Saudis Join War, National Blood Crisis & NFL Countdown Begins - Wednesday, July 29, 2026

**Lacey Evans** (0:00)
Today is Wednesday, July 29th. We'll tell you about another escalation in the Middle East as American, Saudi and Iranian forces all launch new strikes. Also, another surge in the immigration crackdown with more children and their sponsors being arrested. Plus, why the Red Cross is now offering gift cards for blood donations, how artificial intelligence is being used in job interviews, and the countdown to football season that starts now. Those stories and even more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Lacey Evans, filling in for Erica Mandy today. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
The US military says it joined up with forces from Saudi Arabia this morning. They carried out joint strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. That's notable since Saudi Arabia has largely resisted being pulled into this conflict. But the kingdom says Iranian-backed militias have been targeting Saudi oil facilities, so a response was necessary. It says it wasn't looking for an escalation, but one of the militias targeted in the strikes says that's exactly what it considers it. And American military targets have once again come under Iranian attack. The US says it knocked down a barrage of missiles headed toward American forces. This comes after several days without full-blown fighting.
A peaceful resolution still looks to be out of reach, at least for now, since reports say the US and Iran are still deeply divided on key issues. Still, the US has made other diplomatic strides. Just yesterday, President Trump met face-to-face with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since the war with Iran started. The Israeli leader described it as one of the best conversations they've had. Trump says he also had a positive and productive talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Of course, Zelensky wants to find a pathway to end the years-long Russia invasion. But Ukraine is also looking to avoid its own escalation with Iran after Ukrainian forces attacked an Iranian ship that was apparently carrying military cargo to Russia. Iran has not publicly confirmed that account. To be continued.
The US. Senate has now confirmed Jay Clayton to lead America's intelligence agencies. Before this, he was the US attorney in Manhattan, overseeing several high-profile cases in the country's busiest court. He was confirmed in a 51 to 47 vote along party lines. So he will now take over for interim director Bill Pulte, who was in the position long enough to carry out five rounds of downsizing. Pulte says since taking the job last month, he reduced staff at his organization by nearly a third. Supporters say the changes will make the intelligence community more efficient and remove what they view as unnecessary bureaucracy. But critics say the rapid downsizing could weaken the government's ability to gather and analyze intelligence. Now, it's not clear whether Clayton plans to continue the staffing cuts or take a different approach. Stay tuned.
In efforts to ramp up deportations, immigration officers have focused in on some new targets. One of those is airports. ICE agents have been going to airports in at least nine states from California to Virginia and arresting some people who have overstayed their visas. Reports say ICE has been working with TSA to identify some travelers at checkpoints. Some of those arrested have had work authorization, parole documents, or pending applications to stay in the country and no criminal records. Meanwhile, news outlets like Reuters and the Texas Tribune say the Trump administration is also changing how it handles unaccompanied migrant children and their sponsors. In the past, the Office of Refugee Resettlement would unite children with sponsors in the US who are usually family members, and those sponsors generally were not subject to immigration enforcement as part of that process. Now, the office has been sharing information with ICE. Reuters reports that since the start of President Trump's second term, it has shared nearly half a million leads with ICE, leading to 12,000 arrests. The Trump administration says it's a way to make sure children aren't placed with unsafe caregivers. Immigration advocates say the policy could discourage relatives and sponsors from coming forward, which they say could keep children in government custody longer. Already, migrant children are now spending an average of nearly 200 days in custody with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, up from about 30 days a couple of years ago.
One more rule change we want to mention has to do with people seeking asylum. Certain asylum cases can now go directly to immigration judges instead of first going through an interview with an asylum officer. Officials say the change is meant to help clear a huge backlog of asylum cases and make the process more efficient. But immigration advocates say the move could make it easier for people to be deported before they've had that initial opportunity to explain why they're seeking protection. The change could affect hundreds of thousands of pending asylum cases.