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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton is pleading not guilty to all 18 charges of an indictment related to the mishandling of classified information. He entered his plea this morning before Chief Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan in federal court in Maryland. Bolton accuses President Trump, for whom he worked in his first term, of weaponizing the Justice Department to retaliate against his most prominent political critics. Hundreds of no kings demonstrations are planned across the US this weekend to declare that President Trump is not a king and his rule is not absolute. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has this take, though, on this weekend's events.
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We refer to it by its more accurate description, the Hate America rally, and I'm not sure how anybody can refute that.
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Well, the demonstrations are being held against a backdrop of controversial National Guard troop deployments and immigration enforcement actions in mainly Democratic led jurisdictions. Ukrainian President Volodya Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected back at the White House for another meeting with President Trump about an hour from now. NPR's Joanne Kakissis has more from Kyiv.
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Zelenskyy's relationship with Trump has improved dramatically in the last few months since Trump and Vice President J.D. vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office this February. Zelenskyy says he will nominate Trump for next year's Nobel Peace Prize if Trump can secure a ceasefire that's fair to Ukraine. Ukrainian lawmaker Aleksandr Merezhko said the obstacle is Putin.
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Putin, he's not interested in any kind of ceasefire because ceasefire or peace for him means political death. He might lose power if he stops war aggression.
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Trump spoke to the Russian leader by phone on Thursday, and they're set to meet in Hungary soon. Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kyiv.
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The administration has struck a third drug company deal as part of its push to lower drug prices in America. This one focuses on drugs used in in vitro fertilization. More from NPR's Sydney.
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President Trump announced drug maker EMD Sirono has agreed to lower prices for its fertility drugs like Garnil F, 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 Sirono's other drugs for things like cancer and multiple sclerosis. The announcement is part of the president's push to bring US 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 Sirono will get an expedited FDA review of a new drug and relief from certain tariffs. Sidney Lupkin, NPR News.
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The Dow is up nearly 100 points. You're listening to NPR. NPR has learned that a constellation of classified defense satellites built. The commercial company SpaceX is emitting a mysterious signal. NPR's Jeff Brumfiel has the latest.
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An amateur satellite observer in Canada named Scott Tilley discovered the signal accidentally.
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It was just a clumsy move at the keyboard. I was just resetting some stuff when.
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All of a sudden up popped a signal from space. It came from Starshield, a network of classified satellites built by SpaceX for the US government. Starshield is broadcasting on radio frequencies normally reserved to send commands. Two satellites in orbit. Tilly worries it might disrupt communications with other scientific and commercial satellites. It's unclear what the signal is for. SpaceX and the U.S. national Reconnaissance Office did not respond to NPR's request for comment. Jeff Brumfiel, NPR News.
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The major automaker Ford is now recalling more than 290,000 vehicles in the United States due to a defect with the rear view camera system. The company says the images might not show up well under certain lighting conditions and could increase the risk of a collision. Ford is not reporting connections between the defect and injuries or accidents. The Recall affects certain F250, 350 and 450 SD vehicles between the 2020 to 2022 model years. The Dow is up roughly 96 points. S&P is off 1. The Nasdaq is down 67. It's NPR News.
Podcast: NPR News Now
Host: Lakshmi Singh
Episode: NPR News: 10-17-2025 12PM EDT
Date: October 17, 2025
Duration: ~5 minutes
This episode delivers concise, up-to-date news headlines covering national politics, international diplomacy, healthcare policy, technology, and business. Key themes include the legal fallout from classified information cases, political demonstrations against presidential authority, ongoing diplomatic dynamics between the US, Ukraine, and Russia, moves to lower drug pricing, satellite interference concerns, and a major automotive recall.
“We refer to it by its more accurate description, the Hate America rally, and I'm not sure how anybody can refute that.”
— Speaker Mike Johnson, [00:42]
“Putin, he's not interested in any kind of ceasefire because ceasefire or peace for him means political death. He might lose power if he stops war aggression.”
— Aleksandr Merezhko, [01:33]
“It was just a clumsy move at the keyboard. I was just resetting some stuff when…All of a sudden up popped a signal from space.”
— Scott Tilley, [03:23]
This NPR News episode spans high-stakes news: a high-profile legal case with John Bolton, US political protests, pivotal diplomacy over Ukraine and Russia, new health policies on IVF drug pricing, technical intrigue with SpaceX’s classified satellites, and a sweeping Ford vehicle recall. With characteristic brevity and clarity, the episode captures the pulse of several urgent domestic and global issues in just five minutes.