NPR News: 06-26-2026 1PM EDT

Louise Schiavone· Host0:01

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. In Los Angeles, a mistrial has been declared in the case of a man accused of igniting last year's deadly Palisades fire. Defendant Jonathan Rinderknecht faced three charges that could have sent him to prison for forty-five years. Ten members of the jury want to acquit him, and two held that he was guilty. It's not known if the prosecution will ask for a retrial. Twelve people died in the blaze, one of the worst in state history, and thousands of homes were destroyed. Venezuela's president is reporting the death toll from two major earthquakes this week is up to five hundred eighty-nine, with almost three thousand injured. The quakes, which rank among the strongest in Venezuela in over a century, hit the capital Caracas and surrounding areas. Reporter Manuel Rueda describes the scene on the ground.

Manuel Rueda0:50

What people are saying is that some parts of Caracas look like a war zone because many buildings have collapsed entirely, and also in La Guaira, which is a city about an hour away on the Caribbean coast. And because so many buildings have collapsed, people have lost their homes. They're sleeping in parks at night. Even people who perhaps their building didn't collapse are sleeping outside because they're afraid.

Louise Schiavone· Host1:15

Reporter Manuel Rueda. Crews from around the world have been arriving in Venezuela to aid in the search and rescue. Crude oil prices are dropping as the supply shock caused by the war with Iran eases. But as NPR's Scott Horsley reports, retail