NPR News: 09-05-2026 9AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. U.S. envoy Steve Wicoff and Jerry Kushner are in Moscow today for talks aimed at reviving efforts to end the war in Ukraine. They're expected to travel to Kiev tomorrow to meet with the Ukrainian President. Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine will halt airstrikes during the U.S. diplomatic mission. The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in Russian strikes targeting Kiev. President Trump says the U.S. may hit PIC-X mountain in Iran. NPR's Franco-Ardenia's reports the site is home to a big part of Tehran's nuclear program. President Trump says the U.S. may end up striking the underground nuclear facility very soon. President has repeatedly boasted that through U.S. space force the United States is able to watch every square inch of the area. We know everybody that's moving at PIC-X.

1:00We know everybody that's moving everywhere all over Iran. And if anything goes bad, we hit him. We hit him hard. It's not the first time Trump has threatened to strike the mysterious underground facility. He spoke of bombing the site after satellite images appeared to show construction happening on nearby tunnels. That were also close to another nuclear facility bombed by the U.S. Franco, Ordenia's, and Pierre News, the White House. The Trump administration's plan to begin excavation work on a proposed triumphal arch in Washington DC is facing a legal challenge. NPR's Rachel Treesman reports a federal judge has now 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-veant non-veterans and architectural historian who sued over the arch earlier this year had asked for a restraining order.

2:01After interior secretary Doug Bergen 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 archaeological surveys, not construction. Rachel Treesman and Pierre News. Rescue teams in Nepal have pulled two more people alive from the wreckage 10 days after catastrophic floods devastated the country. David Fisher, who leads the International Red Cross delegation in Nepal, says the search remains extremely difficult. Many areas are still cut off, and particularly those farthest to the north. His road access for about 4 kilometers outside of Duneche, which is the main central capital of the district, and from there you have to be either on helicopter or on foot. At least 1,300 people have been killed, and roughly 5,000 others are still missing. This is NPR News. President Trump has signed executive orders aimed at strengthening the U.S. beef industry

3:05and reducing the influence of the country's biggest meat packers. The administration also wants new labeling standards for beef sold in the U.S. Trump says the government will create a program allowing ranchers to sell more of their products directly to consumers. He says the goal is to give producers more options and reduce their dependence on the four companies that dominate U.S. meat processing. Gen Z is building up debt faster than previous generations. In NPR, Stephen Bissaha reports they're also enrolling faster in debt relief programs. Gen Z debt loads are up 12% 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%. Ted Rossman is a Goop's Consumer Finance Analyst, and he says Gen Z is ahead of other generations. And not in a good way. Gen Zers have more credit card debt than millennials did at the same age according to Trans

4:08Union. Even if you adjust for inflation, Gen Zers have been using credit at earlier ages. Gen Z is at the age where they're forming households, meaning they're dealing with the high cost of housing and childcare. Stephen Bissaha NPR News. Diesel prices are still climbing after hitting a record high on Friday. Triple A says the national average is now $5.88 a gallon, up a few cents from yesterday's high. This is NPR. 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 horse race, but the state. We tackle the big political stories of the day and why they matter for our democracy. Meet Todd Zwollett and me Jen White on the 1A Podcast from WAMU and NPR.