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Today’s top stories
President Trump announced yesterday that he struck a trade deal with the European Union after talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland. Under the agreement, most EU exports to the U.S. will face 15% tariffs, which is down from the 30% tariff that was recently threatened. The president says the EU agreed to accept imports from the U.S. without tariffs.
President Trump shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland, where the two leaders agreed to a trade deal.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP
- 🎧 A small group of supporters and many protesters gathered outside of the golf course where the two leaders met, NPR’s Lauren Frayer tells Up First. She saw some protesters lining Trump’s motorcade route with photos of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, many Palestinian flags and signage criticizing the president’s perceived inaction on the war in Gaza. Frayer met protester Janet MacLeod-Trotter, a distant relative of Trump’s mother, Mary MacLeod. Janet stated that a lot of the MacLeods are upset with Trump because he comes to Scotland and uses his power to buy up golf courses and make money.
The Republicans’ big tax-and-spending bill has been signed into law, and with it come new hurdles for millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid. The new law has a provision that, in most states, low-income adults will, for the first time, have to meet work requirements to keep their health coverage. Some states have tried enacting this before, but currently only Georgia has an active system using work requirements. Here’s a look at how it is going for the state.
Israel’s military has paused fighting for 10 hours each day in major population centers in Gaza. This allows for more food aid to enter besieged areas. This major change in Israel’s offensive in Gaza comes after growing international criticism over Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid. Israel took a group of journalists, including NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley, into a small portion of Gaza yesterday.
- 🎧 Beardsley says she was in the back of a military vehicle and was taken to a location that had clearly been an entry point for aid. But that area was desolate and the heat was searing. There were no Palestinians or destruction in sight — just barbed wire fencing, trash everywhere, starving stray dogs and the sounds of sporadic gunfire. The military trucks took them to a parking lot where aid was seen baking in the sun. Israel says this is proof that the United Nations isn’t doing its job of distributing aid. The situation in Gaza is dire as many starve. Aid groups say things progressed to this point because Israel cut off aid for two months, from March to May.
Today’s listen
Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, poses for a portrait at NPR’s office in New York on Wed., July 23.
Keren Carrión/NPR
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Keren Carrión/NPR
Republicans won the 2024 election with a strategy that included numerous podcast appearances. Now, Democrats like former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg are working on a game plan for future elections. When Democrats took power in 2021, they viewed it as a restoration project to fix the institutions that Trump had broken. Buttigieg no longer sees that as a fully realistic or even desirable goal. He says Democrats have been “too attached to a status quo that has been failing us for a long time.” In an all-platforms interview with NPR, Buttigieg makes his own pitch to Democrats. Listen to the interview or read and watch a video of the discussion Buttigieg had with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
Life advice
David Nayfeld, chef and the author of the cookbook Dad, What’s for Dinner?, makes a recipe called ‘stressed-out weekday pancakes’ together with his daughter.
Eric Wolfinger
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Eric Wolfinger
Professional chef David Nayfeld says cooking with his daughter is a great way to make the most of their precious time together. Things can get messy, but he says it’s “worth the price of admission.” In his new cookbook, Dad, What’s for Dinner?, Nayfeld shares easy ways to include kids of all ages in meal prep, and every recipe even has a mess rating. These are some of the tips he shared with Life Kit:
- 🍝 If you do not have confidence in your cooking skills, the key is to have a sense of humor about it. Being able to laugh can help you make it through even the toughest meals.
- 🍝 Some of the easiest ways to get little ones involved are by getting them to add ingredients to a bowl or cracking eggs. When you feel they are ready, they can move to a different step, like grating cheese.
- 🍝 To reduce the mess, try portioning the ingredients and being explicit with your directions. For example, tell them exactly where to put the sauce or even guide their hands.
Now that you’re an expert at cooking with kids, try this meatball recipe. For more guidance on how to make a family meal with the kids, listen to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
3 things to know before you go
Silver medalist team United States pose after the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Sunday.
Vincent Thian/AP
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Vincent Thian/AP
- Members of the USA Swimming team are recovering from acute gastroenteritis, also known as a stomach bug, as they compete in the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The illness can lead to diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain and vomiting.
- An estimated 20% of NASA’s workforce has been cut after nearly 4,000 employees opted to leave the agency through the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program.
- Tom Lehrer, an influential musical satirist who found fame in the 1950s and ’60s, died at age 97 on Saturday.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
