NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-13-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

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Maybe you're wondering, how do I escape quicksand or how do I break up with my dentists? Well, season two of NPR's How to Do Everything podcast is launching this fall and we will attempt to answer your questions. Sometimes we'll actually succeed. Send us your questions at how to at npr.org. That's how to at npr.org. Live from NPR news, I'm Lakshmi Singh. European leaders held calls today with President Trump and Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, ahead of Trump's meeting Friday in Alaska with the Russian president of Vladimir Putin. They've been urging Trump to take Ukraine's security into account.

NPR's Lauren Frere has more from London. In a joint statement with his French and German counterparts, British Prime Minister Kirstarmer says the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. He says meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context. of a ceasefire, and that in the absence of that, sanctions on Russia should be strengthened. International borders must not be changed by force, the statement says. And it says a, quote, Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role in Ukraine with a reassurance force. That's a reference to the possible deployment of British and French peacekeepers to certain

zones of Ukraine after combat halts. Lauren Freyer and PR News, London. President Trump has won a court battle to freeze billions in foreign aid. Today, a U.S. Appeals Court set aside an injunction that had required the Trump administration to allow funding to continue. Trump's decision to and temporary protected status for immigrants from a number of countries has rattled care workers. NPRs, Andrea Shue tells us that includes those who tend to the elderly and the sick. In coming months, immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, and other countries are set to lose their authorization to live and work in the U.S. Among them are home health care workers and nursing homeworkers,

some of whom have been in the U.S. for decades. Arnufel de la Cruz leads SCIU Local 2015, a union representing care workers in California. He worries the policy changes will hurt families who need help. We were already in a huge care shortage, so there's not enough caregivers to be matched with people who need care. The Trump administration says temporary protected status has been abused as a de facto asylum system, allowing unvetted people to settle in the U.S. indefinitely.

Andrea Shue and PR News. Parts of the Middle East are going through an intense heat wave this week. Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon are seeing temperatures reach as high as 120 degrees. NPR's Emily Fang reports from Israel's Nagaf Desert. Countries from Egypt to Syria are warning of unusually high temperatures, as much as 18 degrees higher than the average. Israel State Meteorological agencies said Wednesday that they were expecting the hottest day on record in the country since 1942. An estimated 2 million people in Gaza are especially vulnerable to the heat. The strip has basically no functioning utilities, meaning no air conditioning,

and many people are living intense having been displaced in Israel's war there. Emily Fang, NPR News, Nizana, Israel. The Dow is up 326 points or roughly three quarters of a percent. It's NPR news. Large portions of southern Europe are on fire following weeks of extreme heat. At least three deaths have been reported in Spain, Turkey, and Albania. Explosions erupted in southern Albania after a wildfire detonated World War II era munitions. Amazon says it is expanding.

It's perishable delivery service. The e-retail giant announced plans to allow prime members in more than 20,000, 300 locations nationwide to access fresh groceries with free same-day delivery by the end of the year. The service applies to orders over $25. Amazon says prime members in more than a thousand cities in town have access now. The singer and actress Renee Rapp is a TV actor and musical theater veteran. Now, as a pop singer, she's got her first ever top 10 album. Here's NPR Stephen Thompson. At the top of this week's Billboard Albums chart, two very different records are vying for dominance. At number one for a 10th week is Morgan Wallen's country hit,

On The Problem. Then at number two, you've got the soundtrack to the animated movie K-pop Demon Hunters, which has also spawned the week's number one single, Golden, by Huntricks. Those albums have been in the top ten for weeks, but debuting at number three is a new record by a star who's been rising for years, the singer and actress Renee Rap. Her new album is called Bight Me. Two years ago, Rapp's debut album's Snow Angel peaked at number 44.

Now she's bitten off her first ever top 10 album. Stephen Thompson, NPR News.