NPR News: 07-21-2026 7PM EDT

Ryland Barton· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Escalating attacks in the Iran war have killed more American troops and sent gas prices back up. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill today asking Congress for tens of billions of dollars to fund the conflict. As NPR's Cat Lohnsdorf reports, it's the first public hearing on the war since May.

Cat Lohnsdorf0:21

Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Kane, testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee, defending the administration's request for eighty-seven point six billion dollars in supplemental funding. Much of that money, but not all, is for the war in Iran. It was the first time the Trump administration has faced public questions since the ceasefire collapsed. Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington State, called the cost of the war astronomical and demanded to know what has actually been achieved.

Patty Murray· Soundbite0:47

We hear a different rationale for this war every few days.

Cat Lohnsdorf0:50

She said the request for funds should come through the annual appropriations process and not as an emergency. Hegseth argued the request was, quote, "urgent for the immediate needs of the Pentagon." Cat Lohnsdorf, NPR News, Washington.

Ryland Barton· Host1:02

Federal health officials have remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as a source of m- the multi-state outbreak of cyclospora, despite inaccurate test results reported over the weekend. NPR's Yuki Noguchi has more.

Yuki Noguchi1:14

Experts think we're actually dealing with several unrelated outbreaks right now. The biggest, uh, by far is Michigan and Ohio, which account for most cases right now. US health officials say iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico was the source.