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Episode Date: July 19, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Fighting between the U.S. and Iran is escalating again after another night of American airstrikes. The latest attacks hit tunnels, a bridge, and other targets leading toward the Strait of Hormuz. NPR Shandali Stuster reports the strikes came a day after two American service members were killed in Jordan. The U.S. military says it has launched new strikes against Iran at President Trump's director. The strikes, which the U.S. military said began around 6 o'clock p.m. Eastern time, are retaliation for a deadly Iranian attack in Jordan on Friday. Two American service members were killed, and one is missing from the attack. U.S. Central Command said four other American service

members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged. The U.S. military says new strikes are also designed to, quote, further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz. Iran has closed the strait and the U.S. military said it has reinstated a naval blockade. Shandalee Suster, NPR News. Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested by U.S. Marshals in Miami. They're facing rape and sex trafficking charges. NPR's Lauren Fair reports, British prosecutors, are seeking their extradition.

The United Kingdom's Crown Prosecution Services, Andrew Tate, faces seven further counts of rape. Three counts related to trafficking, three of assault, and 19 for pornography. Tristan Tate faces an additional count of sexual assault, two of rape, and three related to trafficking. This is in connection with offenses to four additional victims between 2010 and 2017. The Tate brothers are kickboxers turned social media stars and are dual British American citizens. They already face 21 previous charges and have denied any wrongdoing. British prosecutors confirm the Tates have been arrested by U.S. Marshals and await extradition to the U.K. Lauren Freyer and Pierre News, London.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is still hanging over a large part of the northern and eastern United States. Air quality alerts stretch from the Great Lakes through New England and the Mid-Atlantic, including a statewide alert in Michigan. Phil Manuel is with the National Weather Service in Minnesota. He says weather conditions are driving both the fires and the response. dictates everything that happens. It dictated the start of these fires. It dictates how we suppress these fires and how the team reacts and manages what's on the ground out there. Forecasters say shifting winds and more favorable weather should gradually bring some relief.

Hundreds of wildfires continue to burn across Canada, many of them in Ontario. Clear air conditions are expected today in areas north of Washington, D.C., including New York City and northern New Jersey. This is NPR News in Washington. Produce supplier Taylor Farms is recalling iceberg lettuce because of potential cyclosporic contamination. The parasite has been linked to thousands of cases of diarrhea across the country. The company says it stops shipping iceberg lettuce from central Mexico to the United States while it removes the affected products. The shredded lettuce was distributed to more than two dozen states between June 29th and July 16th. Consumers who purchase the produce are now being

urged to throw it away and not eat it. The final match of the FIFA World Cup is set to get underway later today. Spain and Argentina are the world's two top-ranked teams, and they'll now face off for the most coveted trophy in the sport. NPR's Becky Sullivan reports. It's the last of 104 games, and the final day of the World Cup fever that has swept North America this summer. There were worries about wildfire smoke, worries about ticket prices, which are hovering near $10,000 to get into the stadium. But the day has come. Spain and Argentina are both juggernauts.

Spain, the clinical defensive geniuses who have conceded just one goal this whole World Cup, Argentina, the cardiac kids, who keep pulling off late game magic. Both teams have a superstar. For Spain, the 19-year-old Laminia Mall, and for Argentina, the 39-year-old Leonel Messi, who, despite his age, has eight goals. and four assists at this World Cup. A title would be Spain's second in their history. For Argentina, it would be their fourth and second straight. Becky Sullivan in PR News, New York. I'm Windsor Johnson and PR News in Washington.