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| Good morning. It’s Wednesday, July 29, and we hope the lifeguard and the boy in this incredible rescue video are doing well. Now let’s get to the news. | |  | The U.S. and Saudi Arabia carried out strikes targeting Iran-backed forces in Iraq. | -
Why it matters: The rare joint operation appeared to mark Saudi Arabia’s direct entry into the conflict. It followed a pause in hostilities ordered by President Donald Trump. -
What else to know: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump at the White House yesterday. The leaders face a widening gap about how to manage the war in Iran.  | Lindsey Graham’s funeral was held yesterday at Washington National Cathedral. | | (Tyler M. Andrews/The Post) | -
Trump paid tribute to the late senator: He called Graham “one of the great figures in Senate history,” liked by “virtually everyone.” Trump was one of many powerful figures to attend. -
Hours after the funeral: The Senate advanced a Russian sanctions measure that Graham was fighting to pass before his sudden death. He called it “the sanctions bill from hell.”  | Conservative activists released audio of Joe Biden’s conversations with a ghostwriter. | | The audio was part of a high-profile 2023 special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of classified materials. (Demetrius Freeman/The Post) | -
Why? The activists are casting the conversations, recorded in 2016 and 2017, as evidence that Biden’s mental sharpness was declining years before the public became aware. -
But the audio is more nuanced: Listen to four key moments here. At times, Biden struggles to recall names and dates. In other instances, he offers vivid details about old meetings.  | The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the new director of national intelligence. |  | Bari Weiss made a big new hire at the revamped “60 Minutes.” |  | Colorado residents are ratting out their neighbors over water use. | | A home with a brown lawn sits next to a home with a green lawn in Denver. (Michael Ciaglo for The Post) | -
Why? The state is facing a historic drought. Denver residents have been asked to cut their water use by 20% and only water their lawns twice a week. -
That has sparked tension: Thousands of people have reported neighbors this summer for cheating on the restrictions. Lush green lawns have made defiance clear for all to see.  | These are the strangest things TSA has found in luggage this summer. | | Cannonballs and grenades were among the questionable items passengers tried to bring on board planes. (The Post illustration; TSA; iStock) | -
People pack all kinds of stuff: Most of the time, TSA officers confiscate things like full water bottles and too-large toiletries while screening 2 million passengers daily. -
However: This year, they’ve also found live smoke grenades, a replica bomb, five stolen cannonballs and a samurai sword. See a list of the seven weirdest TSA finds here. Before you go ... more Americans are financing groceries: Here’s why that’s a problem. Plus: How the end of a Medicare drug subsidy could impact your premiums. One more good read: She’s 28. He’s 71. They became roommates and close friends.  | News quiz: Test your knowledge in today’s On the Record. |  | Word game: One word to spell ’em all! Can you solve today’s Keyword in 6 guesses? |  | Wridges: Speed and spell your way up to a high score in our newest game. | You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow. |  | | ((Illustration by Katty Huertas/The Washington Post)) | |
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