NPR News: 06-14-2026 2PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now – June 14, 2026, 2PM EDT

Host: Louise Schiavone (NPR)
Length: 5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This NPR News Now bulletin provides a concise update on major global events as of June 14, 2026. Key stories include the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, escalating violence in Lebanon involving Israel and Hezbollah, international expectations for President Trump at the G7 meeting, a groundbreaking study on bumblebee intelligence, the death of a Yemeni daredevil, and the Swiss referendum on population limits.

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Key News Segments & Timestamps

1. Ebola Outbreak in Eastern DRC

[00:01–01:03]

• Over 670 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 135 deaths reported.
• Medical response teams struggling to contain the outbreak.
• Reporter Emmett Livingstone gives a vivid, on-location account from Rampara Ebola Treatment Center.

Highlights:

• Conditions for medical staff:
  “All of us are in full protective gear, which includes a bib, two layers of clothing, several layers of gloves, goggles, a mask... It’s very difficult to breathe. And on top of that, the goggles fog up. So it’s also difficult to see.”
  — Emmett Livingstone, [00:27]

• Patient experience:
  “We heard some people crying out. The doctors said that at a certain stage of the Ebola virus disease, the whole body aches and it’s extremely painful.”
  — Emmett Livingstone, [00:49]

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2. Israeli Airstrike on Beirut

[01:03–02:07]

• Israel conducts an airstrike on Beirut’s outskirts, claiming retaliation for Hezbollah attacks.
• At least 3 killed and 16 wounded, according to Lebanese state media.
• NPR’s Jayna Raf reports from Beirut as U.S. and Iran hover near a ceasefire agreement.

Notable Context:

• “Iran has said that any ceasefire with the US must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, and it has warned Israel in particular not to attack the Lebanese capital.”
  — Jayna Raf, [01:30]

• Details of the strike:
  “Video posted on social media showed smoke rising from an apartment building on a residential street in Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah has offices.”
  — Jayna Raf, [01:50]

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3. G7 Expectations for President Trump

[02:07–02:47]

• Anticipation of tough questions for President Trump from G7 allies amid ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
• Former Obama adviser Josh Lipsky highlights changing international attitudes following Trump’s previous global comments and stances.

Quotes:

• “The past six months, after Greenland and the president’s comments about the US desire to take Greenland, you saw a shift across the G7 and especially in the European allies of how they approach the US.”
  — Josh Lipsky, [02:32]

• Key topics expected:
  “Serious consideration about trade relations with China and overall how artificial intelligence fits into the framework of international relations, regulations, and finance.”
  — Louise Schiavone, [02:47]

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4. Remarkable Bumblebee Intelligence

[02:47–03:59]

• Bumblebees solve a cognitive task previously demonstrated only by larger animals like chimps, elephants, and birds.
• Study by Ole Logola (University of Turku, Finland): Bees figured out how to roll a ball beneath a reward to use as a step stool.

Memorable Moments:

• “It’s just annoyingly little bit too high for them to stand and reach the ceiling, but too tiny for them to fly.”
  — Ole Logola, [03:30]

• “It’s a first, he says, for an insect and a demonstration perhaps that intelligent brains come in diverse shapes and sizes.”
  — Ari Daniel, [03:53]

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5. Other World Briefs

[03:59–04:40]

• Death of ‘Spiderman of Yemen’:
  30-year-old daredevil Al Qaqa Ibn Antar falls and dies in a volcano crater in Yemen while climbing with no safety equipment.
• Swiss Population Cap Vote:
  Swiss voters (55%) reject a right-wing initiative to cap the national population at 10 million, widely seen as an anti-migration measure.

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Notable Quotes & Speaker Attribution

• On Ebola care conditions:
  “It’s very difficult to breathe. And on top of that, the goggles fog up.”
  — Emmett Livingstone, [00:34]

• On shifting global relations:
  “Don’t expect this to just be a warm embrace when President Trump shows up in France.”
  — Josh Lipsky, [02:39]

• On bumblebee intelligence:
  “A demonstration perhaps that intelligent brains come in diverse shapes and sizes.”
  — Ari Daniel, [03:53]

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Important Timestamps

• Ebola coverage: [00:01–01:03]
• Israel–Lebanon conflict: [01:03–02:07]
• G7/U.S. international relations: [02:07–02:47]
• Bumblebee research: [02:47–03:59]
• World briefings (Yemen, Switzerland): [03:59–04:40]

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For more in-depth reporting, tune in to NPR or follow up at NPR.org.

Transcript

[A]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ebola continues to spread with more than 670 confirmed cases and over 135 deaths as response teams struggle to bring the outbreak under control. Reporter Emmett Livingstone is there for npr.

[B]

I'm here in Rampara Ebola treatment center, and I'm in an Ebola ward with doctors going from isolated room to isolated room checking on Ebola patients. All of us are in full protective gear, which includes a bib, two layers of clothing, several layers of gloves, goggles, a mask. It's difficult to describe the level of discomfort wearing one of these suits. It's very difficult to breathe. And on top of that, the goggles fog up. So it's also difficult to see. These are the conditions under which doctors have to work. The Ebola patients themselves, some of them appear to be in a great deal of pain. We heard some people crying out. The doctors said that at a certain stage of the Ebola virus disease, the whole body aches and it's extremely painful.

[A]

That's Emmett Livingstone reporting from Autrey, the drc. Israel has attacked the outskirts of Beirut in what it says is retaliation for Hezbollah strikes. Lebanese state media say at least three people were killed, 16 others wounded in the airstrike on an apartment building. NPR's Jayna Raf has more from Beirut.

[C]

Israel launched the airstrike as the US And Iran said they were close to signing a ceasefire agreement. Iran has said that any ceasefire with the US Must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, and it has warned Israel in particular not to attack the Lebanese capital. An Israeli statement said the attack was in retaliation for Iran backed Hezbollah firing at northern Israel. The militant group has been fighting Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon and has also fired drones across the border. Video posted on social media showed smoke rising from an apartment building on a residential street in Beirut's southern suburbs where Hezbollah has offices. Jay N. Araf, NPR News, Beirut.

[A]

Whatever the outcome of negotiations between the US And Iran, President Trump's fellow world leaders will expect an accounting from him when he joins the meeting of the G7. Industrialized nations. Former Obama administration adviser Josh Lipsky, now chair of the international economics at the Atlantic, says President Trump will not be getting a free pass from America's allies.

[D]

The past six months, after Greenland and the president's comments about the US Desire to take Greenland, you saw a shift across the G7 and especially in the European allies of how they approach the US So don't expect this to just be a warm embrace When President Trump shows up in France, Lipski says he

[A]

expects serious consideration about trade relations with China and overall how artificial intelligence fits into the framework of international relations, regulations and finance. This is npr. Bumblebees have just solved a problem that for over a century had only been demonstrated by much larger creatures like chimps, elephants and birds. Ari Daniel reports.

[E]

The task involves placing a reward out of reach of the animal overhead and seeing if they can spontaneously figure out how to access it by moving an object beneath to stand atop. Ole Logola, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Turku in Finland, placed bumblebees in a hollow container about an inch high.

[F]

It's just annoyingly little bit too high for them to stand and reach the ceiling, but too tiny for them to fly.

[E]

Lokola also placed a small Styrofoam ball inside which the bees appeared to roll beneath the reward and then climb like a step stool to reach the otherwise unreachable reward. It's a first, he says, for an insect and a demonstration perhaps that intelligent brains come in diverse shape and sizes. For NPR News, I'm ari Daniel.

[A]

A 30 year old daredevil known as the Spider man of Yemen died in Yemen this week after falling into a volcano crater. Officials say Al Qaqa Ibn Antar had no safety equipment. He was climbing the steep walls of the crater when he lost his grip and fell into the 393 foot crater. Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to cap the country's population at 10 million. The right wing Swiss People's Party led the initiative in what was seen as a move against migration. Early results indicated that 55% of voters in Switzerland said no to the effort. I'm Louise Giavone, NPR News, Washington.

[G]

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