NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-16-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

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The best kind of celebrity interview is one where you find out that the person who made a thing you love also thinks in a way that you love. Nothing is more foreign than when Ariel says in The Little Mermaid, I want to be where the people are. I don't want to be where the people are. I just don't. I'm Rachel Martin. Listen to the Wild Card Podcast, only from NPR. Lyle, from NPR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh. Israel and Iran are ordering evacuations in parts of both Tel Aviv and Tehran as fighting intensifies. NPR's Jackie Northam reports both sides sent out warnings as they continue to target key installations and communities. A television news presenter was on air describing the sound of nearby Israeli bombing when a

massive blast hit Iran's state-run television, darkening the set and scattering debris. Much of the building was in flames. Israel had earlier ordered people living in that area of Tehran to evacuate, warning it would attack a nearby military infrastructure. Israel hit other strategic targets, including an Iranian military headquarters. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps ordered people to evacuate from Baniy B'rak, a largely ultra-orthodox area of Tel Aviv, and Iranian ballistic missiles rained down on several Israeli cities. Jackie Northam, NPR News.

J.D. In Minnesota, the suspect in the violent attacks on four people, including two Democratic state lawmakers over the weekend, has made his first court appearance. Vance Belter faces state and federal charges. He did not enter a plea today. Authorities say Belter went to several state lawmakers' homes while impersonating an officer. He encountered state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, a vet, early Saturday. They sustained multiple gunshot wounds and survived. Police Abelter also went to state representative Melissa Hortman's home. She and her husband, Mark, were later found shot to death. Earlier today, U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said while the motive is under investigation,

at least one thing's clear. This was a political assassination, which is not a word we use very often in the United States let alone here in Minnesota. It's a chilling attack on our democracy, on our way of life. It's only the most recent example of violent political extremism in this country and that's a trend that's been increasing over the in recent years. That's U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories have approved a new $7.4 billion bankruptcy settlement with Purdue Pharma. The company's the maker of Oxycontin, a pain drug that helped fuel the U.S. opioid crisis, is NPR's Brian Mann. This deal is different from a bankruptcy plan overturned by the U.S. opioid crisis, is NPR's Brian Mann. This deal is different from a bankruptcy plan

overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last year in that it doesn't force people to give up individual lawsuits against members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma. According to the company, the Sacklers are expected to contribute billions of dollars to the settlement. New York Attorney General Letitia James said this deal will hold the Sackler family accountable for what she described as their leading role in fueling the epidemic of opioid addiction. New York Attorney General Letitia James said this deal will hold the Sackler family accountable

for what she described as their leading role in fueling the epidemic of opioid addiction. The Sacklers deny any wrongdoing. This deal is expected to be approved by a U.S. bankruptcy court and would add to more than $50 billion in opioid settlements already agreed to by corporations that made and sold addictive opioid pain medications. It's NPR. A new report concludes that a dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened.

That is the latest annual assessment of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. It says nearly all of the nine nuclear armsarmed states such as the US, Russia, and China are upgrading and expanding their weapons. The other nuclear-armed countries include North Korea, Israel, India, Pakistan, the UK, and France. Average prices of the most popular concert tickets have dropped for the first time in more than a decade. But as NPR's Neda Ulubi tells us, that does not mean they're anything close to a bargain. It's still not cheap to see superstars like Beyonce in the flesh. Concert ticket prices have soared over the past 20 years, and the average cost of a ticket

to any of the top 100 tours is $120. Still that's 6% less than last year, according to the industry group Polestar. It's the first time in more than a decade, except for the pandemic, that ticket prices have dropped. Polestar says the lower prices reflect uneven economic conditions. And while the cost of the cheapest tickets are going down, the best ones are only getting more expensive. Nata Ulibi, NPR News. US stocks have ended the day higher. The Dow closed up

more than 300 points or roughly three-quarters of a percent, ending the day at 42,515. The S&P was up 56 points, nearly 1 percent, and the NASDAQ closed up more than one and a half percent. It's NPR.