NPR News: 08-17-2025 8PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now – August 17, 2025, 8PM EDT

Host: Jeanine Herbst
Date: August 18, 2025
Duration: 5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This concise NPR News Now episode delivers a fast-paced roundup of breaking national and international stories, including new diplomatic moves on the war in Ukraine, security escalations in Washington, D.C., upcoming Federal Reserve action, the passing of iconic actor Terence Stamp, and box office highlights.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. White House Talks on Ukraine and Tensions with Russia

[00:20–01:24]

• Headline: European leaders will meet with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine.
• French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions, stating he does not believe Putin wants peace.
• Recent talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska did not produce a peace deal; Trump has shifted his public position, now favoring a broader "peace agreement" rather than an immediate ceasefire, aligning more with Putin's stance.
• European leaders and Ukraine continue to push for an immediate ceasefire as the most practical goal.

Notable Quote:

• Macron: "Do I think President Putin wants peace? My answer is no." (Rebecca Rossman reporting, 00:43)

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2. National Guard Escalates Presence in Washington D.C.

[01:24–02:23]

• National Guard members may be formally armed on the streets of Washington, D.C. in support of the Trump administration’s push to tighten security and combat crime and homelessness.
• The move follows President Trump’s efforts to take control of the city’s police department.
• The decision has drawn criticism from some local residents and officials, who note that violent crime is actually down this year. However, several Republican governors have pledged to support the initiative by sending additional Guard troops.

Notable Quote:

• Joe Hernandez: "A spokesperson for the District of Columbia National Guard tells NPR that members may be armed consistent with their mission and training." (01:40)

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3. Wall Street Eyes Fed Chair Powell’s Economic Speech

[02:23–03:16]

• Investors are closely watching for signs of a potential interest rate cut when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers an economic address in Jackson Hole.
• The Fed has left rates steady throughout 2025 after a significant cut last year.
• Recent evidence suggests a weakening labor market, which may shift policy priorities from tackling inflation to supporting employment.
• President Trump’s tariffs are cited as a factor possibly putting upward pressure on prices.

Notable Quote:

• Rafael Nam: "There are now signs that the labor market could be slowing significantly. That could force policymakers to pivot from prioritizing inflation to paying more attention to the labor market." (02:35)

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4. Remembrance: Actor Terence Stamp Dies at 87

[03:16–04:19]

• Terence Stamp, celebrated for roles from “Billy Budd” and “Superman” to “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” has died at 87.
• Stamp’s career is highlighted, noting his early impact and versatility, performing everything from heartthrob leads to villains and complex, groundbreaking characters.

Memorable Moments:

• Bob Mondello: “‘Had he been less of an actor, he might have stayed a heartthrob. Instead, he challenged himself every time out.’” (03:45)
• Rebecca Rossman (as Stamp’s character, Bernadette): “‘Being a man one day and a woman the next is not an easy thing to do.’” (04:09)
• Bob Mondello: “There wasn’t much that actor Terence Stamp couldn’t play.” (04:13)

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5. Weekend Box Office Results

[04:19–04:59]

• Weapons, a horror film, topped the U.S. box office with $25 million.
• Freakier Friday, a sequel starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, brought in $14 million.
• Nobody 2, the action sequel, took third with $9 million. The film sees protagonist Hutch Mansell on a disastrous family vacation.

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Segment Timestamps

• Ukraine White House Talks & Macron’s Critique: 00:20–01:24
• National Guard Security Changes in D.C.: 01:24–02:23
• Fed’s Powell Speech & Economic Forecast: 02:23–03:16
• Terence Stamp Remembrance: 03:16–04:19
• Weekend Box Office: 04:19–04:59

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Notable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |------------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:43 | Emmanuel Macron | "Do I think President Putin wants peace? My answer is no." | | 01:40 | Joe Hernandez | "Members may be armed consistent with their mission and training." | | 02:35 | Rafael Nam | "There are now signs that the labor market could be slowing significantly..." | | 03:45 | Bob Mondello | "Had he been less of an actor, he might have stayed a heartthrob. Instead, he challenged himself every time out." | | 04:09 | Rebecca Rossman | "Being a man one day and a woman the next is not an easy thing to do." | | 04:13 | Bob Mondello | "There wasn't much that actor Terence Stamp couldn't play." |

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains NPR's concise, informative, and objective tone, highlighting urgent news developments and significant cultural moments with clarity and humanity.

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Transcript

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[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News, I'm Jeanine Herbst. European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House tomorrow for crucial talks with President Trump about Russia's war in Ukraine, among them French President Emmanuel Macron, who today had some sharp words for Russia's Vladimir Putin. NPR's Rebecca Rossman has more from Paris.

[Rebecca Rossman]

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Macron didn't hold back. Do I think President Putin wants peace? My answer is no, he said. Macron's comments come just days after Putin met with President Trump in Alaska, a three hour meeting that produced no deal to end the war. Trump had said the main goal of the meeting was a ceasefire. But after the meeting, Trump shifted his tone, writing on social media a peace agreement, not a ceasefire, was the way to end the war, a position more aligned with Putin. European leaders and Ukraine continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, which they see as the most realistic way to halt the fighting. Rebecca Rossman, NPR News, Paris.

[Jeanine Herbst]

National Guard members patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C. may start carrying weapons, and as NPR's Joe Hernandez reports, they're there as part of the Trump administration's plan to dramatically ramp up policing in the Capitol.

[Joe Hernandez]

A spokesperson for the District of Columbia National Guard tells NPR that members may be armed consistent with their mission and training. The US army said last week that guard members weapons would remain in the armory if needed. The Guard is on the streets of D.C. as part of President Trump's effort to take control of the city's police department and crack down on crime and homelessness. Some residents and officials have criticized criticized Trump's plan and noted that Washington's violent crime rate is down compared to last year. Still others support the effort. And on Saturday, the three Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio said they would send their own National Guard troops to the Capitol to help. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Investors on Wall street this week will pay close attention to a speech from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. NPR's Rafael Nam reports. The focus will be on whether he hints at potential rate cuts next month.

[Rafael Nam]

After cutting interest rates by a full percentage point last year, the Fed has been more cautious, keeping them steady so far in 2025. That caution comes as President Trump's tariffs threatened to raise prices in the U.S. but investors now believe the Fed will need to cut rates at its next policy meeting in September because there are now signs that the labor market could be slowing significantly. That could force policymakers to pivot from prioritizing inflation to paying more attention to the labor market. So investors will tune in this week when Powell is set to deliver an economic speech during a Fed event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Rafael Nam, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

This is NPR News. British actor Terence Stamp, star of Billy Budd and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has died, according to multiple media reports. He was 87 years old. NPR's Bob Undello has this remembrance.

[Bob Mondello]

In his 1962 debut, his sailor Billy Budd watched a flogging with eyes so innocent. What was his crime? God only knows, young man, Audiences just melted.

[Rebecca Rossman]

You mean you don't know what he did?

[Bob Mondello]

Had he been less of an actor, he might have stayed a heartthrob. Instead, he challenged himself every time out as a psychopath in the Collector, a seductive stranger in Theorem, an ex con bent on revenge in the Limey. The roles for which later audiences best remember him are a good indication of his range. A supervillain in Superman I and II kneel before Zor and Bernadette, a middle aged trans woman in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

[Rebecca Rossman]

Being a man one day and a woman the next is not an easy thing to do.

[Bob Mondello]

There wasn't much that actor Terence Stamp couldn't play. Bob Mondello, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

At the weekend box office, the horror film Weapons took the top spot once again with an estimated $25 million in ticket sales. In second place, Freakier Friday with $14 million. The sequel to the 2003 film Freaky Friday brings back the stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. In third place, the R rated action sequel Nobody 2 with $9 million. That film follows the pandemic success of the first in the series Nobody, released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, the assassin turned nice guy, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much needed family vacation that goes awry. This is NPR News.

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