NPR News: 09-06-2026 7AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. U.S. envoy Steve Wichoff and Jerry Kushner have arrived in Kiev for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Wichoff and Kushner spent more than three hours speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The Kremlin called those discussions highly useful, but there was no sign of a breakthrough. NPR's Charles Mainz reports. Kremlin aid Yuri Shakhov told reporters Wichoff and Kushner had outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement to the war without categorizing the proposals or the Russian reaction. Yet, Shakhov said President Vladimir Putin told the White House on voice of real progress in the Russian military campaign, and again a short Moscow would achieve its objectives. Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky both ordered a three-day pause in attacks on each other's capitals to allow the Americans save travel, yet fighting continued elsewhere with Russia attacking other regions across Ukraine and Kiev targeting oil facilities with

1:02drones in the southern Russian city of Rostov-Andon. Charles Mainz and Pyaar News, Moscow. Re-Publicans are gathering in Dallas this week for a midterm convention, headlined by President Trump. James Hartley from member station KERA reports as the first midterm convention held by a major political party in more than 40 years. And the Texas Race for Senate Democrat James Talleriko holds a slim lead over Republican Ken Paxton according to the latest polls. Southern Methodist University political science professor Kal Jilsen says leaders on the right seem concerned. He's not sure Republicans can assuage voters' concerns over the cost of living. If they're sitting around the kitchen table worrying about the electric bill, gas prices, kinds of things, those are gut level issues. And if they can't pay those bills, there's nothing you can tell them about how good the broader economy is. In the end, Jilsen says the impact of the convention on the outcome of the midterms could be negligible. For NPR News, I'm James Hartley and Dallas.

2:03The Labor Department is set to issue a pivotal report on inflation this week, NPR Scott Horsley reports, financial markets, and the Federal Reserve will be watching closely. The annual inflation rate jumped to 4.2 percent back in May, as the U.S. War with Iran sent energy prices soaring. By July, inflation had cooled somewhat, but prices are still climbing faster than the Federal Reserve would like. That puts the spotlight on the August report, which comes out Friday, if inflation continues to cool Fed policy makers may feel content to leave interest rates where they are. But any acceleration in price hikes could prompt the Fed to raise rates. Investors think a September rate hike is more likely than not, especially after a better expected jobs report on Friday. Diesel prices have also climbed to a record high, which has the potential to raise the cost of transporting a wide array of goods. Scott Horsley, in Pair News, Washington. This is NPR News in Washington. Police in England are still searching for 70,000 pites of Guinness that were stolen last

3:06week while being delivered to local pubs. Two drivers are accused of taking off with trailers loaded with the beer from an industrial park. The Guinness is worth more than $150,000. Mountain gorillas in Rwanda are an endangered species. When there are new gorillas born in the country, it calls for a celebration. Joseph King from the Gulf States Newsroom reports from the East African country. Rwanda hosted his 21st annual Quintazina. The day is dedicated to giving names to newborn mountain gorillas. Over a year, a group of philanthropists, community servants and celebrities are given the honor of choosing those names. Former French soccer star Mamadou Saku named one of the 22 gorillas in Wada Ne, which translates to united and pursuit of a common goal. The name is inspired by the collective effort to conserve the gorillas. Saku says it's an honor. It's important for me to put Africa in light and show how Africa is beautiful.

4:11There are fewer than 1,200 mountain gorillas in the wild. Rwanda takes pride in his conservation efforts and acknowledging that people behind them. For NPR News, I'm Joseph King and Kenigee Rwanda. Labor Day weekend travelers are paying the highest gas prices ever for this time of year. Triple A says the national average is $4.14 per gallon, while diesel has climbed to a record 589. This is 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 ball. 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. Join me Todd Zwilland and me Jen White on the 1A Podcast from WAMU and NPR.