Trump-Zelenskyy meeting; John Bolton indicted : NPR
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Today’s best stories
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with President Trump today at the White House for the third time this year. Zelensky is seeking long-range weapons that could strike targets deep inside Russia and the president’s help in reaching a ceasefire deal that would benefit Ukraine. Additionally, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and announced they would meet in Hungary to discuss ending the war. Here’s what to expect from Trump’s meeting with Zelensky.
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, August 18.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 Trump seemed receptive to the idea of providing Tomahawk cruise missileswho can travel thousands of miles, right up to his phone call with Putin, says NPR’s Joanna Kakissis First. Putin warned that supplying these missiles to Ukraine would be a provocation. Ukraine has hit Russian oil industry targets more than 50 times since August, putting a strain on Russia’s fuel supplies. As a result, Ukrainian military officials say Russia is losing momentum on the front line. Ukrainian forces claim to have reclaimed some lands occupied by Russian troops. With Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin, Ukrainians fear that Trump will once again change his attitude towards Ukraine.
John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term, was indicted yesterday for mishandling classified information. The indictment charges Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of that information. Each count could carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Bolton became a vocal critic of Trump after leaving office.
- 🎧 The president urged the Justice Department to prosecute alleged political enemies, and indictments followed.but this case comes from a different U.S. attorney’s office, says NPR’s Ryan Lucas. Bolton’s case followed normal procedure and the investigation was continuing under the Biden administration. Bolton says he has become “the latest target of the Justice Department’s weaponization” by accusing Trump’s views of the enemy. He says he looks forward to fighting to defend his lawful conduct and expose the president’s abuses of power.
Gaza faces reconstruction challenges as the first phase of the ceasefire remains in place. The territory has no money, unexploded bombs lie among the rubble, and around 90 percent of the buildings are damaged or destroyed.
- 🎧 First step for Palestinians is to clear the rubblethen get the supplies needed to rebuild, says NPR’s Greg Myre, who is in Tel Aviv. Cement is a basic building material, but Israel says that in the past Hamas siphoned it from Gaza to build hundreds of kilometers of concrete tunnels for its fighters. Israel does not want this to happen again and plans to closely monitor construction materials, meaning the flow of supplies entering Gaza could slow.
Deep dive
Many people are attracted to AI chatbots marketed to help with their emotional problems as alternatives to expensive therapy. OpenAI claims that ChatGPT has nearly 700 million weekly users, more than 10 million of whom pay $20 per month. It’s unclear how many of these users turn to “mental health companions,” but some people say it’s become their most accessible form of support. However, experts say they are not a substitute for therapy or companionship.
- ➡️ AI chatbots can be beneficial when using evidence-based treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy, with ethical guardrails and coordination with a real therapist, says Dr. Jodi Halpern, a psychiatrist and bioethics specialist at UC Berkeley.
- ➡️ Halpern says a hard line for her is when chatbots attempt to act as emotional confidants or simulate deep therapeutic relationships, especially when doing so creates emotional dependency.️
- ➡️ A problem can arise when a person uses an AI chatbot alongside a real therapist and does not tell their therapist about it. The orientations between the two entities could conflict and harm the therapeutic process.
Learn more about the risks of using AI for mental health.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text. 988 to reach the lifeline 988 Suicide & Crisis.
Weekend Picks
Andrew Scott, left, as Richard Rodgers and Ethan Hawke, right, as Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s Blue moon.
Sabrina Lantos/Sony Pictures Classics
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Sabrina Lantos/Sony Pictures Classics
Find out what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Director Richard Linklater and actor Ethan Hawke discuss their new film Blue Moon with Morning edition host Leïla Fadel. The film focuses on a painful night for lyricist Lorenz Hart, the opening night of Oklahoma!
📺 Television: When the weather cools down, it’s the perfect time to relax and watch lots of new shows. Here are 12 recent or upcoming releases to watch.
📚 Books: Julian Brave’s new book NoiseCat, We survived the nightis part memoir, part indigenous history, and part “coyote stories.” He tells NPR it’s beautiful to be able to create art and tell stories from a Native perspective.
🎵 Music: By Tame Impala Mortuary at Gucci Mané Episodeshere are the new albums of this week.
🎮 Games: Pokémon Legends: ZA looks like a mega evolution for the series – a remarkable achievement that plays smoothly on Switch 2, especially after the disappointing bugs of Pokémon Scarlet and Purple, writes reviewer Jamal Michel.
🍲 Food: Michael W. Twitty’s new cookbook, Recipes from the American Southteaches home cooks how to prepare Southern dishes that better reflect the region’s complex and ever-changing history. Check out this okra soup recipe, found in this book.
❓Quizzes: A “not too bad” rating of seven out of 11. Not my best. Now it’s your turn to try.
3 things to know before you leave
NPR’s Susan Stamberg attends the ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on March 3, 2020.
Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images
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Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images
NPR’s Susan Stamberg attends the ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on March 3, 2020.
Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images
- Susan Stamberg, the “founding mother” of NPR and the first American woman to anchor a national nightly news program, died yesterday at the age of 87. See photos showing his legacy here.
- Consumer Reports has found high levels of lead in some popular protein powders, but says that may not be a reason to throw them out. Here’s why and what you need to know before you buy.
- Doctors are warning people, especially parents, about an instant ramen addiction that can cause burns. This was sparked by the popular animated film Demon Hunters KPop.
This newsletter was published by Obed Manuel.
