"Live from NPR News in Washington.
air strikes against Iran. A U.S. official says American forces shot down four Iranian drones
“near the Strait of Hormuz and hit a site in the port city of Bonda Rabaz that was preparing”
to launch a fifth drone. It marks the second time, unless then a week that the U.S. military
has launched air strikes amid efforts to extend the current ceasefire. President Trump is proposing a six-month suspension of the federal gas tax because of higher gasoline prices triggered by the war with Iran. NPR's Stephen Bassaham says those tax dollars are used to maintain roads and highways across the U.S. "Podhose cost drivers billions of dollars in repairs each year. Patrick Marshall knows that's like after hitting a dip in New Orleans." The entire wheel almost
fell off the truck completely. It cost him $2,500. "Absolutely. It's a tough hit to take when it's an unexpected expense." What the federal gas tax brings in is not enough to pay for all road repairs,
but Rabat with lending trees says anytime you cut highway maintenance funding that you're running
“the risk of the roads getting worse and not better. State gas taxes are usually higher. Some”
states like Georgia have paused theirs. That means more savings are drivers, but less money for road repairs. Stephen Bassaham and PR news. The federal gas tax is 18 cents a gallon. More record-breaking heat is expected today in parts of Europe where temperatures have been hitting triple digits this week. And PR's Eleanor Beardsley has more from Paris. London hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit and France has had temperatures over 100. What's known as a heat dome has trapped hot air coming from North Africa,
causing the atmosphere to heat up day after day. It's a classic weather pattern, but scientists say it's being exacerbated by human-driven climate change. The European Union's Earth Observation program Copernicus says Europe is heating twice as fast as the world average for three reasons. It's next to the Arctic, which is the world's fastest heating region. Europe's melting glaciers
“accelerate global warming because snow and ice reflect the sun while the bare earth absorbs it.”
And the changing atmospheric circulation around the continent like the Gulf Stream is intensifying heat waves. Eleanor Beardsley and PR news, Paris. The man who ejected France actor Matthew Perry with what turned out to be a fatal dose of ketamine has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison by a federal judge in Los Angeles. Kenneth Iwamasah was Perry's living personal assistant when Perry died in October of 2023. The judge called Iwamasah's conduct
reckless on the day of Perry's death and the day's leading up to it. This is NPR news. North Korea is once again rejecting calls for denuclearization. The statement from Pyongyang follows talks in New Delhi involving India, the US, Japan, and Australia, where officials express concerns about the North's nuclear capabilities. Yon Comenz and Brumby has more. These state department describes the quad grouping as a diplomatic partnership committed to fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in attendance as "representatives met" in India. Japan's foreign minister reaffirmed the group's commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea. In a joint statement, the quad condemned "North Korea's unlawful development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction." Pyongyang's foreign minister accuses the quad of serving the US
"strategy for unipolar domination." The denuclearization of North Korea will never happen,
he said. Phampion news, Yon Comenz and Brumby, in Taipei. Australia is suing Minnesota-based 3M and its Australian subsidiary for nearly one and a half billion dollars. The lawsuit site's contamination at the country's military bases, from so-called forever chemicals, found in firefighting foam. The Australian government says PFAS chemicals have contaminated 28 of the country's bases. 3M says it will fight that lawsuit. Wall Street is coming off
another record day. All three major stock indexes, the Dow, the S&P 500, and the NASDAQ closed at all time high yesterday. The Dow added 182 points to finish at 50,644. I'm Dave Madingly in Washington. Every episode of its been a minute, NPR's What's Happening in Culture Podcast starts by asking three questions. Who? How? Why now? If the culture's asking it, we're talking about it.
At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious, and indulge your cultural curiosity. Follow its been a minute wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll break down the zeitgeisty topics
