NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-17-2025 12AM 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. weird, funny stuff too. Download us. This American Life. Shea Stevens Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The Israeli offensive against Iran has now entered its fifth day. Israel says

it has achieved control of the skies over Iran, but NPR's Greg Miber reports that it has not suppressed the heavy missile strikes coming from Iran. Greg Miber Israel's military says it's achieved full air supremacy over Iran's capital Tehran and is also striking at many other sites throughout the country. Israeli warplanes have dismantled Iran's air defenses, clearing the way for hundreds of bombing raids against military targets and nuclear sites. Israel says it hasn't lost a single plane. However, Iran is still firing ballistic missiles at Israel nightly, and a small number are

breaking through Israel's defensive shield, causing deaths and damage. Israel is receiving help from U.S. ships and planes that are part of the effort to shoot down the incoming Iranian weapons. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington. investigators say the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses had a hit list containing the names of dozens of officials. 57-year-old Vance Luther Belter is already charged with two counts of murder and faces additional counts. Minnesota Public Radio's Melissa Olson

was in the courtroom on Monday. Bel Olson-Belter appeared in an orange jail-issued shirt and pants in front of Federal Magistrate John Doherty at the Federal Courthouse in St. Paul. Clean shaven and subdued, Belter stared straight ahead and answered questions from the magistrate judge with either yes or yes, sir. The judge magistrate appointed federal public defender Matthew Dietz to represent Belter. The judge magistrate granted the defense's motion for a continuance and ordered Belter's detention and preliminary hearings combined. The combined hearing is set for June 27th. For NPR News, I'm Melissa Olson in St. Paul. The Democratic Party lost ground with Americans under the age of 30 in the presidential election,

particularly among young men. As NPR's Elena Moore reports, Democrats are now making efforts to reach that demographic. Many young men say they're dealing with economic anxiety and declining mental health. And they say government officials don't care. That's according to a report from the Speaking with American Men project, a new effort aimed at helping Democrats connect with young men. Pollster John De La Volpe led 30 focus groups with young men for this project. This is a generation of young men. They're not lost at the Democratic Party. And if we

care about our democracy, everyone needs to feel that their voice can be heard. Emerging leaders in the party like Maryland Governor Wes Moore and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have also made this group a bigger priority. Elena Moore, NPR News. U.S. futures are lower in after hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. The federal jury in Colorado has convicted businessman Mike Lindell of defamation. Lindell, who founded the MyPillow Company, was found liable for calling Eric Kummer, the head of Denver-based Million Voting Systems, a traitor.

Kummer sought nearly $63 million in damages, but the jury awarded him $2.3 million. Lindell says he'll appeal. A California doctor has agreed to plead guilty to supplying actor Matthew Perry with access to ketamine. Dr. Salvador Placentia faces up to 40 years in prison. Perry, best known for his co-starring role in the sitcom Friends, died in October 2023 of a drug overdose. He was 54 years old. The European Space Agency has released the first images

from a pair of orbiting satellites that can create on-demand solar eclipses. As Joe Palka reports, the artificial eclipses are used by scientists to study the sun's outer atmosphere. On Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking out the Sun's light. This reveals the solar corona, a cloud of hot gas made by the Sun.

The corona is actually hotter than the Sun itself. The European space probes, known collectively as Probe 3, fly in tandem, a precise distance apart. The probe closer to the Sun blocks the solar light so its partner probe can measure the corona. Unlike on Earth where total solar eclipses are fairly rare, probe a three can create an artificial eclipse every 19.6 hours. For NPR News, I'm Joe Palca.