NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-19-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. After a nearly all-day meeting at the White House with European leaders, President Trump said he's starting to arrange a three-way summit between himself, Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump later spoke by phone with Putin. NPR's Daniel Kersleben says the issue of a ceasefire in the three-and-a-half-year-old war that Russia began against Ukraine was discussed. Ukraine, of course, wants a ceasefire, and you had Chancellor Merits of Germany and French President Macron really pushed for one as well. Now, a ceasefire would stop the fighting before negotiations can happen. That's what Ukraine wants. But aiming for a full peace deal right now, as Trump is now pushing for, means fighting continues, which means Ukraine potentially

endures more and more attacks. British Prime Minister Kirstarmer, who was one of the European leaders attending the meeting, said real progress was made on the issue of security for Ukraine. and Europe. The White House says dozens of homeless encampments have been cleared in Washington, D.C. This a week after President Trump sent hundreds of federal agents and the National Guard to the city. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports it's not clear where the people who have been displaced are going. 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, NPR News, Washington. A senior Hamas official has confirmed to NPR, it accepted a ceasefire proposal for Gaza put forth by Arab mediators. NPR's Jackie Northam reports Israel is preparing a ground offensive. Specific details of this latest ceasefire proposal are in short supply, but it's believed to be similar to one recently proposed by President Trump's special envoy, Steve Wickoff,

which involved the release of some Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of some troops in parts of Gaza. Israel had agreed to that proposal. Hamas had rejected it. Since then, mediators from Egypt and Qatar have pressured Hamas to sign on to the plan with no amendments. The problem is it may be too late. Israel is already gearing up for a major military offensive into Gaza City, and President Trump has waded into the issue. In a social media post, he said the Israeli hostages will be released only when Hamas is destroyed. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR. The final defendant accused of illegally selling ketamine to actor Matthew Perry is now facing up to 45 years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty.

As Steve Futterman reports, Perry died after overdosing at his Los Angeles home nearly two years ago. Jasveen 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.

Negotiations between 10,000 striking unionized flight attendants at Air Canada and the airline have resumed. These are the first negotiations in nearly a week. In an act of defiance, the workers say they will not return to work despite a government order. The flight attendants walked off the job Saturday after contract talks failed to reach a new agreement. The two sides have been far apart on pay raises and work rules, including being paid for work they do before a flight begins, which they are not paid for. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. I'm Dan Ronan.

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