NPR News: 07-16-2026 8PM EDT

Libby Casey· Host0:00

Live for NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. The US intensified its strikes against Iran today, hitting targets farther north and firing at a ship after reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports yesterday. Iran has been retaliating by launching missiles and drones at US allies. The White House says it now has another 60-day clock to use military action against Iran without congressional approval. NPR's Greg Myre says more than four months since the US and Israel attacked Iran, the war seems to have resumed, and with little accomplished.

Greg Myre0:35

Just objectively, the objectives have not been completed. The, the same kind of Iranian regime remains in place, even if the faces have changed. The nuclear program still exists, although it has been set back with attacks last year and perhaps some more this year. Um, Iran can still clearly carry out missile and drone attacks.

Libby Casey· Host0:56

President Trump is making a national address tonight focused on elections, but the White House says he may also talk about the Iran war. Minneapolis, Detroit, Boston, New York, and Washington are among major cities in the US under air quality alerts today because of heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada. NPR's Eva Berger reports.

Eva Berger1:16

A combination of extreme heat and dry conditions in Ontario and northern Minnesota led to raging wildfires. Then this week, weather patterns forced the smoke into the Great Lakes region and down the East Coast of the US. Health