NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-17-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

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The House of Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years of previously approved funding for public media. The rescissions package now moves on to the Senate. This move poses a serious threat to local stations and public media as we know it. Please take a stand for public media today at GoACPR.org. Thank you. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A meeting of President Trump's National Security Team wrapped up with signs the administration

may be warming to the idea of having the U.S. play a role in Israel's ongoing strikes against Iran. Exactly what that means is not clear, though NPR's Franco Ordonez reports it would be a policy shift. This is really a significant pivot for Trump. I mean, when Israel launched its strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last week, the White House emphasized that the U.S. was not involved. But now Trump's suggesting that the U.S. is involved. I mean, he's saying things like we have

total control of the skies. We know where the Supreme Leader is hiding. I mean, he's taking more ownership. You know, he went on to say that the Supreme Leader is safe for now, but indicated that that could change if civilians were targeted or American soldiers. NPR strike out Ordonez, some U.S. assets, including a third U.S. Navy destroyer and a second U.S. carrier strike group, are in or are headed to the region, Israel says it has begun a new wave of airstrikes against Iran. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments today on the legality

of President Trump's deploying California National Guard troops in Los Angeles. Steve Futterman reports. For more than one hour, the three members of the court heard arguments for and against. Attorney Brett Shumate said President Trump had the legal right to deploy the troops to protect federal buildings and employees. Federal personnel continue to face sustained mob violence in Los Angeles expressly aimed at preventing federal officers from enforcing federal law. But attorney Samuel Harbert, representing California,

said the move illegally took power from the state. It would defy our constitutional traditions of preserving state sovereignty. A district court judge ruled last week that Trump did exceed his powers by deploying the troops. The White House immediately appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

Elon Musk's ex is suing New York over a state law requiring social media sites to disclose how they monitor hate speech. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it's the latest legal battle Musk has launched to challenge speech regulations. Lawyers from Musk's social media platform say New York's Stop Hiding Hate Act violates the First Amendment. The law requires social media companies to reveal what steps are being taken to combat hate, disinformation, and harassment online. It does not force sites to remove such content. Yet, Musk's legal team argues the law is still a violation of free speech rights. The suit seeks to block the law.

On X, Musk has gutted content moderation rules and welcomed backed once banned users. While hundreds of millions still use the platform every month, studies show the user base has declined about 30% since Musk's purchase. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Stocks slumped amid concerns about the escalating conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. The Dow fell 299 points today. You're listening to NPR. Amazon's CEO in a note to employees today

says the company is continuing to spend money on artificial intelligence, calling generative AI a once-in-a-lifetime technological change. However, Chief Executive Andy Jassy also says that will result in job losses at the company, since it will change the way work is done. Jassy did not say how many jobs might be cut or where the job losses would occur. He said it is likely to take place over the next few years. Amazon has more than one and a half million full and part-time employees and plans to spend more than $100 billion on data centers used to fuel AI. The National Weather Service issued its first ever heat advisory for Alaska this week.

Temperatures are supposed to remain in the mid-80s for the next several days. KUAC's Shelby Herbert reports. Unlike extreme cold, it's not easy for people in Alaska's interior to manage unusually hot weather. People in Fairbanks are scrambling to keep themselves and their pets cool. Staff at the local animal shelter are pro-offering kiddie pools and peanut butter popsicles for the pups. The state is warming two to three times faster than the global average, and the summer heat beats down on the many buildings in the region that don't have air conditioning. It's a one-two punch,

according to meteorologist Jason Laney. It also tends to kind of build in with the same time as wildfire season. The heat is coupled with smoke pouring in from wildfires in Canada, so many Fairbanksians can't even crack open a window for relief. For NPR News, I'm Shelby Herbert in Fairbanks. Oil rose more than 4% today to $74.97 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.