US-Iran War Escalates, Congress To-Do List, UK Has A New Prime Minister

0:02Ayesha Rascoe:Three American service members have been killed in the Middle East since Friday. The U.S. retaliated with more attacks on Iranian targets and the war shows no signs of winding down. I'm Leila Fadil, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News.

0:19House Republicans have one week left before they head home for the August recess. Speaker Mike Johnson wants more defense money, a stock trading ban for lawmakers, and President Trump's election bill.

0:30Ayesha Rascoe:But none of these goals address the rising cost of living voters care about most. And Andy Burnham is Britain's new prime minister. I am ready. He takes over for Keir Starmer after he was pushed out of office. They're both from the same party, so are their policies any different? Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day.

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1:52Ayesha Rascoe:Three U.S. personnel have now been killed in military operations in the Iran war since Friday, the latest during a controlled detonation in Iraq. The U.S. has continued its waves of attacks against Iran, bombing it for nine straight nights. NPSGNRF is with us now from Amman, Jordan. Good morning, Jane. Good morning, Michelle. So what has U.S. Central Command said about this most recent death? Well, CENTCOM says that a service member was killed in a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. That's when explosive experts try to disable explosives by deliberately detonating them.

2:31Obviously, something seems to have gone wrong there. The Kurdistan region has come under heavy attack by both Iran and Iraqi Iran-backed militias, both because of the U.S. presence and because of the presence of the Iranian Kurdish armed opposition there. CENTCOM also says it found remains, human remains, at a base in Jordan that it is working to identify. Two other military personnel were killed at the same base Friday, and CENTCOM isn't saying yet whether those remains are believed to be a service member it reported missing in that strike. With these deaths, it makes 17 U.S. military personnel now reported killed and 430 wounded.

3:13Iran says at least 3 ,000 Iranians have been killed since the U.S. and Israel started the war on February 28th, many of them civilians. Iran also says almost 27 ,000 Iranians have been wounded in attacks.

3:28Ayesha Rascoe:Wow, that's noteworthy. There's many, many more wounded than we've reported the fatalities. So what is happening in Iran today? Well, Iran says several cities were struck overnight. The U.S. last week attacked Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and electrical installations. Iran said it would respond with attacks in kind. And it has been hitting electrical infrastructure and water desalinization plants in Kuwait. And it's been striking targets in Bahrain as well today. A lot of this is about keeping control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is that major oil shipping channel, about keeping that open, oil and other goods as well.

4:07Ayesha Rascoe:What is the latest on that? Ron says it disabled two tankers that were trying to pass through the strait without its permission. Those claims could not be immediately verified. But it has vowed that, quote, not a drop of oil will pass through while the U.S. is attacking it. And oil prices are up again this morning. Let's get back to Jordan, which is where you are. What is happening there and why is Jordan involved in this? Well, it definitely does not want to be involved. It's a small, vulnerable country, but it's also a security partner of the U.S., and it has a peace treaty with neighboring Israel.

4:43So there's a large U.S. military presence at Jordanian bases here. Most Jordanians never see them because they're quite remote. But on Sunday, the U.S. Embassy issued a warning saying there were threats against Aqaba, a tourist resort. Jordan denied that, but Iran a short while later struck an airport compound hitting U.S. targets. There were no reports of casualties, and the airport was operating normally today.

5:09Ayesha Rascoe:That is. NPRS Jane Raff and Amman Jordan. Jane, thank you. Thank you.

5:22Ayesha Rascoe:The House has just one week left before lawmakers head back to their districts for the August recess. House Speaker Mike Johnson has a lot. He wants to get done in that week. More money for defense, the president's election integrity bill, a stock trading ban for lawmakers, and extending funding for the federal government past the general election in November. NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel is here with us to tell us more. Good morning, Eric. Hey, glad to be here. You know, some of the things on that list are politically sensitive. We're just a few months away from the midterm elections. You've been reporting on this.

5:53Ayesha Rascoe:Are lawmakers willing to take these tough votes? Yeah, just a few months away from the midterms. But let's also talk about the moment we're in now. President Trump is again escalating his war with Iran. More American troops have died. Gas prices as of this morning are again over$4, according to AAA. And polling shows the cost of living and affordability are Americans' chief concerns. And that's the context that Republicans have with maybe a two-vote margin in the House when they're hoping to take votes on the president's priorities before they head home to sell their record to constituents in hopes of getting reelected this fall.

6:25Now, gerrymandering and partisan sorting all mean that fewer lawmakers are actually at risk of losing their jobs than you might assume. But when the margin of control in Washington is so slim, there are still maybe a dozen or so Republicans who are probably sweating the idea of casting a vote to, say, give billions more to an expanding war effort as part of what's known as a reconciliation bill without anything new to pay for that spending when political headwinds are already blowing against them.

6:51Ayesha Rascoe:Eric, aren't there more popular things on the agenda, too? I think the congressional stock trading ban and, you know, voter ID requirements, my recollection is that those are backed by pretty big majorities in polls. Yeah, that's right. And I think there's a chance that that combined bill could narrowly pass if Speaker Mike Johnson can convince Republicans to stay united on a procedural step required before the final vote. That's a big if. And it's doomed in the Senate, where unlike the reconciliation bill, it requires a full 60 votes to pass. Some Republicans have objections because this version of the stock trading ban allows members to keep the stocks they already own, which in theory means they could still be swayed to vote in their own interests rather than in the interests of their constituents.

7:31Democrats also share that concern, and many of them also oppose the voter ID requirements.

7:35Ayesha Rascoe:What about the proposal to fund the government through the November election? Republicans are worried that Democrats will not cooperate on funding the government before the current deadline at the end of September. Republicans want to go ahead and lock in current funding levels now for a few months in order to avoid an election time shutdown. They still might face objections from people in their own party who want to use the leverage of a pre-election deadline to extract concessions for their own pet projects like reducing government spending or any number of other things. Has President Trump weighed in on any of this?

8:06The president cares about Congress doing one thing and one thing only. That's passing his Save America Act. It's an election integrity bill. As evidenced by his speech last Thursday, the president's laser focused on the idea that there was and remains rampant election fraud in the United States. I should say Republican and Democratic election officials all around the country say that's just not true. But House Republicans are attaching the Save America Act to lots of unrelated legislation in order to try and force the Senate to pass it. That won't work. The Senate would, again, require 60 votes to pass it.

8:40There are only 53 Republicans, only 52 voting right now with Mitch McConnell's extended absence. Democrats don't support the bill, meaning they're not going to add to that math. Congress is, as Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune says, bound by arithmetic.

8:55Ayesha Rascoe:That is NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel. Eric, thank you. Thanks so much.

9:06Ayesha Rascoe:The United Kingdom gets a new prime minister today. Keir Starmer is out. Andy Burnham is in. Burnham is the UK's seventh prime minister in 10 years. That's when Britain's voted to exit the European Union and triggered lots of turmoil. Let's turn now to NPRA's Lauren Freyer in London. Lauren, good morning. Good morning. So tell us about the new prime minister. Well, Burnham is no stranger to the halls of power in Westminster. He actually served in Parliament for 16 years, but it was as mayor of Manchester, ironically a local post that gave him a national reputation. He brought economic growth to that once gritty city and he pledges to do the same nationally.

9:45He's from the north of England, advocated for blue collar workers there, especially during COVID. His social media videos have been compared to New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani's and polls show he's one of the most popular politicians here right now. Have you had a chance to meet him? I have not. I have my interview request in, though, but I've been up in Manchester talking to people who know him, including Rose Marley, who first met Burnham on the indie music scene and became one of his advisors. She recalls her first impression.

10:11Ayesha Rascoe:The original kind of idea of, like I said, a suited Westminster kind of MP went out the window very quickly, started wearing his trainers and his T-shirts and started DJing. Burnham actually used to moonlight as a DJ in Manchester. Now, unclear if he'll have time for that as prime minister now. I don't know. Well, we'll see. Maybe he'll invite you to a rave. I hope so. What does he pledge to do in terms of policy? So that is less clear. I mean, this has all happened quickly. As Starmer's approval ratings tanked, the ruling Labour Party sort of cast around for a replacement. Burnham returned to Parliament last month, only became head of the ruling Labour Party just on Friday.

10:52And then he gave a speech sort of insisting. I am ready. Ready to lead and to build on the foundation laid by one person more than any other. He said he'll build on Starmer's work. You know, they're from the same party and share roughly the same politics.

11:12Ayesha Rascoe:So is this more of a change in, I don't know, personality or style rather than policy? Yes. I mean, Burnham has said he'll devolve power away from the capital, London, toward municipal and regional authorities. And there have been rumors that he might lift a ban on new North Sea oil drilling permits. He has not announced anything yet. But President Trump has jumped on that. Yesterday, Trump wrote on social media that people in Scotland's oil hub, Aberdeen, are dancing in the streets. Now, there's no evidence of that. But Trump also wrote that North Sea oil drilling would transform the U.K. from a, quote, poverty-stricken disaster.

11:49Ayesha Rascoe:And what about U.S.-U.K. ties overall? Is there any sense of whether Burnham will change that? So managing relations with Trump is something that Starmer really struggled with. I mean, he tried to be a Trump whisperer. He enlisted King Charles to do the same. Starmer did win a more favorable trade deal with the U.S. than some other European allies. But then he took a pretty strong stance against the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, and Trump soured on Starmer, criticized him for, amongst other things, immigration policies. Trump administration officials have voiced support for the far right here.

12:24So that is something Burnham will have to contend with, along with rising costs of living, slow growth, you know, all the things that stymied Starmer.

12:32Ayesha Rascoe:That is. And here's Lauren Frayer in London. Lauren, thank you. You're welcome.

12:43Ayesha Rascoe:And finally, the World Cup champion was crowned yesterday. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final. The winning goal came late in extra time, denying Argentina back-to-back titles. It's not clear if this will be the last World Cup for 39-year-old Argentinian star Lionel Messi. Now Spain looks like soccer's new dynasty. They've gone unbeaten in 38 straight matches. and with their 19-year-old star, Lamin Yamal, the Spanish men's squad could just be getting started. This is the first time a country has held both the men's and women's World Cup titles simultaneously.

13:23Ayesha Rascoe:Before you go, this week on The Sunday Story, we feature reporting from NPR's Frank Langfitt on an infertility doctor who secretly fathered dozens of children after a DNA test revealed a family secret, questions started swirling. Where am I in the universe? And I had a desperate need to find out. The truth brought dozens of strangers together, the secret offspring of a fertility doctor. Listen now to the Sunday story from the Up First podcast on the NPR app.

13:56Ayesha Rascoe:And that's Up First for Monday, July 20th. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Leila Faldin. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Brett Neely, Tara Neel, Mohamed El-Bardisi, and Taylor Haney. It was produced by Ziad Batch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hainas. Our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

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