NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-18-2026 6AM EDT

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

NPR News: 08-18-2026 6AM EDTSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. President Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, says he's optimistic about his plan for Gaza. He was in Israel yesterday, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this after a rare meeting over the weekend with Hamas leaders in Egypt. And peers Daniel Estrin has more. He said it's, quote, hard to trust a terrorist organization that committed what he called terrible atrocities, but he said the Hamas officials said all the right things. Then, Cushcheon, When Kushner went to Israel and met Netanyahu, he said the meeting lasted nearly four hours. They poured over the details of a new U.S.-backed roadmap for how to move forward in Gaza.

Netanyahu initially rejected that roadmap for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza alongside Hamas disarmament. But Kushner said he sat with Netanyahu and his team and talked through what he called misunderstandings and misinformation about the plan. MPR's Daniel Estrin reporting. primaries are being held in three states today, Alaska, Wyoming, and Florida, where voters will cast ballots for Republican and Democratic nominees for governor, along with Senate and several congressional seats. Empires Maham Javed has more about the GOP primary in southwestern Florida that's drawn a diverse cast of candidates, most of whom are not from the state. The Republican primary in Florida's 19th district has 10 candidates, and most of them aren't actually from Florida. Local candidates have accused the transplants of carpetbagging, which is when someone moves to another state for power or influence.

Some of these candidates have also run for office from other states, including Michigan, New York, and North Carolina. Last week, President Trump endorsed Catalina Laugh, who has previously run from Illinois. Whoever wins this primary, even with a small percentage of the vote, will likely also win in November. Maham Javed, NPR News. Luigi Mangione's state trial that was set to take place in New York City next month has been postponed indefinitely.

Samantha Max of Member Station, WNYC reports the future of the state's case is uncertain. Mangioni was scheduled to stand trial next month on state murder and weapons possession charges. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office accused him of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. But then Mangione pleaded guilty to stalking charges in a separate federal case last week. He admitted to following Thompson to New York City and killing him. Now, Mangione's defense team is asking a state judge to throw out the remaining charges. They say it would violate his rights to keep prosecuting the case after he pleaded guilty. The Manhattan DA's office says it will fight that request. For NPR News, I'm Samantha Max in New York.

U.S. futures contracts are trading lower at this hour. You're listening to NPR News. from Washington. California Democratic Congressman Jimmy Gomez is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct, including inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer. The New York Post first reported allegations that Gomez kissed an intern who who worked for a colleague. Gomez tells NPR that although his actions were consensual and he says didn't violate House ethic rules or laws, he calls them mistakes and he says he takes full responsibility. Gomez has represented parts of Los Angeles since 2017. Recent college graduates are struggling to land entry-level jobs. Their unemployment rate is now higher than the rate for all workers,

according to the New York Fed. Many blame artificial intelligence. Reporter Lee Gaines has more. Irene Chang graduated from Georgia Tech this past spring with an engineering degree. I think I've applied to around 450 applications now. Still, no offers. She thinks AI might be part of the reason. Economists don't all agree. Stanford University researchers found employment declined for younger workers and jobs that AI can more easily automate, like software development. But Harvard University economist David Deming isn't convinced. He points to the rise in remote work since the pandemic. He says employers are less likely to hire entry-level workers for remote positions. Still, he thinks AI will impact jobs at some point.

It'll take some time and it's going to be very bumpy and messy and, you know, buckle up. For NPR News, I'm Lee Gaines. And I'm Janine Hirst, NPR News in Washington.