NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-15-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

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I'm Rachel Martin, host of Wildcard from NPR. I've spent years interviewing all kinds of people, and I've realized there are ideas that we all think about, but don't talk about very much. So I made a shortcut, a deck of cards with questions that anyone can answer, questions that go deep into the experiences that shape us. Listen to the Wild Card podcast only from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingley. Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska is where President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be meeting today to discuss ending Moscow's war with Ukraine. It's the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Zoriophanesevich is a Ukrainian refugee who lives in Alaska. Ukraine is not going to be at the table. Ukraine is not going to be at this conversation. Our hope is that they discuss, you know, stopping of the country. killing that is happening and just a complete ceasefire. That's what we want. Trump and Putin are scheduled to hold a joint news conference following this afternoon's talks. California Governor Gavin Newsom has formally unveiled his plan to counter congressional redistricting efforts by Republican state lawmakers in Texas. Steve Futterman has more from Los Angeles. Newsom made it clear he feels what's taking place in Texas is a

potential threat to the nation. We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear. district by district. Under Newsom's proposal, voters here will decide in November whether California should redraw its congressional maps. The efforts in Texas are designed to get five or more Democratic seats to go Republican. The Newsom plan is designed to do the opposite. Have Republican seats go Democratic? I know they say don't mess with Texas. Well, don't mess with the great golden state. As the Newsom News conference was taking place inside a downtown L.A. building outside, than a dozen border patrol agents showed up, Newsom's office tweeted, we will not be intimidated. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

President Trump urged Republican lawmakers in Texas to redraw their congressional maps to try to flip those seats in next year's congressional midterm elections. Air Canada is canceling hundreds of flights ahead of tomorrow's planned strike by thousands of Union flight attendants. As Dan Carpenshuk reports, the walkout is likely. to affect about 130,000 passengers a day. The flight attendants union gave the airline a 72-hour strike notice after Air Canada said talks to negotiate a settlement had reached an impasse. In response, the airline began grounding flights on Thursday mainly to overseas destinations.

Air Canada says the process had to begin now in order to have a safe and orderly wind down. That means canceling about 500 more flights before the weekend. It also said if there is a strike, employees would be locked out. Talks between the workers and the airline have broken down due to disputes over wages and what the union calls unpaid work hours. The airline has proposed binding third-party arbitration. The Canadian Union of Public Employees' Airline Division has refused. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenchuk in Toronto. Wall Street futures are higher this morning.

Dow futures are up more than 300 points. This is NPR News from Washington. Long-term mortgage rates in the U.S. are at their lowest level in 10. 10 months. Freddie Mac says the average rate on a 30-year fixed loan has fallen to less than 6.6%. The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage also dropped last week. Elevated mortgage rates have slowed the nation's housing market for the last three years. In 2024, home sales dropped to their lowest level in nearly three decades. Federal health officials say they're reviving a panel to examine the safety of childhood vaccines in the U.S. NPR's Will Stone reports on the announcement from the Department

of Health and Human Services. The task force was disbanded in the late 90s, and now it's being reinstated under Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In a press release, his department said the task force would work on recommendations to refine and develop vaccines with what it described as less serious adverse reactions than what's on the market. It's just the latest action from Kennedy's agency on vaccines. Under his leadership, the government has rolled back recommendations for the COVID shots and overhauled another vaccine committee that says it will now be re-examining the childhood vaccine schedule. The agency also pulled hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for mRNA vaccine contracts earlier this month.

Will Stone and PR News. Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Billy Joel says he plans to close his motorcycle shop in New York and auction off his collection of bikes. Joel is 76 years old and was recently diagnosed with a brain disorder that can affect memory and movement. His 20th century cycles is on Long Island and will close in September. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington. There's a lot of news happening.

You want to understand it better, but let's be honest. You don't want it to be your entire life either. Well, that's sort of like our show, here and now anytime. Every weekday on our podcast, we talk to people all over the country about everything from political analysis to climate resilience, video games. We even talk about dumpster diving on this show. Check out here and now anytime. a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR.