NPR News: 06-26-2025 1AM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now Summary – June 26, 2025

Host: Shea Stevens
Release Date: June 26, 2025
Duration: Approximately 5 minutes

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1. Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and Former President Trump Discuss Peace Efforts

[00:21]
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in a significant conversation with former U.S. President Donald Trump during the recent N Summit. Zelenskyy expressed optimism that the Trump administration might influence Russia to cease its military actions against Ukraine.

[00:40]
In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy highlighted the discussion topics, stating they covered “securing a ceasefire and, real peace, as well as protecting Ukrainians from daily Russian strikes.” He added, “We appreciate the attention and willingness to help bring peace closer.”

This meeting marks their first interaction since April at Pope Francis's funeral. During their hour-long dialogue, they also touched upon Ukraine's plans to acquire additional air defense systems and the potential imposition of further sanctions on Russia. Trump commended Ukraine's courage and indicated his intention to discuss the cessation of the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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2. NATO’s Defense Spending and Iran’s Nuclear Program Under Scrutiny

[01:21]
NATO leaders have committed to allocating at least 5% of their annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense spending—a target emphasized by former President Trump. However, several member nations have raised concerns about the feasibility of meeting this financial commitment.

Simultaneously, the CIA has released an analysis suggesting that recent U.S. airstrikes have significantly impaired Iran's nuclear capabilities. The strikes reportedly destroyed several key sites, though earlier intelligence had cast doubt on the effectiveness of these attacks.

[01:57]
Jeff Brumfield from NPR elaborates on the situation: “The assessment found that 12 bunker buster bombs dropped by American aircraft may have done only limited damage at the site, which is deep inside a mountain.”

[02:15]
Raymond Jonlo, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, commented on the challenges of earth-penetrating weapons: “It depends enormously on the kind of rock, and it’s cheaper and easier for someone to dig deeper than it is to penetrate through that depth.”

[02:25]
Jeff Brumfield adds, “Iran has built its facility directly under the mountain's ridgeline to maximize protection.” Despite these challenges, Trump has continued to assert that the site has been “obliterated.”

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3. New Jersey Congresswoman Lamonica McIver Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges

[02:38]
Congresswoman Lamonica McIver from New Jersey has entered a plea of not guilty to federal assault and other related charges. She is accused of interfering with law enforcement during an incident at an immigration detention facility last month.

[02:54]
In her statement, McIver condemned the charges, saying: “Anybody who stands up to them, anyone who criticizes them, anyone who fights back against them, find themselves in these hairs that we're in today, in this moment of time that I'm dealing with right now, and that does not stop me from doing my job.”

She is specifically accused of jabbing a law enforcement officer while attempting to arrest the mayor of Newark. McIver maintains that she is being targeted and bullied by the Trump administration.

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4. Revival of Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor Backed by Microsoft

[03:10]
A significant development is underway at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear facility, which is set to restart ahead of schedule. Microsoft has secured a 20-year agreement to purchase electricity from the plant to power its data centers.

[03:33]
Jackson White reports that the facility, now renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, is projected to become operational by 2027. This move marks one of the first instances in the nation where a previously closed nuclear plant is being revived to support burgeoning artificial intelligence technologies. Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation, highlighted the economic benefits, including the creation of 600 permanent jobs in Pennsylvania.

[03:56]
Raymond Jonlo reflected on the plant’s history: “We made a mistake in shutting down this plant, but we’re not here to dwell on that mistake. We’re here to look to the future.”

[04:03]
Jackson White added, “Microsoft is agreeing to purchase the energy produced at the facility for 20 years in part to meet its climate target of becoming carbon negative.”

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5. Anniversary of Anti-Government Protests in Kenya Leads to Clashes

[04:13]
Kenya marked the first anniversary of widespread anti-government protests, which saw thousands take to the streets in various cities, including the capital, Nairobi. While the demonstrations were predominantly peaceful, clashes with police resulted in over 10 fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

The protests initially erupted due to public outrage over police brutality and the introduction of a controversial tax increase bill. The ongoing unrest underscores persistent tensions between the Kenyan populace and law enforcement agencies.

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6. Defence Tech Hackathons Spur Innovation in Military Technology

[04:30]
Engineering students, tech industry professionals, and hobbyists are converging at Defence Tech hackathons, such as the recent event in Sanders, England. These gatherings focus on developing innovative solutions to military challenges through brainstorming, coding, and hardware tinkering. Participants are not only honing their technical skills but also sharing groundbreaking ideas to advance defense technology.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the NPR News Now episode released on June 26, 2025, providing a comprehensive overview for those who did not listen to the original broadcast.

Transcript

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[Shea Stevens]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he had a long, meaningful talk with President Trump on the sidelines of the n summit. As NPR's Joanna Kakisis reports, Zelensky hopes the Trump administration will pressure Russia to end its war on Ukraine.

[Joanna Kakisis]

In a brief post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said he and President Trump talked about securing a ceasefire and, quote, real peace, as well as protecting Ukrainians from daily Russian strikes. We appreciate the attention and willingness to help bring peace closer, he wrote. The meeting lasted just under an hour. It's the first time the two men have met since April, when they spoke on the sidelines of Pope Francis funeral. They were supposed to talk about Ukraine's planned purchases of air defense systems as well as additional sanctions on Russia. Trump praised Ukraine for its bravery and said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war. Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kyiv.

[Shea Stevens]

NATO leaders have agreed to spend at least 5% of their annual gross domestic product on their own defense following pressure from President Trump. Some nations have already warned that it will be difficult for them to meet that target. A CIA analysis finds that Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged by US Airstrikes last weekend and that several key sites are now gone. An earlier US Intelligence assessment indicated that American bunker busters may not have destroyed an Iranian nuclear facility that's located deep Inside a Mountain. NPR's Jeff Brumfield has more on why the bombs may have failed.

[Jeff Brumfield]

The assessment found that 12 bunker buster bombs dropped by American aircraft may have done only limited damage at the site, which is deep inside a mountain. Raymond Jonlo is a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who studied earth penetrating weapons. He says it's quite possible the bombs didn't reach the target.

[Raymond Jonlo]

It depends enormously on the kind of rock, and it's cheaper and easier for someone to dig deeper than it is to penetrate through that depth.

[Jeff Brumfield]

Iran has built its facility directly under the mountain's ridgeline to maximize protection. President Trump has continued to describe the site as, quote, obliterated. Jeff Brumfiel, NPR news.

[Shea Stevens]

Congresswoman Lamonica McIver has pleaded not guilty to federal assault and other charges. The New Jersey Democrat is accused of interfering with law enforcement during a confrontation at an immigration detention facility last month. McIver says she's being bullied by the Trump administration.

[Lamonica McIver]

And anybody who stands up to them, anyone who criticizes them, anyone who fights back against them, find themselves in these hairs that we're in today, in this moment of time that I'm dealing with right now, and that does not stop me from doing my job.

[Shea Stevens]

McIver is accused of jabbing a law enforcement officer during attempts to arrest the mayor of Newark. She's pleaded not guilty. This is npr. A plan to restart a nuclear reactor at Pennsylvania's Three Mile island is ahead of schedule, as Jackson White reports. Microsoft has a 20 year deal to use electricity from the plant to supply its data centers.

[Jackson White]

The newly named Crane Clean Energy center is on track to open sometime in 2027. That's after the plant was shut down in 2019 due to economic reasons. Its opening will mark one of the first instances nationwide of a shuttered nuclear plant being reopened to power data centers used for artificial intelligence technologies. Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez is touting some of the economic benefits the plant could bring to Pennsylvania, like 600 new permanent jobs.

[Raymond Jonlo]

We made a mistake in shutting down this plant, but we're not here to dwell on that mistake. We're here to look to the future.

[Jackson White]

Microsoft is agreeing to purchase the energy produced at the facility for 20 years in part to meet its climate target of becoming carbon negative. For NPR News, I'm Jackson White at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.

[Shea Stevens]

Thousands of protesters clashed with police across Kenya Wednesday, the first anniversary of anti government demonstrations. The protests were largely peaceful, although there have been reports of violence in the capital, Nairobi. More than 10 people were killed and hundreds more were injured during the unrest there. Last year's protests were sparked by anger over police brutality and a controversial bill to raise taxes. Defence Tech hackathons are attracting engineering students, tech industry workers and hobbyists to solve military challenges. Teams of technology buffs recently gathered in Sanders, England, to brainstorm, write computer codes and to tinker with hardware. But many of the participants were there to share their ideas on defense technology. This is NPR News.

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