U.S. Troops Killed, ICE Investigates Itself? & World Cup History - Monday, July 20, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Monday, July 20th. We'll tell you how at least three American service members died in the Middle East, and how the US. Military is responding. Also why the FBI is no longer investigating assault cases involving ICE agents, and details of that recall that's now impacting half of the US all because of the parasite outbreak. Plus why controversial social media influencers were arrested, what issue united both Democrats and Republicans in protest, and how history was made at the final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Those stories and even more news to know next.
Welcome to The News Worthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
At least three members of the US. Military died in the Middle East over the weekend. First, two US troops were killed in an Iranian missile strike in Jordan. A third service member is missing and it's believed they might have died too.
Several more were wounded. Then another American service member was killed in northern Iraq as they were disposing of a downed Iranian attack drone. Overall, the number of US troops who have died in this war has reached at least 17
The latest deaths come during a cycle of back and forth strikes. The US hit military targets as well as sensitive infrastructure that both Iranian troops and civilians rely on, like bridges and water facilities. Iran also accused the US of striking a nuclear plant. The UN says it's looking into it and called for restraint. But Iran has retaliated with strikes on Middle Eastern countries where the US has a significant military presence. The Iranian side has also been damaging critical infrastructure, like an oil facility in Kuwait. Reports say the US is sending more military jets to the Middle East now. So as of this morning, there's no sign of diplomacy between these two sides.
FBI agents have reportedly gotten notice. They'll no longer be investigating cases involving ICE. That includes claims of assault against ICE agents, which are meant to determine whether officers were in fact attacked when they said they were. As the New York Times and CBS News report, those cases will now fall to Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, and that's an arm of ICE. So it effectively leaves the agency to investigate itself. HSI also doesn't have the jurisdiction to investigate civil rights violations. So this change could make it far less likely that shootings of unarmed people by ICE agents would be investigated at all. So far, the Trump administration has not spoken publicly about a change. Since President Trump came back into office, the New York Times reports, the administration has filed charges against hundreds of people for assaulting federal officers. But in nearly half of all those cases, charges did not stick. They were either thrown out or withdrawn, or defendants were acquitted. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen people have been shot at by federal immigration agents, including two immigrants this month in Maine and Texas, and both of them died. And in both cases, there have been calls for more scrutiny. But in the Maine one, those calls have even come from the family of the ICE agent who pulled the trigger. The AP says it spoke to close relatives who said the agent has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, which only got worse after his time in the Army. His immediate family members accuse him of attacking women in his life over the years, and family court records reflect that. So this has raised some questions about how thoroughly the Homeland Security Department has vetted recruits. ICE says the officer had plenty of law enforcement experience with required training. But as of this morning, no other response from DHS or the ICE officer himself. At the time of the shooting, they said the man who was shot posed a threat to public safety.
Produce maker Taylor Farms has recalled iceberg lettuce shipped to 27 states, saying the lettuce may have been contaminated with cyclospora parasite that's been making thousands of people sick all around the country. The illness can cause weeks of severe diarrhea and other symptoms. So Taylor Farms says it's issued this recall out of an abundance of caution. Some of the recalled lettuce was sold in grocery stores under brand names like Taylor Farms or MarketSide. Other batches were sent to restaurant food distributor Cisco, as well as Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Subway, and so on. Over the weekend, the FDA said a sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms tested positive, but it has since deemed that a positive, though the original recall still stands. All that said, it's possible other things could be causing cyclosporiasis. Many other investigations are still underway.