NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-18-2025 6AM EDT

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korva Coleman, Israeli warplanes have continued to strike Iran overnight, including hitting the capital, Tehran. An Iranian Foreign Ministry official is warning against U.S. intervention in this conflict, saying it could lead to a wider war. President Trump is speaking out about the conflict between Israel and Iran. And NPR's Franco Ortonius reports Trump does not appear to be interested in diplomacy anymore. Trump has repeatedly said all options are on the table. He's drawn a red line if soldiers are targeted.

But he's also signaling the US is already more involved than the White House previously led on. He's boasting that, quote, we now have total complete control the skies over Iran. He's saying we know where the supreme leader is. I mean, he's repeatedly using that word, we, blurring the line between Israel's objective and U.S. objectives. Taking that kind of ownership has really raised more concerns of the U.S. getting more involved into another foreign conflict. And Piers Franco-Ordonez reporting. A panel from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has heard arguments about President

Trump's recent deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Steve Futterman reports the appeals court judges are weighing whether Trump's actions are legal. For more than one hour, the three members of the court heard arguments for and against. Attorney Brett Shumate 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. The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady when the Fed policymakers wrap up their two-day meeting this afternoon.

NPR's Scott Horsley reports, Fed officials will also offer an updated forecast of where rates might be going later this year. The Federal Reserve has been in no hurry to lower interest rates despite persistent pressure from President Trump. Although inflation has been relatively tame in recent months, members of the Fed's rate-setting committee are on the lookout for any sign that Trump's tariffs might rekindle upward pressure on prices. At the same time, the unemployment rate has been steady at a low 4.2 percent for the last three months, so there's little pressure on the Fed to try to boost the job market with lower rates. At the end of their meeting today, policymakers will offer their best guesses about future rate cuts. In March, they were predicting that rates would fall by an average of half a percentage

point this year, and markets will be watching for any change in that forecast. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. On Wall Street in pre-market trading, Dow futures are higher. This is NPR. The top official in the National Response Coordination Center for Federal Disasters has quit. Jeremy Greenberg has led the Federal Emergency Management Agency office since 2020. This FEMA office makes sure that all the equipment and all the personnel quickly get to where they're needed after hurricanes, fires, and other disasters.

Hundreds of items from the estate of late filmmaker David Lynch are being auctioned today. He died in January at the age of 78. NPR's Emma Bowman reports Lynch was famous for surrealist films such as Eraserhead and the TV show Twin Peaks. Online bidding for the Lynch auction is open, and Catherine Williamson, the head of Hollywood memorabilia at Julian's Auction house, says it's drawing massive interest. There are three of us old timers at Julian's and none of us have ever seen a sale catch fire like this one. She thinks this auction is resonating strongly with Lynch fans because the items on auction include a lot of what you might expect to find in his home. Memorabilia from his films, unfinished scripts, an array of camera equipment.

His extensive espresso and coffee machine collection, for example, proved that his love for coffee, a recurring theme in his art, was real. Emma Bowman, 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. Florida clinched the best of seven series, beating Edmonton four games to two. The series' most valuable player is Sam Bennett, a Florida Panther forward. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.