NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-16-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: August 16, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is to come to Washington on Monday to meet with President Trump. Trump said he spoke with Zelensky while flying back from Alaska, where he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two men met for nearly three hours, but did not reach any agreement involving Russia's war against Ukraine. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, Standing in front of a banner that read Pursuing Peace, President Trump said he has a fantastic relationship with Putin, though they didn't announce a ceasefire or any concrete plan to end the war.

But we had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. Putin called the war a tragedy without addressing his role in starting it, and he said, Europe and Ukraine should not try to torpedo what he called nascent progress in the summit in Alaska. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. The Trump administration has agreed to leave the D.C. police chief in charge of the department. It had attempted to put the police under the command of the federal government.

Trump has said a federal takeover is needed to deal with roving mobs of wild youth. The city did see a violent crime spike in 2023, including among juveniles, but violent crime in general is now falling. NPR's Meg Anderson reports. In some neighborhoods, crime is still a big problem, like parts of Ward 8, where 16-year-old Ali lives. NPR is not using his last name because he worried about retaliation. He says the increased police presence feels intimidating. And it also made me think a lot about what real safety mean and whether it comes from like trust or from force and fear. He said he was, would welcome more police in his neighborhood if it felt like they were true community

guardians. Meg Anderson and PR News. Some Democratic Texas lawmakers are still apparently out of state to keep the legislature from voting on a Republican proposal to redraw the state's congressional maps. A special session ended yesterday, but the governor has called another special session to take it up again. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burroughs has a message for the Democrats when they do return. Do not think you have permission to return to Texas and enjoy a peaceful weekend before finally showing up to work. DPS will remain active and civil arrest warrants will be reissued. If you are located, you will be compelled to this chamber. The map redrawing in Texas has prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to plan to put redistricting on the ballot there in November.

Yesterday, California Democrats released their proposal for a new congressional map. Your Governor Kathy Hokel has also pledged retaliatory redistricting. This is NPR News. The Trump administration is restarting a program to fund high-speed electric vehicle chargers. Congress designated $5 billion for the program, which has been frozen since February. NPR's Kamila Dominovsky reports Trump officials have removed many of the requirements for states to use the money. After the Trump administration's funding freeze stretched on for months, a group of states sued, noting the money was guaranteed by Congress.

This week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement, quote, while I don't agree with subsidizing green energy, we will respect Congress's will. Andrew Bennett is the CEO of Drives, a company that makes charger software. No doubt about it. We've lost six months of what obviously should have been, you know, fluid set of funding. The Trump administration is also removing a number of Biden-era rules, including requirements about where chargers be located. Kamila Domenoski, NPR News.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Ted Wei says he's been granted asylum in Australia. The former lawmaker left Hong Kong four years ago, where he faces criminal charges for pro-democracy protests. Wei said on Facebook he heard yesterday that his petition for asylum has been approved. He said he feels sad in his heart that if it weren't for a political persecution, he would never have thought of living in a foreign land. A 97-year-old woman has completed 250 park runs, community 5K events, the oldest woman in Europe to do so. Grace Chambers set the record today in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She had taken up running at the age of 88. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.