NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-18-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

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This is Ira Glass with This American Life, each week on our show. We choose a theme, tell different stories on that theme. All right, I'm just going to stop right there. You're listening to an NPR podcast, chances are you know our show. So instead, I'm going to tell you, we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. Download us, This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens.

President Trump is calling Iran's supreme leader an easy target who is safe for now. More from NPR's Franco Ordoniez. 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 U.S. knows exactly where the Supreme 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. Franco Ordonez, NPR News, The White House. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested at an immigration court in Manhattan Tuesday. Lander, who's running for mayor, says he was in the courthouse to observe immigration hearings and to escort some defendants out of the building. He reportedly locked arms with the immigrant and demanded to see a judicial warrant while

federal agents tried to pull them in apart. He was accused of obstruction and taken into custody and later released. California Senator Alex Padilla is urging Americans to stage peaceful resistance to the Trump administration's policies. Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Padilla recalled his recent detention while trying to question the head of Homeland Security at a press event in Los Angeles. We know that the cameras are not on in every corner of the country. But if this administration is this afraid of just one senator with a question?

Colleagues, imagine what the voices of tens of millions of Americans peacefully protesting can do. The office of DHS secretary Kristi Noem says the Secret Service thought Padilla was an attacker while Padilla says he identified himself as a senator. A growing number of high-paying jobs no longer require a college degree. As NPR's Windsor Johnston reports, they're known as new-collar roles and focus on skills over diplomas. Courtney Hickman, NPR News Anchor Think cybersecurity analysts, cloud support specialists, project

managers, and wind turbine technicians. Many of these jobs offer salaries of $80,000 to more than $100,000 a year, plus flexible hours and options to work remotely. These companies are using skills-first models, looking for hands-on experience, certifications, and problem-solving ability over academic credentials. Tech companies, manufacturers, and clean energy firms are leading the way, offering short-term training programs instead of four-year degrees. Experts say the trend is opening new doors for job seekers, especially those priced out of college or looking for

a faster path to financial stability. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News. This is NPR. The British House of Commons has voted to decriminalize abortion. The vote came after a lawmaker argued that it was cruel to prosecute women for ending a pregnancy. The bill's sponsor says British police have investigated more than 100 women suspected of having undergone illegal abortions in the past five years, including some who had miscarried.

Taiwan's domestically made submarine, the Narwal, has made its first sea trial. The Narwal is a flagship project for Taiwan's defense industry. But NPR's Emily Fang reports that it is also controversial. The Narwal was built using some technology from Taiwan's allies, including the United Kingdom and the U.S., and it rounds out Taiwan's submarine fleet, which consists of two decades-old vessels from the Netherlands. And although the Narwhal was much delayed, it has been a point of pride for Taiwan's ruling party, the DPP, a very large and expensive anchor project for Taiwan's efforts to increase and modernize its defense spending to protect itself from neighboring China.

But the Narwhal has also become a lightning rod for allegations of corruption from Taiwan's opposition parties. In the Taiwan Strait, where the Narwhal class of subs would one-day patrol, is traditionally too shallow for submarines to evade complete detection from China. Emily Fang, Peer News. For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions. The Panthers clinched the title by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the finals. They are the NHL's first back-to-back winner since Tampa Bay captured the Stanley Cup in

2020 and in 2021. This is NPR News. The House of Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years and in 2021. This is NPR News.