NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-18-2026 8AM EDT

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

NPR News: 08-18-2026 8AM 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 Hurst. U.S.S. envoy and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, says he's optimistic about progress in Gaza after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. But Israeli officials released mixed messages after that meeting, as NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. Kushner and Netanyahu's teams announced there would be no Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and no reconstruction until Hamas completely disarms. but there would be sanitation projects in Gaza for public health. Kushner told Fox News that Hamas could begin disarming within three months, and if not, he hinted Israel could resume full-scale war. Progress could come quite soon, but we do need cooperation from both sides,

and we're going to hopefully get through, but we've made a lot of progress to get here. The Israeli government put out a message in English about deep and constructive discussions with Kushner. It put out another statement in Hebrew, saying the U.S. believes Hamas. Moss will disarm, while, quote, deep down, Israel doesn't believe it. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. U.S. service members and their families are concerned about conditions on board some U.S. warships at sea. From member station WHRO and Norfolk, Steve Walsh has more.

Families of sailors on USS Lincoln have reported food shortages and mental health issues after more than 200 days at sea. Former Navy captain Sam Howard says his son told him, supplies ran low on the ships of the USS Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, which carries sailors and Marines during the early months of the war with Iran. The comment that he made was, you know, not knowing when you're going to get a break, it was really among the toughest things that he experienced. The ship's return to Japan in July.

USS George Washington is now on its way to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. For NPR News, I'm Steve Walsh. A landmark trial gets underway today in federal court in Oakland, California, pitting the social media giant meta against a consortium of states. And peers John Rewich reports they allege that meta's platforms, Facebook and Instagram, were designed to addict children. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading the case. They say features like Infinite Scroll and the Like button were designed to keep people on Facebook and Instagram longer

and knew but did not admit publicly that they helped hook kids. The states also say META broke a federal online child protection law by collecting data on kids under 13 without parental consent. META denies the allegations and says it's put in place a number of features to make its products safe for minors. Some legal experts compare the case and a string of similar ones to trials in the 90s against tobacco companies that led to big penalties and changed the public narrative around cigarettes. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a financial supporter of NPR. John Rewich, NPR News. U.S. features contracts are trading low.

this morning. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Trump administration is pausing construction of a controversial border construction project in Big Bend National Park in Texas, while Customs and Border Protection does an on-the-ground evaluation. The wall faced fierce opposition by critics who say it's ruining the pristine environment and say that the area's remote and rugged terrain already serves as a deterrent to migrants trying to enter the U.S. Last summer Congress, gave the Trump administration $46 billion to build the wall from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. For a decade, young women in Washington, D.C., have found affordable housing in a unique way,

living with nuns, but now the community is closing. M.P.R.'s Windsor Johnston has more. Current and former residents filled the Ann Montgomery House for one last celebration. Sister Diane Roach helped create the community, and tonight she'll lock the doors for the last time. I'm 76, and something inside me just said, this is it. The Society of the Sacred Heart owns the house, allowing rooms to rent for about $500 a month. 23-year-old Abigail Boulman moved in when she began a fellowship. The financial component was large, but I wouldn't have been able to live in the environment

that D.C. was in with the work that I was doing if I didn't have that community aspect as well. According to the rental platform, Zumper, a one-bedroom apartment averages about $2,200 in D.C. Windsor Johnston, NPR News, Washington. And I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.