NPR News: 07-18-2026 4PM EDT
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What happened in the Iranian missile attack on the Jordan base and who was affected?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. The U.S. military says two U.S. troops were killed yesterday in an Iranian missile attack on a base in Jordan. A third one is missing. The U.S. and Iran launched attacks against each other's targets again last night. Iran's supreme leader is warning of unforgettable lessons if the U.S. attacks continue. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Qasem Gharibabadi said his country has suspended its commitments to a memorandum of understanding with the U.S., which was meant to lead to negotiations for a permanent peace deal. NPR's Dia Hadid reports.
Khadija Babaji's statement was carried on Tasnim, an Iranian-backed media outlet.
How did Iran and the U.S. respond to recent mutual strikes and what did Iran announce about the memorandum?
The memorandum was mediated by Pakistan and signed by both sides about a month ago. But President Trump announced the deal was over in the first week of July. That was after fighting intensified after Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which appeared to defy an Iranian-announced route through the waterway. US forces have increasingly targeted Iranian infrastructure used by civilians in recent days, including bridges. Iran has been striking Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases, including hitting a water desalination plant in Kuwait. Pakistan's foreign minister called on both sides to recommit to the memorandum. Dee Hadid, NPR News, Doha.
Air quality warnings are expected to remain in effect throughout much of the U.S., at least through today, caused by smoke from wildfires in Minnesota and Canada. Millions of people are subjected to hazardous smoke drifting across the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions. Children, older adults, and people with lung or heart disease are urged to stay indoors. New York City resident Laura Shapiro is searching for a high-quality face mask.
You can feel a little bit in your breathing, and you just know that it's not good to breathe in all these toxins.
The National Weather Service says a string of heavy storms may improve air quality today. Several states are asking voters to make it more difficult to approve constitutional amendments. NPR's Ashley Lopez reports on the measures that call for higher thresholds for amendments to pass.
Supporters of these measures say a simple majority makes it too easy for voters to make changes to their state's constitution. That's why state lawmakers in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah are asking their voters this year to consider raising the approval threshold to 60%. Kelly Hall with the Fairness Project says that would make citizen-led amendments nearly impossible.
That 60% supermajority is such a high threshold for agreement on any topic in our divided America that that it really does thwart the will of the majority. It thwarts the will of the people.
Next month, voters in Missouri will consider a measure requiring amendments passed in each of the state's congressional districts. Ashley Lopez, NPR News.
This is NPR News. Russian officials say at least nine people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes overnight. They struck warehouses owned by a major online retailer in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes were against logistical facilities that supplied components for drone production. Officials in Venezuela now say more than 5,000 people have died in twin powerful earthquakes last month. The revised death toll was released last night as workers continued to clear debris. One of the longest-standing world records in track was broken today in a London stadium. Vicki Barker reports.
Britain Josh Kerr, an Olympian and world champion middle distance runner, ran the mile in three minutes and 42.66 seconds, knocking nearly half a second off the previous world record set back in 1999. BBC commentator Steve Cram, himself a previous world record holder for the mile, noted Kerr will collect a $50,000 prize for his achievement. Not bad, Cram quipped, for less than four minutes' work and years of preparation and training. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.
Another kind of record was broken last night in Philadelphia.
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