NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-17-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: October 17, 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 in Washington, I'm Shays Stevens. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton is facing 18 criminal counts over his handling of classified documents.

The grand jury indictment comes two months following raids on his home and office. As NPR's Ryan Lucas reports, prosecutors allege Bolton shared sensitive data with family members. It says that Bolton regularly sent diary-like entries to these two family members. It says he wrote these by transcribing handwritten notes that he took on yellow notepads about what he was doing on any given day, transcribed them into word processing documents that he sent electronically to these two family members. He also sent emails to them with classified information from his personal email accounts. NPR's Ryan Lucas. The Trump administration has struck another deal as part of its push to lower U.S. drug prices. This one focuses on drugs used in in vitro

fertilization. The tales from NPR, Sidney Lubkin. President Trump announced drug maker EMD Serrano has agreed to lower prices for its fertility drugs like Gano, sold directly to patients not using their insurance. All told, the company's IVF drugs will be offered at an 84% discount. But the deal doesn't include EMD Serono's other drugs for things like cancer and multiple sclerosis. The announcement is part of the president's push to bring U.S. drug prices in line with those paid in other countries, an effort he calls most favored nation pricing. And it follows his campaign promise to make IVF more affordable. A typical IVF cycle can cost as much as $30,000, and while drugs are part of that. They aren't the majority of the total cost. For its part, EMD. Serrano will get an

expedited FDA review of a new drug and relief from certain tariffs. Sydney Lufkin, NPR News. Venezuela is asking the UN Security Council to weigh in on the deadly U.S. strikes on a lids drug boats in the Caribbean. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, President Trump is defending the attacks. Venezuela's ambassador to the U.N., Samuel Moncada, says so far 27 people have been killed in strikes on what he calls civilian vessels in international waters. He says they included not only Venezuelans, but also citizens of Colombia and Trinidad. There is a killer prowling the Caribbean, block thirsty, looking for wars, and there is no justification at all. They are fabricating a war. But while he's calling the Security Council to investigate, the U.S. has veto power. And the Trump

administration is vowing to continue the strikes, which it says are part of a counter-drug campaign. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. President Trump will host a meeting with Ukraine's president on Friday. Trump has suggested selling U.S. tomahawk whistles to Ukraine in order to pressure Russia into negotiating a ceasefire. He spoke with Russian President Putin by phone Thursday with plans for the two leaders to meet in Hungary in two weeks. This is NPR. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is suing over the Trump administration's plan to charge companies $100,000 a year for new H-1B visas.

The Chamber's complaint alleges the move is illegal and would significantly harm American businesses. President Trump announced the fee last month, saying U.S. employers are bypassing American workers in order to get cheaper talent from overseas. H-1B visas are meant for highly skilled jobs primarily associated with tech workers from India. In Atlanta, a group founded by voting rights activists and politicians Stacey Abrams, shutting down by the end of the month. As Raul Bali with member station, WABE reports, the organization helped to register more young voters and voters of color. Interim CEO Reverend James Major Woodall cites several hits to the public's perception

of New Georgia Project. We've gone through several reductions in force. You have pending litigation, you have issues that have been made public in the news about internal issues and in disagreements It's about decisions that have been made in years past. While founder Stacey Abrams stepped down from the group in 2017, the State's Ethics Commission found the New Georgia Project and its affiliated Action Fund improperly coordinated with Abrams campaign on her failed 2018 run for governor. The groups refined a total of $300,000,

and a state legislative committee is investigating Abrams. For NPR News, I'm Raul Bally in Atlanta. U.S.S. futures are slightly lower in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News. Fall in love with new music every Friday. At All Songs Considered, that's NPR's Music Recommendation podcast, Fridays are where we spend our whole show sharing all the greatest new releases of the week. Make the hunt for new music a part of your life again. Tap into New Music Friday from All Songs Considered, available wherever you get your podcasts.