in France’s Gironde region near Bordeaux alone has burned an area four times the size of Paris and displaced 220,000 people. Europe is facing more frequent and severe fire seasons. It’s the world’s fastest-warming continent, and temperatures are rising faster than twice the global average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The chaos and devastation across both countries highlight the serious impacts of climate change on communities and landscapes. See photos from the record wildfires and their aftermath.
3 things to know before you go
FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends a World Cup match between Netherlands and Morocco at Monterrey Stadium, in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 29, 2026.
Carl Recine/Getty Images South America
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Carl Recine/Getty Images South America
- FIFA’s cooking up a bold idea to boost its cash flow: selling stakes in its big tournament to private investors for billions of dollars. It plans to create a separate company to manage the commercial rights for the men’s and women’s World Cups, as well as the new Club World Cup.
- The artist Betye Saar, known for making three-dimensional art that addresses stereotypes about Black identity and women, has died just days before her 100th birthday.
- Denver residents made quick work of 21 tons of potatoes at the nonprofit We Don’t Waste’s “Potato Palooza” giveaway. Attendees managed to take home the whole truckload in just 90 minutes. (via Denverite)
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
