Today’s Top Stories from NBC News
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In today’s newsletter: The agreement between the U.S. and Iran adds to the conflicting messages about the war. Italy's prime minister clashes with Trump over a photograph taken at the G7 summit. And the U.S. men's soccer team advances to the World Cup knockouts.
Here’s what to know today.
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(Guillaume Baptiste / AFP via Getty Images)
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The effort by the U.S. and Iran to negotiate an end to the war has been defined by dramatic fits and starts and punctuated by missile strikes and naval blockades. Since a memorandum of understanding was brokered last weekend, the confusion has only grown.
Take the agreement itself: The White House said it had been signed last Sunday by Vice President JD Vance but then announced there would be another signing on Friday. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian suddenly re-signed the agreement. And now it’s unclear whether there will be a signing ceremony at all after Friday’s planned meeting was postponed.
There have also been conflicting messages about when, exactly, the critical Strait of Hormuz will reopen. And now with the agreement signed, it remains to be seen how parts of the MOU that should have happened immediately will be implemented.
The lack of clarity over the proposed peace deal is only the latest murky point in the conflict since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February. All the while, Americans are increasingly down on Trump’s handling of the war, and lawmakers have expressed skepticism.
Here are the issues the U.S. and Iran need to hash out.
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Regina Hicks was found dead in the passenger seat of her sunken Camaro more than two decades ago.
Her death went unsolved for years. But in 2024, a secret witness came forward, telling authorities he had seen the final moments of her life. That witness, Steve Gates, later played a key role in the conviction of Hicks’ estranged husband.
After back and forth with Gates and his attorney, my “Dateline” colleague Tim Uehlinger convinced him to tell his story. In his first media interview, Gates apologized to Hicks’ family and revealed why he kept the secret for so long. And he gave a remarkable account of how he tried to come forward more than a decade ago in an effort that went nowhere.
— Tim Stelloh, breaking news reporter
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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that he canceled a planned trip to the U.S. in the coming days amid a clash between President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over their supposed interaction at the G7 summit.
The feud began when Trump suggested in an interview with an Italian broadcaster that Meloni had “begged” him for a photo during this week’s meeting. “I could have skipped it, but I felt so sorry for her,” Trump said. Meloni quickly fired back, saying “I and Italy never beg.” The clash escalated again when Tajani condemned Trump’s comments as “serious” and “offensive” to the entirety of Italy.
Meloni was once regarded as one of Trump’s closest political allies in Europe, but the latest war of words marks a dramatic downturn in relations.
A look at Meloni’s recent criticisms of Trump.
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- A flu outbreak at a Texas Air Force base has potentially sickened over 200 people, according to a source at the base, less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the annual flu shot requirement.
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Missing its playmaking star, Christian Pulisic, and facing an Australian side that had frustrated it just seven months earlier, the U.S. appeared primed for a letdown in its second World Cup match. Instead, it delivered another victory, made more history, and became one of the first teams to clinch a spot in the knockout stage.
Folarin Balogun stepped into Pulisic’s playmaking role, driving down the left flank, causing problems for Australia and creating chances for his teammates. The 2-0 victory marks the first time the U.S. men have won successive World Cup games since 1930. Plus, Paraguay’s 1-0 win against Turkey ensures the U.S. will win Group D.
What coach Mauricio Pochettino and the team said after the match.
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💥 What you missed: Morocco won 1-0 against Scotland, scoring the only goal of the match in the first couple of minutes. Brazil dominated in a 3-0 victory versus Haiti.
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🗓 What to watch today: The Netherlands and Sweden face off at 1 p.m. ET. Germany and the Ivory Coast play at 4 p.m., Ecuador and Curaçao at 8 p.m., and Tunisia and Japan at midnight. See the full schedule.
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From his sprawling property in the rolling hills of Georgia, Greg Baer built the Real Love Company, a self-help organization that sought to teach “the real meaning of love, replacing anger and confusion with peace and confidence in individual lives and relationships,” according to the group’s website. Baer claims to have transformed the lives of more than 450,000 people.
His philosophy centers on the concept of unconditional love, and he believes that most people’s problems stem from being raised by parents unable or unwilling to offer the sort of love that seeks nothing in return. He himself fills that void, telling his followers to call him Daddy and holding them in his lap as if they were babies. At retreats, attendees would often line up for the opportunity. Some say the results have been transformative.
A select group of his followers, all women, said they received special attention in the form of extended private time with him at his home. In some of these one-on-one sessions, he’d hold them in his arms — but only after he first instructed them to take off all their clothes.
And in some cases, according to two lawsuits and interviews with four women, he allegedly took things even further.
Read the full story here.
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The best of NBC News.
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- A pre-2016 attack against Donald Trump
- His swipe at “childless cat ladies”
- Confronting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House
- Publicly criticizing Pope Leo XIV
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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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- James Burrows, the titan of TV comedy who co-created “Cheers” and directed every episode of “Will & Grace,” has died at the age of 85.
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- New body cam video shows a Los Angeles police officer fatally shooting a dog while responding to a call about a screaming woman after the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals win.
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- A cheating scandal in India involving an exam for prospective medical students has led authorities to throw out results and ban Telegram nationwide.
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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 B. His swipe at “childless cat ladies.”
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