NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-17-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: October 18, 2025

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In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump posted on social media today that his phone call with Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky was very interesting and cordial. The conversation between the two leaders comes as Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are planning another in-person meeting. And Perez-Dip Shivram reports.

Trump says that he has told both Zelensky and Putin that it's time to make a deal to end the war. The president has been adamant that there's momentum to end the war after he brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The war in the Middle East was far more complicated. We got that one done. And I think we have a good chance. I think President Zelensky wants it done, and I think President Putin want it done. He and Zelensky discussed the U.S. providing Ukraine Tomahawk missiles, which Trump has said could put pressure on Putin to come to the negotiating table. But he seems to have walked that back after the chat with Putin.

No decision has been made about providing those weapons. Trump says he plans to meet with Putin in Hungary in the next. two weeks. Deepa Shiveram, NPR News, the White House. A Navy Admiral is leaving the U.S. Southern Command because of concerns about deadly U.S. strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean. That's according to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, as N. Perez-Quil-Lorrence reports. Secretary of Defense Pete Hakeseth announced that Admiral Alvin Halsey would retire after 37 years in the military. But it's almost unheard of for an officer not to finish the full three years of a command like this, especially in the middle of a

military buildup. Thousands of U.S. troops have moved into position off the Venezuelan coast, and the U.S. has destroyed several vessels the White House claims were carrying narcotics. Critics say those strikes amount to execution without trial. A U.S. official told NPR that Halsey recently met with Hegseh at the Pentagon to express his concerns about these strikes and that his resignation was announced by Hegseth shortly after. Quill-Larence NPR News. OpenA.I. says it's blocking people from making videos of Martin Luther King, Jr. following a backlash over disrespectful depictions. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports,

it's the latest move to curve the company's new AI video app, SORA. Since OpenAI launch at SORA 2 app three weeks ago, thousands of realistic-looking deepfakes of Martin Luther King Jr. have flooded social media. Some of the videos were ridiculous and absurd, others were offensive and racist. But now the late civil rights leader cannot be produced on the AI app. The decision was made at the request of King's daughter, who publicly condemned the videos and asked the public, to stop generating them. Open AISORA app has come under criticism of rights holders and

disinformation experts who say the app supercharges deepfakes across the internet. The company has been putting up guardrail slowly since the launch. Videos of most celebrities now cannot be made, but it was possible in the early days of the app. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Stocks finished the week on a high note, and you're listening to NPR News. Palestinians and aid workers are awaiting the reopening of the Rafa border crossing that connects Gaza to Egypt. Israel's foreign minister says the crossing will likely reopen on Sunday, but it's not clear if it will open for both aid deliveries and the movement of people in and out of the territory. It's an important link for people seeking medical treatment and international travel. Many Palestinians also have family in Egypt.

The sale last week of Dominion voting systems caught many of the state and local governments that used the company's equipment off guard. The announcement seemed geared toward people who were skeptical of elections, which added to government concerns. NPR's Miles Parks explains. NPR has spoken to voting officials in numerous states who say they found out the servicer of their elections equipment was changing hands from reading about it in the media. It didn't help that the buyer of Dominion voting systems, former Republican election official Scott Lindecker, seemed to lean into some of the unfounded suspicions surrounding the company since Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. As of today, Dominion is gone, read the first line of the press release announcing the sale.

It's unclear what's actually changing, though. Company representatives in Georgia sent an email to counties there that said Liberty Vote shares the same values as Dominion. Same team, same support, different name, the company wrote. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington. Portugal's Parliament has approved a bill that bans face fails being worn in public for gender or religious reasons. The measure is seen as targeting coverings, including Berkas and other courts. clothing that are worn by some Muslim women. It was proposed by the far-right Chega Party. The bill allows some exceptions for face veils worn on airplanes. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News. Support for NPR, and the

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