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By
Brittney Melton
Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee today as President Trump's nominee to lead the Justice Department permanently. Blanche is expected to face questions about his handling of the Epstein files, the targeting of the president's political enemies and the broader politicization of justice.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche listens during a news conference at the Department of Justice building on July 1. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption
Iran warned it could block all oil export routes in the region in retaliation for the U.S. maritime blockade. Trump says the U.S. will take control of the Strait of Hormuz and has reversed a plan to charge foreign ships a transit fee. The threat and shifting statements come as the U.S. and Iran continue exchanging attacks, with little sign their fragile ceasefire will hold.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will pause most vehicle stops during its enforcement operations. This change comes after two deaths associated with ICE traffic stops. Neither person killed was the intended target of the immigration enforcement actions.
Comedian Bill Maher speaking to NPR for a Newsmakers interview. Nickolai Hammar/NPR hide caption
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.
Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this summer at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The comedian and host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher has spent more than three decades criticizing figures across the political spectrum and challenging organized religion. In a new episode of Newsmakers, Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep speaks with Maher about his approach to comedy, how his Catholic upbringing shaped his atheism, why he invited Louis C.K. to speak at the award ceremony, and what he took away from having dinner with President Trump.
Watch or listen to the interview or read the highlights.
Two women enjoying ice cream cones, savoring delicious flavors on a warm summer day, sharing laughter and joy in an urban setting WeBond Creations/Getty Images hide caption
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
Ice cream is a summer favorite, and Dr. Zeke Emanuel says there's no need to skip it. In his book Eat Your Ice Cream, he cites evidence suggesting that people who regularly enjoy the sweet treat face a lower risk of metabolic disease — a finding research called "the ice cream paradox." He also offers simple evidence-based advice for staying healthy:
A Red-cockaded Woodpecker hovers momentarily before landing at its nesting cavity inside the trunk of a longleaf pine. This species makes its home in living trees rather than dead ones, a process that can take years to complete. If a timber company were to cut down these trees without directly injuring a bird, it would still constitute "harm" under the previous definition used by the Endangered Species Act. A new rule change by the Trump administration would change that. Jared Lloyd/Getty Images hide caption
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
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