NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-18-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

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Support for NPR, and the following message come from Yarl and Pamela Mohn, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump says he's arranging a meeting between himself, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian 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 Kurtzleben reports. 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. The White House says dozens of homeless encampments have been cleared in Washington, D.C. A week after President Trump sent hundreds of federal agents and the National Guard to the city. NPR's Jennifer Lutton reports it's not clear where the people who have been decided. displaced have gone. Homeless service providers say many likely opted to stay outside, moving around to evade authorities. Some are in shelters, the city made more beds available, or hotels paid for

by community members. Jesse Rabinowitz with the National Homelessness Law Center says the mass displacement will make it even harder to eventually connect people to housing. It was so fast that I worry people were not able to save vital documents, medication, heirlooms, clothes. things like that. The White House says it has not arrested any people for being homeless, and service providers are relieved about that. But they suggest the money this federal surge is costing could have gone toward affordable housing instead. Jennifer Lutton and Peer News, Washington. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for parts of North Carolina's outer banks as Hurricane Erin makes its way toward the coast. Sherise Piggott, a member station WUNC, has more.

orders are in place for Hatteras and Okrakoek Islands in Dair and Hyde counties where officials are urging residents to leave starting Tuesday morning. While Hurricane Aaron is not expected to make direct landfall, the storm system could increase in size. The National Weather Service says Aaron could bring several days of heavy surf and high winds as well as wash out parts of the main highway on the outer banks. Coastal flooding is expected to begin as early as Tuesday and last through Thursday. That means beaches in the area are closed too at the height of tourism season. For News. I'm Cherise Piggott in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 34 points. This is NPR News in Washington. The final defendant, accused of

illegally selling ketamine to actor Matthew Perry, is facing up to 45 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty. As Steve Fetterman reports, Perry died after overdosing at his Los Angeles home nearly two years ago. Jasmine Sanga, who prosecutors say was known as the ketamine queen, has agreed to plead guilty to five counts, including the most serious distribution resulting in death. Senga is one of five people accused of supplying ketamine to Perry. The others have previously entered guilty pleas. When charges were announced last year, then DEA administrator Anne Milgram talked about Perry desperately wanting the drug. That is how he ended up buying from street dealers who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death.

Perry openly talked about his struggles with substance abuse. In the final three days of his life, prosecutors say Perry received 27 injections of ketamine. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Flight attendants remain on strike against Air Canada. The work stoppage comes despite a government order that they go back on the job. The union is calling the order unconstitutional and designed to protect the airline's profit. One of the major sticking points is compensation. Flight attendants are largely paid only when the plane is moving,

but not for time spent before and during the boarding process. Recapping stocks on Wall Street, the Dow down 34 points today. The NASDAQ up six. This is NPR News. 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 C's Apply.