NPR News: 06-19-2026 6PM EDT
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What recent developments occurred in the Israel-Lebanon conflict?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Libby Casey. Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, according to a U.S. official, but fighting has not stopped, and Lebanon's health ministry says at least 47 people, including children, have been killed in Israeli attacks today. Four Israeli soldiers were killed as troops pushed further into southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military. NPR's Jane Araf has more.
Israel launched a wave of strikes as its forces moved toward a strategic hill in southern Lebanon. Iran backed Hezbollah, said it targeted tanks and troops as they advanced. Local officials said some of the children were killed when Israeli airstrikes collapsed residential buildings. The U.S. and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement Wednesday, which specified that fighting would also stop in Lebanon. Israel made clear it would not abide by the deal, but a U.S. official tells NPR that both Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a new ceasefire. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said Iran held the U.S. responsible for the Israeli attacks. and considered them a breach of its agreement with the United States. Jane Araf, NPR News, Beirut.
President Trump expressed optimism that Iran and the U.S. will continue to negotiate over the 60 days laid out in the preliminary agreement. And in a notable change in tone, he praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Obviously, we fought very well with Israel. And we've had a great relationship with Israel. We were very formidable. And Bibi Netanyahu, he's a warrior prime minister. And he should be acknowledged as that. They should give him credit.
Earlier this week, Trump criticized Netanyahu and Israelis' attacks in Lebanon. And Vice President J.D. Vance warned Israeli political leaders not to take U.S. support for granted. The Israelis were not part of the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran — Netanyahu has called the tentative deal a mistake. Today is Juneteenth, marking the day near the end of the Civil War when enslaved people in Texas were finally liberated by Union troops. It was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. NPR's Scott Newman says while many white Southerners tried to withhold the news of President Lincoln's proclamation, one historian says some likely ended up inadvertently revealing it to their own slaves.
Lincoln historian Harold Holzer says the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was explosive news that many slave owners tried to suppress. Yet they often discussed it openly, wrongly assuming that illiterate enslaved people would not learn about it through overheard conversations. It was being discussed right in front of them. Holzer says that as Union troops pushed into the South, they distributed copies of the proclamation and spread the word, to ensure that it was understood by all that slavery was over. Scott Newman, NPR News.
You're listening to NPR Live in Washington. An investigation into two baby giraffes who went missing for more than a year has ended on a happy note. They were found safe. NPR's Amy Held reports the owners of a Virginia zoo are facing animal cruelty charges.
At six feet tall and well over 100 pounds, newborn giraffes stand out. Still, two vanished in April 2025 from Virginia's Natural Bridge Zoo. The state attorney general's office said this week they found them. They did not say where. The zoo's owners and staff had been charged with animal cruelty. Accused of abusing dozens of animals, underfeeding and crowding them, which they deny. Worldwide, more than a half million animals are held at unaccredited wildlife attractions. A new Virginia state law aims to protect those animals. Inspired by the baby giraffes, the law bans early separation from mothers. These as-yet-unnamed young giraffes have a new home at a conservation park in Georgia. Their mothers are there too.
Amy Held, NPR News.
Horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park are paused until at least Tuesday. That's according to the union representing carriage drivers, as safety protocols are reviewed.
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