NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-12-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: August 12, 2025

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I'm Jesse Thorne. On Bullseye, I usually handle introducing and promoting our guests, but well... Hey there, this is Paul Walter Houser. Yes, the man with three names for each of his acclaims. That's right. Paul Walter Houser from Itanya, the Naked Gun, and the Fantastic Four on Bullseye for Maximumfund.org and NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Final preparations are underway for Friday summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump is still trying to negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. NPR's Charles Means is following developments from Moscow. The Kremlin has remained largely silent since confirming Putin's participation in the summit last week. Only Putin's U.S. envoy, Kareil Dmitriev, is taken to publicly praising the choice of location.

Demetriov has repeatedly pointed to Alaska, as a symbolic bridge between nations, given the state's history, as once part of the Russian Empire sold to the U.S. in the 1860s. Yet Alaska is also a long way from Ukraine, where Trump says a deal to end Russia's war there may involve some swapping of different lands. Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky, will not be included in the talks, and he and his European allies say that while they appreciate Trump's peace efforts, they will reject any concessions negotiated behind their backs. Charles Maines, NPR News, Moscow. Trump's extending a trade truce with China, an additional 90 days.

Had that truce expired overnight as planned, the world's two biggest economies would have resumed a trade war involving tit-for-tat tariff hikes. The president's tariffs are raising prices for imported items such as furniture and toys. NPR Scott Horsley reports that contributed to stubbornly high inflation last month. A new report from the Labor Department shows consumer prices in July were up 2.7. percent from a year ago. The rising cost of rent, airfare, and used cars was partially offset by a drop in the price of gasoline. Stripping out volatile energy and food prices, core inflation jumped to 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The effects of President Trump's worldwide tariffs can be seen in the rising price of imported goods, such as toys

and home furnishings. While overall grocery prices were down during the month, imported foods like coffee and bananas got more expensive, earlier this month, Trump ordered a new round of even higher tariffs, which could put upward pressure on prices for months to come. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. Pfizer says the Food and Drug Administration may withdraw the authorization of the company's COVID-19 vaccine for very young children. NPR's Rob Stein has that story. Pfizer's COVID vaccine has been available to kids ages six months to four years under what's

called an emergency use authorization. But Pfizer says the FDA has informed the company the agency. may not renew that authorization, so the company is working with the FDA to try to keep the vaccine available for very young kids. They're at high risk for serious complications. But Derners COVID vaccine would still be available for kids in that age group who have other health problems. But this could leave healthy kids in limbo. Rob Stein, NPR News. U.S. stocks are trading higher this hour with the Dow up 442 points or more than 1%. It's NPR News. YouTube is set to begin testing an AI-powered age verification system in the U.S. this week.

The new program is intended to tell adults and minors apart based on their viewing habits when they're logged in. Users flagged as underage would face limited video recommendations and other restrictions. The Mojave Desert Turdisp is considered a threatened species nationally, but as NPR's Nate Perez reports, California went a step forward. further this year, enlisted the tortoise as endangered. Mojave Desert Tortoises live beyond California. They're in parts of Nevada, Arizona, and northwestern Mexico, too. Estimates show that up to 90% of these tortoises have disappeared. That's why California decided in June to give the tortoise more protections. Patrick Imbledge is with the conservation nonprofit, the Mojave Desert Land Trust.

If tortoises are going extinct, we're doing something wrong, and everything else is suffering as well. California's Fish and Wildlife Department said the endangered status could bring in more federal funds for protection and recovery actions. But conservationists say that's unlikely, given that federal cuts and staffing losses have diminished agencies tasked with protecting endangered species. Neip Perez, NPR News. The White House says it will announce the 48th Kennedy Center honors recipients tomorrow morning.

They're traditionally awarded in December. and broadcast on CBS. The NASDAQ has gained 1.2%. The SMPs up nearly 1%. The Dow has risen 1%. It's NPR News.