NPR News Now - NPR News: 07-07-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Parts of central Texas are bracing for additional rain as first responders continue search and rescue operations amid catastrophic flooding in the region. Close to 90 people have died, with the death toll expected to rise. NPR Sergio Martinez Beltran is in Kerr County, one of the hardest hit areas. They say more floods would mean more damage and devastation to an area that has already endured a lot. Now, search and rescue operations are ongoing, that is despite an increase in the number

of deaths. There's also cleanup operations happening in the area. We've seen trucks pull out cars and other forms of debris from the Guadalupe River. But it's going to take some time. The devastation here, it's pretty incredible. That's NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran reporting from Kurd County. The deadly flooding in Texas was caused by extremely heavy rain. NPR's Rebecca Herscher reports climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the most intense storms.

Up to 12 inches of rain fell in central Texas in the early hours of July 4th. It was too much water for the ground to soak up, and the excess water was funneled into low areas in the hilly region, causing catastrophic flash floods. Flash floods are relatively common in the area, but climate change is making such rain events even worse. That's because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. The heaviest storms in Texas are dropping about 20 percent more rain today than they were in the late 1950s, when the Earth's climate was significantly cooler. That's according to the National Climate Assessment. And the risk is projected to grow as global temperatures continue to rise.

Rebecca Herscher, NPR News. Investors got an unwelcome reminder today that President Trump still likes tariffs. NPR's Scott Horsley reports stocks on Wall Street fell after Trump threatened to impose higher import taxes on goods from Japan, South Korea, and a number of other countries. In letters posted on social media, Trump threatened to slap tariffs of 25 percent on all imports from Japan and South Korea starting August 1st, with even higher rates on goods from other trading partners. Trump had initially proposed similar taxes on imports back in April, but he agreed to

temporarily lower the tariff rate to 10 percent after a sharp sell-off in the stock market. In the weeks since, stocks have rebounded and investors seem to be betting that Trump would not follow through on his more draconian tariff threats. A 90-day window for negotiating new trade deals is about to close, however, and few new agreements have been reached. Trump does say in his letters that tariff rates could be adjusted if other countries take steps to open their own markets to US exports. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. At the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 422

points. The Nasdaq Composite lost 188. This is NPR News from Washington. The US has reported the highest number of measles this year than in any other year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. That's according to data from the Center for Outbreak Response and Innovation at Johns Hopkins. NPR's Maria Gadoy reports the United States has now surpassed more than 1,200 cases. The previous high was reached in 2019, and this year is only halfway over. Measles cases have been confirmed by more than three dozen states plus the District of Columbia. The

largest outbreak by far is in Texas. The state has reported 753 measles cases this year, though the outbreak there has slowed. Across the U.S., 155 people have been hospitalized and three people have died. Measles is highly contagious, but it is vaccine preventable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vast majority of measles cases have been in unvaccinated people or those whose vaccination status is unknown. Maria Godoy, NPR News. The Justice Department and the FBI say they have found no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein had a client list.

They also say there's no evidence that Epstein, a convicted sex offender, blackmailed prominent associates. Those are some of the conclusions contained in a memo outlining the review the department conducted of the Epstein files. The memo also states that Epstein died by suicide, a finding that aligns with previous department statements. He died at a federal lockup in New York City in August of 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

This is NPR News.