NPR News: 08-17-2025 11PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now — August 17, 2025, 11PM EDT

Host: Dale Willman, NPR
Episode Theme:
A concise rundown of the day’s top global and national developments, focusing on Ukraine peace talks, National Guard deployment in D.C., Air Canada labor strikes, Asian markets, flooding in Pakistan, latest on SpaceX Starship, and North American box office figures.

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1. Ukraine Peace Talks & U.S. Involvement

[00:15–01:15]
Correspondents: Dale Willman (Host), Terry Schultz (Brussels), Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Ukraine President)

• Multinational Delegation Visits U.S.:
  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet President Trump at the White House, joined by key European leaders—presidents/prime ministers of Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the President of the European Commission, and the Secretary General of NATO.
• European Support:
  Zelenskyy thanked EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen for solidarity during a meeting in Brussels:

  “It’s very important that you are with us and that we speak to America and we speak together.” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy [00:46]

• Peace Deal Expectations:
  President Trump is set to present terms for a peace agreement based on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent proposals at a summit in Alaska. The terms are predicted to be challenging for Ukraine.
• Security Concerns:
  European leaders view Ukrainian security as deeply tied to their own and consider deploying peacekeeping or monitoring forces if a ceasefire occurs.

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2. National Guard Deployment in Washington, D.C.

[01:15–02:05]
Correspondents: Dale Willman (Host), Luke Garrett (Washington D.C.)

• Deployment Details:
  Over 800 soldiers and airmen are now stationed on D.C. streets, primarily surrounding federal lands and monuments. Initially, troops were unarmed, but the National Guard indicates arming could take place “consistent with their mission and training.” [01:27]
• Escalation & Political Response:
  West Virginia's Republican governor dispatched an additional 350 troops. President Trump declared a “crime emergency,” assuming partial control over D.C.’s police force.
• Historical Crime Context:
  Despite these measures, D.C.’s violent crime rate recently reached a three-decade low (lowest since 1994).

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3. Air Canada Flight Attendants’ Strike

[02:05–02:59]
Correspondents: Dale Willman (Host), Dan Karpenschuk (Toronto)

• Labor Dispute Escalation:
  Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants continue to defy a federal “back to work” order, canceling some 240 flights on Sunday. The strike began early Saturday.
• Government Orders & Union Defiance:
  Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered a resumption of operations, but the Canadian Union of Public Employees refused, accusing Air Canada:

  “[Relying] on the government to do its dirty work when talks get tough.” – CUPE Statement (Reported) [02:39]

• Resolution Outlook:
  Air Canada expects up to 10 days before normal operations resume. The dispute centers on wages and unpaid work hours.

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4. International & Business Headlines

[02:59–03:48]
Host: Dale Willman

• Asia Markets & Oil:
  Asian stock markets opened positively ahead of anticipated U.S. interest rate discussions. Oil prices slightly declined.
• Pakistan Flooding:
  Catastrophic flooding in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least 274, with many still missing and warnings of more rain and potential landslides.

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5. SpaceX Starship Test Flight Update

[03:48–04:29]
Correspondent: Jerry Clayton (San Antonio)

• FAA Clearance:
  The FAA approved SpaceX’s 10th Starship test flight from South Texas, targeting a launch as early as August 24th.
• Addressing Past Failures:
  Both Starship and its booster exploded during the May 27th (Flight 9) attempt. SpaceX claims fixes are in place after an FAA investigation found fuel component problems.
• Artemis 3 Mission:
  The upgraded Starship is critical for NASA’s plan to send astronauts to the Moon (Artemis 3, slated for 2027).

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6. Box Office: “Weapons” Maintains Lead

[04:29–04:54]
Host: Dale Willman

• Weekend Top Performer:
  The horror film Weapons leads the North American box office for the second week, adding $25 million (a 43% drop), accumulating to $89 million domestically.
• Runner-Up:
  Disney’s Freak Youk Friday sequel holds second place at $14.5 million.

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Notable Quotes

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy (on EU support):

  “It’s very important that you are with us and that we speak to America and we speak together.” [00:46]

• CUPE Statement (on labor dispute):

  “[Air Canada is] relying on the government to do its dirty work when talks get tough.” [Reported at 02:39]

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Key Timestamps

• [00:15] Ukraine peace talks preview and context
• [00:53] Zelenskyy’s quote on European support
• [01:27] D.C. National Guard armament update
• [02:19] Air Canada strike and union resistance
• [03:48] SpaceX Starship test flight details
• [04:29] Box office rankings

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Summary Tone:
Unbiased, concise, fact-driven, and focused on quick, essential updates for listeners.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Capital One with the Capital One Saver card. Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment. Capital One. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. [e-mail].

[B]

Live from NPR News. I'm Dale Willman. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be alone when he meets President Trump at the White House on Monday. Terry Scholz reports on the group of European leaders who will be accompanying Zelenskyy to find out what's in Trump's proposal for advancing a peace deal with r.

[C]

The president of the European Commission and the secretary general of NATO, along with the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany and Italy, will be joining President Zelensky in Washington. The Ukrainian leader thanked EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen when they met in Brussels Sunday.

[D]

It's very important that you are with us and that we speak to America and we speak together.

[C]

It's expected Trump will propose conditions for a peace deal suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin at last week's summit in Alaska, which would be very difficult for Ukraine to accept. Many European Ukrainian leaders consider their own security to be closely linked to Ukraine's, and some countries are willing to provide a peacekeeping or monitoring force if a ceasefire is reached. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels.

[B]

The Washington, D.C. national Guard says its troops now deployed on city streets may be armed. The Pentagon had initially said patrolling troops were not carrying lethal weapons. NPR's Luke Garrett has more.

[E]

More than 800 soldiers and airmen have been deployed into the nation's capital as of Saturday. The D.C. national Guard says troops have kept to areas surrounding federal lands and monuments, assisting other federal agencies. As of Sunday morning, the troops were not yet armed, according to Army Senior Master Sergeant Craig Clapper. But Clapper says Guard members may be armed consistent with their mission and training. Meanwhile, the Republican governor of West Virginia deployed 350 National Guard troops to D.C. president Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C. taking partial control of the local police. Violent crime in D.C. hit its lowest level in more than 30 years in 2024. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington.

[B]

Air Canada's 10,000 flight attendants are defying a federal government back to work order. As Dan Karpenschuk reports, the airline suspended plans to restart operations today, but flights will be resuming by Monday nights.

[F]

About 240 flights scheduled to begin operating Sunday have now been cancelled. The less than 12 hour strike by flight attendants began at 1am on Saturday morning. By the afternoon, federal Jobs Minister Patty Hydo had ordered the airline to resume operations, but the Canadian Union of Public Employees announced Sunday morning it would not comply with the minister's order and would instead remain on strike. The union says it invited Air Canada back to the bargaining table, accusing it of relying on the government to do its dirty work when talks get tough. Air Canada says it would take up to 10 days for operations to return to normal. The dispute has been over wages and unpaid work hours. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

[B]

Share markets in Asia have edged higher on Monday as markets there opened ahead of what is likely going to be an eventful week for interest rate policy in the U.S. oil prices, meanwhile, have slipped. You're listening to NPR News. The death toll from flooding in Pakistan's northwestern region has now reached at least 274. Rescuers recovered dozens of bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes on Sunday. The flooding took place on Friday, and officials say many vill remain missing. And they say more rain is likely through Tuesday, which could prompt some landslides. SpaceX officials say the next Starship test flight will launch from South Texas as soon as next weekend. As Texas Public Radio's Jerry Clayton reports, it comes as the company says it has fixed the problems from its last launch, which failed.

[G]

The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the way for a launch of Flight 10 as soon as August 24th. SpaceX aims to demonstrate the issues from its last launch on May 27 have been solved. Both the Starship spacecraft and the super heavy booster exploded in flight. An FAA investigation found issues with fuel components, which SpaceX says they have now corrected. The FAA wrapped up its investigation into the loss of Flight 9 just before SpaceX announced the next launch. SpaceX has been contracted by NASA to develop the rocket, which will carry astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis 3 mission sometime in 2027. I'm Jerry Clayton in San Antonio.

[B]

The horror film Weapons hung onto the top spot at North American box offices this weekend, bringing in another $25 million. That was a 43% drop, though, from its opening weekend. Its domestic total has now reached $89 million. Disney's sequel, Freak youk Friday, hung on to second with an additional 14 and a half million dollar take this weekend. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

[H]

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