NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-15-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

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Material scientist Anna Maria Kuklita is creating tech that replicates skin and simulates touch. A prosthetic hand would feel if the patient is holding a hot cup or a cold bottle of beer. Ideas about our skin and how we use it to interact with the world. That's on NPR's TED Radio Hour. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Doa Lysa Kautau. California's governor watched how Texas Democrats left their state to block Republicans from holding a special session that would redraw congressional maps and give the GOP five more seats before next year's midterm elections. So he announced his own mid-decade redistricting. It's not complicated. We're doing this in reaction to a president of United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said, find me five seats.

We're doing it in reaction to that act. Gavin Newsom hopes voters in November will approve new voting lines to neutralize an attempt by President Trump and others to, quote, rig the system. He said he's putting maps on the ballot to give power to the people. As President Trump prepares for his summit tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he's also describing it as a prelude to a potential future meeting that could involve several world leaders. And Piers Daniel Kerslabel reports. In recent days, Trump has been saying that if his meeting with Putin goes well, he would want a second summit that includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump opened the door to including European leaders. The more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders alone. Maybe not. I don't know that it's going to be very important. We're going to see what happens. European leaders spoke with Trump on Wednesday, saying, Putin must agree to a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine before any peace talks begin.

Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House. The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block enforcement of Mississippi's new social media age verification law. More on this from Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Will Stribling. The Justice has denied an emergency request from Tech Industry Group Net Choice to block the law while its legal challenge plays out. Net Choice argues the state's age verification and parental consent. law violates the First Amendment. And litigation co-director Paul Tasky says it's still on borrowed time. Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence makes clear that Net Choice will ultimately succeed in defending the First Amendment, not just in this case, but across all of Net Choices,

ID for speech lawsuits. Kavanaugh wrote that Net Choice is likely to win its case on the merits, but hadn't proven that letting Mississippi's law stay in effect would cause more harm than pausing it. For NPR News, I'm Will Stribling and Jackson. A federal judge in Maryland has struck down two Trump administration memos to cut federal funding from the nation's schools and universities that have DEI or diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. One of the plaintiffs, the president of CEO of Democracy Forward, Sky Perryman, wrote threatening teachers and sowing chaos in schools throughout America is part of the administration's war on education, and today the people won.

You're listening to NPR News. is celebrating 80 years since Japan's colonial rule, and on this anniversary, its new president, Li J. Myeong, said he wants better relations with North Korea. Speaking to a crowd during a Friday celebration, he said he hopes Pyongyang will respond to his effort to restore a 2018 military agreement to restart dialogue and reduce border tensions.

Human rights groups are decrying a new law in Peru that shields from prosecution security forces, forces that class with military insurgents trying to overthrow the government. Tens of thousands of people were killed, as NPR's Kerry Khan reports. At the law signing, Peru's president, Dina Buluarte, said the bill honors those who were unjustly accused of abuses during their courageous and dedicated battles against communist insurgents. Activists, however, say the amnesty law will overturn more than 150 convictions and stop

proceedings in hundreds of more cases of gross human rights violations. including extrajudicial killings, rape and torture. Many of the offenses were committed by state police and military officers. The bill passed Congress in July with backing from right-wing lawmakers loyal to the military and former President Alberto Fujimori who ruled Peru during most of the war. He died in prison after being convicted of crimes against humanity. Carrie Khan, NPR News. Stocks in Asia ended mixed.

Japan's Nikai was up almost 1%. Hong Kong's Hangsang fell, and the Shanghai composite was up 3.3%. This is NPR News.