NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-13-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: August 14, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. A federal judge will soon decide whether an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades will have to close. NPR's Greg Allen reports at issue is whether construction of the facility without public input or without an environmental impact assessment violates federal law. The four-day hearing in federal court in Miami ended with several key questions unanswered. At the top of the list is one asked repeatedly by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams. Who's running the show? Lawyers for two environmental groups cited comments made by Trump administration officials in interviews and in social media posts that it's an immigration and customs enforcement facility.

Lawyers for Florida and the Trump administration told the judge it's a state detention center operating under ICE authority, but they couldn't tell the judge who actually is in charge at the site. The plaintiffs are asking the judge to issue a preliminary injunction that would require the state and federal government, to wind down operations within 14 days. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami. Many Ukrainians say no one will be looking out for their interests when President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold their summit this Friday in Alaska.

NPR's Greg Myrie reports many fear they'll be asked to make concessions. In the run-up to the summit, Ukrainians are expressing a recurring theme. They say Ukraine is a bystander to the summit but could face demands that come out of the meeting. Roman Hebrich works at a company that does wellness screenings so Ukrainians can check their level of stress and anxiety. We are exhausted. We want this war to end, but not because we want to stop fighting in any cost. Recent polls here show a strong majority supports negotiations to end the war. But an even bigger majority says Ukraine should not give up large parts of the country for the sake of peace. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Kiev.

The Port of Los Angeles handled a record volume of cargo last month. NPR Scott Horsley reports more than a million shipping containers passed through the port, which is a major gateway for imports from Asia. Import traffic at the Port of L.A. was up 8% from the same month a year ago. Port Director Gene Soroka says that may have been the high watermark for this year. Not surprisingly, much of this volume was fueled by importers hustling to bring in cargo ahead of potential tariff hikes later this month and beyond. Tariffs on goods from Japan and South Korea jump from 10 to 15% this month,

while tariffs on goods from Taiwan and Vietnam doubled to 20%. The tax on imports from China is even higher, averaging around 55%. That rate was just extended for another 90 days. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. Stocks traded higher today on Wall Street. The Dow was up 463 points, the NASDAQ up 31. This is NPR News in Washington. An intense heat wave is gripping much of the United Kingdom.

Alerts have been issued for many parts of England, including London, with temperatures pushing 90 degrees in some areas. In Scotland, dry conditions are raising the risk of wildfires. In western Colorado, the leaf fire has exploded to more than 180 square miles, making it the fifth largest, wildfire in the state's history. Colorado Public Radio Stina Sieg reports locals are feeling both gratitude and grief. On almost every block of the small ranching town of Meeker, homemade signs thank the firefighters who help save this place. Katie Conrado feels grateful and also I'm heartbroken. Devastated for the nearby ranchers who've lost everything and for the surrounding grasslands and mountains burned beyond recognition. I will never. I will never.

see the land in the same condition it was as I've always known it, as I've known it in my whole life. Others in town worry how the fire will affect the fastly approaching hunting season, a huge economic driver for the area. For MPR News, I'm Steena Sieg in Grand Junction, Colorado. Venus Williams will return to Grand Slam tennis at the U.S. Open at the age of 45. She received a wild card invite to compete in singles at Fleshing Meadows. Williams has won seven major singles championships, including at the U.S. Open in the early 2000s. I'm Windsor Johnston, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.