NPR News: 09-05-2026 10PM EDT

0:00This message comes from the United States Postal Service, dedicated to putting a reliability at the core of USPS ground advantage to help businesses operate smoothly. More at usps.com slash ground advantage. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with White House envoys, Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner. They were in Moscow today for talks aimed at finding it into the war in Ukraine. One outcome so far, a promise by the Russian leader to temporarily suspend attacks on Ukraine's capital city, Kiev, ahead of a visit by the Americans expected Sunday. NPR's Charles Mainz reports from Moscow. Ahead of the talks, Putin announced a 72-hour pause on attacks on Kiev, building on a similar gesture by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky while the Americans traveled to Moscow. It amounts to a temporary reprieve for both capital cities after a summer of escalating

1:00drone and missile strikes, often targeting civilian infrastructure. Thus, clear as what progress there might be towards an actual peace deal, in announcing the diplomatic mission President Trump suggested Whitkoff and Kushner had a new proposal on offer. Yet publicly, Putin has shown little willingness to compromise and Zelensky little desire for territorial concessions. The cremated cis are required for a lasting peace. Charles Mainz in Pyrrhenews, Moscow. In Southern Lebanon, Israel's military says it's taken control of a strategic ridge it had been fighting for for more than two months. NPR's Jane Arraf has more from Beirut. On Thursday, Israel released a video saying it had taken operational control of Ali El-Tahar Ridge, and tunnels used by his Bola fighters. His Bola disputed that Israel now controlled the ridge, saying that Israel was continuing to bomb the location. It noted the video did not show the tunnels Israel says it now controls. A U.S. brokered plan for his Bola fighters and Israeli forces to withdraw, and the Lebanese army

2:04to take over has stalled. His Bola says it won't withdraw from the strategic hill, while Israel is in a position to retain control of the area. A ceasefire is officially in effect, but Israeli air strikes Friday killed at least three people and wounded more than 20. According to Lebanon's health ministry, Jane Arraf and Pyrrhenews Beirut. Gen Z is building up debt faster than previous generations. NPR Stephen Bessaha reports. Gen Z debt loads are up 12 percent from a year ago. That's according to the Credit Counseling Company Money Management International. The company is seeing demand for debt management from Gen Z clients go up 35 percent. Ted Rossman is a group's consumer finance analyst, and he says Gen Z is ahead of other generations. And not in a good way. Gen Z has more credit card debt than millennials did at the same age, according to Trans Union. Even if you adjust for inflation, Gen Z has been using credit at earlier ages. Gen Z is at the age where they're forming households, meaning they're dealing with the

3:07high cost of housing and childcare. Stephen Bessaha and Pyrrhenews. It's NPR. The State Board of Education in Texas has approved new social study standards. Muslims say it discriminates though against them. Bill Zweebel with Member Station, KERA, and Dallas reports. The 15-member board voted along party lines on the new curriculum, which links Islam to violence and terrorism and emphasizes Christianity as the nation's cornerstone religion. The new standards that could be in place by 2030 for all Texas high schoolers require students to learn how radical Islam was the motivation behind the 9-11 attacks and refers to the Prophet Muhammad's brutal military campaigns. An amendment to remove that term brutal was opposed by board member Brandon Hall, a pastor. I think that would be just a grave mistake to remove this word. I think we do have a moral imperative to describe it that way. Opponents like the Muslim Civil Rights Group KERA said they'll fight to overturn the new

4:09curriculum. For NPR News, I'm Bill Zweebel in Dallas. The Federal Government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Tesla's new cybercab to determine if it meets all of the government's safety standards. Tesla insists the futuristic looking vehicles complied with the safety requirements when it was self-certified. The vehicles launch with significant fanfare recently in Austin, Texas. There's a small number of them are on the road. However, they do not have a steering wheel in accelerator or brake pedal that you would normally find in other passenger cars. The safety agency is not accusing Tesla of breaking the law. It just wants to determine how they were certified. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News. Support for in This message comes from Charles Schwab with their original podcast, Choisology. Choisology is a show about the psychology and economics behind people's decisions. Follow the latest episode and subscribe at www.swab.com slash podcast.