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Episode Date: June 16, 2026

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Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The U.S. and Iran have reached an initial agreement that would extend their shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. But significant challenges remain to ending the war, including whether Israel will continue its offensive in Lebanon and the fate of Iran's nuclear program. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports Trump has been looking for a way to end the war. He's probably celebrating because he needed an off-ramp here. His approval plummeted amid this war, including his approval on the economy, which had been a strong point for him, gas prices went up, fertilizer prices went up, inflation passed 4 percent, so he wanted out. And now, since this all was announced, yeah, oil prices have fallen and stocks went up. So Trump is likely happy, even if this

memorandum isn't the win he says it is. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reporting. Officials from Anthropic are meeting with the Commerce Department today. It comes after the Trump administration issued export controls that effectively forced Anthropic to disable its newest AI models. NPR's Adipa Shiverom reports. The Trump administration citing national security reasons said Anthropic had to shut down its new models to anyone who isn't a U.S. citizen. That includes foreign nationals residing in the U.S. and even Anthropic employees who aren't citizens.

On Friday evening, Anthropic announced that in order to comply, it had to shut down its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models for everyone. In a statement, Anthropic, attributes the order to, quote, a misunderstanding. The Trump administration has clashed with Anthropic before. The AI company sued the Defense Department earlier this year after fallout from the Pentagon, wanting Anthropic to loosen its safety standards. Deepa Shiverom and PR News. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom says President Trump has ordered the Justice Department to investigate him and his wife. He did not provide details and the Trump administration

declined to comment. Newsom says in a video posted online that federal agents in recent days have knocked on the doors of his friends and former employees and have asked for records. A heat wave is hitting the Pacific Northwest. Record-breaking temperatures in the 90s are expected in much of the usually temperate region. John Ryan from member station KUOW in Seattle reports. In much of the country, summer temperatures in the 90s are normal, but not in the northwest, where many homes lack air conditioning. Temperatures on Monday were expected to hit 20 degrees above normal. In the Seattle and Portland area's officials have opened cooling centers. Outdoor employers are required to give their workers extra rest breaks. In Olympia, a homeless shelter offered

rehydration drinks and popsicles, as well as a cool place to escape the heat. Five years ago, a record-shattering heat dome hit the northwest and killed more than a thousand people. Unlike that heat wave, this one is only expected to last a couple of days. For NPR News, I'm John Ryan in Seattle. Stock markets rallied worldwide today. The SMP 500 rose more than one and a half percent. This is NPR News. Lawmakers are demanding the Trump administration stop dismantling a $386 million ocean monitoring network. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley says he's drafting legislation to freeze the removal of instruments until a full scientific review is completed. The National Science Foundation directed the removal of most of the system's instruments from waters off of Oregon, Washington,

Alaska, North Carolina, and Greenland by 2027. The Pakistani government is removing the sales tax on women's menstrual products, as well as birth control. These items had been taxed as a luxury good, but now as NPR's Gabriella Emmanuel reports, the sales tax will drop from 18% to zero. This move comes after a lobbying effort and legal battle by women's advocates. We're very happy with this news. Mahnour Omer is a human rights lawyer and has been fighting for this change for years. The taxes can make sanitary napkins and other products unaffordable.

However, she notes other taxes like the import duty will remain. And she says addressing taxes is not the end of the fight. You can reduce the tax, but that doesn't automatically reduce the stigma. She'd like to see reproductive health integrated into school lessons. The change in the tax code will take effect July 1st. Gabriella Emmanuel and PR News. A Wisconsin beagle breeding farm that's drawn animal welfare process, protests is closing and its remaining dogs are being taken in by a Florida rescue group. Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced that it has reached an agreement for the permanent closure of Ridgeline farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles starting this week. The pups will now be spayed, neutered, and prepared for adoption. This is NPR News.