NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-13-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz says Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders had a constructive conversation with President Trump on a virtual call today, focused on Russia's war in Ukraine. Merz convened the emergency virtual summit ahead of President Trump's anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Zelensky is in Berlin, also meeting with European leaders. During a press conference after the video call, he reiterated that Ukraine needs to be at the negotiating table. This is a CNN interpreter. Everything about Ukraine will be discussed with Ukraine. We have to get prepared at three-side format of the conversation that should be able to testify first than the security guarantees, real security guarantees.

And by the way, President Trump expressed his support for that. Zelensky is not expected at the summit in Anchorage. In the war in Gaza, a Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo to resume ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials. The talks have stalled for weeks. Parts of the Middle East are going through a blistering heat wave this week. Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon are seeing temperatures reach as high as 120 degrees. NPR's Emily Fang reports from Israel's Negev Desert. Countries from Egypt to Syria are warning of unusually high temperatures,

as much as 18 degrees higher than the average. Israel's state meteorological agencies said Wednesday that they were expecting the hottest day on record in the country since 1942. An estimated 2 million people in Gaza are especially vulnerable to the heat. The strip has basically no functioning utilities, meaning no air conditioning, and many people are living intense, having been displaced in Israel's war there. Emily Fang and Pier News, Nitsana, Israel. The Kennedy Center honorees are expected to be announced in Washington,

this hour, the prestigious honors, recognized lifetime achievement in the arts. President Trump is scheduled to be there for the announcement. In February, he overhauled the Kennedy Center's leadership firing the board. In San Francisco, today is expected to be the last day of a trial challenging President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Southern California. Laura Fitzgerald from Cap Radio reports now. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June, saying they were needed to protect federal agents and buildings amid widespread protests against immigration enforcement in the region. Witnesses for the trial recounted what the troops were doing on the ground, laying the foundation

for attorneys to argue whether or not their actions were for local law enforcement. California asserts their actions were illegal and furthered tensions in L.A. Attorneys for the federal government argue the guard troops were needed as backup security for agents facing violent threats. The trial is scheduled to go through Wednesday. For NPR News, I'm Laura Fitzgerald. in Berkeley. This is NPR News in Washington. The Tennessee Valley is dealing with extreme flooding. The Chattanooga area was hit especially hard. A family of three was killed by a falling tree today and a man is missing. For the third year in a row, Juneau, Alaska is facing a serious flood from the melting

Mendenhall Glacier. Alex Solomon from member station KT.O. has more. The Mendenhall River has flooded annually for over a decade due to a meltwater buildup on the Mendon Hill Glacier. Those floods were minor until 2023, when a couple dozen homes were damaged. Last year, the flood hit 300 homes. Now, Juno is again under threat from flooding. Officials issued a flood warning Tuesday and say the water should peak sometime Wednesday between 8 a.m. and noon. The city urges residents near the river to evacuate.

One of them, Malachi Thornton, packed his truck Tuesday to stay with a friend. There will be things that are lost, and I really hope that other people have taken this seriously. Glaciologists say the flood risk is growing due to climate change. For NPR News, I'm Alex Solomon in Juneau. Beyonce has won her first Emmy. She won for outstanding costumes in her NFL halftime show on Christmas Day on Netflix. The Beyonce Bowl was the name of her Western-themed performance. The show in her hometown of Houston was Beyonce's live debut of songs from her Cowboy Carter album.

The Little League World Series starts today in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It is youth baseball's biggest event. 20 teams are competing for spots in the championship that is coming up. It's happening on August 24th. I'm Kristen Wright, and this is NPR News from Washington.