NPR News: 06-26-2026 11PM EDT

Dale Willman· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. The Cottonwood fire in Utah is continuing to gain strength this hour. Officials say the blaze is now burning unchecked across one hundred tware squ- uh, twelve square miles. State officials are now restricting the use of fireworks because of the dry conditions. Red flag warnings are also in effect for parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Idaho. The federal arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht ended in mistrial Friday. He's been accused of starting the deadly Palisades fire in California last year. The jury was split, with ten members wanting to acquit Rinderknecht. Um, one juror named Serena would not offer her last name. She said she was frustrated with the results.

Serena· Soundbite0:41

It makes me sad as an American like that, you know, we couldn't come to a conclusion and, I mean, honestly wish I could come back and do it, you know, because I wish we could have came to a, um, conclusion.

Dale Willman· Host0:52

Rinderknecht faced three arson charges that could have sent him to prison for forty-five years. The fire killed twelve people. The Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission is calling for greater ties between church and state. NPR's Jason DeRose reports.

Jason DeRose1:05

President Trump created the commission through an executive order in May of twenty twenty-five. The report says religion is often treated as, quote, "A problem or annoyance to be managed, restricted, or sidelined." Among the commission's recommendations, the creation of a hotline for students and teachers to report what they perceive as violations of their religious liberty and legal protections for healthcare workers who refuse to participate in procedures such as abortions