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Push for Ukraine Peace, Mass Protests Planned & New Streaming Bundle - Friday, October 17, 2025
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The news to know for Friday, October 17, 2025! We’re talking about why the White House thinks peace in Ukraine could be just around the corner. Also, the criminal charges filed against another one of President Trump’s prominent critics. And a...
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Today is Friday, October 17th. We're talking about why the White House thinks peace in Ukraine could be just around the corner. Also, the criminal charges filed against another one of President Trump's prominent critics. And a surprise move for the US Military commander in charge of the Caribbean boat strikes. Plus the protests that could bring out millions of people all over the US the first state run program to offer a critical life saving drug. And a man's year round effort to make Halloween special for thousands of kids. Those stories and even more news to know coming up. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. Coming off a ceasefire in Gaza, President Trump is now focused on Ukraine. Trump is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House today and he's making plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin next, though the exact date for that meeting has not been announced just yet. Already Trump and Putin held a call that the American president called very productive. And it seemingly dimmed the prospects of Ukraine getting Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US as it's been requested. The missiles are capable of traveling 1,000 miles. While Trump said he directly asked Putin during their call, quote, would you mind if I gave a couple thousand Tomahawks to your opposition? And said Putin didn't like the idea, the Russian government says Putin told Trump the missiles would not change the situation in Ukraine, but would damage the relationship between Russia and the U.S. besides Tomahawk missiles, Trump and Zelensky today are expected to talk about other long range weapons and America's restrictions on using them inside Russia. But they could also talk about the path to a ceasefire. And overall, Trump says the war should be over soon. Stay tuned. A former Trump adviser who became one of the president's most outspoken critics is now facing criminal charges. A federal grand jury indicted John Bolton for illegally hoarding and sending sensitive information. Specifically, the charges accuse him of storing top secret records at home and sending classified national security documents through a personal AOL account. When he worked in the first Trump administration, he allegedly revealed intelligence about future US Attacks, foreign adversaries and international relations. And if he's found guilty, he could face decades in prison. Bolton responded by saying the charges distort the facts. He called this all part of an intense effort by Trump to intimidate his opponents. This is the third Trump critic to face criminal charges in the last month. Remember former FBI Director James Comey is being charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. And New York State Attorney General Letitia James is charged with bank fraud. They all insist they're not guilty, though it is worth noting the investigation of Bolton has been going on for a while and it was already well underway even before President Trump came back to the White House. The government shutdown is now in its 17th day, and at this point, there's still no sign of how it might end. For the 10th time yesterday, the Senate failed to advance a bill to extend government funding and end the shutdown. The Senate also voted on a long term bill to fund just the Pentagon. But that vote also failed. And with that, the chamber adjourned for the weekend, meaning the shutdown will stretch into next week. So what's next? Well, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he's planning to bring up a bill next week to immediately pay federal employees who work during the shutdown. At this point, many of them are not getting their paychecks until after the government reopens. Expiring health care tax credits are still at the center of this fight. Thune says he told Democrats he can guarantee a vote on those credits being extended, just like they've been demanding, but that he could not promise it would pass. Well, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thune actually has not presented a formal proposal and that Democrats are, quote, not negotiating in public. For now, it seems those negotiations are at a standstill. We talk a lot more about the impact of this ongoing shutdown and what it might take to end it on this weekend's special edition Saturday. It comes out tomorrow morning. The military commander who oversees attacks against boats in the Caribbean has abruptly decided to step down. It was a surprise move, Defense Secretary, AKA War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced this week without giving a reason. Reuters cites sources who say there had been tension between Admiral Alvin Holsey and Hegseth over the Caribbean operations and there were questions about whether he would be fired in the days leading to the announcement. Admiral Halsey is now retiring two years ahead of schedule. Of course, this comes against the backdrop of a military buildup in the Caribbean that includes American guided missile destroyers and F35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops. US military strikes against suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela have killed dozens of people. The Trump administration says it's at war with narco terrorist groups from Venezuela, making the strikes legitimate. But there are some legal questions and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have questioned the legal justification since Congress was not involved in the decision making. In the meantime, the buildup continues and training flights have been happening less than 90 miles from Venezuela and in what's seen as a show of aerial threats. To be continued the U.S. marine Corps is celebrating its 250th anniversary this weekend, and it's doing so with a big event in Southern California that Vice President J.D. vance and Defense or War Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to attend. The celebration will include training exercises to showcase military readiness from the air, land and sea. Well, it set up another dispute between the Trump White House and California governor Gavin Newsom, who called the event a vanity parade. To that, Trump administration officials accused Newsom of unnecessarily politicizing the situation and said the event is actually pretty routine. Tomorrow's showcase will be recorded and included in a national primetime broadcast set to air next month. We have more news for you still coming up, but first, a quick break for our sponsor. You know that one T shirt you always reach for? The one that's just right every time? For me, that's been my Skims teaser. I recently got the Skims Boyfriend T shirt and I love it. It's oversized, incredibly soft and somehow manages to feel relaxed yet polished at the same time. I can wear it around the house or style it with jeans and feel put together and trendy. On the other end of the spectrum is the Skims Cotton Jersey tee. It's more form fitting but so flattering. I love the short sleeve version for everyday wear and the long sleeve one is perfect for these cooler in between fall days. Both are great for layering as well, and every style has that signature Skims quality, premium soft fabrics, perfect fits and pieces that just make you feel good in your own skin. So shop my favorite T shirts now@skims.com newsworthy. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you. You can select podcast in the survey and choose our show the Newsworthy from the dropdown menu that follows. That's skims.com newsworthy. Now back to the news. The winter could be rainy, sunny or snowy. All depending on where you live, of course. National weather forecasters with NOAA have released their updated predictions for December, January and February. They say many states, especially in the south and Southwest, are likely to see warmer than average temperatures and less rain than usual. The opposite is likely true in the Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest, where it's expected to be colder, rainier and snowier than usual. Granted, this is not a sure thing. Meteorologists say the forecasts are much more reliable about a week in advance, so they suggest keeping an eye on the weather so you're not caught off guard by any sudden winter storms. Millions of Americans could come out in protest tomorrow. In fact, organizers say they want it to be the largest protest in modern American history. It's a follow up to no Kings protests that happened over the summer in opposition of President Trump's direction for the country. This time, more than 2,500 events are planned across all 50 states. Especially large turnout is expected at rallies in Washington, D.C. new York City, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, where organizers say there's a lot of attention on increased immigration enforcement and free speech concerns. Several groups are participating, like the aclu, American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Campaign and so on, and many Democrats are expected to make appearances. But many Republicans are criticizing the no Kings movement, with GOP leaders calling it a Hate America rally. To check if a no Kings rally or march is happening near you, whether you want to join it or avoid it, we've posted a link to the website in today's episode. Notes California is becoming the first state to sell low cost insulin through a state prescription program. The program is going to offer Californians Insulin pens for $11 each, which is far below market cost. Without health insurance, insulin can cost as much as $400 for five pens. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the new offering yesterday and said the low cost insulin will become available in January. The company behind it also plans to distribute affordable insulin to pharmacies nationwide. Already this year, the state's label, CalRx, started selling a medication that blocks the effects of opioids, also at below market prices. It's also working on an asthma treatment. And next CalRx is looking into vaccines and GLP1s. Remember, President Trump recently unveiled TrumpRx, which is a government website to let people pay cash for certain prescription drugs. Those prices will be negotiated by the federal government. The world's largest food company is shrinking its workforce. Nestle says it's going to lay off 16,000 people over the next two years, mostly white collar workers. The company says some of their work will be automated. Of course, this comes as the rise of artificial intelligence has fueled fears over job losses. And Nestle says it already uses AI for several functions. Its stock rose after news of the downsizing came out. Now keep in mind, Nestle is just the latest company to cut its white collar workforces. Others that have already done so this year include Oracle, Microsoft, Amazon, Volvo and more. Apple and NBCUniversal are joining forces on a new streaming bundle. Starting next week, customers will have the option to get Apple TV and peacock premium for $15 a month. And if you're already subscribed to either, you'll start getting certain content from the other for free. For example, Peacock customers will be able to see up to three episodes of shows like Slow Horses and Prehistoric Planet. And Apple TV customers will be able to watch three episodes of shows like Law and Order and Real Housewives of Miami from Peacock. Of course, these are just the latest streaming bundles available from rival companies. Another popular one includes Disney, Hulu and espn. Together, hbo, Max and Starz both have nearly a dozen bundle offerings in the U.S. speaking of streaming, this weekend you can watch a classic Halloween cartoon for free. No subscription required. Apple TV is making it's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown available for this weekend only. Well, that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Feel Good Friday, when we bring you one extra feel good or positive news story before the weekend. But first, a quick break to thank our sponsor. I still remember when Calm first started showing up on Instagram years ago with those simple posts that had to stop and just take a deep breath. Remember those? And honestly, I did stop. I stopped scrolling, I took a deep breath and I felt a little better. Now using the Calm app feels like that same much needed pause. But for my real life, things can feel hectic and with the holiday season nearing, there are so many things we start to feel like we should be doing. But Calm is a fantastic tool to help release all that stress and find the time to breathe and feel better in your day. It is no surprise to me that Calm is the number one app for sleep and meditation. I personally love guided meditations, the calming music, some short motivational talks, and when needed, a sleep meditation. Calm your mind, Change your life. Calm has an exclusive offer just for listeners of our show. You can get 40% off a Calm premium subscription at calm.comnewsworthy this is an amazing value. Go to C-A-L-M.comnewsworthy for 40% off unlimited access to Calm's entire library. Calm.comnewsworthy and tell Calm you heard about them from me. Now back to Feel Good Friday. It's that time of year when children everywhere are thinking about how they'd like to dress up on Halloween. And one man in Austin is making sure no kids get left out all year long. Kristoff Wagner scours Texas thrift stores for children's Halloween costumes. He says he especially keeps an eye out for anything shiny, sparkly or furry. For the past nine years, Wagner has collected thousands of costumes. He washes, repairs and sometimes redesigns them, too, finding ways to make each piece feel brand new. Every year, he hosts an event called October's Child, where kids can pick out Halloween costumes for free. And this year, Wagner made more than 2,000 of them available, ranging from princess to superhero. Now he's already on the hunt for next year's treasures, saying they're just out there waiting for him to find and collect. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll be back tomorrow with our special edition Saturday episode, all about the government shutdown, why it's happening, what's at stake, and how it might end. Then we'll be back on Monday with the latest news to know. For now, have a great weekend.