New Mideast Attacks, Foodborne Parasite Outbreak & Meta's Muse - Wednesday, July 8, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Wednesday, July 8th. We'll tell you about the latest strikes between the US and Iran, and how calls are mounting for Graham Platner to drop out of the US. Senate race. Also, a stomach illness surging in several states and the steps you can take to help prevent it. Plus, where grocery prices are finally getting cheaper, why philosophy majors are now in high demand, and how the World Cup has made a song from the 1970s popular again. Those stories and even more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
As we published early this morning, missiles are once again flying in the Middle East. It's considered the most significant escalation since the US and Iran came to an agreement last month to open the Strait of Hormuz and wind down the war. The latest issue is, the US is upset about Iran attacking ships near the Strait. So, the American military says it launched a new series of strikes in Iran, hitting more than 80 targets. Plus, the Trump administration again blocked Iran's ability to sell oil legally. Then, this morning, Iran launched counterattacks in Bahrain and Kuwait, countries that host US bases and have accommodated the US military throughout the war. Iran blamed the US for violating its interim deal. Though the US says the ceasefire is still in effect and that it will keep negotiating with Iran toward a final agreement.
An immigration stop turned deadly yesterday in Texas when an ICE agent shot and killed a Mexican immigrant in Houston. Federal authorities say the man was in the US illegally and that he tried to run over an ICE officer with his car, so the officer fired his gun in self-defense. This is just the latest in a series of similar incidents. Over the last year, Homeland Security has repeatedly accused immigrants of weaponizing their vehicles before officers shot them. Immigration agents have fired at or into civilian vehicles at least a dozen times, though this seems to be the first shooting by federal immigration officers that actually killed someone since the controversial deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Pretti back in January. Of course, those deaths sparked widespread backlash, and now at least one civil rights organization is calling for an investigation into this latest shooting. It even announced a $5,000 reward for anyone with more information.
Maine's Democratic candidate for US. Senate is now facing growing pressure to drop out of the race. Reports out this week detailed allegations from a woman who dated Graham Platner. She says back in 2021, Platner came into her home uninvited and raped her. This is new, but even before Platner secured the nomination, there were allegations from several of his ex-girlfriends who called his behavior angry and erratic. And there were other scandals, like the discovery of a tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol. He still held on to a great deal of support, but now, since the rape accusation has come out, Platner's high-profile backers, like US. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, are pulling their support. And even the Maine Democratic Party has called on him to step aside. Platner insists he never did anything that wasn't consensual, but he still postponed several events that were scheduled for this week, saying he's taking time to reflect on the best path forward. If he does withdraw, he must do so by Monday in order for his name to be removed from the state's ballot and be replaced by another candidate. And his replacement would have to be named by the end of the month. So now, even before Platner makes a public decision, some fellow Democrats are clashing over whether they want a progressive or a moderate to take his place, and how they want to choose that replacement through a last-minute convention, caucus, or some other way. The stakes for Dems are high, since this race in Maine is seen as pivotal to their chances of gaining control of the Senate overall. To be continued.
As President Trump meets with NATO allies, he's renewing his call for the US to take over Greenland. Of course, Greenland is still a self-governing, semi-autonomous territory owned by Denmark. But Trump has repeatedly argued it should be under American control instead as a way to counter threats from Russia and China. He made the claim again yesterday, drawing immediate pushback from Greenland and Denmark, who say an American takeover will never happen for any amount of money. Separately, Trump brought up other complaints with NATO. Including members' unwillingness to join the US and Israel in their fight against Iran. And he criticized Europe over its energy and immigration policies. Meanwhile, NATO has been announcing billions of dollars worth of arms deals, and what reports say has been an attempt to appease Trump. Today, Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been pushing to join the alliance to be continued.