NPR News: 06-20-2026 7AM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Reports from southern Lebanon say at least five people have been killed in new Israeli airstrikes, despite Friday's ceasefire with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah. The BBC's John Donison reports the fighting in Lebanon is a key part of the tentative agreement signed this week by the U.S. and Iran.
Any pledge of a ceasefire has to be taken with a pinch of salt, given that all previous promises have failed to end the fighting. Now, yesterday, Vice President J.D. Vance pulled out of a trip to Switzerland to start the negotiations with the Iranians. There are some reports this morning that the U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Geneva today to meet with the Iranian foreign minister. But the ongoing violence is an indication of how fragile these negotiations are. And we've got two months to negotiate a broader deal between Iran and the United States.
That's the BBC's John Donison reporting from Jerusalem. The newest Air Force One plane has a touchdown in the U.S. ahead of schedule. NPR's Ava Berger reports the jet, which arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Friday, was gifted to President Trump from the Qatari government.
President Donald Trump addressed service members in front of the jet painted red, white, and blue. He praised the early delivery of the luxury Boeing 747.
This plane was... transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury that nobody's ever seen before. Probably even almost outside of an airplane. Nobody's ever seen anything like this.
The Qatari government gifted the plane to Trump last year. Industry groups originally said the plane could be worth about $400 million. It was one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government. Because of that, it raised legal and ethical questions at the time. The plane will now undertake commissioning flights as a, quote, final exam before the president officially uses it. Ava Berger, NPR News.
On Wall Street, all three major stock indexes ended the short holiday week on a high note. NPR's Emily Kopp reports that's thanks to news of a deal out of the Middle East.
The announcement of a deal to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz so oil can flow again was good news for investors and for drivers. Gas dipped below $4 a gallon. But inflation is still the highest it's been in more than three years. So even though the Federal Reserve left interest rates alone this week, policymakers indicated they might have to raise rates in the future to combat inflation. Meanwhile, SpaceX, the new stock on the block, soared higher. It ended the trading week on Thursday up 15%. For the week, both the Dow and the S&P 500 index rose less than a percent, while the Nasdaq climbed 2.4%. Emily Kopp, NPR News. This is NPR.
A fire has destroyed a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic, forcing the evacuation of about 1,700 people. Officials say an Italian tourist died and several others were injured. Guests were moved to other hotels after the massive blaze swept through the Viva Dominica Beach Resort. Officials in Grand Canyon National Park say three people have died from heat-related causes over the last week. Ryan Heintjes of member station KNAU reports it comes as temperatures have soared well into the triple digits.
A 72-year-old man was hiking on the popular South Kaibab Trail when he succumbed to the heat. And then just four days later, a 67-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman died from what officials believe was heat-related illness on the North Kaibab Trail. Forecasters that day had issued an extreme heat warning for lower elevations in the canyon where temperatures neared 110 degrees. Park rangers responded via helicopter to both incidents, but all three hikers were dead when they arrived. It comes less than a month after an 18-year-old man also died from heat-related causes while hiking in the Inner Canyon. For NPR News, I'm Ryan Heintjes in Flagstaff.
Tomorrow marks the summer solstice, the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
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