NPR News: 07-21-2026 4PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
What urgent request did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth make to Congress about funding for the war with Iran?
Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth is asking Congress this hour for more money, mainly for the U.S. war with Iran. He is testifying before members of a Senate committee weighing President Trump's supplemental funding request for nearly $90 billion. In his opening remarks, Hexeth testified the request for fiscal year 2026 is urgent to address immediate department needs. He said it is not a substitute for Trump's request of a $1.5 trillion base budget request that Hexeth says is needed to defend the country.
The members of this committee understand better than most that long-term strategic dominance cannot be funded through one-off supplementals.
But anti-war activists repeatedly interrupted his opening remarks.
We will have order. The committee's chair, Senator Susan Collins, then directed Capitol Police to remove anyone who disrupted the proceedings. President Trump says he plans to help Lebanon a lot. The U.S. has been mediating between Israel and Lebanon and trying to get Israeli forces to leave some small areas in southern Lebanon where they have been fighting Hezbollah. Here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says his goal is to end the state of hostility between Israel and Lebanon and that he's been looking forward to this White House visit.
Meeting such a great president like yourself. That's a very nice thing. See, he knows how to get to me.
Israel occupies large parts of southern Lebanon where it's fighting Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Under a U.S.-mediated pilot program, the Israelis have begun to hand off some small areas to the Lebanese armed forces. Aoun calls his country's military the backbone of stability and is asking for more U.S. support. President Trump didn't offer specifics but says he will help a lot. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
Jake Layton is a step closer to becoming the nation's next spy chief. Today, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted 9-8 along party lines to advance his nomination. Arizona is the only state with a primary election today, and the results will help determine control of Congress. Here's KJZZ's Cameron Sanchez.
Arizona is a purple state with several competitive races, including the one for the state's first congressional district. The winner there will replace longtime Republican Congressman David Schweikert, who is running for governor. Former NFL kicker and Trump-endorsed C, Jay Feeley, is the Republican frontrunner. On the Democratic side, candidates Amish Shah and Marlene Gallon-Woods have a shot. All of Arizona's statewide offices are also up for election and are mostly held by incumbent Democrats. Republicans hope to take back the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general this year. For NPR News, I'm Cameron Sanchez in Phoenix.
From Washington, this is NPR News. Only about one in eight nurses in the United States are men.
How did senators and protesters react during Hegseth’s Senate committee testimony?
But efforts to make the profession more gender neutral are taking hold, helped along by a favorable job market. Details from NPR's Andrea Hsu.
With nurses in high demand, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has worked for years to bring more men into its nursing school. Faculty there also know that in some cases, male patients respond better to health care workers who look like them. Nursing student Connor Adderholt says it was seeing how nurses tended to his grandmother after a stroke that cemented his desire to become one himself.
It made me realize this is what I want to do, to deal with these tough situations that people have to deal with, to be that calm in the storm.
Good news for students. The Labor Department projects steady job growth for nurses over the next decade, and the jobs pay well. The national median wage for registered nurses tops $90,000 a year. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
A federal investigation continues today on the source of a cyclospora outbreak, and multiple U.S. states' officials are focused on lettuce supplier Taylor Farms. Meanwhile, this week, Michigan reported over 6,000 cases linked to the cyclospora outbreak statewide.
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