NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-17-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korova Coleman, the fighting continues between Israel and Iran as both sides fire missiles and drones at each other. President Trump has warned Iranians in the capital, Tehran, to evacuate. And Piers Hadil Al-Shalchi says that city is tense. We know that people are very anxious. There's an atmosphere of panic and confusion in Tehran. People are stocking up on food. Tehran streets are quiet, especially

at night, which is when Israel carries out most of its strikes. All gas stations had lines a couple of miles long, and people were waiting up to four hours for fuel. The roads out of the city are also bumper-to-bumper traffic. So leaving, evacuating Tehran is no easy feat right now. And Piers Hadil Al-Shilchi reporting. Meanwhile, President Trump is back in Washington after leaving the G7 summit in Canada a day early. He says it's easier to focus on the Mideast crisis while at home. Trump says he is seeking quote real end to Iran's nuclear ambition. He says that's better than a ceasefire in the Mideast fighting. A federal judge has ruled that the National

Institutes of Health illegally terminated about 800 research grants. These focused on topics associated with diversity, transgender issues, and other research areas disfavored by the Trump administration. From member station GBH, Craig LaMoult has more. The federal judge ruled the NIH's terminations of those grants were arbitrary and capricious, and he ordered the agency to start paying for that research again. Attorney Rachel Miripol, the ACLU, represented plaintiffs in the case.

The judge looked at the agency's explanation for why it would not fund these categories of research and said that they were wholly without reason and without reasoning. The judge went on to say the government's actions in the case amounted to racial discrimination and discrimination against the LGBTQ population, saying he's never seen anything like this in his 40 years on the bench. And he invited the plaintiff's attorneys to offer evidence of harm to those populations so he could weigh in on that. For NPR News, I'm Craig Lemault in Boston. Cars.com is out with its annual ranking of the most made-in-America vehicles. NPR Scott Horsley reports the list takes on extra weight this year now that imported cars and car parts are facing a hefty tax. Of the top 20 vehicles ranked

by their US content on the list only three carry nameplates the major Detroit automakers. The Jeep Gladiator, the Jeep Wrangler and the Chevy Colorado. Four of the top 20 are built by Tesla, eight by Honda, two by Kia and one each by Toyota, Nissan and Volkswagen. The list is a showcase of just how integrated the global auto industry has become. Even the 10 most-made-in-America vehicles have an average of 30% imported content. That's up from 17% when the list debuted two decades ago. President Trump hopes to encourage more domestic car-making by imposing a 25% tax on auto imports and imported parts.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Former New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez is expected to report to a federal prison in Pennsylvania today. He'll serve an 11-year sentence for bribery and corruption. Menendez was convicted for taking bribes such as gold bars. A federal jury in Colorado has found that the founder of the MyPillow company defamed a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems. The jury ordered Mike Lindell to pay more than $2 million in damages.

He had claimed, without evidence, the former worker was a traitor and that the company rigged the 2020 election against Donald Trump. One of Major League Baseball's biggest stars and the only two-way player, Shohei Otani, returned to the pitcher's mound last night. Steve Futterman reports it has been nearly two years since Otani had elbow surgery. Dodger Stadium was full of anticipation. The last time Otani pitched was in 2023. This was his first pitching appearance for the Dodgers. Fans like Thomas Craig

watched every pitch. It's exciting. It feels like history. This was always planned to be a brief appearance. Otani pitched just one inning. He showed some rustiness allowing two hits in one run. Through an interpreter, Otani says he wants to see how his arm responds. I want to see first where my body feels and how it reacts. Since joining the Dodgers, Otani has only been able to hit as he recovered from his injury. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

And I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News from Washington.