NPR News: 07-09-2026 5PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
Why did President Trump shift from praising to calling Iranian leaders 'scum'?
In another dramatic shift in tone, President Trump is calling Iranian leaders scum, just weeks after praising them as smart and rational people. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports on the diplomatic whiplash that has come to define Trump's approach to global affairs.
Three weeks ago, President Trump described the Iranians as brave people who wanted to change the direction of their country for the better.
We're dealing with people that I think are very rational people. I mean, they were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people.
But he delivered a much different characterization yesterday at the NATO summit in Turkey.
I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people.
They're led by sick people.
How does NPR describe Trump's pattern of fluctuating diplomacy toward Iran?
It's part of a pattern with the president who often swings between praise and threats in an effort to almost will this war to an end. But you can also hear Trump struggling with that balance, insisting to reporters later that the war will not start again. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is pulling his National Guard troops out of Washington, D.C., earlier than planned. The move comes after several Democratic governors added members of their National Guard to the city for America's 250th celebrations, joining the thousands of troops already there. This amid President Trump's ongoing anti-crime task force. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more.
There are a little more than 100 National Guard troops from Minnesota in D.C., which Governor Walz sent specifically to help ahead of the America 250 celebrations around the National Mall. It's pretty routine for states to send Guard troops ahead of big national events, but D.C. is not operating as usual these days, as thousands of troops, mostly from Republican-led states, have been patrolling all around the city for months. Governor Walz's office told NPR that the decision was made to pull his troops early after they had been seen participating in those presence patrols far from the National Mall, something they were not supposed to be doing. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has also threatened similar action for her 160 troops in the city.
Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Washington.
In a few weeks, Britain gets its seventh prime minister in 10 years. And Piers Fatima Al-Kassab reports, former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham threw his hat in the ring to be the leader of the ruling Labour Party, and so far, he has no challengers.
The popular former mayor of Manchester, nicknamed the King of the North, confirmed he has submitted his nomination to lead the UK's governing Labour Party and become the next Prime Minister, writing on social media that it's all starting to feel very real. Burnham now looks all but set to reside in 10 Downing Street in less than two weeks, replacing Keir Starmer, who resigned last month amid historically low poll ratings. Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR News.
Wall Street higher by the closing bell, the Dow up 117 points. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Bonnie Tyler, the British musician behind bombastic 1980s hits, including Total Eclipse of the Heart, has died following an illness. She was 75 years old. NPR's Isabella Gomez-Armiento has more.
Bonnie Tyler had a penchant for songs that feel larger than life. Her musical signature, heart-rending, over-the-top belting that pushed her gravelly voice to its limit, often captured the soaring drama of anything she sang about, whether it was a crushing heartbreak, or her undying faith in love.
Tyler's career spans more than 50 years, but the excess and anguish of her 1980s collaborations with producer Jim Steinman came to define the maximalist pop rock of the decade. Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News.
The Trump administration wants to change what it calls unnecessary and unworkable Biden-era environmental rules designed to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, including buses and large trucks. The EPA wants to scale back and postpone two provisions –
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