Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor, Johnston.
The Navy is sending the USS George Washington to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East.
“The Lincoln has been deployed for more than 250 days amid reports of poor living conditions”
and declining morale among sailors. The move comes as President Trump defends the war in Iran. NPR's Emily Fang reports the President says the conflict justifies higher gas prices and suggests a U.S. victory may be near. Speaking on Long Island at a rally for law enforcement officers, Trump claimed the U.S.
was defeating Iran, and laughingly spoke about the straight of Hormuz. Pretty soon, I'll be declaring the Hormuz straight a territory of the United States. Yet negotiations with Iran through intermediary countries have hit a snag over a control of the waterway. Iranian officials have said they won't negotiate with the U.S. and Tehran maintains
effective control of a major northerly route through the straight. Earlier this month, Iran and Oman reviewed a potential agreement that would open the straight under terms that would ban American and Israeli ships and charge shippers of fee of up to 7% of the cargo's value. Emily Fang and Pyrenees, Washington.
“The hurricane morning is an effect for Hawaii's big island as tropical storm, La La gained”
strength in the Pacific. The National Hurricane Center says the storm has maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour and is expected to become a hurricane later today. Forecasters say some parts of the island could receive as much as 25 inches of rain. Governor Josh Green says the danger goes far beyond the storm's winds.
It's not just the amount of wind, it's the heavy rainfall, it's the flooding, it's the entirety of this storm, which gives us pause. And again, this is a very serious storm. We have not had a hurricane make landfall in quite some time. No hurricane has made landfall on Hawaii's big island since 1871.
Rescue crews and Indonesia are coming through the rubble of collapsed buildings searching for
survivors after a powerful earthquake struck this morning, Christina Cookielow reports.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit at a depth of nine miles of the Indonesian island of
“Florida, early on Saturday morning, local time.”
The quakes sparked widespread panic and sent residents scrambling to reach high ground. Early reports suggest it has caused heavy damage, though police say power outages in cities and villages are hampering search and rescue efforts. The tsunami warnings were issued in the aftermath of parts of eastern Indonesia, which have since been lifted as the strongest aftershock measured a magnitude of 6.1.
The Indonesian archipelago is a region highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. For NPR news, I'm Christina Cookielow in Melbourne, Australia. This is NPR. The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow construction of the White House ballroom to continue while it appeals a lower court ruling.
The administration was ordered to stop work on the $400 million project because Congress
has not approved it. She just as John Roberts has given the group's challenging the project until Tuesday to respond. Authorities and Australia are racing to vaccinate. It's little penguins against the deadly H5 bird flu virus as it records its first penguin fat fatality.
Conservationists are concerned about what this will mean for the world's biggest little penguin colony and other native birds, Rachel Bungiorno reports. Every evening, hundreds of tourists quietly gather in the shores of Phillip Island about two hours drive from Melbourne, hoping to catch a glimpse of these adorable birds as they whatled their way up the sand to their burrows.
But living in such close quarters is what makes penguins at higher risk. Though only 5,000 out of around 40,000 penguins will begin their vaccinations on Monday, the state's two veterinary officer Graham Cox's, it's still ambitious. This is the largest vaccination project in wildlife that has ever been undertaken.
Just over 200 birds have tested positive for the virus since it first arrived in June.
For MPR news, on Rachel Bungiorno, in Melbourne. An investigation is underway after 200 gold colored Mozart statuettes disappear from an exhibit in Salzburg, or than 300 of the figures were installed last month to mark the composers 270th birthday. This is MPR.
Democrats are fighting for the future of their party. This week on the Empire Politics podcast, we break down where the lines are being drawn between centrists and progressives. Both sides have scored victories this primary season, and both are certain that they will be more electable in November.
We'll catch you up on the key players and their pitches to voters.
