US and Iran Trade Strikes After Brief Pause, Fauci Pleads The Fifth, New Asylum Rule
July 30, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe US launched a wave of airstrikes against Iran overnight in retaliation for a foiled Iranian attack on US bases in Jordan, while on Capitol Hill, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times during a contentious Senate hearing, and the Trump administration issued a new rule making it harder to seek asylum by allowing officers to skip interviews and send cases directly to immigration court.
US and Iran Trade Strikes After Brief Pause
U.S. Central Command said it launched a heavy wave of airstrikes against Iran overnight, targeting military command centers and missile facilities. This was in retaliation for what the U.S. military called a "surprise" Iranian attack on Wednesday at the Mufata Salty Air Base in the Jordanian desert, where the U.S. has a major military presence and where three U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian attack earlier this month. Iran itself launched more missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan on Thursday, which the U.S. and Jordan said were shot down. Analysts see this as Iran testing the U.S. under a harder line.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:39) **U.S.-Iran Hostilities Resume** - The U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran in retaliation for a foiled attack on U.S. bases in Jordan, raising fears of a return to all-out war.
- 2 (04:23) **Conflict Widens to Iraq** - The U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on at least seven militia bases in Iraq, killing at least 20 people.
- 3 (05:48) **Escalating Tensions in Iraq** - Funerals for fighters killed in the strikes included chants of "death to America," and Iran-backed militias gave the Iraqi government a deadline to respond.
- 4 (06:56) **Fauci Hearing: Fifth Amendment Invoked** - Senator Rand Paul is threatening to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt after Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a contentious Senate hearing on the origins of COVID-19.
- 5 (08:46) **Why Fauci Invoked the Fifth** - Fauci refused to answer all questions, even benign ones, due to a blanket pardon from President Biden that protects him from prosecution but not from potential perjury charges.
- 6 (09:31) **Next Steps and Broader Impact** - Senator Paul plans a vote on holding Fauci in contempt, which could lead to fines or jail time, while public health officials warn of a "chilling effect" on future public servants.
- 7 (10:44) **New Asylum Rule: Skipping Interviews** - A new administration rule allows asylum officers to send certain cases directly to immigration court without an interview, aiming to reduce the backlog but further restricting access to asylum.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Amina Khan, Anna Yukhananov, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buch and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:38) US and Iran Trade Strikes After Brief Pause
(06:53) Fauci Pleads The Fifth
(10:39) New Asylum Rule
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