NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-17-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: August 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. Ukrainian President Zelensky is bringing several European leaders when he visits Washington for tomorrow's meeting with President Trump. MPIRS Greigre reports Zelensky and the Europeans want to present a united front amid the current diplomatic efforts to bring a halt to Russia's war in Ukraine. Zelensky will be accompanied by the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany, among others. Zelensky met in Brussels on Sunday with Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who's also traveling to Washington.

In a social media post, Zelensky said, quote, we agreed on the necessity of a ceasefire for subsequent diplomatic steps. Ukraine says the shooting should stop before it holds negotiations with Russia on a permanent peace deal. President Trump was also calling for a ceasefire. But after meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Trump now appears more aligned with the Russians who say a ceasefire is not a necessary first step. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Keeve. In Texas, detainees are set to arrive today at a massive new immigration detention camp at Fort Bliss, and that's drawn protesters. As Angela Kocherga with member station KTP reports. More than 50 people held signs and chanted close the camp at an entrance to Fort Bliss Sunday morning. Construction is advancing rapidly on a detention camp on the

Army Base. Immigration and customs enforcement says the facility will house single adults facing deportation from across the country. Fernando Garcia is the executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights. The people that is going to end up in these centers are the people that are going to be picked up that are being picked up right now in Home Depot, in the fields, in the construction sites. ICE says the camp will open with 1,000 beds with plans to expand to 5,000. For NPR news. I'm Angela Kochergan El Paso. Investors on Wall Street this week will play close attention to a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Empires Rafael Nomm reports the main focus will be on whether he hints at potential rate cuts next month. After cutting interest rates

by a full percentage point last year, the Fed has been more cautious, keeping them steady so far in 2025. That caution comes as President Trump's tariffs threatened to raise prices in the U.S. But investors now believe the Fed will need to cut rates at its next policy meeting in September because there are now signs that the labor market could be slowing significantly. That could force policymakers to pivot from prioritizing inflation to paying more attention to the labor market. So investors will tune in this week when Powell is set to deliver an economic speech during a Fed event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Rafael NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Air Canada's 10,000 flight attendants have defied a federal government back-to-work order. As Dan Carpentruck reports, the airline says it suspended plans to restart operations today and that flights would resume tomorrow night. About 240 flights scheduled to begin operating Sunday have now been canceled. The less than 12-hour strike by flight attendants began at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, By the afternoon, Federal Jobs Minister Patti Haidu had ordered the airline to resume operations.

But the Canadian Union of Public Employees announced Sunday morning it would not comply with the minister's order and would instead remain on strike. The union says it invited Air Canada back to the bargaining table, accusing it of relying on the government to do its dirty work when talks get tough. Air Canada says it would take up to 10 days for operations to return to normal. The dispute has been over wages and unpaid work hours. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenter. in Toronto. At the weekend box office, the horror film Weapons took the top spot once again,

with an estimated $25 million in ticket sales. In second place, Freaky or Friday with $14 million. It's the sequel to the 2003 film, Freaky Friday, and it brings back stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohen. In third place, the R-rated action sequel, Nobody 2 with $9 million. That film follows the pandemic success of the first in the series Nobody that was released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutchmansell, the assassin turned nice guy, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much-needed family vacation that goes awry. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News.