Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
The U.S. is striking Iran again overnight and responds to Iran's striking U.S. forces
in Jordan.
“U.S. as a targeted military command center, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance”
sites. Saudi Arabia has now joined U.S. military escalations against Iran backed militia in Iraq, and Egypt says an American ship in one of their ports was set on fire by an apparent drone that no country has claimed responsibility. At least eight people are dead dozens wounded as Russia pounded Ukraine overnight with
hundreds of drones and missiles, and here's Greg Myri has more. President Vladimir Zelensky warned at a late night post on social media that Russia was planning a major attack. Hours later, the bombing began with missile and drone fire on multiple cities, including the capital Kiev.
The deadliest attack was in the central city of Creepy, where local officials said six members of an extended family were killed. The bombardment came two days after Zelensky met President Trump at the White House and asked for more air defense weapons.
“Russia carries out air strikes nightly, empirically unleashes a massive barrage in an attempt”
to overwhelm Ukraine's limited air defenses. Greg Myri, MPR News, Kiev Dr. Anthony Fauci, faced tough questions from Republicans on Capitol Hill yesterday about his work during the COVID pandemic. Homeland Security Committee chair, a committee chair, Senator Rand Paul, has argued for years that COVID came from a lab in China and claims Fauci concealed that, which
felt she'd denies. Fauci did refuse to answer questions, though invoking his fifth amendment rights, as an MPR's Aridanion reports before President Biden left office he granted Fauci a blanket pardon covering him from 2014 through early 2025, but legal experts say Fauci could still be accused of perjury if say he said something at yesterday's hearing that contradicted
what he said in the past under oath. It's worth noting that invoking the fifth amendment is not an admission of wrongdoing. MPR's Aridanion reporting. The Federal Reserve is holding interest rates steady, and Pierre Scott Horsley has more.
“The Federal Reserve's rate setting committee voted 9-3 to leave the Central Bank's benchmark”
interest rate unchanged. The three dissenters said they would have preferred a quarter point rate increase in an effort to curb stubborn inflation. Fed Chairman Kevin Wars notes that market-based interest rates are already climbing, even though the Fed's benchmark hasn't changed, that's encouraging for wars who wants the Fed to play
a smaller role in the U.S. economy.
After all, the Central Bank need not always in everywhere be the center of attention.
With inflation still elevated, and the war with Iran still rattling energy markets, investors see a better than even chance that the Fed will raise interest rates at its next policy meeting in September. Scott Horsley and Pierre News Washington. And you're listening to NPR News.
In southern Arizona this week, contractors demolished a grove of historic cottonwood trees, as the Trump administration makes way for new border walls in the area. Arizona Public Media's Angela Jervaci has more. Contractors uprooted three cottonwoods in the San Rafael Valley on Monday that moved to Al Cry from conservation groups and residents who say the trees hold deep cultural
and ecological significance. Earlier this summer, resident Laurie Butler described the cottonwoods as the heart of the valley. They've been sort of guardians over that whole community. When people say, let's go to meet at the cottonwoods, everybody knows where that is.
The Sierra Club estimates the trees are more than 200 years old, as of one day one cottonwood remained standing with conservationist organizing a sit-in to prevent its demolition. It comes as the Department of Homeland Security plans to build two parallel border walls across the valley. For NPR News, I'm Angela Jervaci in Lociel, Arizona.
File this under Better Late Than Never in Australia, a book was returned to a public library late,
very late. Officials say the book titled Antiquities of Athens was found by a man doing renovations. Officials say the book was found inside a tea crate that was bricked to up inside a sealed fireplace and it's only some 150 years late. The library says the fine would be around $28,000, but the chance of collection is slim.
That's because records from the 1870s have been lost. The library says the book will be displayed in its local history collection, but no, it won't be loaned out again. I'm Jeanine Herbst, NPR News in Washington. This week a way where you don't tell me we talked to Tyler James Williams, star of Abbott
Elementary about the special connection he has with real teachers. If there's a teacher within 100 yards of me, I'm going to know. I'm going to know, they're either going to tell me or I'll see it in their eyes. Don't miss our full conversation in the rest of our games. Listen to the wait wait.
