NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-11-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: August 11, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Declaring a public emergency in the nation's capital, President Trump says his administration is deploying 800 National Guard troops on the streets of the nation's capital. And he says he's putting his AG in charge of local police. Today we're declaring public safety emergency in the District of Columbia and Attorney General Pam Bondi, who's fantastic, is taking command of the metropolitan police department as of this moment, and I'll be making the appropriate notifications to Congress and to the mayor. Well, according to a White House staffer, Trump has now signed an executive order invoking his powers under Section 40 of the Home Rule Act to take control of the D.C.

police. Trump says his government will get rid of people from underpasses and public spaces, but he did not provide details on how or where people would be moved. His actions come days after a former Doge staffer and another person were the victims of an alleged attempted carjacking and assault. Trump asserts crime has spiked in D.C., but local police date on violent crime show a much different picture. And P.R. Brian Mann has more on that and on the surge in federal law enforcement presence over the weekend. Crime is down in Washington. Violent crime hit a 30-year low last year. That's according to the U.S. Justice Department. So there were tourists and locals out on a normal summer evening. evening eating ice cream and street food people I talked to seemed confused by the presence

of so much federal law enforcement. And speaking yesterday on MSNBC, Washington, D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser also questioned the president's motives from putting these federal agents on the streets. Now, if the priority is to show for us in an American city, we know he can do that here. But it won't be because there's a spike in crime. NPR's Brian Mann reporting. The White House and the Kremlin are still working out The details of this week's summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They're scheduled to hold talks Friday in Alaska about ending Russia's war with Ukraine. NPR's Charles means more from Moscow.

It's unclear what concessions Putin will bring from across the Bering Strait. Publicly, the Russian leader insists peace hinges on an end to NATO expansion, Ukraine's disarmament, and seating land claimed but not always controlled by Russian forces. Trump is on record saying a peace deal may involve a swapping of territories, Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky, is not expected to be part of Friday's talks. Meanwhile, a coalition of European leaders issued a weekend statement in support of Ukraine and rejecting any concessions negotiated behind Kiev's back. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.

U.S. stocks are mixed this hour. The Dow is down 78 points at 44,097. The S&Ps gained 7 points, and the NASDAQ is up 59 points. From Washington, this is NPR News. Investors will get some fresh information on inflation this week. NPR Scott Horsley reports analysts will be watching for signs of how tariffs are affecting the prices that consumers pay. The Labor Department is set to report new cost of living figures tomorrow. Forecasters say core inflation could top 3% as President Trump's tariffs begin to push the cost of imported goods higher.

Headline inflation should be a bit lower, however, thanks to a drop in gasoline prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is in temporary command at the IRS, following the ouster of IRS Commissioner Billy Long last week, Long, who's an auctioneer and former Missouri congressman, was dismissed after less than two months on the job. That's Scott Horsley reporting. Temperatures have spiked to dangerous levels across the west and southwest as summer. Recent report is now shedding light on the risks of extreme heat in rural areas. Here's KUNC's Ray Solomon. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

the study finds rural communities are among the most susceptible to heat risks. They have more hard-to-cooled housing, like mobile homes and vulnerable elderly and sick populations. Grace Wickerson is one of the researchers. They say the rural workforce is especially exposed. Hundreds of rural counties are relying on outdoor tourism and natural resources industries, as well as various other outdoor workplaces. And so those folks are outside being exposed to heat during their workdays. The report from Headwaters, economics, and the Federation of American Scientists calls for more investment in rural cooling and public health infrastructure. That's Ray Solomon reporting. It's NPR News.