NPR News Now - NPR News: 06-18-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: June 19, 2025

NPR News: 06-18-2025 9PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Support for NPR in the following message come from Yarl 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. In an interview with NPR, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is calling for international support in destroying Iran's main nuclear facilities. President Trump says he's not made a decision whether to take part in attacking Iran. MPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Jerusalem. Israeli President Isaac Herzog told NPR it's up to President Trump whether the U.S. strikes

Iran. We would welcome anything that helps eradicate the Iranian nuclear program completely, including the main two sides, Ferdow and Natanz. We are doing it alone, and we hope that there will be further support by other nations. The Israeli president said Israel decided to attack days ago after sharing intelligence with the U.S. about Iran's nuclear plans. The U.S. National Intelligence Director testified in March that U.S. intelligence officials did not think Iran was building a nuclear weapon.

Trump has dismissed the assessment. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Jerusalem. As President Trump contemplates possible military action against Iran, the Senate is slated to get a classified briefing early next week. NPR's Deidre Walsh reports most Senate Republicans say they back whatever decision President Trump makes in terms of eliminating the threat from Iran to Israel or the U.S. Alabama GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville says nobody wants war, but Iran can't have a nuclear weapon.

I'm all for what the President decides because he knows a lot more about it than any of us. So if he does that, he's going to do it for a reason. But Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is pushing a resolution, asking the president to seek approval from Congress before taking military action against Iran. He says Israel should be the one taking the lead, not the U.S. There's just no need for us to be doing this. And I say this as a guy who votes for all the Israel aid packages. Kane's resolution is expected to get a vote next week, likely after top defense and intelligence officials brief senators. Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, the Capitol. Emergency personnel in Kiev have pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-story apartment building demolished by a Russian missile.

With the latest discovery, the death toll from an attack on the Ukrainian capital has now risen to 28. Authorities say 23 of those killed were inside the apartment building and a part of the city that took a direct hit. The overnight attack was among the biggest bombardments since the war began. Russia launched more than 400 drones and launched 32 missiles against the city. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of temporarily allowing the storing of nuclear waste in rural Texas and New Mexico, though the country remains in an impasse over a more permanent solution. Justices are reversing a federal appeals court ruling that invalidated the license granted

by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to a private company for a Southwest Texas facility, but also reinvigorate plans for a facility in New Mexico. On Wall Street, a mix closed. The Dow was down 44 points today. The NASDAQ closed up 25 points. This is NPR. President Trump's administration has asked a federal judge to strike down a Kentucky regulation.

It says unlawfully provides access to reduce in-state college tuition to students who do not have legal status in the US. Remember, station WEK, EU Stan Engold has more. The U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit says that the regulation violates federal immigration law by enabling those who are in the U.S. illegally to qualify for reduced tuition at public colleges in Kentucky. It says American citizens from other states have to pay higher tuition rates to attend the same schools.

The Trump administration took a similar action in Texas as part of its efforts to crack down on immigration. Both lawsuits follow recent executive orders aimed at stopping any state or local laws or regulations that, quote, discriminate against legal residents. For NPR News, I'm Stan Engold in Richmond, Kentucky. Growing number of U.S. companies are allowing their employees to decide how to spend their health care dollars, in some cases even to purchase their own coverage as part of what are known as individual coverage reimbursement arrangements.

Advocates say the approach provides small companies that could not afford insurance. The ability to offer something to workers can also help employers cap rising health care costs. The approach, similar to a 401k-type retirement plan, places the risk for making the right choice on the employee. Crude futures prices rose for a six-straight day as traders worry about possible supply disruptions from the Iran-Israeli conflict in the Middle East, wail up 30 cents a barrel to 75.14 a barrel in

New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.