NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-16-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

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This is Ira Glass with This American Life, each week on our show. We choose a theme, tell different stories on that theme. All right, I'm just going to stop right there. You're listening to an NPR podcast, chances are you know our show. So instead, I'm going to tell you, we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. Download us. This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump is leaving the G7 summit in Canada a day early to deal with the crisis in the Middle East.

Trump is also urging nearly 10 million Iranian civilians to flee to Iran immediately amid ongoing airstrikes by Israel and Iran. The president says Iran has sent messages that it wants to de-escalate the conflict with Israel, but the Israeli ambassador to the UN calls Iran a, quote, master of deception. More from NPR's Michelle Kellerman. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Denon, doesn't see any room for dialogue at the moment. He says Israel has, in his words, pushed back Iran's nuclear program in recent days, and it will continue to do that.

Danon says this is not a short operation. It's not similar to what we did in the 80s in Iraq when we had to attack one reactor, or in 2005 when we took care of the reactor in Syria. It's a much more challenging operation and it takes time. The Israeli ambassador is defending a strike on Iranian state television, saying Israel will target anyone cooperating with the Iranian military. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. Prosecutors have announced federal murder charges against the suspect and the assassination

of a Minnesota state lawmaker and the wounding of another on Saturday. 57-year-old Vance Bolter, who's also charged with assaulting two other individuals, was arrested Sunday night in rural south central Minnesota. As NPR's Meg Anderson reports, prosecutors believe that Bolter had a hit list of dozens of lawmakers. The arrest warrant says police actually witnessed the man shoot Mark Hortman through the open front door. He then exchanged gunfire with police and fled. That's what kicked off the huge manhunt. We also know that just after 6 a.m. that morning, a few hours after the

shooting, Bolter allegedly texted his family that, quote, Dad went to war this morning. That's according to the federal affidavit. Meg Anderson reporting. The White House's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency or DOJ is entering a new phase. After shedding its high profile and controversial leader, Elon Musk,

it is embedding more permanently in government, as NPR Stephen Fowler explains. Since January, DOJ staffers have been detailed across the in government, as NPR Stephen Fowler explains. Stephen Fowler, NPR Since January, DOGE staffers have been detailed across the federal government, leading efforts to fire workers, cancel contracts, and obtain access to sensitive data. Now, many of them have been converted to permanent jobs within the government, and agencies are embracing DOGE's mission. That includes more than three dozen DOGE-affiliated people at the General Services Administration,

and many more who have senior roles at places like the IRS, Interior Department, and Social Security Administration. Stephen Fowler, NPR News. On Wall Street, stocks closed higher with the Dow Jones Industrial gaining 317 points. The Nasdaq rose 294. The S&P added 56 points. This is NPR. A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to restore federal health grants that were

cut. Judge William Young says it was illegal for the administration to slash grants for research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Hundreds of NIH grants targeted for elimination involved research on diversity, including LGBTQ issues. A federal judge is holding off a decision on whether to continue blocking the president's efforts to ban international students from Harvard. From member station WBUR, Emily Piper-Bellillo has the story.

In a nearly packed courtroom, Harvard lawyers argued that Trump's June 4th proclamation banning the university's international students targets the school for not allowing the government control over the views of its faculty and students. The lawyer for the government argued Harvard poses a national security threat. Awaiting a decision has been excruciating for rising sophomore Alfred Williamson, one of the thousands hoping to return to campus next fall. The lack of decision is really the worst possible outcome for us because we have absolutely no option if we do not get to return. And that's really anxiety provoking for a lot of international students.

The temporary block will remain in place until next Monday, when a decision is expected. For NPR News, I'm Emily Piper-Villillo in Boston. Bankrupt Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma has reached a $7.4 billion settlement with attorneys general from all 50 states. Under the deal, the Sackler family, which owns Purdue, will pay a portion of the settlement and also relinquish control of the company. This is NPR News. The House of Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years This is NPR News.