NPR News: 06-24-2026 10PM EDT
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What happened during the recent earthquakes in Venezuela?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has announced a state of emergency after two strong earthquakes struck the country, causing major damage in the capital Caracas. Simón Bolívar International Airport, serving Caracas, has been closed due to severe damage. There was no immediate reports of death, but Scientists are estimating high casualties. John Otis has more.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 100 miles west of Caracas, followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake less than a minute later. The U.S. Geological Survey said that, quote, High casualties and extensive damage are probable, and the disaster is likely widespread. Video footage from Venezuela showed fire trucks on the streets of Caracas and rescue workers combing through the ruins of collapsed buildings. There was also extensive damage reported at the country's main international airport on the outskirts of Caracas. For NPR News, I'm John Otis.
Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says President Trump attempted to bully him during a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill today. He told NPR's Eric McDaniel Trump was frustrated about a resolution passed by Congress yesterday. That calls on Trump to end the Iran war.
President Trump recently backed a successful primary challenge against Bill Cassidy. And as a lame duck, Cassidy has been less restrained with the war in Iran, for example.
It's not going as well as we're being told, at which point I think the president said something negative about me. I proceeded as attempting to bully me from asking a question that I think the American people need to know. And I'm not going to be bullied when I feel like I'm asking a question the American people need to know. And so at that point, it began to escalate.
Ahead of this meeting, the president repeatedly disrupted Republicans' agenda by blocking the confirmation of his own pick for intelligence chief and abruptly refusing to sign affordable housing legislation. Eric McDaniel, NPR News, the Capitol.
Fertilizer prices are starting to come down for the first time in months now that the Strait of Hormuz has reopened. But NPR's Kirk Sigler reports American farmers don't expect to see much relief for months.
Farmers are watching the tentative peace deal with Iran closely. The conflict and the straining of global shipping of diesel and fertilizer has been just the latest economic shock for the heartland. Most of the fertilizer farmers like Dave Walton are using right now was bought by local co-ops before the Strait of Hormuz reopened. Walton grows soybeans in Iowa.
It'll take a while to move through the system. So, I mean, right now there's high-priced fertilizer in storage that has to get worked through before the cheaper stuff hits the markets.
Walton is also now trying to figure out whether he should start buying fertilizer he'll need for the fall now with the prices finally going down. Kirk Sigler, NPR News.
Another decline in oil prices helped ease concerns about inflation today. The benchmark Brent crude dropped 3.8%, bringing it close to where it was before the war with Iran started. It's NPR. The International Olympic Committee will pay more than $100 million to athletes. Athletes can now apply for $10,000 grants, and the money's not tied to how they did at the Games. This comes after growing calls to pay Olympic athletes. Nearly 2,900 people competed at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. New projections from the U.S. Postal Service show the self-funded mailing agency won't run out of cash until at least 2031. NPR's Hansi Lowong reports it comes after the Postal Service stopped contributing to workers' retirement plans.
With people sending a lot less mail compared to decades ago, Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress back in March that the U.S. Postal Service may have to stop deliveries next year because of a cash crisis. But Steiner now says that has been delayed until sometime between 2031 and 2034.
What we are doing right now is we're basically borrowing money from our retirement plans to fund current operations.
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