NPR News: 07-21-2026 7PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Escalating attacks in the Iran war have killed more American troops and sent gas prices back up. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill today asking Congress for tens of billions of dollars to fund the conflict. As NPR's Kat Lonsdorff reports, it's the first public hearing on the war since May.
How did Pentagon leaders justify an $87.6 billion supplemental war funding request?
Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Koehn, testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee, defending the administration's request for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding. Much of that money, but not all, is for the war in Iran. It was the first time the Trump administration has faced public questions since the ceasefire collapsed. Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington state, called the cost of the war astronomical and demanded to know what has actually been achieved.
We hear a different rationale for this war every few days.
She said the request for funds should come through the annual appropriations process and not as an emergency. Hegseth argued the request was, quote, urgent for the immediate needs of the Pentagon. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Washington.
Federal health officials have remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as a source of the multi-stain outbreak of cyclospora. Despite inaccurate test results reported over the weekend, NPR's Yuki Noguchi has more.
Experts think we're actually dealing with several unrelated outbreaks right now. The biggest by far is Michigan and Ohio, which account for most cases right now. U.S. health officials say iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico was the source. That product was recalled. But now if you look at a heat map of these states, you know, where the cases are, the southern Michigan border with Ohio is like the worst. It's like 10 times the rate of that of nearby states.
NPR's Yuki Noguchi reporting. Arizona is the only state with a primary election today, and the results will help determine control of Congress. From member station KJZZ, Cameron Sanchez reports.
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.
Tropical storm Bertha is expected to weaken in the Gulf of Mexico as it gets closer to the U.S., but forecasters say it'll still bring coastal flooding and heavy rain from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana. Areas along the northern Gulf Coast are under a tropical storm warning through tomorrow and could see heavy rain and flooding into Thursday morning. Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida have opened sites to provide sandbags. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. An external review of the Gates Foundation's ties to Jeffrey Epstein found that staff met more than two dozen times with the disgraced financier and sex offender. The meetings happened even as staff relayed concerns to Bill Gates about the reputational risk of working with Epstein.
The Gates Foundation is a supporter of NPR. A new study shows the Trump administration's cuts to global HIV prevention programs led to the closure of more than 1,700 providers last year. NPR's Dury Buskaran reports PEPFAR is credited with saving at least 26 million lives.
Trump issued an executive order in 2025 freezing foreign assistance and later dismantling USAID. And while some funding for PEPFAR programs survived, it came with conditions. A new study by the research foundation AMFAR found that 77 percent of organizations surveyed had payments delayed or canceled.
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