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Today's top stories
President Trump is set to travel to Dover Air Force Base today for the dignified transfer of U.S. service members killed in Iranian strikes. The Pentagon yesterday identified the third service member who was killed in Jordan as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York. The Defense Department earlier this week identified two other service members killed last week as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. The number of U.S. casualties killed during the Iran war is now 18. As the number of casualties rises, the president's visit highlights mounting questions about when the war in Iran will end and what its aims are.
- 🎧 The public disapproves of U.S. citizens dying in what they potentially see as an unnecessary war, NPR's Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. While the issue of reduced munitions may feel abstract to many, flag-draped coffins are not, Justin Logan from the Cato Institute tells Ordoñez. The death of the 19-year-old Gonzales in particular resonates deeply with people as it underscores the loss of young lives at the hands of this conflict, Logan adds. Politically, Trump is attempting to sell Americans on the idea that things are going well, but the war's casualties tell a different story, Ordoñez says.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday requested $67 billion in supplemental funding for the Pentagon in an hours-long, at times contentious hearing with senators. He says this money would help replenish depleted equipment and munitions and accelerate project and equipment deliveries. Without the additional funding, service members' pay could face shortfalls, Hegseth warns. As fighting intensifies, some lawmakers expressed frustration over being asked to approve funds for a war that Congress never authorized.
- 🎧 Senators from both parties had a lot of questions for Hegseth on key issues, including Iran's nuclear program and missile capabilities and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, NPR's Claudia Grisales says. Their skepticism highlights concerns about the war's direction, especially as midterm elections are right around the corner. The war has created challenges for Republicans, but has provided Democrats with opportunities, Grisales says. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray says rising gasoline prices are linked to the recent escalation in fighting, a message Democrats will likely use to try to win back control of Congress.
Arizona Republicans chose U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs as their nominee for governor and state lawmaker Alexander Kolodin as the secretary of state nominee in yesterday's primaries. Both candidates have openly opposed the 2020 presidential election results. Trump endorsed both candidates, and Turning Point, the political group founded in Arizona by the late Charlie Kirk, backed them.
- 🎧 Trump and Turning Point's support hold less weight in the general election, where MAGA candidates must appeal to a broader electorate, especially Arizona's crucial independent voters, says Ben Giles of NPR member station KJZZ. The primary results have some Arizona Republicans worried that Democrats could reclaim key races in the state. Although there were some more traditional conservative candidates in the primary elections for both races, neither race was close, underscoring Trump and Turning Point's significant influence among primary voters, Giles says. Republican primary voters prefer far-right candidates to represent their interests, even though those candidates continue to lose when Democrats and independents have a say in November. So far, Turning Point has struggled to get its preferred candidates elected in important statewide races, according to Giles.
- ➡️ Trump has campaigned more so far this year than he did at this point of the year in 2018, during his first term. While low approval ratings usually keep a president away from competitive midterm races, Trump and his team are taking a different approach.
The House of Representatives yesterday voted to extend government funding past this year's midterms, through Dec. 4. Democratic leaders opposed the extension, saying it "fails to block funding for Donald Trump's violent mass deportation machine," though six Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill. It now moves to the Senate, where it needs Democratic support to pass. If it doesn't, the government risks running out of money in September, right before the midterms.
Today's listen
The orange metro line in Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, has revolutionized travel and safety for women since its opening six years ago. Women in Lahore have long depended on public transport like buses and rickshaws to get around the congested city, but they have often faced safety concerns and harassment. The metro has provided women with their own separate section as an additional safety barrier. NPR's Diaa Hadid rode the metro to hear directly from women about how the orange line train has improved their lives.
Life advice
There are many ways to cope with life's stressors, and not all of them are healthy. Shireen Rizvi and Jesse Finkelstein, co-authors of Real Skills for Real Life: A DBT Guide to Navigating Stress, Emotions, and Relationships, use engaging diagrams and illustrations to teach effective ways to accept distress and respond to it effectively. As a board-certified dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) therapist, Rizvi shares a set of techniques from her book called TIP, which stands for temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing and paired muscle relaxation. She says these four skills can help in moments when you're so distressed you can't think straight
- 🌡️ Temperature: Plunge your face, eyes and temples into a bowl of cold water and ice for as long as possible. This triggers the mammalian dive reflex, which helps mammals increase their chances of survival by slowing their heart and respiratory rates.
- 🏃♀️ Intense exercise: Do something to get your heart rate up quickly, such as running up stairs. You should sustain that movement for 30 seconds or longer. When you stop, and your heart rate decreases, you'll feel calmer.
- 🏃♀️ Paced breathing: Make your exhales longer than your inhales. This will help avoid hyperventilating, slow your heart rate and reduce emotional intensity.
- 💪 Paired muscle relaxation: Tense your muscles as tight as you can and then release them, one muscle group at a time. Breathe in as you clench and breathe out as you relax. Pair your exhales with a calming word. You get a greater sense of relaxation this way than if you try to relax without tensing the muscle first, Rizvi says.
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3 things to know before you go
- Almost a quarter of U.S. employees who get health insurance through their jobs reported that they remain in unwanted jobs solely to maintain their health insurance, according to a survey by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America.
- Susan Greenstein Prescott had a stutter in high school that made her afraid to present a public-speaking assignment. Her teacher and unsung hero Fred DeMayo allowed her to present it to him one-on-one. Demayo complimented her voice, which transformed the way she saw herself.
- Jim Faust lost his son to an overdose. His nonprofit, Adam's Parachute, honors him by using the peaceful and therapeutic hobby of fly fishing to aid individuals in addiction recovery.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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