Today’s Top Stories from NBC News
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In today’s newsletter: Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota chokes the Midwest and Northeast. The U.S. strikes an Iranian port city in the battle over the Strait of Hormuz. Plus, a look back at the buzziest moments of the 2026 World Cup.
Here’s what to know today.
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More than 100 million people were under air quality alerts yesterday as smoke from wildfires in northern Minnesota and Canada drifted over Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York. The hazy conditions have also raised concerns about tomorrow's World Cup final in New Jersey.
If the unhealthy air persists into Sunday, officials should consider postponing the match, according to Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. "We're always most worried about younger people and kids, but when it gets to a certain level, the smoke isn't good for anybody," he said.
Take a closer look at where the smoke is most severe and why it’s so dangerous.
The unhealthy air quality angered President Donald Trump, who pledged to hold Canada accountable and threatened to increase tariffs.
While smoke choked one part of the country, thunderstorms swept across the Pacific Northwest, prompting red-flag fire warnings as lightning hammered Washington and Oregon. Nearly 9,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded Thursday, according to meteorologists at Vaisala Xweather. By Friday morning, 19 new large wildfires had been reported across the two states.
More on the extreme conditions across the U.S.
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The U.S. struck bridges and other key infrastructure in southern Iran overnight, the latest in nearly a week of attacks aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran to relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz. The new phase of the campaign appeared designed to isolate the port city of Bandar Abbas.
U.S. Central Command announced a new round of attacks yesterday. At 9:30 p.m., CENTCOM said in a post on X that it “hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities.”
Tehran hit back with new attacks on U.S. allies in the Middle East, including a first direct attack on a Syrian base and a strike on water infrastructure in Kuwait.
Here’s what else we know.
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In his speech Thursday night, President Trump denounced mail-in voting, despite having used it himself. He blamed China for meddling in U.S. elections, even as he prepares to host President Xi Jinping and his wife this fall. And as a solution to America’s electoral problems, he touted a bill that remains stalled in Congress and cannot take effect before November’s midterm elections.
The narrative the president laid out in his address exposed a widening chasm between the world he described and the reality experienced by many Americans.
What else Trump said about mail-in voting, voter lists and outside threats.
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- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened state election officials with possible prison time if they don’t use a federal database to determine if noncitizens are on voter rolls.
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No World Cup in history has featured as many teams or been staged across as many nations as this year’s edition. It has also delivered controversy, from accusations of political influence at the highest levels to decisions that turned on the finest of margins.
There was the disputed no-call involving Argentina superstar Lionel Messi during the group stage against Algeria. Then came U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was later overturned. Egypt’s coach also accused officials of favouring Argentina.
Here are more of the moments that’ll be debated long after the tournament ends.
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📸 For subscribers: Two decades ago, rising star Lionel Messi and 6-month-old Lamine Yamal were paired for a photo shoot. Tomorrow, they’ll battle for a World Cup. The photographer of the now-viral image shared the origin story.
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⚽ For subscribers: Telemundo announcer Andrés Cantor talks about prepping for the “dream” World Cup finale.
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🗓 What to watch: France and England battle for 3rd place today at 5 p.m. ET. And tomorrow, Spain and reigning champion Argentina play for the title at 3 p.m. ET. See the full schedule.
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- Breath smell
- Exposure to “forever chemicals”
- Grip strength
- Testosterone levels
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Find out the answer and test your knowledge of this week's most-read stories. (The answer to the question is also at the bottom of this newsletter.)
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Last Friday, China released dramatic footage showing it had, for the first time, successfully recovered a reusable rocket booster after sending it into orbit. The video showed the first stage of a Long March 10B rocket making a controlled descent onto a ship in the South China Sea, where it was “caught” inside a cube-shaped frame. The milestone suggested China may be closing the gap with the United States in the race for space dominance.
Just one day after China’s milestone, Japan launched an experimental reusable rocket on its first test flight and successfully landed the booster upright. Together, the breakthroughs mark a new era of reusability in spaceflight, a shift experts say will intensify global competition and could dramatically reduce the cost of putting rockets into orbit.
Experts say China’s investment in reusable rocket technology is another sign that Beijing remains fully committed to expanding its space ambitions — and is rapidly closing the gap with the U.S. in a growing race. What does that mean for NASA and America’s commercial space companies? This story explores the strategic advantages of reusable rocket technology and the geopolitical shifts that could follow China and Japan’s recent milestones.
— Denise Chow, science reporter
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- For subscribers: Taylor Farms has recalled iceberg lettuce amid an ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak — and it’s not the first time the company has had food safety problems.
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- For subscribers: There’s a reason the ensemble cast of “The Odyssey” — including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya — are seemingly in every big movie this year.
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- Two U.S. Forest Service employees were rescued after being zip-tied and held hostage for nearly 14 hours in California.
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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson.
By the way, the answer to the quiz question above is D. Testosterone levels.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send us an email at: MorningRundown@nbcuni.com
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