NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-18-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

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Support for NPR and the following message come from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, whose bequest serves as an enduring investment in the future of public radio and seeks to help NPR produce programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders are meeting with President Trump at the White House later today. The Trump administration says it hopes to build. off the Alaska summit. NPRS. Luke Garrett reports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says some, but not a lot of progress was made towards peace in Alaska. Here he is on ABC News. So we're still

a long ways off. I mean, we're not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We're not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made. Rubio framed peace agreement negotiations as a balance between Ukrainian security guarantees and a land exchange with Russia. Zelensky said Sunday, he can't trade land. The Secretary of State said if no peace deal is reached, Trump still has levers against Putin's economy. In terms of sanctions, look, at the end of the day, if we can't reach a peace agreement here and this war continues and so forth, then I anticipate you'll see the president take further action. He's already made that clear. Rubio said it will ultimately be up to Putin and Zelensky to make the deal. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. National Guard members now patrolling the streets

of Washington, D.C. may start to carry weapons. St. Pierre's Joe Hernandez reports, they're there as part of the Trump administration's plan to dramatically ramp up policing in the nation's capital. 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. Hurricane Aaron has regained strength and returned to a category four storm. It's moving northward off the eastern coast of the U.S. And while it's not expected to hit the country, it's still bringing heavy rains and strong winds to much of the coast. Officials said it will cause dangerous surf and rip currents. Air Canada suspended its plans to restart operation on Sunday after the union representing the company's 10,000 flight attendants ignored a government order to return to work. The strike began Saturday morning and it's led to the cancellation of

hundreds of flights. Flight attendant and Toronto Union President Natasha Estia says union members are tired. At this point, having the support of everybody around us really motivates us, but our motivation comes from the anger of everything that's being taken away from us. And we're done. We're done giving it up. Air Canada, meanwhile, says it will resume some operations later tonight. Stocks closed mixed in Asia on Monday. As investors waited for the meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents, Taiwan stocks hit a record high while South Korea's market dropped more than 1%. You're listening to NPR News. People in Sudan are experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in years, that's according to international aid groups.

The outbreak is a product of that country's ongoing civil war. NPR's Fatma Atanas reports. 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 and Piran News. Officials in northwestern Pakistan say more flooding and even landslides could occur from rain expected there until at least Tuesday. The death toll from flooding on Friday, meanwhile, has now reached 274, as rescuers discover more bodies underneath the rubble of remote mountain villages. Higher than normal monsoon rains have hit the country since the end of June.

Aki-A-Wai had her first win on the LPGA Golf Tour Sunday. She finished the final round bogey free with a six under 66. She birdied the final two holes for the win. The rookie joined her sister, Chisato, who had her first win as a rookie in May in Mexico. I'm Dale Wilman and PR News.