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Episode Date: August 20, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. President Trump has announced what he's calling crushing economic warfare and isolation against Iran. The president says any country that does business with Iran will face economic consequences as well. He's calling on U.S. allies to help isolate Iran economically. The president's announcement on truth social comes nearly six months after the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran with no resolution in place. The U.S. and Canada are working to finalize a deal on tariffs. President Trump held off implementing 50 percent tariffs on billions of dollars worth of imports from Canada that were set to take effect yesterday, citing progress in negotiations.

Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is voicing optimism, as Dan Carpenshuk reports. President Trump has called the deal yet to be finalized fair for both countries. His trade representative, Jameson Greer, has also called it one that protects American workers, and strengthens the North American economy. For his part, Prime Minister Carney provided details to provincial leaders and personally asked them to bring back American liquor to store shelves as negotiators try to hammer out the final details of a deal. That's been a hot-button issue and major irritant for the White House.

Nova Scotia's Premier Tim Houston said he would be willing to lift the liquor ban. Quebec's Christine Frischet wants more details, and Ontario's Doug Ford has already said he would do so if there is a fair deal. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenter. in Toronto. More testimony is expected today in a federal court room in California, where the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is on trial. The case centers on allegations that META designed its platforms to be addictive for children. A former employee of META told jurors yesterday, the social media giant had a culture obsessed with user numbers and push safety issues to the side. NPR's John Rewich

has more. Arturo Behar worked as an employee and consultant at META, focus. on user safety. He testified that the culture of the company, created by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, made it, quote, practically impossible to effectively address known risks to teens. Behar said features that the company has introduced are, quote, designed to fail because they're optional and not the default. Behar is a key witness for a consortium of states that have sued META, alleging that it violated consumer protection and child data protection laws, and lied to the public about risks its platforms posed. META denies the accusations. And to note, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a charity founded by Zuckerberg and his wife,

is a financial supporter of NPR. John Rewich, NPR News. The attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are the primary plaintiffs in the case. The Treasury Department says the national debt has reached a record $40 trillion. It hit the mark yesterday, five months after the debt reached the $39 trillion mark. This is NPR News from Washington. Authorities in Pennsylvania, say the pilot of a small plane was killed and two state troopers aboard a police helicopter were

injured when the plane collided with the helicopter at the Carlisle Regional Airport. It happened yesterday as the helicopter was conducting a training exercise. Investigators say the helicopter was hovering several feet off the ground near a runway as the Cessna approached and then veered sharply to the right. It hit the helicopter's rear and main rotors. That plane crashed and broke apart. The helicopter landed on its side and partially on its roof, the trooper's injuries were described as minor. Prince Harry and his wife Megan say they're planning to move back to the United Kingdom. It's been more than six years since the couple gave up their royal duties and moved to California, as NPR's Lauren Freyer reports.

An official familiar with their plans tells NPR, Harry and Megan plan to move sometime this month and have enrolled their children, seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet in a British school, starting in September. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they're still known, have no plans to resume royal duties, though. They'll live in a non-royal residence outside the capital. Last month, they came to the UK on vacation, visiting Harry's father, King Charles, who is 77 and undergoing cancer treatment. It was the first time the king had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years. The official tells NPR a possible move did not come up during that visit. The

King was notified this past Sunday and welcomes the decision. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. I'm Dave Mattingley, NPR News, in Washington.