NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-07-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: August 8, 2025

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There's a lot of news happening. You want to understand it better, but let's be honest, you don't want it to be your entire life either. Well, that's sort of like our show, here and now anytime. Every weekday on our podcast, we talk to people all over the country about everything from political analysis to climate resilience, video games. We even talk about dumpster diving on this show. Check out Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. President Trump is calling for an unprecedented change to who gets counted in the U.S. census. As NPR's Hyundai-Lawong report, census numbers influence elections for presidents and the House of Representatives. Preparations for the 2030 census are already underway, but in a social media post, President Trump says he has instructed his administration to immediately begin work on a new census that excludes people living in the states without legal status. The 14th Amendment requires the, quote, whole number of persons in each state to be counted in the 20-30 census numbers set to be used to determine each state share of congressional seats.

And the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the final authority over the census. Decades ago, Congress passed a federal law allowing a mid-decade census in 2025, but the results cannot be used for redistributing house seats. Last month, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor-Green of Georgia introduced a bill that tries to change that and calls for a new census and congressional redistricting before next year's mid-term election. On Zil Wong, NPR News, Washington. President Trump plans to nominate White House economist Stephen Myron to fill a short-term vacancy on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors.

More from NPR, Scott Horsley. In a post on social media, Trump says he wants Myron to fill the seat on the Fed's governing board being vacated by Adriana Coogler, whose term is set to expire early next year. Coogler announced last week she's stepping down early to return to a teaching post at Georgetown University. Myron is currently chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisors. Trump says he's still searching for a nominee to fill the job of Fed Governor on a long-term basis. The President's been critical of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and his colleagues for not moving more aggressively to lower interest rates. Coogler's departure gives the President an early opportunity to put his stamp on the seven-member Fed governing board. Powell's term as Fed Chairman expires next May.

Scott Horsley, Empire News, Washington. President Trump says he's open to a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. NPR's Franco-Ordonius reports that the White House appears to be backing. off expectations that Ukraine's president would also be a part of those talks. President Trump told reporters at the White House that he's not making a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin contingent on Putin also meeting with Ukrainian president Vlodemir Zelensky. Does Putin have to meet with Zelensky in order and before you and Putin have to meet?

No, no, no. Trump was asked the question again. No, he doesn't. No. So when do you think that meeting is going to be like? They would like to meet with me and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing. Trump also appeared to leave some wiggle room on Friday's deadline for new tariffs. Trump had previously said he would step up sanctions against buyers of Russian oil

if Russia failed to agree to a ceasefire by the end of the week. Franco. Ordonez. NPR News, the White House. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli security cabinet has approved a plan to occupy Gaza City. The decision marks another escalation in the war. This is NPR. The Air Force has denied early retirement for transgender service members with up to 18 years of service.

A spokesman says there are no exceptions for those forced out of the armed forces under a new policy that bars them. LGBTQ active duty service members and those in the National Guard and Reserve head up until July 7th to out themselves and receive a payout that is now no longer available. A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to halt construction at an immigration detention facility. located in the Florida Everglades. The injunction is meant to allow time for arguments in a lawsuit, alleging Florida officials neglected to get public import or study the environmental impact in violation of federal law. Facility dubbed alligator alcatraz is situated in Florida wetlands

filled with alligators and other predators. Actor Dean Kane, best known for starring in a Superman TV spin-off, says he's joining ICE. NPR's Chloe Veltman has the story. In response to the Department of Homeland Security's bid to recruit more deportation officers and other roles, the 59-year-old star of Lois and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman, took to Instagram to urge his followers to sign up. You can earn lots of great benefits and pay. In an interview also yesterday with Fox News as Jesse Waters, Kane said his video got so much buzz he decided to join ICE himself.

This is the kind of thing where people have to step up. I'm stepping up. Few celebrities have spoken out in favor of the U.S. Department of Homeland. and Securities Immigration Crackdown, but many are against it, including Bad Bunny, Kim Kardashian, and Jimmy Kimmel. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. This is NPR. I'm Rachel Martin, host of Wildcard from NPR. I've spent years interviewing all kinds of people, and I've realized there are ideas that we all think about, but don't talk about very much. So I made a shortcut, a deck of cards with questions that anyone can answer, questions that go deep into the experiences that shape us.

Listen to the Wildcard podcast only from NPR.