NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-18-2025 10AM EDT

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

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On NPR's Thru Line, school teachers are going to be the ones that rebuild our society in a way that is more cohesive. Basically, we're soldiers set down their arms, school teachers need to pick up their books. How the US Department of Education tried to fix a divided nation. Listen to Thru Line wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. NPR has learned that Israeli officials believe the U.S. will join its military attack on Iran.

President Trump does appear to be moving closer toward Israel. Writing online yesterday, Trump said Iran's supreme leader is a, quote, easy target. The U.S. has not as yet joined Israel's attacks on Iran. The U.S. Embassy in Israel has been closed since Tuesday. The State Department says it will stay closed for the next several days for security reasons. Meanwhile the United Kingdom is evacuating some citizens from Israel and bears Lauren Freire reports from London. The UK Foreign Office says it's temporarily withdrawing family members of staff at the

British Embassy in Tel Aviv and at the British Consulate in Jerusalem. It calls this a precautionary measure amid a quote, fast-moving situation that poses significant risks. It's also asking any British nationals in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories to register their presence with the British government. NPR's Lauren Freyer reporting. An overnight curfew for downtown Los Angeles has now been lifted. It was imposed last week following clashes between authorities and protesters after federal immigration raids. Steve Futterman has more. Mayor Karen Bass, who imposed the

curfew, said tensions here in the downtown area have been reduced. In a written statement, she said the curfew and other crime prevention efforts have been successful in protecting stores, restaurants, businesses and residential areas. When the curfew first went into effect, L.A. was enduring nightly confrontations, with police at times using non-lethal explosives, tear gas, and declaring unlawful assemblies. Although the nightly protests and confrontations have essentially ended, there are still some troops in place protecting a number of downtown federal buildings. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Stocks opened higher this morning as the Commerce Department reported a drop in home building

activity. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared about 100 points in early trading. Builders broke ground on fewer housing units in May than they did the month before. The slowdown was all in multifamily housing. Construction of single-family homes actually inched up last month. Permits for future home construction of all types was down in May however a survey by the National Association of Home Builders shows builder confidence is also down in the

face of tariffs uncertainty and elevated mortgage interest rates. Short-term interest rates are expected to hold steady this afternoon when the Federal Reserve wraps up its latest policy meeting. The Fed is waiting to see how the president's trade, tax, and immigration policies play out in the U.S. economy. Scott Horsley in PR News, Washington. On Wall Street at this hour, the Dow Jones industrials are now up 112 points. This is NPR. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released a more detailed analysis of the proposed tax cut and spending bill now

in the Senate. The CBO says the measure would increase US deficits by 2.8 trillion dollars over the next decade. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and others say the CBO score fails to take into account how much economic growth the bill would create. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is facing another lawsuit, this time for allegedly hiding assets from the Sandy Hook families. They won more than a billion dollars in damages for defamation. NPR's Tovia Smith reports a federal trustee overseeing the settlement calls Jones' financial

dealings, quote, textbook fraud. Bios Tovia Smith Jones has long claimed he didn't have the money to pay the families who sued him after he accused them of faking their children's deaths in 2012. Now the trustee in Jones' bankruptcy case is trying to prove that Jones at least used to have it, but tried to hide it by giving it to his father, his ex-wife, and his kids' trust. The trustee wants the federal bankruptcy court to undo $5 million worth of last-minute sales and transfers of cars, condos, cash, and a ranch. Lawyers for Jones did not respond to requests for comment.

Chris Maddie, attorney for the family, says it's no surprise Jones would lie to hide his assets but added, quote, he won't get away with it. Tovia Smith, NPR News. The Florida Panthers have successfully defended their title as NHL champions. They won the Stanley Cup last night, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 at home. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast Grova Coleman, NPR News in Washington.