NPR News: 07-16-2026 7AM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
What are the latest U.S. strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks reported this morning?
The United States has expanded its strikes on Iran, hitting targets farther north and firing on a ship accused of trying to breach the U.S. naval blockade. Tehran retaliated before dawn today with missile and drone attacks aimed at Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. Israel says its military will continue to occupy areas in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. NPR's Emily Fang reports from Tel Aviv.
In a Thursday statement from his office, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said he told U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Israel, quote, never asked the United States to defend our borders for us, and he said Israel would maintain a security presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza. Katz's statement followed reports from media outlet Axios this week that President Trump had called Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged him to remove Israeli troops from territory seized in Syria and Lebanon. Netanyahu has said he will travel to the U.S. next week to attend the late Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral, but the White House has not confirmed a meeting with him. The White House has invited Lebanon's president, however, following U.S.-brokered talks in Italy between Lebanon and Israel, which end in on Wednesday.
Emily Fang, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
President Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence faced a tough round of questioning on Capitol Hill yesterday. During his confirmation hearing, Jay Clayton was repeatedly pressed over Trump's repeated false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020. NPR's Greg Myhre reports.
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee repeatedly asked Clayton straight up who won the 2020 election. And so after several go rounds with senators along these lines, the tone escalated as Georgia Democrat John Ossoff kept pressing Clayton.
Who won the 2020 election? Like I said, I'm not I'm not going to get into that with you. But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee. Is anything that I just said not honest or forthright? Yes, you're not being honest or forthright. Who won the 2020 election?
I think I've answered the question. NPR's Greg Myhre. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says record-setting rainfall is expected in many parts of south-central Texas over the next several days. Blaise Ganey from the Texas Newsroom reports.
Abbott opened Wednesday's presser telling people that the weather event has been categorized as life-threatening catastrophic floods. This comes a little over a year after the deadly floods in hill country that led to the death of more than 130 people.
How is Israel positioning its military presence in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza?
Abbott says this storm is expected to produce more rain than that.
The 4th of July floods last year had rainfall of 20.29 inches. The expected rainfall during this rainstorm is expected to be more than 30 inches.
So far, 75 people have been rescued, mostly from stranded motorists. I'm Blaze Ganey in Austin.
This is NPR. Ukraine's defense minister is stepping down, even though he's been credited with pushing cutting-edge drone warfare to turn the tables on Russia. NPR's Joanna Kikisis reports on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's latest government reshuffle.
Mikhail Fedorov is 35, a reform-minded innovator. He took over the defense ministry just six months ago. Announcing his departure on social media, Fedorov listed more than 20 accomplishments, including the successful drone strike campaign against Russian logistics in occupied Crimea. Ihor Fedirko, who leads the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry, told NPR that he is sorry to see Fedorov go.
One of the faces of the modern and technological war is Mikhail Fedorov.
Lawmakers from Zelensky's Servant of the People party told NPR that Fedorov was removed in part because he clashed with Ukraine's old-school military chief Oleksandr Sirski. Joanna Kekises, NPR News, Kyiv.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is introducing annual screenings for testosterone deficiency among service members age 30 and older. troops under 30 will be able to request the testing voluntarily.
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