NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-17-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

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You know those things you shout at the radio or maybe even at this very NPR podcast? On NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, we actually say those things on the radio and on the podcast. We're rude across all media. We think the news can take it. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is calling for Iran's quote, unconditional surrender on social media. The US leader also issued a threat to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He said the Ayatollah's location is known and is an easy target, but Trump goes on to say quote, we are not going to take him out at least for now, end quote. Trump saying he doesn't want missiles hitting civilians or American soldiers as Iran and Israel continue airstrikes on each other. Trump's tone appearing to have changed since yesterday when he suggested a nuclear deal with Iran was, quote, achievable. The Department of Homeland Security is doubling down on its efforts to crack down on industries where there are large estimates of workers without legal status. The New York Times reported last week, immigration and customs enforcement sent guidance asking

officers to largely pause raids and arrests in the agriculture industry, hotels and restaurants. But today DHS said there has been no change in policy. NPR's Jimena Bustillo has more. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NPR that, quote, there will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ISIS efforts. The comments come after immigration officers

conducted several arrests at farms in California and at a meatpacking plant in Nebraska. The arrest signaled the agriculture industry could soon be a target for the Trump administration's efforts to find, arrest, and deport people without legal status. The agriculture industry is among those that employ large numbers of workers without work authorization. And in recent months, thousands of people have lost their ability to work legally after the administration revoked certain protections and parole.

Jimena Bustillo, NPR News, Washington. The latest Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine have left at least 15 people dead. Dozens more were injured. More from NPR's Joannika Kissis in Kyiv. Ukrainian air defense units spent hours trying to shoot down drones and missiles. By sunrise, the air smelled burnt as thick plumes of smoke rose from parts of the city. At least a dozen sites were hit, many of them residential buildings. Videos posted by Ukrainian authorities showed the collapse of part of an apartment complex. The strikes come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is at the G7 summit in Canada, pushing

for stronger sanctions on Russia. Joanna Kekissis, NPR News, Cave. The only commercial robo-taxi operating in the U.S. so far says it's expanding across the San Francisco Bay Area. Alphabet, the parent company of the self-driving ride-iling service Waymo says it also plans to reach paying customers in more parts of Los Angeles starting tomorrow. Tesla meanwhile is also preparing to launch paid robotaxi service in Austin Texas. You're listening to NPR News.

Retail sales fell more than expected last month. NPR Scott Horsley reports on the latest spending data from the Commerce Department. Retail spending dropped by nearly a full percentage point in May. Some of that drop was expected after an earlier surge in spending on big ticket items as shoppers rushed to get ahead of tariffs. Spending at gas stations was also down during the month thanks to a drop in gasoline prices. That trend could be changing now as fighting between Israel and Iran pushes pump prices higher. AAA says the average price of regular gas rose about three cents a gallon overnight.

Scott Horsley in P.R. News, Washington. For the next two weeks, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration hears public comments about heat. OSHA proposed a rule to protect workers from heat last year, but NPR's Alejandro Burunda reports the rule's future is uncertain. The first time someone suggested OSHA make a rule protecting workers from heat was about 50 years ago. But as climate change makes heat more dangerous, the agency took note. In 2021, it started working on a rule. Wani Tukonstable is a heat policy expert at the

Natural Resources Defense Council. The rule would provide basic protections for workers that they should be getting anyways. Water, rest, shave, training, emergency response procedures. The rule has garnered opposition from industries like construction and support from workers' rights groups. Whether it will move forward after the public comment is uncertain. President Trump has said he aims to remove 10 regulations for every new one implemented. Alejandra Burunda, NPR News.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 134 points. It's NPR. The news can feel like a lot on any given day, but you can't just ignore it when big, even world-changing events are happening. That's where the Up First podcast comes in. Every morning and under 15 minutes, we take the news and pick three essential stories so you can keep up without getting stressed out. Listen now to the Up First podcast from NPR.