NPR News: 06-25-2026 11PM EDT

Giles Snyder· Host0:00

Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. The death toll is rising from Wednesday evening's back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela. The health minister now says some two hundred thirty-five people were killed and another forty-three hundred were injured. Scientists say the quakes were an unusual geological event, as NPR's Katie Or riddle reports.

Katie Or riddle0:20

Back-to-back earthquakes are not unheard of, but they're not typical according to those who study them. This unusual timing is in part what made this event so uniquely catastrophic, according to William Barnhart. He's a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey.

William Barnhart· Soundbite0:35

The combination of those, uh, having them on land and then having them close to major population centers, as we're starting to see, is proving to be absolutely devastating.

Katie Or riddle0:46

Barnhart says the USGS is analyzing satellite imagery in order to understand exactly what faults were involved in these earthquakes. Katie Or riddle, NPR News.

Giles Snyder· Host0:55

Rescue teams are searching for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings, hundreds believed to be trapped and many remain unaccounted for. The Supreme Court has struck down Hawaii's law limiting when gun owners can bring their guns on private property. The decision, uh, decision impacts four other states, as NPR's Jacqueline Diaz reports.

Jacqueline Diaz1:14

In most states, gun owners can bring firearms onto private property unless the property owner tells them otherwise. But five states have laws requiring gun owners to get permission from homeowners before bringing their guns. Those states were Hawaii, California,