NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-18-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

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These days, there is a lot of news. It could be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, the backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR. Shea Stevens Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the U.S. should have no direct involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Thune tells Fox News that Iran should resume negotiations over its nuclear program. They have menaced that region and the world now for 50 years, and it's high time that that stopped. And I think President Trump is in a position, whether by diplomacy or supporting Israel and what they're doing, whether it comes forcefully or voluntarily, Iran needs to end its nuclear program. It's as simple as that.

President Trump is calling for the unconditional surrender of Iran and said its supreme leader is an easy target who is safe for now. A three-judge panel at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is weighing arguments over President Trump's deployment of California National Guard troops. Steve Futterman has details. For more than one hour, the three members of the court heard arguments for and against. Attorney Brett Shoemate said President Trump had the legal right to deploy the troops to protect federal buildings and employees. Federal personnel continue to face disdained mob violence in Los Angeles expressly aimed at preventing federal officers from enforcing

federal law. But attorney Samuel Harbert, representing California, said the move illegally took power from the state. It would defy our constitutional traditions of preserving state sovereignty. A district court judge ruled last week that Trump did exceed his powers by deploying the troops. The White House immediately appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Brazil has auctioned off new oil sites for drilling near the Amazon River.

The move has sparked protests citing environmental concerns in the rainforest and around the world. Julia Caneiro reports from Rio de Janeiro. In a fancy hotel in Rio, Brazil's national oil agency auctioned off 34 oil blocks in the mouth of the Amazon river and on land. Brazil's Petrobras, ExxonMobil and Chevron were among successful bidders. Outside the venue, though, indigenous groups and NGOs protested, calling this a doomsday auction. They say this will threaten the environment and local communities and worsen the climate crises. The move comes months before Brazil hosts the UN climate talks, COP30, for the first time in the Amazon.

Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy celebrated, saying this was, quote, a winning ticket to reduce poverty in the Amazon. For NPR News, I'm Júlia Carneiro in Rio. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Cambodian capital today to show solidarity with their government and military. The gathering came amid rising tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, following a brief border skirmish last month in an area that's claimed by both nations. This is NPR.

Federal Reserve policymakers are meeting this week to decide whether to raise interest rates or leave them unchanged. The central bank is expected to release its quarterly projections on the economy and inflation later today. The prosecution is close to wrapping up its case against hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. On Tuesday, a government witness laid out a timeline from a 2016 incident that is central to the trial. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has more. Video of Sean Combs hitting, kicking, and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura

in an L.A. hotel in 2016 has been shown to jurors multiple times. A new timeline of phone and text records adds further context. They show that Combs repeatedly called Ventura after she had left the hotel. When Ventura did not answer calls, Combs' staff also tried to contact her. Other records show an assistant trying to contact hotel security to obtain the video of the assault. And texts from the next day showed one of Combs' own security guards monitoring Ventura and reporting on the state of her injuries. All of these records are meant to support the government's racketeering charge

that Combs' employees facilitated and concealed his abuse. Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News. A volcano has erupted in Bali, spewing ash so high that it disrupted several flights to and from the Indonesian resort island. Residents have been urged to avoid activities within five miles of Mount Luotobi Laki Laki. The volcano erupted multiple times last November, killing nine people and forcing thousands others to flee. There have been no reports of casualties from this latest eruption. This is NPR News.