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--:-- Leila Fadel: President Trump talks of strikes against Iran. I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: Why do some of his allies warn of forever war?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Iranians are fleeing their capital as Israeli attacks escalate. Israelis suffer damage to a hospital. What is life like in an Israeli neighborhood that suffered damage? Our colleague Daniel Estrin is an eyewitness.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: And the Social Security Trust Fund now looks a little less stable. The people who oversee it say it's projected to run out of cash in less than 10 years.
--:-- Leila Fadel: We're worried that we're not going to get it. It's going to be taken away, so we better get it while we can.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from BetterHelp. It's only human to ask others for advice, like turning to your barista, hairdresser, or a taxi driver for life advice. But when you're looking for help about relationships, anxiety, depression, or other clinical issues, they may not have all the right answers. Instead, get guidance from a licensed therapist online with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from Lisa. Lisa mattresses are meticulously designed and assembled in the USA for exceptional quality. And each mattress is designed with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind. Plus, they back it all up with free shipping, easy returns, and a 100-night sleep trial. Visit Lisa.com for 25% off mattresses, plus get an extra $50 off with promo code NPR. That's L-E-E-S-A.com, promo code NPR.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Support for this podcast and the following message come from Betterment. Don't just imagine a better future. Start investing in one with Betterment. Betterment helps people and small businesses put their money to work by automating to make savings simpler, optimizing to make investing smarter, and building innovative technology backed by financial experts. So be invested in yourself. Be invested in your business. Be invested in better with Betterment at Betterment.com. Investing involves risk, performance not guaranteed.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: President Trump is being mysterious about whether he plans to join Israel's war on Iran. Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, told our correspondent, Daniel Estrin, in an interview that he welcomes international support and that Israel has a dialogue with the U.S. It's a decision that needs to be taken by the president and his team.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: While we wait to learn about that decision, the war continues. Overnight, Israel says its air force struck the Iraq nuclear reactor in Iran. Israel is expanding its targets to Iranian government sites. And Iran has launched more missiles at Israel, striking a major hospital and residential buildings.
--:-- Leila Fadel: NPR's Daniel Estrin joins us now from one site hit this morning in central Israel. Good morning, Daniel.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Good morning, Leila. I'm in Cholon. It's a suburb of Tel Aviv. And I'm outside the multi-story apartment building that authorities say was the worst hit site by Iranian missiles early this morning. They say several people were badly injured here.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm looking at concrete, a mix of exposed rebar, car windows shattered. And also in southern Israel, the biggest hospital there was hit by Iranian missiles. No serious injuries were reported.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: By the way, Iranian state media says Israel also struck a hospital in Iran earlier this week. But here residents are very shaken this morning. I spoke to some who said dust filled the bunker that they were in through the windows that blew open from the blast.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And you mentioned the hospital which was hit in southern Israel. Tell us more about what Israel hit overnight in Iran.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Well, one of the main targets, according to Israel, was the Iraq nuclear reactor. Now, Israeli military officials say the site was never operational, but they say it could be activated if Iranian leaders decide to do so. But we don't have clear reports from the ground in Iran, Leila. Iran blocked internet access overnight, and Iran does not give details about most Israeli strikes.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I should also say Israeli officials, while they acknowledge that military sites have been hit by Iran, they issue gag orders on reporting exactly which ones. But Israel does say that it is now expanding its targets to include Iranian government sites in Tehran, and they say that will be to, quote, destabilize the regime.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Interesting. So as you point out, for all the reasons that you just said, we don't know a lot about what's happening inside Iran. But Daniel, you did speak to the president of Israel, as we mentioned earlier. Is regime change an official goal of Israel's offensive in Iran?
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Well, when I sat down with Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, yesterday, he said it would be up to the people of Iran to rise up against the regime, but he said that could be a secondary result of Israel's attacks. He says Israel's main goal is to destroy Iran's nuclear program.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Now, President Trump says he hasn't yet decided to attack Iran's nuclear program. What does Israel want?
--:-- Daniel Estrin: Well, here's what President Herzog told me about that yesterday. We would welcome anything that helps eradicate the Iranian nuclear program completely, including the main two sites, Fordow and Natanz. But as we said, you know, we are doing it alone, and we hope that there will be federal support by other nations.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I spoke to one Israeli man, Eli Mashiach, who ran down to his bomb shelter in the building that took a direct hit here. And he said Israel needs U.S. help to destroy the nuclear program. Israel couldn't do it, just Trump. B-52, boom, boom. The U.S. does have B-52 warplanes and the bombs needed to penetrate Iran's most fortified nuclear site, Fordow. So many Israelis are hoping for that this morning, that Trump agrees to join the war.
--:-- Daniel Estrin: NPR's Daniel Estrin reporting from the site of an Iranian missile attack in central Israel. Thank you, Daniel.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You're welcome. Here's some of what the president said to reporters yesterday about striking an Iranian facility at Fordow. We're the only ones that have the capability to do it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it at all. In the space of a few minutes, the president said, quote, I've had it with Iran, but also said that in war, quote, a lot of bad things can happen.
--:-- Steve Inskeep: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez joins us to talk about it. Good morning, Franco.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Good morning, Leila. So you were part of the scrum of reporters pressing President Trump yesterday for details of his plans. What's he signaling?
--:-- Leila Fadel: You know, the president continues to leave the door open for U.S. strikes. In the Oval Office, he told us he has some ideas about what to do, but that he also likes to make final decisions at the last minute because things change, especially with war. And he had this to say on the lawn. I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate. And I said, why didn't you negotiate with me before all this death?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Yesterday, he met again with his national security team inside the Situation Room, and they are clearly continuing to discuss these next steps. So we hear him there saying, maybe I'll do it, maybe I won't. I mean, is this just a negotiating tactic to pressure Iran? I mean, that is always a high potential with Trump. I mean, remember his message is often peace through strength and he definitely giving off some mixed signals.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I mean, I asked him several times about whether he send U officials to meet with Iranians which he said he might Trump said Iranian officials have actually reached out to him to negotiate including suggesting a visit to the White House Trump said he was open to that idea and appreciated the offer, but he also said it was probably too late.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: OK, how is Iran responding? I mean, strongly. I mean, the foreign minister released a statement last night saying that Iran is solely acting in self-defense and that they are not seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. And Iran's diplomatic mission to the United Nations dismissed Trump's claims that Tehran seeks negotiations with the White House, even calling Trump cowardly. The mission said they would not negotiate under duress.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Franco, you told us yesterday about how the prospect of U.S. involvement has really split Trump's most ardent supporters. Anything new there?
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Yeah, it really has. And Trump has really bristled over the comments from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who opposes U.S. intervention. Trump actually said yesterday that Carlson called him and apologized for some of the things he said. But Carlson has not backed down, nor have others, such as Trump's former aide, Steve Bannon, who told reporters at an event yesterday that MAGA world is very concerned about another forever war.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Trump had this to say about those kind of concerns. I don't want to fight either. I'm not looking to fight. But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Can we talk more, though, about his evolution? Because this is a dramatic shift from just a week ago when he was invested in a diplomatic resolution with Iran.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Yeah, I mean, clearly he's had an evolution in his thinking. And he acknowledged that yesterday, explaining how it shifted after the first night of strikes, how he has been disappointed in the slow pace of negotiations.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: You know, that evolution has been particularly stark over the last few days. You know, first denying involvement in the strikes to later taking some credit for it. And now Trump is saying that the U.S. may be the only ones to finish the job.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That's NPR's Franco Ordonez. Thank you, Franco.
--:-- Franco Ordonez: Thank you.
--:-- Leila Fadel: The Social Security Trust Fund is expected to run out of cash in eight years, according to a new report. Unless Congress acts before then, benefits for millions of retirees would be cut by 23%. NPR's Laurel Wamsley is here to talk with us about what this all means. Good morning, Laurel.
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: Good morning, Leila. Okay, so this really doesn't sound like good news for retirees and Americans who hope to retire someday. So how did the country get to this point?
--:-- Leila Fadel: Yeah, well, this is a long-running concern, and now we know it's gotten a bit worse, according to this new report from the program's trustees. Like you said, the Social Security Trust Fund is expected to run out of cash eight years from now. That's early 2033. And it's a bit sooner than previously expected. That's largely because of this new law that increased benefits for nearly 3 million workers who get pensions, like teachers, firefighters, and federal employees. Those increased benefits mean the trust fund will be depleted sooner.
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: And the trust fund is where Social Security taxes and other income are deposited. Now, Social Security retirement benefits are largely pay-as-you-go. The money for today's retirees come from the payroll taxes of today's workers. For a long time, over three decades, there was more money going in than coming out. But in 2021, that changed, and Social Security started redeeming the trust fund's reserves.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Okay, so you said it changed in 2021. What caused the need to dip into those funds?
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: Well, demographics changed. The population of the U.S. is aging. More than 11 baby boomers turn 65 every day. And for each person who's drawing Social Security, there are now fewer young workers paying taxes to support the system.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Okay, so when the trust fund runs through its reserves, do people's benefits just disappear?
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: No, but they would be cut significantly. Retirees would receive just 77% of their promised benefits, and that percentage would continue to decline to 69% by the end of the century.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And you know, this news is coming just as there's been an 18% spike in Social Security claims so far this year.
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: Well, some of it is because baby boomers are hitting retirement age and because of that new law affecting people with pensions. But there's another reason I heard from a lot of folks filing sooner than they'd planned, that they're worried about their future.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I spoke with Bill Armstrong and Berth at Colorado. He moved up his date to file for Social Security. He's fighting cancer and has had a hard time finding work. He said he knows plenty of other people claiming right now. We're worried that we're not going to get it. It's going to be taken away. So we better get it while we can.
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: So what can be done about the shortfall in Social Security funds? Well, Congress could raise taxes, they could cut benefits, or some combination of the two. Currently, for instance, people don't pay Social Security taxes on any income above $176,000 a year. To help fill the gap, Congress could change that. If no changes are made, though, benefits will be cut automatically when that trust fund runs out.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That's NPR's Laurel Wamsley. Thank you, Laurel.
--:-- Laurel Wamsley: Thank you.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And that's Up First for Thursday, June 19th. Juneteenth. Happy Juneteenth. I'm Leila Fadel. And I'm Steve Inskeep. Your next listen can be Consider This from NPR News. Up First gives you three big stories of the day. Consider This dives into one. Listen now.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: And today's episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Alex Leff, Jane Greenhalgh, Janaya Williams, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Claire Murashima, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Join us again tomorrow.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: I was waiting to say perfect pronunciation on all the names, and then right at the end. And then my favorite name, Carly Strange, detective. Carly Lestrange. Carly Lestrange. It makes me think of Carmen Sandiego. I don't know why. Oh, maybe that's it. Remember? Yeah. Yeah.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Support for NPR and the following message come from USPS. Did you know USPS Ground Advantage Service keeps your business in the know from dock to delivery and everywhere in between? Keep your business in the know at usps.com slash in the know.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from the NPR Wine Club, which has generated over $1.75 million to support NPR programming. Whether buying a few bottles or joining the club, you can learn more at nprwineclub.org slash podcast. Must be 21 or older to purchase.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Support for NPR and the following message come from Pete and Jerry's Eggs. Their new organic pasture-raised eggs are the next level of commitment to healthy hens, healthy eggs, and a healthy planet. These hens roam outside in nature with over 108 square feet of pasture each and enjoy a USDA-certified organic diet with no GMOs, added hormones, or synthetic pesticides. Delicious, ethical, healthy eggs, as nature intended.
