NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-19-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

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Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. President Trump says he has begun to arrange a meeting between Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, and Russian president, Vladimir Putin, told him to discuss bringing an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. He said he called Putin after yesterday's meeting at the White House with Zelensky. European leaders were also present. French president, Emmanuel Macron, praised the U.S. commitment to security guarantees for Ukraine as a key outcome. British Prime Minister, Kier-Starmer also welcome that development. The agreement that the coalition of willing countries, that's 30 countries, already working together on security guarantees, will now work with the U.S. on those guarantees, coordinating, and we have already commissioned our teams to do the detailed further work on that. But he said many issues remain, including the exchange of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia during the war. The FBI is adding Missouri's Attorney General to its ranks.

As St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports Andrew Bailey comes to the investigative agency after a controversial tenure in Missouri. Bailey is resigning in September to become the FBI's co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino. After getting appointed as Missouri's Attorney General in 2022, Bailey attracted nationwide controversy after he unsuccessfully sought to bar transgender adults from accessing gender-affirming care. He's also sought to preserve Missouri's abortion restrictions after voters there passed a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights. Bailey is joining the FBI amid a firestorm over its handling of files related to convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. For NPR News, I'm Jason Rosenbaum and St. Louis. Former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown officially launched his return to politics yesterday. He

had lost his Senate seat to a Republican in November, NPR's Deirdre Walsh reports, the longtime Democrat was a top recruit to try to flip a red seat blue in the Senate. Republican Bernie Moreno defeated Brown in 2024. Now Brown is facing Ohio Senator John Hustett, who is running to serve the final two years of former senator and now Vice President J.D. Vance's seat.

Brown says in a video posted on social media, he'll stand up for workers. I didn't plan to run for office. again. But when I see what's going on, I know I can do something about it for Ohio. That's why I'm running for seven. The Senate GOP campaign arm argued Brown's quote radical agenda is out of step with the state and he will be rejected again by voters. Republicans hold a three-seat majority and Democrats face a tough map to defend incumbents and pick up four seats to retake control of the chamber. Deirdre Walsh, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News. You're listening to NPR News.

in Washington. The strike against Air Canada is in its fourth day. Flight attendants walked off the job Saturday morning after their union rejected the latest contract offer. The government had ordered the workers back to work, and the Labor Board declared yesterday the strike is illegal. But the union says the strike is still on, but it says the two sides have resumed negotiations. The strike is affecting about 130,000 travelers a day at the peak of the summer travel season. In parts of rural Kenya, roughly 40 of every 1,000 babies die before they turn a year old. But as NPR's Jonathan Lampert reports, new research suggests simply giving households extra money could cut that rate by half.

From 2014 to 2017, the nonprofit give directly gave $1,000 to over $10,000 of the most cash-strapped households across Western Kenya. A team of researchers followed those households and found that cash made a big difference for those that had kids. Not only did infant mortality drop by nearly half, but 45 percent fewer children died before they turned five. The benefits were highest among households who got cash right around the time of birth, and who lived within 30 minutes of a health care facility. Those reductions are about in line with more established interventions like anti-malarial drugs or vaccines. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. Health officials in Texas say the measles outbreak is over. 762 cases have been reported since January.

With nearly 100 hospitalized, two children died, they say the last outbreak-related measles case was reported on July 1st. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.