NPR News: 07-18-2026 4AM EDT

Speaker 10:00

This message comes from Capital One with the Venture X card. Earn unlimited double miles, a three hundred dollar annual Capital One travel credit, and access to airport lounges. Capital One. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. Details at capitalone.com.

Dan Ronan· Host0:15

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. Thick smoke continues to blanket large parts of the Midwest and Eastern US, leading to unhealthy and potentially dangerous air quality in several states. It's the result of extreme heat and dry conditions in parts of Canada and northern Minnesota, where officials say an estimated nine hundred wildfires are burning. NPR's Eva Berger explains.

Eva Berger0:42

These regions will have fires caused by things like lightning strikes, thunderstorms. But in the province of Ontario, where most of the smoke we're seeing is actually coming from, the number of fires are still increasing, and they're not expected to get under control until maybe the beginning of August. Ontario now has the most active fires by province. There are nearly two hundred burning.

Dan Ronan· Host1:04

President Trump is warning Canadian leaders he may seek higher tariffs against that country because of the damage caused by the smoke from the fires he called the thick smoke willful negligence and says it's costing the US billions. The president says he wants deceased Senator Lindsey Graham's sister to run in the special election to replace him. NPR's Tamara Keith reports it was expected to be a competitive primary.