NPR News: 07-19-2026 8AM EDT

Windsor Johnston· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The US military has launched another round of strikes on Iranian military targets after promising a swift response to an attack in Jordan that killed two US service members. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports sixteen American troops have been killed since the war began in February.

Speaker 20:21

The US has been bombarding infrastructure and military targets in Iran for a full week, and Iran's state media says scores have been killed, both military and civilian. Iran has also claimed to have hit tankers in the Gulf and several US bases in the region with drones and rockets. That included Muwaffaq Salti Airbase, a joint US-Jordanian facility. CENTCOM has denied most of these claims but has now confirmed that US troops on a base in Jordan died after an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack. Several service members were medevaced to Jordanian hospitals. Others returned to duty with minor injuries. President Trump has said that negotiations to end the war continue, but also that the ceasefire declared in April is over. Quil Lawrence, NPR News.

Windsor Johnston· Host1:07

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is still hanging over a large part of the northern and eastern United States. Air quality alerts w- stretch from the Great Lakes through New England and the Mid-Atlantic, including a statewide alert in Michigan. Phil Manuel with the National Weather Service in Minnesota says weather conditions are driving both the fires and the response.

Phil Manuel· Soundbite1:28

The weather dictates everything