USS Washington Heads to Middle East; Kushner Meets with Netanyahu

The USS George Washington is heading to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Navy ship that has been at sea for nearly nine months. Families of sailors on the Lincoln are upset about tough conditions on board, including mental health problems and not enough fresh food or supplies. Some families were angry after President Trump said the Lincoln had not been out there 'nearly long enough.' Democrats in Congress want the Pentagon to investigate how the sailors are being treated.

NPR found that supply problems are affecting more ships than just the Lincoln. Former Navy captain Sam Howard said his son's ship ran low on basic items like soap and hygiene products. The crew returned to Japan in late July but still hasn't gotten all their mail and care packages. A Navy official said there is no set schedule for ships to swap duties, so the Lincoln could leave soon after the Washington arrives.

Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and top envoy, traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Before that, he met with Hamas leaders in Egypt. Kushner helped set up a ceasefire in Gaza about ten months ago, but that agreement has been shaky and little progress has been made. This time, Kushner is pushing for Trump's plan for what Gaza should look like after the war — a plan backed by the U.S. and Hamas, but not yet by Israel.

Israel is about ten weeks away from elections, and NPR's Daniel Estrin says Netanyahu does not want to appear weak by giving in to Hamas. Any such concessions would be unpopular with voters and could cost Netanyahu his job as prime minister. Estrin says any deals Netanyahu agrees to would likely happen behind the scenes, away from public attention. Kushner reportedly wants Israel to approve steps like training a new Gaza police force and allowing international peacekeepers into the area.

Ukraine carried out its largest single-day drone attack on Russia ever on Sunday, launching more than 800 drones at over a dozen Russian regions. Russia's defense minister said Moscow was a main target of the attack. At least 20 people died and dozens more were injured as both countries stepped up their air strikes over the weekend. NPR's Charles Maynes says Ukraine's goal is to make ordinary Russians feel the impact of the war by hitting energy plants and transportation hubs, hoping to push Russia toward peace talks — but so far, it does not seem to be working.