NPR News: 07-15-2026 2AM EDT

Giles Snyder· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump has backed off his threat to charge a twenty percent fee on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying he will instead seek investment deals with Gulf States.

Donald Trump· Soundbite0:16

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, uh, Bahrain, and, uh, Kuwait in, you know, primarily and then others. Uh, they ... I spoke to all of them, and they would love to invest more money in the United States at, at record amounts, and that would be very acceptable. And this way there's no fee. I don't like the concept of a fee, but at the same time it's not fair that we're protecting this strait for the entire world.

Giles Snyder· Host0:42

Trump spoke at the White House Tuesday alongside the visiting Iraqi prime minister. Tensions are escalating. US military says it has completed the latest wave of strikes on Iranian military targets. Iran says it has again shut down the strait. President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, says the administration's move to suspend most traffic stops by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not a policy change. He told Fox News Tuesday that it's a temporary pause to conduct a short-term review after two fatal shootings within a week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urging healthcare providers to test for a growing parasitic outbreak impacting multiple states, primarily on the East Coast. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports more than 30 states are reporting cases.

Allison Aubrey1:28

The CDC has confirmed