NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-17-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

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Hey, everybody. It's Ian from How to Do Everything. On our show, we attempt to answer your how to questions. We don't know how to do anything. So we call experts. Last season, both Tom Hanks and Martha Stewart stopped by to help. Our next season is launching in just a few months. So get us your questions now by emailing howto at npr.org or calling 1-800-424-2935. Lyle from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump says Iran's supreme leader is an easy target, as he put it. But as NPR's Frank Ordonius reports, Trump says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is safe for now. President Trump took to social media where he's calling for the unconditional surrender from Iran in its conflict with Israel Which is entering its fifth day of exchanging strikes

Trump said quote we have now total and complete control of the skies over Iran in another post He said the US knows exactly where the supreme leader is Quote we're not gonna take him out at least for now leader is. Quote, we're not going to take him out, at least for now, but we don't want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Trump returned to the U.S. from Canada after leaving the G7 summit early because of the escalating situation in the Middle East. He's been meeting with his national security team. Franco Ordonez in PR News, The White House. Democratic Senator Alex Badilla is urging colleagues on the Senate floor to

push back against the administration's immigration enforcement tactics. Tactics critics have characterized as extreme and unlawful. If you really think this is just about immigrants and immigration, it's time to wake up. What's happening is not just a threat to California, it's a threat to everyone in every state. If Donald Trump can bypass the governor and activate the National Guard to put down protests on immigrant rights, he can do it to suppress your rights, too. Last week, Senator Padilla was removed from Homeland Security Secretary's Kristi Noem's press conference, dragged to the ground and handcuffed. Noem initially said Padilla failed to identify himself but Padilla says

he did. The California Democrat warned that if a US Senator is being treated this way while media cameras are rolling, imagine what happens to people when cameras are not around. The NAACP is not inviting President Trump to its national convention next month. He's a first sitting U.S. president not asked to attend in the Civil Rights Organization's 116-year history. NPR's Kristen Wright reports the White House is responding to the snub. In a statement, a White House spokesman criticizes the NAACP as advancing hate and division, while President Trump is focused on quote, uniting our country and improving our economy.

The spokesman also says that's the vision supported by many black Americans in Trump's reelection. The NAACP's president says Trump's not invited because he's quote, attacking our democracy and civil rights and signed unconstitutional executive orders to oppress voters and undo federal civil rights protections. The group has welcomed both Democratic and Republican presidents to speak at its annual convention. President Ronald Reagan addressed members. So did President George W. Bush in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Trump declined the NAACP's invitations to speak during his

first term. Kristen Wright reporting, it's NPR. Kraft Heinz says it will be removing all artificial food dyes from products sold in the United States starting in 2027. NPR's Maria Godoy reports the company also says it will stop making new products with these dyes effective immediately. In a statement, Kraft Heinz said nearly 90% of its U.S. products are already free of synthetic

dyes. It says it has invested in removing the dyes in remaining products or replacing them with natural colors. About a decade ago, the company removed the artificial dyes used to give its Kraft Mac and Cheese its iconic yellow-orange hue. That color now comes from spices like paprika and turmeric. Kraft Heinz says its ketchup has never used artificial dyes. The company's announcement comes nearly two months after federal health officials said

they would work with the food industry to phase out the use of petroleum-based food dyes. Some studies have linked these dyes to negative effects on children's behavior and mental health. Maria Godoy, NPR News. linked these dyes to negative effects on children's behavior and mental health. Maria Godoy, NPR News. The Federal Reserve is holding another two-day meeting. Most data show the economy is still strong, inflation is cooling, but analysts have also

cautioned the fallout from President Trump's tariffs has yet to be fully realized. Despite this, President Trump has been pressing Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down more than 300 points or roughly three-quarters of a percent. The S&P has fallen 50 points. The Nasdaq is down 182 points or nearly 1 percent. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.