NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-17-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: August 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Herbst. Several European leaders are planning to join Ukraine's President Zelensky for talks at the White House tomorrow. NPR's Franco, Ordonez reports on the high-stakes, high-risk meeting. The last time Zelensky was in the Oval Office in February, he got lectured by President Trump and the vice president. But he'll have some high-powered support this time, including European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron. as well as a NATO Secretary General. Trump has shifted course from demanding a ceasefire and is now calling for negotiating a broader peace deal,

which is Putin's preferred choice. Trump has also made clear that he was going to push Zelensky to make a deal, and that is likely going to be hard for Zelensky to do. He has emphatically said that Ukraine will not give up land to an occupier. Franco Ordonez. NPR News. National Guard members, patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C. may start carrying weapons.

As Impairs Joe Hernandez reports, they're there as part of the Trump administration's plan to dramatically ramp up policing in the Capitol. A spokesperson for the District of Columbia National Guard tells NPR that members may be armed consistent with their mission and training. The U.S. Army said last week that Guard members' weapons would remain in the armory if needed. The Guard is on the streets of D.C. as part of President Trump's effort to take control of the city's police department and crack down on crime and homelessness. Some residents and officials have criticized Trump's plan and noted that Washington's violent crime rate is down compared to last year. Still, others support the effort. And on Saturday,

the three Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio said they would send their own National Guard troops to the Capitol to help. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. People in Sudan are experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in years, fueled by the ongoing civil war, according to international aid groups. M.P.R. Fat Matanas has more. A year ago, Sudan's Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of cholera. Since then, there have been nearly 100,000 cases and nearly 2,500 related deaths. The situation is especially dire in Darfur in Western Sudan, where hundreds of thousands have been displaced by fighting. Camps are overcrowded, and a water shortage means people have had no choice but to drink contaminated water. Heavy rains are making it even worse by damaging

sewage systems. Doctors Without Borders called for a scaled up international response and vaccination campaign. But the World Health Organization says access for health response teams have been difficult because of ongoing violence. Sudan is among several countries seeing a rise in cholera cases and deaths because of conflict, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen. Fat Matanis, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. SpaceX officials say the next starship test flight will launch from South Texas as soon as next week. Texas Public Radio's Jerry Clayton reports this comes as the company says it fixed the problems from its last launch that failed.

The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the way for a launch of Flight 10 as soon as August 24th. SpaceX aims to demonstrate the issues from its last launch on May 27th have been solved. Both the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster exploded in flight. An FAA investigation found issues with fuel components, which SpaceX says they have now corrected. The FAA wrapped up its investigation into the loss of Flight 9 just before SpaceX announced the next launch. SpaceX has been contracted by NASA to develop the rocket, which will carry astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis 3 mission sometime in 2027. I'm Jerry Clayton and San Antonio.

In Puerto Rico, thousands of people are without power as Hurricane Aran slams the region. The storm, which has weakened to a category 3, with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles an hour, is now about 300 miles northwest of San Juan. The National Hurricane Center says the outer bands of the storm, storm will continue to produce heavy rainfall across the U.S. territory with up to four inches of rain possible in spots. The storm isn't expected to hit the mainland U.S., but forecasters say heavy storm surge and rip currents are possible along the east coast. I'm Janine Hurst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.