NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-17-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

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Support for NPR in the following message come from Yaral and Pamela Mohn, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Israel is claiming to have killed a top Iranian general as the two sides continue to trade strikes. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump today again warned residents of Tehran they should evacuate, as he seemed to suggest. The U.S. has The two sides continue to trade strikes. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump today again warned residents of Tehran they should evacuate, as he seemed to suggest. The US has given up on negotiations

between the two sides. Trump left a Group of Seven meeting in Canada early, citing the need to return to Washington to deal with the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Trump has said he wants a real end of the conflict, which has claimed lives on both sides over the past several days. Top law enforcement officials on Capitol Hill briefed senators on security protocols today following the targeted political assassination

of one Minnesota state lawmaker and the attempted assassination of another over the weekend. More from MPR's Deidre Walsh. Senators from both parties say the Capitol Police need more money to investigate threats and step up security for lawmakers. Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal says he doesn't plan to change how he does his job. The solution here is not to limit accessibility. It's to provide security and deter these incidences of political violence.

Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn says there has to be a balance when it comes to adding resources. It's trying to make sure that it's proportional to the threat and not an overreaction. Congress could increase the U.S. Capitol Police's budget in the annual spending bill for the agency this fall to address the uptick in threats. Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, The Capital. Medicaid has been getting a lot more attention. That's according to a new poll out today.

As NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports, the spike in popularity comes as Republican lawmakers finalize a tax and spending bill that could cut $800 billion from the program. Medicaid has always been quite popular. In January, a poll from the health research organization, KFF, found 77% of the public had a favorable view of the health insurance program for low-income people.

Just a few months later, it's gone up. 83% of the public is now in favor of Medicaid. Ashley Kerzinger is KFF's polling expert. The largest uptick we saw in favorability of the past couple months was among Republicans. The findings come as Republican lawmakers rushed to finish a major legislative package that would include significant cuts to federal spending on Medicaid. Selena Simon-Stefan, NPR News. Retail sales took a tumble in May as consumers pulled back a bit on their spending, seeking

to get ahead of the Trump administration's tariffs. Sales at retail stores and restaurants fell nine-tenths of a percent in May after a smaller drop the previous month. A major fall off in auto sales was partly to blame since earlier in the year there was a wave of buying by consumers looking to beat possible tariff-related price increases. On Wall Street today, the Dow fell 299 points. You're listening to NPR. President Trump has nominated Ted Cook

to be the next commissioner at the Bureau of Reclamation. For Member Station KUNC, Alex Hager reports he'll be the top federal official working on the Colorado River. Cook spent seven years managing the Central Arizona Project, which brings Colorado river water to the Phoenix area. Sharon Megdahl used to work alongside Cook. She's now a water policy expert at the University of Arizona.

I have great admiration for Ted's skills. He's thorough. He's deliberative. He looks for solutions. And boy, we need to find solutions right now. If confirmed, Cook will step into the role as seven western states are in the middle of tense negotiations about how to cut back on water use. He and other federal leaders will try to bring them toward agreement about sharing the shrinking

water supply for 40 million people. For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Fort Collins, Colorado. It's considered to be the biggest jewelry heist in U.S. history, and it was never solved, that is perhaps until now. Authorities saying that charges and arrests have been made in the case in which about a hundred million dollars in jewels were taken from the back of a Brinks semi-truck while at a highway rest stop in California in 2022. A total of seven men are accused of scouting the truck as it left a jewelry show while others followed the vehicle along a 300-mile journey before they allegedly grabbed diamonds,

rubies, gold and luxury watches. It occurred between San Mateo and Pasadena. Some of the jewelry was recovered this month when search warrants were executed. Critical futures prices continue to surge amid escalating tensions in the Mideast. Oil up 4% today to $74.97 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.