Summary4 min read

NPR News Now – July 26, 2026, 12AM EDT

Host: Dale Willman
Episode Length: ~5 minutes
Main Theme: Concise coverage of the latest national and international news headlines, updated hourly.

Episode Overview

This fast-paced episode highlights the swift selection of a new Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, unrest and violence in the West Bank, U.S. wildland firefighter fatalities, Russian attacks on Kyiv, a discovery about transmissible cancer in catfish, and the WNBA All-Star Game results.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Maine Democrats Select New Senate Candidate

[00:17-01:08]
- Situation: Troy Jackson, a seasoned figure in Maine politics, is chosen as the new Democratic candidate after Graham Platner withdrew due to sexual assault allegations.
- Profile of Jackson:
  - Two decades in Maine’s state government.
  - Known for advocating core progressive issues: Medicare for all, higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
  - Blue-collar roots (fifth-generation logger), resonating with rural and working-class voters.
- Quote ([00:36], Elena Moore):
  
  “Jackson has a blue collar background. He's a fifth generation logger. ... Voters see Jackson as a better advocate for rural and working class Mainers.”
- This Senate race is expected to be "one of the most competitive in the country."

2. Tensions and Violence in the West Bank

[01:08-02:14]
- Report from Nablus:
  - Israeli military raids, over 70 Palestinians arrested.
  - Four Palestinian men and two Israelis killed in a gunfight.
  - Governor Ghassan Douglas describes a "settler attack" leading to the deaths.
  - Israeli government imposes a curfew; conflicting narratives about who initiated violence.
- Quote ([01:33], Nuha Musli):
  
  “The situation is extremely difficult. ... Israel's prime minister praised the settlers as, quote, heroic and has claimed despite video evidence to the contrary, that Israeli settlers were attacked while on a hike.”

3. Wildland Firefighter Fatalities in Colorado

[02:14-03:12]
- Incident:
  - A fourth firefighter, Nathan Matthews of Nebraska, has died after a wildfire entrapment.
  - Describes dangers faced by “hell attack” teams dropped by helicopter into remote blazes.
  - Three other firefighters died at the scene June 27th.
- Insight:
  - Wildland firefighting is growing more hazardous due to climate change (heat waves, drought) and accumulated forest fuels.
- Quote ([02:32], Kirk Siegler):
  
  “This all comes as the job of wildland firefighting is becoming increasingly dangerous with prolonged heat waves and drought due to climate change. And more than a century of suppressing wildfires has also created a dangerous buildup of fuels in forests.”

4. Russian Missile Attack on Kyiv

[03:12-03:30]
- Details:
  - Russian forces struck Kyiv; debris causes fires in three districts.
  - No casualties reported so far.
  - Initial missile alerts were called off after nearly an hour.

5. Transmissible Skin Cancer in Catfish

[03:30-04:36]
- Discovery:
  - Scientists find melanomas in brown bullhead catfish from Lake Memphremagog (Quebec–Vermont).
  - Tumors seem to spread from fish to fish, not caused by environmental factors.
- Potential Significance:
  - The research could illuminate how some cancers migrate and metastasize.
- Quote ([04:02], Dale Willman about Peter Emerson’s observation):
  
  “It looks like black tar on the skin.”
- Quote ([04:07], Ari Daniels):
  
  “The tumors resembled one another, closely suggesting the cancers are that likely arose in a fish some time ago and have been spreading from catfish to catfish ever since.”

6. WNBA All-Star Game Highlights

[04:36-04:56]
- Results:
  - Jonquil Jones scores 22 points with 13 rebounds, 8 assists as Team Spoon beats Team Coop 129–122.
  - Remarkably, 127 three-pointers attempted in the game.
- Memorable Stat:
  - “Team Spoon had eight players scoring in double digits in the win.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Voters see Jackson as a better advocate for rural and working class Mainers.”
— Elena Moore, [00:36]
“The situation is extremely difficult. ... Israeli army has imposed a curfew on the area and closed off the area.”
— Nuha Musli, reporting on Ghassan Douglas, [01:33]
“This all comes as the job of wildland firefighting is becoming increasingly dangerous with prolonged heat waves and drought due to climate change.”
— Kirk Siegler, [02:32]
“It looks like black tar on the skin.”
— Dale Willman, relaying Peter Emerson’s description, [04:02]

Timestamps for Key Segments

Maine Senate Candidate Update: 00:17 – 01:08
West Bank Violence & Raids: 01:08 – 02:14
Firefighter Fatalities in Colorado: 02:14 – 03:12
Kyiv Missile Attack: 03:12 – 03:30
Transmissible Cancer in Catfish: 03:30 – 04:36
WNBA All-Star Game Results: 04:36 – 04:56

Stay informed with NPR News Now for up-to-the-hour news in just five minutes.

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Transcript13 lines

[00:01]
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[00:17]
Dale Willman
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. May Democrats Maine Democrats selected their new candidate for the U.S. senate Saturday, less than three weeks after Graham Platner withdrew from the race because of sexual assault allegations during delegates selected Troy Jackson. NPR's Elena Moore is at the convention for the vote and offers this profile.
[00:36]
Elena Moore
Well, he's no stranger to Maine politics, spending two decades in state government, and he's built a record advocating for a handful of issues that were really core to Platner's campaign, too, like passing Medicare for all and raising taxes on corporations and the ultra wealthy. Plus, Jackson has a blue collar background. He's a fifth generation logger. And at a time when a lot of voters say they're struggling to keep up with high costs and feel like leaders in D.C. listening to them, voters see Jackson as a better advocate for rural and working class Mainers.
[01:08]
Dale Willman
That's NPR's Elena Moore. This Senate raid is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. The occupied west bank is on edge this weekend as the Israeli military conducts raids there. More than 70 Palestinians have been arrested and four Palestinian men and two Israeli citizens were killed in a gunfight Friday southwest of the Palestinian city of Nablus. NPR's Nuha Musli has our reports.
[01:33]
Nuha Musli
Ghassan Douglas, the governor of Nablus, told NPR that a settler attack in the Palestinian village of Tell led to the killing of four Palestinians. Israel says one settler and one Israeli soldier were killed. The situation is extremely difficult. Douglas says the Israeli army has imposed a curfew on the area and closed off the area. Israel's prime minister praised the settlers as, quote, heroic and has claimed despite video evidence to the contrary, that Israeli settlers were attacked while on a hike. For NPR News, this is Noha Muslim from Ramallah.
[02:15]
Dale Willman
Federal fire officials say a fourth Wildland firefighter has now died after he and three other firefighters were burned over the last month at a wildfire in Colorado. And as NPR's Kirk Siegler reports, there's been some rain lately that has helped the broader firefighting efforts.
[02:32]
Kirk Siegler
The Interior Department identified the fourth firefighter fatality, 43 year old Nathan Matthews of Lincoln, Nebraska. He and the other crew members were on a hell attack team where a chopper drops firefighters into remote forests where new ignitions have started when they were engulfed in flames with no escape route. Three other firefighters, Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson, died at the scene June 27th. The this all comes as the job of wildland firefighting is becoming increasingly dangerous with prolonged heat waves and drought due to climate change. And more than a century of suppressing wildfires has also created a dangerous buildup of fuels in forests. Kirk Zigler, NPR News, Boise.
[03:12]
Dale Willman
And you're listening to NPR News. Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Sunday. The city's mayor says falling debris triggered fires in at least three, three districts. So far, there have been no reports of casualties. Ukraine's air force had initially said Russia was using ballistic missiles, but a warning of missile deployment was canceled after 50 minutes. Researchers have discovered a kind of transmissible skin cancer in catfish. The find was in a lake that stretches from the Canadian province of Quebec into Vermont. NPR's Ari Daniels says it may have important things to teach us about how tumors spread.
[03:50]
Ari Daniels
More than a decade ago, all of a sudden, melanomas started showing up on brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog. Peter Emerson is a fish biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
[04:03]
Dale Willman
It looks like black tar on the skin.
[04:07]
Ari Daniels
Not very pretty. The melanomas don't appear to be caused by anything in the environment. Rather, when researchers sequenced the DNA of the fish and their cancers, they found the tumors resembled one another, closely suggesting the cancers are that likely arose in a fish some time ago and have been spreading from catfish to catfish ever since. The research may provide clues about how cancer migrates and metastasizes within our own bodies. Ari Daniel, NPR News.
[04:37]
Dale Willman
Jonquil Jones had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists Saturday as the WNBA's Team Spoon beat Team Coop 129 to 122 in the WNBA All Star Game. Team Spoon had eight players scoring in double digits in the win. The game featured 127 three three pointers. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.
[04:57]
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