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Episode Date: July 23, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. The U.S. House passed a trillion-dollar defense policy bill to fund the military. Six Democrats voted with Republicans to support it. Now the bill goes to the Senate. House Republicans also advanced a $95 billion budget blueprint, mostly for the war with Iran. That also needs Senate approval. NPR's Eric McDaniel reports the House passed several measures yesterday.

In extension of government funding through the midterms to December 4th, hopefully avoiding another shutdown. There were, of course, two record shutdown so far this congressional term and three new congressional stock trading rules tied also to an unrelated voter ID measure. Members of the House are leaving Washington this week to return to their districts for August recess. The Trump administration has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that would allow American companies to run commercial nuclear power plants on Saudi soil. President Trump visited Georgia yesterday to promote his economic policies and support Republican candidates in the state.

Georgia public broadcasting Sarah Callis reports. Trump's event was held at a high school in suburban Atlanta, where the president brought Georgia's Republican nominee for Governor Rick Jackson on stage with him. I watched him run and it was amazing what he was able to do. Very, very successful guy and he decided he wanted to be governor because he thought he could do some really incredible things for this state. Trump originally endorsed a different candidate in Georgia's Republican primary, but showed support for Jackson at the event.

He also praised his endorsement for Senate, Congressman Mike Collins. Georgia is a swing state and could help decide the balance of the Senate. Both the gubernatorial and senatorial races will be competitive. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Callis in Marietta, Georgia. The U.S. has now reported close to 2,300 measles cases, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. As NPR's Maria Godoy reports, that's the highest case count in the country in 35 years. The latest measles case count is also higher than the total number of cases reported in the U.S. for all of last year. Two thousand

two hundred and eighty-nine cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The resurgence of measles comes amid falling vaccination rates and growing non-medical exemptions to required school vaccines. Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Adam Ratner says, to turn things around, the country needs to raise vaccination rates. Requires families and communities to buy into the idea that we should be protecting each other. That is the opposite of the way that things seem to be moving in many communities in the U.S. The CDC will update its own measles case count on Friday. Maria Godoy, NPR News.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Regulators in Europe have approved the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery. But as NPR's Mandelite Del Barco reports, it's still not a done deal. The European Commission cleared the pending $11 billion mega deal under certain conditions. After investigating the potential impact of the deal,

the group found there would still be enough competition between studios, is to produce films in Europe, but not to distribute them. Paramount agreed to stop co-distributing films with universal pictures in Europe for 10 years. The proposed merger has been signed off by many other countries around the world, but while the Federal Communications Commission reviews the deals foreign investments, the merger has been put on pause. Attorneys general from 12 states, including California, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Paramount Skydance, and they secured a temporary restraining order. Mandalay-Dal-Ladalbarko, NPR News.

A bald eagle, featured in the Big Bear Eagle Nesscam in the San Bernardino National Forest in California, is in critical condition. Jackie got into an altercation with two other eagles. The Raptor Center, where she's being treated, said online they think she was already sick before the fight. She has inflammation, affecting her kidneys, and severe anemia. Jackie, her mate shadow and their eaglets have been live-streamed by the environmental group Friends of Big Bear Valley since 2018. The LA Dodgers will visit the White House this afternoon to celebrate their 2025 World Series Championship. I'm Kristen Wright, NPR News, from Washington. Support for NPR comes from NPR.