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Today's top stories
In another whiplash decision, President Trump announced yesterday that he canceled new attacks in Iran, after announcing earlier in the day that more strikes were coming if the country didn't agree to a peace deal. The president signaled that the two countries had "conceptually" secured an agreement on nuclear issues and could sign a peace deal in the next few days, but Iran's foreign ministry says a deal hasn't been finalized.
- 🎧 Trump wants this war to end, NPR's Aya Batrawy tells Up First. It's unpopular among Americans, who saw inflation surge to its highest level in several years. Arab Gulf countries are also hurting as the war drags on. Batrawy says a call between Trump and Qatar's emir yesterday, in which messages from Iran were exchanged, could have led Trump to call off more attacks. The United Arab Emirates has also shifted its tone from being hawkish on Iran to aligning more with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt about ending the war. That leaves Israel as the only country railing against a diplomatic approach.
Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence. Clayton is a federal prosecutor and former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. His nomination comes after Trump named his close political ally Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte was appointed despite not having experience in national security, and his selection sparked a political backlash that doomed Congress' efforts to renew a crucial intelligence tool that is set to expire today. The tool, called FISA 702, allows the government to collect the electronic communications of foreign nationals located outside of the U.S.
- 🎧 NPR's Eric McDaniel says that the tool's expiration is symbolically — but not practically — a big deal. Symbolically, McDaniel says it shows that the president makes decisions that make Congress' job harder. He could have waited until the tool was renewed to announce Pulte as acting national intelligence director. But practically, the spy tool can still be used for many months under the existing court authorization.
The Trump administration is trying to downsize the U.S. Forest Service and eliminate wildfire and smoke research, just as the American West faces a potentially epic summer fire season. The administration has identified 90 research stations for closure as part of its Forest Service reorganization plan, which includes relocating its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Utah and consolidating regional offices into individual state facilities. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz has defended the proposed reorganization, noting it has been considered by previous administrations since 2006. If Congress approves Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S. Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of wildfires.
The U.S. men's national soccer team takes on Paraguay today in its first group-stage match of the 2026 World Cup. It's the team's long-awaited chance to finally rewrite a legacy of inferiority in international soccer. The furthest the U.S. men's team has advanced in a modern World Cup was to the quarterfinals in 2002. Since then, the team has managed just three total wins across all World Cups. This year, as the U.S. hosts the tournament, the team has gathered what may be the most talented generation of players American soccer has ever produced. Here's what to know about each player on the team.
Picture show
The northern bald ibis vanished from Europe around 400 years ago due to overhunting. A century ago, scientists discovered another population of these birds in Syria and Morocco and decided to bring some to Europe to rear their chicks in captivity. In the fall of 2024, photographer Gunnar Hartmann joined the conservation and research group Waldrappteam for 50 days as they flew an ultralight aircraft across southern Germany, France and Spain to assist the ibises with their migration. While in Spain, Hartmann captured an image that won this year's Scientist at Work photography competition, sponsored by the journal Nature. The winners were announced on Wednesday. In the stunning photo, the aircraft glides beneath a yellow parachute, while 19 of the birds fly ahead, following the people guiding them. Take a look at the photo and others that won in the competition.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: In Disclosure Day, Josh O'Connor plays a cybersecurity expert who uncovers government proof that aliens are living among us and decides the world deserves the right to see it.
📺 TV: This summer brings a slew of new and returning shows, including remakes of Cape Fear and Little House on the Prairie, new episodes of The Bear, House of the Dragon and more.
📚 Books: Woodchipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID is written from the perspective of Nicholas Enrich, a civil servant who worked at the premier U.S. foreign aid agency under four different administrations. He remained in this role until he was placed on leave and dismissed after leaking memos about plans to dismantle the agency.
🎵 Music: Olivia Rodrigo's highly anticipated new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, is out now. The artist ditches the punchy pop-punk of her last album to explore soft '80s pop and New Wave sounds as she sings through the life cycle of her first "real, big girl" relationship.
❓Quiz: Don't be tricked by the images that go with each question, and you may just ace this week's news quiz.
3 things to know before you go
- Meet Splash the otter! After years of using dogs to track the scents of missing people, a Florida search-and-rescue team has now trained otters to help with underwater searches. (via WUSF)
- NPR's Word of the Week is algorithm. These days, algorithms can determine what we watch, read and listen to — confirming our tastes and biases and creating ideological echo chambers in the process. The word dates back to a 9th century Persian mathematician.
- In this week's edition of Far Flung Postcards, NPR's Anthony Kuhn is sending greetings from the National Museum of Korea. He writes about two of South Korea's most treasured artworks: bodhisattva statues from the 6th and 7th centuries.
This newsletter was edited by Yvonne Dennis. Brittney Melton contributed.
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