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Episode Date: July 17, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota prompted more air quality alerts today in the upper Midwest, northeast, and mid-Atlantic U.S. Air quality levels spiked in places including Minnesota and Washington, D.C., to the hazardous code purple level, which is worse than red level, and the smoky conditions will likely stick around as fires burn unchecked across a remote region of Canada. meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber with MPR News. Wildlife fire smoke, they can travel incredible distances because they're just tiny little smoke particles and they're so small that they stays suspended in the air for days. And the intense heat that these large fires produce, it lofts that smoke thousands of feet into the atmosphere. And, you know, once it's high enough, strong winds, including our jet stream, we kind of like to think of it as like a highway. It kind of carries it hundreds or even thousands of miles. Which areas will stay smoky depends on wind directions in the coming days.

Secretary of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullen, is warning state officials that if they don't implement the Trump administration's election security measures, they could face penalties. NPR's Jude Jaffe Block reports his remarks follow the president's speech Thursday evening. Mullin says DHS will roll out an updated election infrastructure plan for states, and they will lose access to grants if they don't follow it. The Trump administration wants states to use states to use. a federal data system known as save to check voter rolls for non-citizens and deceased voters. Mullen had a warning for state officials that don't participate.

We will make sure that we make those states a priority to look at who voted in their states and hold then the election officials accountable. That could mean fines or even prison time, Mullen said. He says DHS found 250,000 non-citizens on the public voter rolls of four states, but how DHS arrived at that number is unknown. Section experts say that figure is likely highly inaccurate. Jude Jaffe Buck, NPR News. Federal regulators say they will once again allow Boeing to certify that its planes are airworthy. NPR's Joel Rose reports. Today's announcement comes after years of safety efforts at the aerospace giant.

The Federal Aviation Administration says Boeing can take responsibility for certifying all of its 737 max and 787 planes starting next week. It's a big milestone for the planemaker. The FAA revoked Boeing. Boeing's ability to self-certify its 737 max planes in 2019 after a pair of deadly crashes. Regulators did the same for the 787 Dreamliner in 2022, citing production quality issues. The FAA now says it has confidence in Boeing to ensure that all of its planes are airworthy after months of data and safety reviews. The agency is also easing the monthly production caps it imposed on the 737 max, allowing Boeing to make up to 47 per month. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News.

The Homeland Security Department is changing its rules for foreign students. NPR's Alyssa Nadwerni reports the department is adding fixed limits to how long international students can stay in the U.S. Historically, international students could remain in the states as long as they were making progress in their academic program. Under the new rule, most foreign students will be admitted to the U.S. for a fixed period of time, up to four years. If they need more time to finish, which many students do, they will now have to apply for a formal extension. Fanta A, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, called the move misguided and unnecessary, a solution in search of a problem. Universities worry this could impact programs with variable durations, such as graduate programs, medical schools, and PhDs. Already international student enrollment for graduate programs is down compared with last year.

I'll listen to Ad Horney and PR News. Britain's Labor Party officially has a new leader in Andy Burnham. He cleared the final hurdle needed to take office as Prime Minister next week. Burnham was the only contender in a leadership contest in the center-left party to replace departing Prime Minister Kirstarmer. Burnham rose to popularity as the mayor of Greater Manchester. In his acceptance speech, he promised to bring hope to the British people and economic growth across the country.

oil prices hit their highest level in a month today as hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have again ramped up affecting shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent Krug climbed more than 4.5% to settle above $88 a barrel. This is NPR.