NPR News: 08-16-2026 1AM EDT
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What is the extent of the flooding disaster in Indiana and the federal response?
Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Duahli Saikautau. President Trump has approved federal disaster assistance for Indiana, where record flooding across the state has killed at least five people, and officials are warning of more rising waters and possible flash flooding this weekend because of incoming storms that could bring heavy rainfall. Dozens of people have been rescued, hundreds of evacuations have been reported. Here's Indiana's Governor Mike Braun.
When the ground's saturated like this. Um, even though it's a dry time of the year normally. Um, I think uh we gotta w s hopefully not any more major storms like this come along. Or else uh we'd have to deal with it to some extent again.
A new aircraft carrier is on its way to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for more than eight months without a port call, and Piers Eva Pukatch reports the replacement carrier is expected to arrive
in about a week.
Why is a new U.S. aircraft carrier being sent to the Middle East and what issues did the USS Lincoln face?
The USS George Washington is heading toward the Middle East from its current location in the Pacific Ocean. It will relieve the USS Lincoln, which has had a record deployment of more than 250 days out at sea. There have been reports of lacking supplies and mental health issues among sailors. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hong Kao said that the Lincoln's mission was extended because the conflict of Iran demanded it, and that, quote, a small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life. Democrats are calling for the Pentagon to investigate and take accountability over the conditions on board. Defense Secretary Pete Hegsef said concerns about the USS Lincoln were quote misrepresented and said the US can maintain the naval blockade on Iran indefinitely.
Eva Pukac and PR News.
Extreme heat is fueling wildfires across Europe, especially in France, Croatia, Germany, and Greece. In Britain, the Army is helping crews battle dozens of fires in South Wales and the West Midlands.
How are extreme heat and drought fueling wildfires across Europe and what actions are authorities taking?
Vicky Barker reports the government has also banned the sale of disposable barbecues to reduce the risk of more
fires. The unprecedented alert sent to millions of cell phones in England and Wales Friday night, warning Brits not to light anything that could spark more wildfires. Weeks of drought and record heat have turned much of Britain, in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's words, into A tinderbox. Richard Parker is regional mayor in Stourbridge, where dozens of homes have been damaged or destroyed. He told the BBC.
I think that the impact of climate change and the impact on particularly the families that lost their homes in Stourbridge is something we haven't seen in this country before.
With most reservoirs critically low, more than twenty seven million Brits are living under water restrictions too. For NPR News, I'm Vicky Barker in London.
What happened during the anti‑hate crime assault at a New York City synagogue?
And you're listening to NPR News from New York City. A Bronx man who disrupted Shabbat services at a synagogue in New York City Friday evening now faces 14 charges, including multiple counts of assault as hate crime. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said 46 year old Larry Montez struck a member of Manhattan's Central Synagogue, then spit and headbutted a member of the security team. Mayor Zoran Mamdani said the assault was horrifying, adding every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence. In Australia, officials will soon vaccinate about five thousand little penguins to fight against the deadly H five bird flu virus. This is after authorities in Victoria recorded its first penguin fatality.
Conservationists are concerned about what this will mean for the world's biggest little penguin colony, Rachel Bongiorno reports.
Every evening, hundreds of tourists quietly gather on the shores of Phillip Island about two hours drive from Melbourne, hoping to catch a glimpse of these adorable birds as they waddled their way up the sand to their burrows. But living in such close quarters is what makes penguins at higher risk.
How are Australian officials vaccinating little penguins against the H5 bird‑flu virus?
Although only five thousand out of around forty thousand penguins will begin their vaccinations on Monday, the state's chief veterinary officer Graham Cook says it's still ambitious.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the extent of the flooding disaster in Indiana and the federal response?
0:01–1:02
2
Why is a new U.S. aircraft carrier being sent to the Middle East and what issues did the USS Lincoln face?
1:02–2:03
3
How are extreme heat and drought fueling wildfires across Europe and what actions are authorities taking?
2:03–2:55
4
What happened during the anti‑hate crime assault at a New York City synagogue?
2:55–4:12
5
How are Australian officials vaccinating little penguins against the H5 bird‑flu virus?
4:12–5:03