Iran war; Voting Rights Act; Jerome Powell; Fuel : NPR

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Today’s best stories

The Pentagon estimates that the war in Iran has already cost $25 billionaccording to Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst. Hurst testified yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who gave no indication of when the war might end during his combative testimony.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies Wednesday on the war in Iran before the House Armed Services Committee. Hegseth described the military operation as a major success and criticized “defeatist” Democrats who opposed his assessment of the war.

Rod Lamkey Jr./AP

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Rod Lamkey Jr./AP

• 🎧 There is no indication that the United States or Iran will change their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.tells NPR’s Greg Myre First. Maritime traffic through the waterway remains at a standstill, and both sides say they are inflicting economic hardship. Both sides also believe the other will give in first, Myre adds. Retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan said the United States could keep the blockade in place indefinitely. Iran also believes it can maintain the blockade using a combination of mines at sea and drones and missiles from the coast. Donegan told Myre that the United States could demine Iran, but that would take time and would further weaken Iranian forces on land. Myre says a negotiated deal would be the safest way to reopen the strait, but those talks are currently stalled.

The United States Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Louisiana’s 2024 electoral map was an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” The map established a second majority-black congressional district. The judges’ decision, 6 votes to 3, is part of a partisan logic. Although the court technically kept Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact, the decision contributes to a series of rulings undermining the landmark 1965 law that protected the collective voting power of racial minorities. Experts expect the move to reduce minority representation at all levels of government.

• 🎧 Court ruling reinterprets longstanding protections against racial discrimination in Section 2says NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang. Several decades ago, Congress amended the Voting Rights Act to indicate that Section 2 should focus on any discriminatory acts. effects of a redistricting plan. Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court’s majority opinion that Section 2 should focus on intentional racial discrimination. Legal expert Atiba Ellis tells Lo Wang that proving racist intent is notoriously difficult, and the ruling essentially asks plaintiffs to “find irrefutable proof now.” Lo Wang adds that with a further weakening of the Voting Rights Act, the United States could see the largest decline ever in the representation of black members of Congress.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell plans to remain on the central bank’s board. for a period after his term as president ends next month. Powell’s announcement highlights the economic and political pressure the Fed has faced in recent years.

• 🎧 Fed chairs typically step down after their terms endsays NPR’s Scott Horsley. Powell is exercising his right to remain on the board until early 2028, at least for a while. He said he was doing this to help preserve the Fed’s ability to operate without political pressure. President Trump threatened to fire Powell and another Fed governor, Horsley said. The Justice Department also launched a criminal investigation against the Fed. Powell and his colleagues have so far resisted the Trump administration’s efforts. But Powell says the battle is not over yet. He says he plans to keep a low profile once he’s no longer president and won’t compete with Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to become the next central bank leader.

The war in Iran has nearly doubled jet fuel prices in the United States, increasing the cost of fighting wildfires. flight operations this summer. It is taxpayers who will have to pay tens of millions of dollars this year to cover the cost of fighting these fires. Last year, the roughly 500 planes used by the U.S. government to fight most major wildfires consumed about $50 million in jet fuel. If this year is similar to last season, the fuel bill could double to nearly $100 million.

Deep dive

Data from a federal survey suggests that the amount of math homework assigned to fourth and eighth graders, in particular, has declined.

Stanislas Pytel/Getty Images

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Stanislas Pytel/Getty Images

Teachers and researchers have noticed a trend for years: more and more teachers are moving away from homework. Some educators and parents say that’s a good thing and that students shouldn’t spend six or more hours a day in school and have more homework to do. But homework research is complex. Some studies show that students who spend more time on homework perform better than their peers. A 2021 longitudinal study of more than 6,000 students in Germany, Uruguay, and the Netherlands found that lower-performing students who spent more time on math homework improved in the subject, even a year later. But other studies also show minimal effects of homework on academic performance. A 1998 study of more than 700 American students found that giving more homework in elementary grades had no significant effect on standardized test scores. Here’s what else we know about the homework debate:

• ✏️ Just like other skills that require training, mastering academic subjects, especially mathematics, takes practice. Some experts worry that reducing homework will threaten math scores at a time when math scores in the United States are already low.
• ✏️ Artificial intelligence has complicated the homework debate. A survey from the EdWeek Research Center found that 40% of teachers had reduced their homework over the past two years. Of these, 29% said students’ use of AI decreased the value of the task.
• ✏️ Educational groups and researchers generally recommend 10 minutes of homework each evening per grade level. But it is almost impossible to assign work that will take the same amount of time for each student.

Image exhibition

Courtesy of Chronicle Books

When author Bruce Handy’s son Isaac was young, he loved – and lost – an orange balloon. Isaac was upset by what happened and promised that one day, if he had a pet, he would name it Balloon in honor of the one he had lost. He kept his promise when he and his sister received kittens six months later. Handy was so moved by his son’s loyalty to the ball that he decided to write a children’s book about it. Losing a ball as a child is one of the most universal experiences, which is why it’s easy to identify with the little boy’s story in the book, Handy says. Illustrator Julie Kwon used pen and ink to tell the story and carefully uses the right shade of orange to show how the young boy sees the world after losing his most prized possession. Check out some of his illustrations and learn more about a child’s singular dedication here.

3 things to know before you leave

1. Scientists have discovered a critical window when babies’ brains are most vulnerable to toxic metals by analyzing the layers of their teeth, according to a new study published in the journal. Scientific advances. These toxic metals have been linked to behavioral problems later in life.
2. Millions of people are addicted to the more than 50 bald eagle nesting cameras in the United States.
3. In this week’s edition of NPR’s Far-Flung Postcards, Emily Feng takes readers to Homs, Syria, where olive trees promise a taste of home that residents have lacked for nearly 14 years due to civil war.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.