NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-18-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. President Trump says he's arranging a meeting between himself, Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Trump made the announcement at the end of a day-long summit at the White House, today with Zelensky, and seven other European leaders. NPR's Danielle Kurtz Blayman has more. In a social media post, Trump said the scheduled meeting between the leaders in the White House East Room continued later in the Oval Office. He added that the meeting was, quote, very good, and that the leaders discussed security guarantees for Ukraine involving both European countries and the U.S. However, the Post did not mention the possibility of a ceasefire or what Trump has called land swaps, two more contentious issues. Trump wrote that he called Putin after the meeting and started planning a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

After that, Trump wrote, will come a trilateral meeting, including him. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House. Dozens of FBI agents have been fired or forced to resign since President Trump took office. NPR's Kerry Johnson reports it's the way they're being removed that concerns veterans of the Bureau. The Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI wants the Trump administration to explain why it fired a batch of senior FBI agents and officials this month. Mike Clark's president of the Society, he says those agents are owed due process under the law. They're all exceptional agents. and individuals and deserve better treatment.

Among those who recently left the Bureau are former acting director Brian Driscoll and former head of the Washington Field Office, Steve Jensen. Others dismissed include two seasoned agents not yet eligible for a pension. Friends have started an online fundraiser for those men. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington. Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey resigned that office Monday and will take a position as the deputy director of the FBI serving alongside the current deputy director, Dan Bonchino.

A new study suggests that doctors may quickly become dependent on artificial intelligence after it's introduced, and some worry, this could affect health outcomes. NPR's Jeff Brunfield reports. The study looked at colonoscopies conducted in Poland. Doctors were given an AI system that draws a green box around a polyp in real time. It worked, but when the AI was switched off, the doctors appeared to flag fewer polypies. than they did before they had it. Marchim Romanchak led the study.

He thinks doctors might be too quick to rely on AI. We are subconsciously waiting for the green box to come out and show us the region or the polypies, and we are not paying so much attention. But other researchers say further study is needed to actually determine whether there's a drop in detection. The work appears in the journal Lantic Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News.

And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. A judge in Oregon is allowing a Saudi human rights activist to proceed with a lawsuit against former executives employed by an Emerante surveillance technology company. It's one of the first cases of its kind. NPR's Jenna McLaughlin reports. Saudi activist Lujan al-Hathlul is well known for her advocacy for women's rights, including to drive. She says spying software installed in her phone, led in part. to her imprisonment and torture in Saudi Arabia, where she remains under a travel ban. That's the subject of a lawsuit against three former executives for the Emirati technology company, Dark Matter Group.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants employed their backgrounds in U.S. intelligence to compromise Al-Hathlul's personal phone, including while she was in the United States. U.S. District Judge Karen Imurgut has ruled that the case can proceed. In her ruling, the judge concludes the defendants likely knew Al-Hathlul was in the U.S., but targeted her phone anyway. Jen McLaughlin, NPR News. The U.S. Coast Guard and other officials are tonight at the side of the former Key Bridge in Baltimore. This after a cargo ship carrying coal exploded, sending a large fireball into the air.

No injuries are reported the fire has been contained. The ship remained to float and is being removed from the Patapsco River by tugboats. The incident took place near where the bridge collapsed and fell into the river of March of 2020. after it was struck by a cargo ship killing six workers. What's left of the bridge is being disassembled. A new $2 million, $2 billion bridge is being put there in its place. It was a mixed day on Wall Street. The Dow finished down.

The NASDAQ was up. This is NPR. Support for NPR. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.