NPR News: 09-05-2026 5PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Rohn. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting today at the Kremlin with U.S. negotiators Steve Whitkopf and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. This in an effort to revive the stalled Russian-Ukraine negotiations to end the war. NPR's Charles Mainz in Moscow reports U.S. officials are concerned the four-and-a-half-year-long war could escalate. The re-engagement on Ukraine now comes as some things are changing with Russia's war. Keep in mind CIA director John Ratcliffe was recently in Moscow for a brief visit with his Russian counterparts in the intelligence community. Presumably, Ukraine was part of those discussions. So it could be there's a new diplomatic window here, but the prevailing view is that the U.S. is concerned this conflict is about to escalate even further than it already has. Both Russia and Ukraine agreed to temporarily halt the fighting while the talks are taking place. Whitkopf and Kushner are scheduled to visit Ukraine's capital-keve Sunday.

1:02Some people who were scheduled to appear at immigration courts in Maryland in Virginia have instead been rescheduled to other buildings. One is in Washington, D.C. the other is in Falls Church, Virginia. NPR's Hemenabusto reports exclusively neither is listed as an immigration court. Neither of these buildings currently has an immigration court that is set up for in-person hearings. The D.C. location has no listed affiliation with the Justice Department, which oversees immigration courts. Immigrants were notified about the change in location within days of newly scheduled appointments, or did not receive notifications at all in at least two cases identified by NPR. Attorneys warned this latest step of scheduling hearings at previously unfamiliar locations can add to the confusion and lack of transparency in an already complicated immigration court system. The Justice Department did not respond to questions about the use of these two buildings. Hemenabusto and P.R. News, Washington. The Trump administration's plan to begin excavation work to begin a proposed arch in Washington,

2:06D.C. is facing a legal challenge. NPR's racial treasement reports a federal judge has stepped in. In a late-night motion, the judge ordered the administration to provide 48 hours notice before doing anything other than information gathering at the traffic circle where it wants to build its 250-foot arch. The three Vietnam veterans and architectural historian who sued over the arch earlier this year had asked for a restraining order. After interior secretary Doug Bergam announced that excavation work would begin within two weeks, even though the structure hasn't gotten final federal approval. The Trump administration then clarified in a legal filing that it was talking about archeological surveys, not construction. Rachel Treesman, NPR News. US military forces today hit three Iranian oil tankers near Carg Island. This is NPR. The US Army Corps of Engineers is restarting an environmental project on the Displanes River southwest of Chicago that officials say is critical to the Great Lakes.

3:11The Brandon Road Interbase and Project is designed to stop invasive carp from getting it to Lake Michigan. In July, officials from Illinois and Michigan warned that the fish were alarmingly close to Lake Michigan. The project had been stepped temporarily by the White House. But this week, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmark called the White House, spoke with President Trump, and worked on the project has been ordered restarted. Spider-Man has swung past another box office milestone this weekend. Here's NPR's Bob Mandello. In Supergirl flopped earlier this summer, there was much talk about audiences suffering superhero fatigue. Apparently, they were just waiting for the right superhero. Spider-Man brand new day passed $900 million in North American ticket sales on Friday. Only one movie has ever made more money at the American box office. Star Wars The Force Awakens, which topped out at $936 million back in 2015. This idea is expected to swing past that all-time domestic record in the next two weeks.

4:14I am totally out of control. Brand new day is going even better. Overseas with global ticket sales now topping $2.3 billion. I didn't know you could get that day. Making it the third highest earning film in history, Bob Mandello, NPR News. On this Labor Day weekend, Triple A says the price of unleaded regular gasoline is now 414 to Galen, 6 cents more expensive than a week ago. I'm Dan Ronman, NPR News. As the political landscape shifts beneath our feet, we're all vulnerable to a well-funded distraction economy determined to take our eye off the bomb. Our weekly politics series, if you can keep it, is here to help where our focus is not the force race, but the state. We tackle the big political stories of the day and why they matter for our democracy. Join me Todd Zwilland and me Jen White on the 1A Podcast from WAMU and NPR.