3 U.S. personnel killed in Iran conflict. And, Hunter Biden opens up to NPR

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The U.S. military carried out a wave of airstrikes in Iran over the weekend after announcing that a third U.S. service member had been killed in military operations since Friday. U.S. Central Command said two died in an Iranian missile and drone attack in Jordan, while the remains of an unidentified person were recovered at the same site. The U.S. has now bombed Iran for nine consecutive nights.

An Iranian woman walks past an anti-U.S. banner in Tehran on Sunday. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

• 🎧 Jordan, a small but strategically important U.S. security partner, doesn't want to be involved in the conflict, NPR's Jane Arraf tells Up First. The country hosts a large but low-profile U.S. military presence and also has a peace treaty with Israel. On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy warned of threats to the Aqaba tourist resort. Jordan denied Aqaba had been threatened, but Iranian missiles struck its airport shortly afterward. Iran said it hit U.S. transport and command aircraft.

The House has one week before lawmakers leave for the August recess. During that time, House Speaker Mike Johnson is aiming to secure more defense funding, advance the president's election-integrity bill, implement a stock-trading ban for lawmakers and extend federal funding beyond the November election.

• 🎧 With a slim majority, a dozen or so Republicans are likely reluctant to support additional funding for an expanding war effort through a reconciliation bill without new ways to pay for it, NPR's Eric McDaniel says. President Trump has one main focus he wants from Congress: passing his SAVE America Act election integrity bill. House Republicans are trying to attach the bill to unrelated legislation to pressure the Senate to pass it. But that strategy is unlikely to succeed because the bill would need 60 votes in the Senate, and there are only 53 Republicans. Democrats don't support the bill.

Andy Burnham becomes the new prime minister of the United Kingdom today, the country's seventh leader in a decade. He succeeds Keir Starmer and is expected to face some of the same challenges that impacted Starmer, including low economic growth, high energy prices and pressure to ramp up defense spending.

• 🎧 Burnham says he intends to build on Starmer's work. They both share roughly the same politics as they come from the same party, NPR's Lauren Frayer says. Starmer struggled to manage relations with Trump, who soured on him after Starmer took a strong stance on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Starmer also criticized other things related to Trump, including immigration. Now, Burnham faces the challenge of navigating that relationship.

From the NPR Network

🏆 Spain is the 2026 World Cup champion, defeating Argentina for its second title. As NPR's Becky Sullivan, who was at Sunday's game, notes, the win marked the team's 38th consecutive match without a loss, a run that includes their trophy in the 2024 European Championship. Here's her full breakdown of the game.

🇪🇸 The Spanish football federation also made history as the first to win consecutive men's and women's World Cup titles.

🌍🩷 Shakira, Madonna and the Muppets: While the game was still tied 0-0, by halftime FIFA pulled off its first-ever World Cup final halftime show, featuring a parade of many of the biggest names in music, from BTS to Coldplay. As NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas explains, the 11-minute show felt a little more political than it might have otherwise.

🇺🇲 As the World Cup comes to an end, MLS works to bring in a new generation of fans. The 2026 World Cup is officially done, bringing to a close North America's first time hosting the men's tournament in over three decades. Hosting the 1994 World Cup was transformative for the sport of soccer in the United States. World Cup fever led millions of children to sign up for youth leagues. Now, MLS hopes that 2026 can be just as transformative as 1994. The question is: how?

⚽ Finding joy in talking to the women who love "the beautiful game".  For many girls and women around the world, the pitch had long been seen as "no place for girls." But as NPR's Jasmine Garsd puts it in her reflection on covering this year's tournament: "[S]occer's soul lives in the neighborhood pitch, where girls and boys dream big, and celebrate goals as if it were them, playing on the world stage."

📸 When the World Cup came to town: NPR member station photographers captured images of how, for a brief period, the World Cup became a part of local life across the U.S.

That's all for Soccer Edition! For more from across the NPR Network, check out the NPR App.

Watch this

Hunter Biden sits down for an NPR Newsmaker interview. Nickolai Hammar/NPR hide caption

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Nickolai Hammar/NPR

Go face-to-face with the person of the moment. NPR's Newsmakers video podcast brings the biggest names in politics, business, sports, arts, and culture out of the headlines and into the interview chair to discuss the mark they're making on the world. Follow the Newsmakers podcast or subscribe to NPR's YouTube channel to get new episodes as soon as they're available.

Hunter Biden says public scrutiny left him with nowhere to hide. In May, he reactivated his X account with the statement, "You've never actually heard from me." His openness follows years of Justice Department and congressional investigations. In a new episode of Newsmakers, NPR's Scott Simon talks with Biden about addiction, public scrutiny, and the pardon he received from his father, former President Joe Biden.

Watch or listen to the interview or read the highlights.

3 things to know before you go

Josh Kerr of Team Great Britain celebrates after winning the 1 Mile Men's Final and setting a new World Record during the Novuna London Athletics Meet, part of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, at London Stadium on July 18, 2026 in London, England. Harry Murphy/Getty Images hide caption

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Harry Murphy/Getty Images

1. British runner Josh Kerr ran a 3-minute and 42.66-second mile on Saturday, setting a world record for the distance.
2. Controversial influencers Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, were arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Miami on Saturday in connection with 38 new criminal charges in England, including allegations of rape and sex trafficking.
3. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled designs for a commemorative $1 gold-colored coin featuring Trump's face. The coin doesn't just buck norms; experts say it may also violate federal law.

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.