NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-16-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: August 16, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. President Trump will meet with Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky on Monday at the White House. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, this is the latest phase of Trump's so far elusive quest to end Russia's war in Ukraine. After a showy summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin that failed to yield the ceasefire Trump was after, the president called Zelensky and European leaders from Air Force One. In a social media post overnight, Trump said, quote, it was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war and not a mere ceasefire. That is a significant shift from what he was saying before the summit.

Trump added that if the Oval Office meeting with Zelensky goes well, he would schedule a meeting with both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Protesters are gathering in Washington at this hour for a march to the White House. They're protesting the Trump administration's deployment of hundreds of federal agents and troops in the city. NPR's Brian Mann has more. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was asked Friday about growing anger among some residents toward federal agents

and National Guard troops now on the streets. D.C. residents are worried and concerned, and we have a surge of federal officers. While we aren't controlling them, we do have the ability to influence how they're being deployed. Bowser has signaled repeatedly. She hopes to minimize conflicts with forces deployed by Trump. But friction on the street rose Friday as federal agents moved to clear more homeless camps.

This is a hostile takeover of our community, and we will not allow it, right? We will not. More demonstrations and protests are expected today. Brian Mann, NPR News, Washington. A U.S.-based Christian aid organization says Israel has destroyed a warehouse full of food and baby formula in Gaza. Two contractors working for the group were killed. NPR's Jaina Raff reports. The Vulnerable People Project, a Catholic aid organization, says Israel bombed the building where its warehouse was located in North Gaza on Tuesday. The group's founder, Jason Jones, tells NPR they had worked for months to obtain more than 3,000 cans of baby formula.

This was the day we were going to distribute baby formula, but instead, you know, I get the news that it had been just obliterated, and then two of our workers have died. He said the warehouse also contained tons of vegetables, oil, and other food, waiting for distribution to Christian and Muslim families. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. It said this week that it hit what it called terrorist targets in the same area Tuesday. Jaina Raff, NPR News, Amman. This is NPR. News. Officials in Pakistan say more than 300 people have died in floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains. The floods began Thursday in Indian-controlled Kashmir and spread to

Pakistan. Rescue groups are searching for people still missing. Scientists say the region has experienced heavier than normal monsoon rainfall, most likely linked to climate change. A 97-year-old woman has become the oldest person in Europe to complete 250 community 5K events known as park runs. Vicki Barker reports from London. 97-year-old Gray's Chambers only took up running at 88 after undergoing open-heart surgery. She had set the record by lunchtime on Saturday, completing the 5-kilometer run in Belfast, Northern Ireland, telling the BBC she felt glad. I feel that I've done it because it's always a possibility I wouldn't, but I never looked negatively at things.

It's always you I would, if I set a goal, I'd try to achieve it. Chambers had heart surgery again four weeks ago, but she said that was never going to stop her taking part in her 250th park run. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. The Canadian government today ordered Air Canada and its flight attendants into binding arbitrage. The workers went on strike this morning after the two sides failed to reach agreement on a new contract. The airline grounded its planes, stranding more than 100,000 travelers around the world during the peak summer travel season. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News.